Honk! Is Here

For the first time ever, Wild Mountain Thyme, Boundary County's auditioned adult choir, is joining forces with Swingin' on a Star: the Bonners Ferry Children's Choir, to present a fully staged musical. They will be performing the stage production of Honk! at Trinity Lutheran Church on June 3, 4, 6 and 7.

Actors From The Musical Honk Worked Long And Hard To Make The Play A Success.

According to Vicki Blake, director, "Honk! is the ugly duckling like you've never heard it or seen it before. It's not just for kids. What drew me to the play is that it's so funny and the music is so diverse. There are soulful ballads and hilarious songs. It's absolutely not just for kids. The adults are going to love it."
Vicki said that the play Honk! won Best Musical for live theater over Lion King and Mama Mia in London.

In considering which production would work for Wild Mountain Thyme, Vicki said she had to choose a show to fit the group. Rather than choosing a play and having people audition for it, Vicki had to find a play that would be able to accommodate the performers she already had. One of her goals was to make sure that everyone had a solo or at least a duet in the show. At that point, she made the decision to include the children of Swingin' on a Star. She said that they are a talented group of children ages 8 to 18 years old.

Performers auditioned at the end of January and parts were distributed in early February. Rehearsals have been on-going for the last four months.

"One of the cool things about this is that we have a full orchestra for the show," emphasized Vicki. "It is a nine member orchestra, five of whom play with the Coeur d'Alene Symphony. Some of the musicians travel from Spokane, one from Creston, one from Sandpoint and some local folks also. It's so great to have a live orchestra."

Vicki estimated that between 60 and 65 people have been involved in the production including actors, musicians, costumers, gathering props and creating the set.
"The costumes are fun, the set is simplistic and we have come up with some great props," Vicki said.

"There is nothing like live theater," Vicki stressed. "The involvement between the performers and the audience is so different than a movie. We have some really talented performers here. People are going to be shocked when they see the excellence of the performers here. Trinity Lutheran Church has been so flexible. It is a wonderful space."

Advance tickets for Honk! are available at Mountain Mike's and Hair Connection. Advance tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students. At the door, tickets will be $12 for adults and $10 for students. Children six and under are free. On June 3, 4 and 6, the play will start at 7:30 pm On June 7, the play will start at 3:00 pm