River Valley Players set to open 45th season on April 1 with Disney’s ‘Freaky Friday’

River Valley Players in Henry is set to open its 45th season with multi-generational performances of Disney’s ‘Freaky Friday’ on April 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10.

The show will feature 32 cast members from all over central Illinois. The show’s performers come from Princeton, Granville, La Salle, Henry, Putnam, Peoria, Chillicothe, Lacon and more.

Tickets are available for show-only performances on Friday, April 1 and 8 as a variety of homemade desserts and snacks will be available for purchase. The April 2, 3, 9 and 10 performances will offer a dinner with a salad bar, buffet meal, three beverages of choice, coffee and dessert catered by the Meeting Place in Henry.

In her directorial debut, RVP veteran Deanne Crook, is excited to show the public what the cast has been working hard on.

“The main plot is a mother and a daughter that don’t see eye to eye and they end up switching bodies,” Crook said. “They have to spend a day in the life of the other one and it also happens to be the weekend that the mother is getting remarried.”

Working alongside Crook, Music Director Kevin Alleman has also previously appeared on the RVP stage and has directed and music directed at Stage 212 in La Salle.

Crook said that this show can offer an important life lesson to spectators of all ages, as many relevant topics and experiences are explored.

“It’s a great walk in someone else’s shoes, loving yourself for who you are and family-loving type of show,” Crook said. “I just think it’s something that people of any age can watch and enjoy.”

The cast of the production varies not just in hometown, but in age from 12 years to more experienced cast members in middle age.

While working with a wide age range of cast members can sometimes be difficult, Crook mentioned that the younger cast are very mature for their age and the adults truly enjoy working on productions like they are big kids themselves.

“I’ve choreographed in the past, but this is my first time directing,” Crook said. “Being a High School Teacher and a Dance Teacher, I kind of wanted something where I could work with a younger cast because that’s who I’m used to working with.”

Trisha Bagby, who will be playing one of the lead roles in ‘Freaky Friday,’ stated that the group knows how close they are to opening and they can’t wait to welcome in members of the public.

“It’s incredibly exciting,” Bagby said. “It’s a little stressful but mostly exciting. I am really ready for an audience to experience the show. It’s a really great show.”

Bagby will be making her RVP stage debut, but is no stranger to performing in front of large audiences. She stated that she has essentially performed in at least one show a year since she was in high school.

“I’m excited for the energy that everyone’s going to bring,” Bagby said. “River Valley Players is clearly a really well established theater and people all around are really excited about it. I really like learning about RVP as I’m talking to people on the outside. I get more excited about it the more I learn the history of the group.”

For River Valley Players, this performance will mark the first time a large cast has been able to perform since the beginning of the pandemic, something the group is excited to get started.

“With COVID, we shut down for a while,” Crook said. “We were able to have a show in the fall, but that was the first show since COVID. This kind of feels like the first show since things are back to normal a little more.”

All performances of the upcoming production will be held at St. John’s XXIII located at 1301 Second St. in Henry. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 309-238-7878 or by visiting the group’s website at www.rvphenry.org.