Family flips roles

Don’t freak out.

Jay County Civic Theatre is performing Disney’s “Freaky Friday: A New Musical,” this week. Shows are slated for 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Jay County Campus of Arts Place.

Based on the 1972 novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers and multiple film adaptations, “Freaky Friday” follows a soon-to-be wed widow, Katherine Blake, and her teenage daughter, Ellie Blake, living together but both misunderstood. A walk in each other’s shoes before the wedding makes them see the world from a different viewpoint.

Assistant director Rachel Tebbe — she also served as assistant director in “The Sound of Music” and “The Descendants,” and she directed “Frosty the Snow Man” — pointed to the show’s overall message.

“It’s a very comical, but heartwarming show about, you know, you never know what the other person is walking through, you never know what being in their shoes is like,” she said.

Jay County Civic Theatre’s production stars duo Mandi McIver and Inara Sanderson as Ellie and Katherine Blake. The pair’s chemistry goes beyond the stage — their familial connections as mother and daughter in the real world have brought their characters to life.

“Ellie is very messy and just very like outgoing and sporadic,” said Sanderson, who has appeared in various past civic productions including “The Sound of Music” and “The Descendants” in the last few years. “She’s a cranky teenager who doesn’t want to listen to her mom.”

Katherine Blake, on the other hand, is a completely different person.

“(She’s) the polar opposite of Ellie,” said McIver, who previously performed in “The Descendants” as Maleficent. “She is overbearing, perfectionist, everything has to be perfect, puts a lot of pressure on people, including herself.”

After the switch, both characters search for a way to swap back before Katherine Blake says “I do,” learning more about each other in the process.

 Playing characters with two personas isn’t an everyday role. Sanderson and McIver have enjoyed poking fun at each other’s mannerisms.

“It’s fun trying to be my mom,” Sanderson said. “It’s funny getting to mock my mom and be her and try to get that different side of acting that I’ve never gotten to do before.”

“We’re on the ride home, yelling at each other all the time, trying to get our lines straight,” McIver said, laughing.

McIver pointed out she and her daughter have performed together since Sanderson was 2 years old but never exchanged dialogue on stage until now. Her other daughter, Niyah McIver, is also in the cast as Fletcher Blake.

Mandi McIver and Inara Sanderson, performing as Katherine and Ellie Blake, argue over a large hourglass during Jay County Civic Theatre’s Thursday rehearsal of “Freaky Friday.” Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Jay County Campus of Arts Place, 131 E. Walnut St., Portland. Tickets are available at bit.ly/JCCTFreakyFriday, by calling (260) 726-4809 or by visiting Arts Place. (The Commercial Review/Bailey Cline)

 

 “It was pretty awesome when we got that casting call,” said McIver, recalling past shows they’ve starred in including “The Wizard of Oz” and Disney’s “The Descendants.”

Music director Reid Knuth — he and Tebbe also perform as police officers Kowalski and Sitz in the show — talked about the “massive variety” of songs sprinkled throughout “Freaky Friday.”

“Everything from Beach Boys knockoffs to Aretha Franklin knockoffs to, like, ’90s pop,” Knuth said. “There’s a huge gambit that it runs.”

Tickets are available by visiting bit.ly/JCCTFreakyFriday, calling (260) 726-4809 or visiting Arts Place, 131 E. Walnut St., Portland.

Sanderson pointed out this may be her last show with Jay County Civic Theatre, at least for a while, as she begins attending Ball State University in the fall. She plans to major in elementary education and minor in theatre, with hopes to get involved with Muncie Civic Theatre.

McIver talked about “Freaky Friday” serving as a final hurrah for their time performing in shows together.

“It’s a very heartwarming, bonding story,” McIver said. “It’s kind of been a little bonding experience for us behind the scenes.”