Published on July 19, 2009.

A meteoric rise and just as steep a fall, comedy, tragedy, country music and a beautiful summer night made Lansing Community College’s Summer Stage Under the Stars production, “Hank Williams: Lost Highway,” a night to remember for the audience gathered in the LCC Outdoor Amphitheater to watch the action unfold under a clear sky Wednesday night.

With a cast stacked with many local musicians turned first-time actors, most of whom came from Elderly Instruments, 1100 N. Washington Ave., in Lansing, the actors turned in wonderful performances, both musical and dramatic, in this retelling of the life of country music superstar, Hank Williams.

“It’s not a musical in the sense that there is quite a bit of spoken dialogue,” said Michael Hays, who played Fred ‘Pap’ Rose. “But there is music involved and the music is wonderful.”

Derek Smith, an LCC student working toward his associate’s degree, made hi stage debut at LCC in the title role of Hank Williams. He helped recruit many of his fellow employees at Elderly Instruments and former band mates to play and act in the show. The cast of “Lost Highway” performed all their own music and played their own instruments. The live musical performance aspect of the show was a technical challenge, but director John Lepard said he was happy with the overall quality.

Lepard complimented Smith’s performance, adding that his ability to portray Williams added to the emotional impact of the show and made his job easier.

“We’ve got a great band, a great Hank, and a good story,” Lepard said. “And the music is tremendous.”

Melissa Kaplan, production coordinator of LCC’s series, said the opening night of the production was a success. Kaplan said the show’s reliance on talent from the surrounding area instead of the college was a positive force in putting the college in touch with the artistic community of greater Lansing.

The summer series will put on three plays, along with a dance recital and a jazz concert, before school resumes in the fall, she said. The first two shows were open to auditions by community players, while the third show will be comprised entirely of students, she said. Kaplan said she was grateful to see the show go before a live audience.

“It’s wonderful to have an audience,” she said. “They give back so much, like applause, and that’s so good for the band.”

Nate Bliton, an MSU musical composition and theory graduate student, played Leon (Loudmouth), Williams’ fiddler. Bliton is a violist who switched to the violin for his role. He said finding musicians who could perform the music as well as read lines was challenging.

“We’ve all had a teeny bit of experience,” Bliton said. “All of us are stretching ourselves.”

Jessica Fuller, an LCC elementary education freshman, attended the show for a theater class. She was complimentary of the vocal talents of the cast and said she had some reservations about the length of the play when she first saw the song list.

The musical numbers in “Lost Highway” are not staged in a traditional way; they play more as a part of the day-to-day lives of the characters than as big, Broadway style numbers. The performance outside also added to her enjoyment of the show, she said.

“I love that it’s outside and I’m not sitting in a chair connected to someone else,” she said. “It’s more laid back.”

LCC’s Summer Stage Under the Stars series continues July 29 with a production of “Beanie and the Bamboozling Book Machine.”