Cassopolis Thespian Troupe 2323 presents “The Christmas Express” Nov. 18-20 in Ross Beatty Junior/Senior High School auditorium.
It’s about holiday spirit at a lonely little railroad depot, Holly Station, that’s kind of been lost in time until a mysterious visitor arrives, with Thomas Bosler as Leo Tannenbaum.
Other principal roles include Kayleigh Sheets as Hilda Trowbridge and Grace Porter-Sink as Sal Brunswick, originally written as a smart-aleck male porter, but assigned a new gender when boys turned out in short supply.
Cast members also include: Faulnesa Cooper as Maggie Clooney; Hannah Deubner as Penelope Blaisedale; Noah Parkhurst as Mr. Fairfax, a man with dementia who fancies himself Santa Claus, but is mistaken for an accountant come to close the station; Diana Lary as Myrna Hobsnagle; Rhianon Morris as Donna Fay Cummings, Chandler Kraus as Jerry Cummings and Hannah Ayers and Nicolette Harris sharing the role of Deborah Smith, Santa’s daughter.
Directing “The Christmas Express” is Dowagiac graduate Jean Porath.
Cassopolis usually presents a fall play and a spring musical.
As Cassopolis school media specialist, Porath’s schedule divides her time 2 1/2 days between RBHS and 2 1/2 days setting up the new building’s library, where she is “having great fun automating it” from 300 to 400 boxes of 15,000 books for which to create electronic records.
So, instead of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” Porath, who has been directing theatrical productions for about 10 years, selected “The Christmas Express,” which is less demanding for props and the number of characters.