This Dolly is a younger, Barbra Streisand type, said the director, a real estate appraiser

This Dolly is a younger, Barbra Streisand type, said the director, a real estate appraiser
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
ALLIANCE -- Unexpected twists and turns are a part of community theater.
Such was the case for Carnation City Players' upcoming production of "Hello, Dolly!" and Director Kevin Wells is excited things turned out as they did.
"The person who was originally to direct this play was unable to do it because of health reasons," he said. "So they asked me, and I was delighted."
Wells, who is a real estate appraiser from Canton, has been involved with theater since about 1998. He played Otto Frank in CCP's production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" last fall.
"Hello, Dolly!" requires a fairly large cast, so when auditions didn't yield the hoped-for result, Wells had to scramble to find the right people. And he thinks this was also a big plus, because he raves about the energy and chemistry of his cast members. And, since this is a play he had never done before, he said he was able to approach it with fresh creativity.
"Often the part of Dolly is cast as a 40-ish woman," Wells said. "But I decided on more of a younger, Barbra Streisand type."
The star
Raina Semivan, a sophomore theater major at Kent State University who grew up in both Youngstown and Canton, is playing Dolly. She has some strong ideas about the personality of this larger-than-life character.
"There are misconceptions that she just meddles and is manipulative," said Semivan. "But she has kindness, feelings and a lust for life. She doesn't do anything small. She knows life is precious, so do it big, live big, and don't waste time."
And there may be just a bit of Dolly in Semivan. "I was going through a little dry spell, just waiting for something fun to come along that I could put my whole self into," she said. "I am so grateful to have gotten this part. I am enjoying making Dolly multidimensional, showing all her different facets."
Semivan said she has been cast in many other roles that were "big shoes to fill."
"We did 'The Women' in high school, and I played Sylvia, which was Joan Crawford's part," she added.
Music director
Guy Wehman, who received a master's degree in composition from the University of Akron, is music director, and, though he is more accustomed to working with professionals, he said community theater is just plain fun and very refreshing.
"You get to meet such a cross-section of talent," he said. "And you often find such talent; you wonder why these people aren't pros."
Wehman has brought together an ensemble of professionals and students to provide the music for this production. He will play keyboard, and there will also be a drummer, bassist, percussionist (from the Ashland Symphony), a trombonist who is a student teacher, and three woodwinds, one being a saxophone player who often plays with the Akron Symphony.
Wehman has also written the score for a local independent film by Brigid Krane, called "Annie's Way," about a girl growing up in Cleveland.
Working well
Wehman, like Semivan and Wells, said he notices a particularly good interaction between the cast members, and senses a "pulling together" during rehearsals.
"I am absolutely confident and excited about this cast," Wells said. "We have such a nice blend of people with different experience levels. They have absorbed and accepted the responsibility to present something exceptional for the audience."
Horace Vandergelder is played by Kyle Snyder of Canfield. He was in "Smokey Joe's Caf & eacute;" at the Youngstown Playhouse last season, among many other roles.