Rodgers and Hammerstein's “The King and I” is in production and opens March 11 for a three-show weekend run at the Succop Theater at Butler County Community College. Sing Hosanna! is bringing back this classic musical again after successfully presenting it in 2005.

“I just thought it was time to bring it back and we had a crop of talented actors whom I thought would be ready and perfect for this show,” said Ralph Christy Jr., director of Sing Hosanna!

Christy said that having already produced the show, there was more freedom to focus on areas such as sets and blocking. “Our sets this time around are more elaborate, and multileveled blocking will make the show more enjoyable,” he said.

Typically Christy selects family friendly shows that include opportunities to showcase student talent.

“This show with its social customs, accents, hair and skin coloring is a complicated production, but audiences seem to love it,” he added.

Speaking of hair, Rodney Gasch of Forward Township didn't mind shaving off his locks one more time to reprise his role as the king of Siam.

“This role is a great fit for me vocally. The combination of forceful acting with a score that doesn't demand a perfectly smooth voice works for me,” said Gasch, who enjoys going through the motions of emotions.

“The king really experiences highs and lows throughout the play. He is angry, then gentle — he is so multidimensional that it is fun to portray the gamut of his emotions,” Gasch said.

Already having played the role, he is spending time refreshing himself with the script and getting used to the different actors in the show this time around.

The musical is about a widow who accepts a job as a live-in governess to the king's many children.

Mary Cole Simms of Center Township plays Anna Leonowens, the widow who accepted the king's offer.

“When I auditioned, this was the role I wanted,” Simms said. “She is a great character to play because she is a strong woman with a great sense of self.”

This is her first major role in quite some time, but Simms said she felt compelled to be a part of the production.

“I bring a lot of my life experiences to the role. Like Anna, I have experienced loss, hard times and bad news, all of which Anna handles so graciously,” she said.

Simms noted that because of her family's busy schedule, she can really only justify taking the time to be part of a show if she identifies with the story and connects with the role.

Juggling the hectic schedule of the production seems to be the only challenge for Brecken Farrell, who plays Anna's young son Louie.

Brecken, a third grader at South Butler Primary Center, has appeared in Sing Hosanna! productions since he was 6 years old.

“I really wanted the role of Louie or the prince when I auditioned,” said Brecken, who played Charlie Bates in the fall production of “Oliver.”

“Louie is a fun role with lots of lines and that's what I like the most,” he said, adding that his favorite song is “It's a Puzzlement” which he sings in conjunction with the prince.

The role of the prince is played by Elijah Girochalski of Oakland Township. This seventh grade student at Butler Junior High talks of pursuing the dramatic arts as a career.

“I think it would be great to be an actor. Every time I have the opportunity to be on stage, it's a little more experience,” he said.

Though he'd never seen “The King and I,” he was a quick study in the dialect and posture that a prince must project.

“Because of my last role in the ‘Wizard of Oz,' I feel more confident in what to expect and how to move on stage,” Elijah said.

He said juggling schoolwork and the production is at times overwhelming, but it's worth it.

Christy agreed: “It's Rodgers and Hammerstein; you can't go wrong with their shows and all their memorable songs.”

Those famous tunes include “Getting to Know You,” “Something Wonderful,” “I Have Dreamed” and “Shall We Dance.”

<B>WHO: </B>Sing Hosanna!<B>WHAT:</B> “The King and I”<B>WHEN:</B> 7:30 p.m. March 11 and 12 and 2 p.m. March 13<B>WHERE: </B>Succop Theater at Butler County Community College<B>TICKETS: </B>$15 for those age 11 and older and $10 for those age 10 and younger; available at May's Music Shoppe, 247 E. Jefferson St.<B>INFO: </B>724-287-8362