Cast and crew of Sing Hosanna! are busily putting the finishing touches on their fall production, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I." The show opens Oct. 22.

The plot revolves around Anna, a young British widow, and her son, who arrive in Bangkok, where Anna has contracted to teach English to the children of the royal household.

Though promises made to her are unfulfilled and she threatens to leave, she falls in love with the children and develops a caring relationship with the ruler. And though she is there to teach the palace children Western culture, the whole palace learns a lot more than that.

"It is a musical that teaches a lesson. It portrays the transformation of a set of beliefs and it is hopeful," said Dale Reimer of Butler, who portrays Anna. "It is an enjoyable show for the family," she added.

"It is a mammoth undertaking from the makeup to the costumes," said director Ralph Christy Jr. "I've never done anything in the Oriental Asian style before," he added.

The sets themselves are big and bold and include a 24-foot screen to separate the actors from the 15-piece orchestra that appears on stage.

Moving around the stage is a bit of a challenge for Reimer. "The skirt is huge and moving around in it has taken some getting used to," she said. "Also maintaining the British accent is something I am working on it pretty hard," she added.

Reimer, who has been with Sing Hosanna! for years, said she loves the musical and thinks the songs are quite special."My favorite song is 'Getting to Know You' because I get to interact with the kids, who are simply fantastic," Reimer said.Her co-star, the king, is played by Rod Gasch of Evans City, who is relatively new to the Sing Hosanna! family. While his children have appeared in Sing Hosanna! productions, this will be his first leading role."I am a big fan of this musical and have enjoyed if for years," he said."It's actually pretty amazing in the scene where I walk into a room and 35 kids bow to me," laughed Gasch, a father to teenagers. "It is not like that happens at home," he added.Maintaining the accent is Gasch's focus going into final preparations along with getting his head shaved."It can be tough maintaining my accent while my co-star is speaking in a British accent," he explained. "It is an ambitious undertaking but it will all pay off. It is going to be a great show."Playing the role of Anna's son is Andrew Stock, a fifth grade student at Meridian Elementary."I enjoy working with everyone. This is my first leading role," said Stock, who has appeared in other Sing Hosanna! productions."The music is fun and I like my song 'Puzzlement' where I get to copy the prince," said Stock. "Learning the dancing is a new thing for me. I have acted and sung before, but (I've) not had to dance," he said.For Christy, the show is a series of firsts."This is the first show where the cast is barefoot and has to be tanned. Everyone also will have to have black hair - dyed or wigged - and it is the first show where everyone gets to wear jewelry," he said. "The costuming and makeup are really much more elaborate than anything we've done," Christy added.Normally Christy utilizes musicians from Slippery Rock University for the shows, but for this production he will feature students from Butler High School in the orchestra.