A trio of characters

It’s hard to take Constable Joe seriously and that’s what Ben Kreiger might like the most about his character in Coal City High School’s spring musical “Tuck Everlasting.” Well, that and his boots.
The Coal City High School senior is taking the stage for his first musical and he’s landed a role that fits his personality.
“I like to make people laugh,” he said, and the lines his character delivers throughout the show resonate with him.
“Being myself within the character has helped bring out the comedic moments because it’s the kind of comedy and laugher I like,” Kreiger said.
Constable Joe and his son, Hugo provide quite a bit of comic relief in a production that brings forth a myriad of emotions and thoughts.
The role of Hugo is played by Gabe Ludes, a sophomore, who has enjoyed being a part of his school district’s theatre productions since his first show at the intermediate school.
“I love doing the musicals, especially when you have  lead role and have so much time and commitment into it. It’s such an excellent experience to be a part of,” Ludes said.
This role finds him working closely with Kreiger who said the two have developed a close bond.
“It’s been a lot of fun to work off each other because we’re always together in scenes,” Kreiger said.
Ludes agrees, “It’s a lot of fun to bounce back and forth between each other during scenes.”
For Ludes and Kreiger one of their favorite moments on stage comes towards the end of the show when they combine on the song, “You Can’t Trust a Man.”
“It’s fun to just go out and perform it, because it’s just such a fun song,” Kreiger said.
The song begins with a bit of dialog in reference to a man wearing a yellow suit and as the song begins Constable Joe delivers the line, “you can’t trust a man dressed in yellow.”
Well, can you?
“No, not at all,” said Cody Rogers who will be the man wearing the yellow suit when the show opens for a two-week run on March 7.
The high school junior is appearing in his third high school production and like those before, he’s spending some time developing his role.
“When it came to trying to figure out how my character would react, even down to how he moved, I got in my head what kind of person I thought he was,” Rogers said, noting his vision of the character is one who is extremely serious and willing to stop at nothing to get what he wants.
When he arrives in Treegap with the traveling fair, the man in yellow wants nothing more than to discover the secret of the woods and the spring that provides everlasting life.
Not wanting to replicate the character as it appeared on Broadway, Rogers  started with a clean slate and has based his Man in the Yellow Suit  the way he interpreted the role.
Even though he is breaking away from the Broadway version, there will be a bit of Broadway that takes the stage as his custom designed costume is made from the same fabric used to create the yellow suit worn by Terrence  Mann who originated the role of Man in the Yellow Suit .
“The skill and work that goes into everything here makes it that much easier to live in the show,” Kreiger said.
Having watched the productions from the audience throughout his high school years, Kreiger is excited to be taking the stage this spring.
“I was unconfident and secluded from everyone, but once I got into speech last year and play this fall I thought this is finally my time to get involved in musical,” Kreiger said.
So with the help of Rogers, he took some voice lessons and stepped into the audition room. He landed a role in the ensemble and was selected as the understudy for Constable Joe.
He was happy just to be a part of the cast, but due to some changes he ended up  with the role.
“It’s cool that I actually ended up with a character I wanted to play, again because I felt I related to him the most,” Kreiger said.
Rogers knows what it’s like to be moved into a role once rehearsals are well underway. That’s what happened his freshman year when he found himself taking the stage as King Triton in “The Little Mermaid.”    He offered his friend a bit of advise, mainly not to think of himself as a replacement to the role.
“You have to believe that from day one you we’re the best choice for that role,” Rogers said. Kreiger appreciates the words of advise and acknowledges the entire cast has been supportive as he works to get up to speed in his selected role.
All three—Kreiger, Rogers and Ludes—have their favorite moments in the show from Riley Nevin singing “Time,” to Preston Johnson’s portrayal of Angus Tuck, and for all the fun that comes with the song, “Partner in Crime.”
When the music starts to play and the cast begins to dance, know that Ludes and Kreiger are dancing along backstage just out of view from the audience.
This trio of characters all agree this year’s musical is one that everyone should take the time to see.
“The theme of this show really just comments on the value of life and how you need to live life to the fullest and I think every single person in the world can take from that,” Ludes said.
Hugo, Constable Joe, Man in the Yellow Suit and the entire cast of  Coal City’s “Tuck Everlasting” will take the stage in Coal City’s Performing Arts Center for two-weekends of performances beginning Thursday, March 7.
The curtain will go up at 7 p.m. on March 7, Friday, March 8, Saturday, March 9, Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 10 and March 17.
Reserved seat tickets are $8 per person, $5 for students and senior citizens and can be purchased in advance at cctuck.weebly.com.
Kreiger said everyone needs to see this show, and his plaid boots.