By JULIANNE HOMOKAY
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
For over 15 years up until the pandemic, Mt. Calvary Players, the theatre troupe in residence at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Lake Arrowhead, delighted mountain audiences with musicals, “pantos” and Christmas shows. Under the direction of Lynne Marks-Morales, Janie Cummings and Rachel Murray, the Players are finally back to entertain audiences once again with “Hey Old Friends: An evening of Broadway!”
“Hey Old Friends” will mark the first collaboration between Marks-Morales and Cummings, who founded the troupe, and Murray of Lake Arrowhead Vocal Academy. All three are producing and directing.
Audiences may remember the shows Murray produced at the Tudor House in this vein, the “Broadway Review” of 2024 and “Serenade in the Pines” of 2025. When asked how the collaboration came about, Marks-Morales replied, “We knew of each other, and decided to meet and put on a great show.”
“Hey Old Friends” will be akin to the “Broadway Review” at the Tudor House: Marks-Morales, Cummings and Murray came together as a group and selected a “whole range of songs” from standard and contemporary musicals alike, and assigned them to the cast according to their talents. This show also marks the first collaboration between Mt. Calvary Players and Sharon McCormick’s Lake Arrowhead School of Dance, as the school’s musical theatre dance students will perform “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats.
Although the cast auditioned, no one is turned away from performing in a Mt. Calvary Players show if they have the will and desire. “We accept everyone into the show,” said Marks-Morales. In keeping with the mission of the church, “the purpose is fellowship.” Also in keeping with the church’s mission, ticket sales will benefit Mountain Community Ministries, a nonprofit that raises money for a variety of causes.
Director Lynne Marks-Morales and the Copa Cabana cast.
Marks-Morales herself is as British as she could be. She trained as an actress in London and met her American husband when she was on tour in the Far East. She and her husband lived in Los Angeles for over 10 years, “but it never felt quite like home,” she said. She wanted more of the village feel she grew up with in England. So, they moved up to the mountain 21 years ago and raised a family here.
After she moved up, she met Cummings, who had also been a performer. By that time, Marks-Morales had switched her focus to representation and Cummings to teaching, but they wanted to perform again. So, Mt. Calvary’s pastor at the time said “put on a show!”
Included among their first efforts were “pantos” (technically short for “pantomimes” but not in keeping with their silent nature), a type of show in the British music hall tradition that Marks-Morales describes as “a musical extravaganza based on a famous fairy-tale with music, dancing, slapstick and fun for the whole family.” They branched out into full musicals as well, and began to amass a loyal group of performers.
In fact, audiences will most likely notice same familiar faces, such as multi-hyphenate Greg Siples and the ever-comical Denise Brotherton, who will also be providing visual design and directing the Mamma Mia! number in the show.
Rounding out the team are Musical Director/Lighting Designer Bob Scholz, who is also on staff as music director at the Church, and T.J. Roger on piano.
Ultimately, shows at Mt. Calvary Lutheran are about outreach for Marks-Morales. “I want to credit the church for allowing us to do this,” she said. The shows are for “fellowship, for people who want company and to perform.” That she can raise money for worthy causes at the same time is a bonus. “Every rehearsal is a big giggle, we just have so much fun.”
“Hey Old Friends: an evening of Broadway!” performs on May 8 at 7 p.m. and May 9 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, 27415 School Road, Lake Arrowhead, CA 92352. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at mclutheran.com.
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