ESTEVAN — Ranchers and Rustlers II: The Big Heist – a musical produced by Randy Apostle and directed by Brad Wiebe – is in its final preparation stages at the Souris Valley Theatre.
The premiere is slated for July 3 and the cast, residing at Woodlawn Regional Park, has been tirelessly rehearsing to ensure the public enjoys the sequel of the beloved show.
"It's a western, lighthearted, musical comedy, a little bit of an almost Pink Panther-esque or Inspector Gadget – who’s done it, where everybody is looking for the bad person. And they're not so good at it, so there is a kind of goofiness, they're not the best detectors. But it gets all sorted out in the end and comes to a happily ever after," said Wiebe.
"It comes with western music, from classic venturi to a little bit of newer stuff, anywhere from Garth Brooks, Patsy Cline, The Oak Ridge Boys to newer artists like Gretchen Wilson and Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. We have a wide variety of music, a lot of great country music for everybody."
There will also be a live guitar performance incorporated into the show, as well as a bit of a comedy improvisation, which will make every performance a bit different.
"It is a scripted show, but because we do have a lot of improvisers, it won't be the same show every day. I mean, it will be, but there'll be a few lines changed here and there, a few wacky antics changed because they're just very happy to play. Also, we have a tickle trunk over there with a bunch of crazy, crazy items and things, so when they pull it out, who knows what's going to happen," Wiebe said.
Some of the cast members have been to Estevan before. Director Wiebe and choreographer Pamela Gordon-Wiebe were in Estevan for the 25th-anniversary reboot of the original Ranchers and Rustlers back in 2019. And one of the actresses, Yanin Gillespie, was a part of the play in 2003.
The original plan was to bring Ranchers and Rustlers II: The Big Heist to Estevan in the summer of 2020, but the pandemic put it on pause until this year.
"A few years later now we're here again," Wiebe said.
Many things have changed in the theatre during this time, including the sound and acoustics systems and lighting, which is greatly appreciated by the actors.
Involved with the play this year are Camille Beauchamp, Brandon Vink, Brad Zacharias, Amy Wright, Brent Buchanan, Peter Nadolny and Gillespie, as well as stage manager Hope Van Vliet, who also runs light and sound, and Wiebe and Gordon-Wiebe.
Wiebe noted that the cast is known to each other, as they've worked together on numerous occasions over the years, and most of them met through Celebrations Dinner Theatre in Winnipeg.
"Some of us have known each other for almost 30 years, and we're together off and on. Some are a little newer, but still, maybe 10 years. So we're a tight-knit group and they're all close as well, they've known and worked together for a long time," Wiebe shared.
With just under a week left before the premiere, the cast was very close to being ready to perform and continued rehearsing to ensure the performance goes great.
On the day of the premiere, actors and performance staff will also partake in a wine and cheese meet and greet at the theatre grounds.
Wiebe noted that he and the cast have been enjoying Estevan's hospitality and the beauty of the park and are looking forward to the days of the play.
"Everything has been excellent. Everybody's treating us very well, the whole community. The crew is great, we got a great cast. And it's going to be a fun show.
"Everybody's really happy to be here. Everybody we've met in town and just everybody we're working with here has been so welcoming and friendly to everybody. And it's a breath of fresh air, because a lot of us are city folks, and this is great," Wiebe said noting that living and working at Woodlawn Regional Park has been like a recharge for the team.
Ranchers and Rustlers II. The Big Heist will run July 3-7 and 10-14, starting at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on July 6 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at sourisvalleytheatre.ca and at Henders Drugs.
