Two things caught theater director Tom Empey's attention when he first met April DeCock three months ago: Her beautiful voice and an upcoming court date.

Any chance jail time might follow that court date? he asked after noticing it listed on her audition sheet.

No, she answered, it wasn't a criminal case.

"Just checking," Empey had said. "Been there, done that."

Years ago, he pulled a judge from the golf course to plead the release of his lead actor. Empey succeeded and saved the show's closing weekend.

Every theater show faces its own hiccups and crises. Casper College's summer musical, "Beauty and the Beast," has had its share:

* When Dr. John Barrasso was appointed to the U.S. Senate, Empey lost the emcee for his two patronage performances. Barrasso had been the voice of the event for 16 years. The college depends on those money-raising events to fund its shows.

Radio personality Brian Scott agreed to step in.

* On June 28, two weeks to opening night, Dustin Jones, the Casper College technical theater director, informed Empey that he wasn't having fun anymore. Jones, the show's sound director, quit despites Empey's pleas for him to stay, at least through "Beauty and the Beast."

Empey found a replacement at Casper College of all places. Larry Berger teaches sound reinforcement in the music program.

On opening night, when the jokes crack, when the voices resonate, when the leading lady clicks with the leading man, it's hard to remember that the fairy tale didn't appear magically.

In any rehearsal, the grueling schedule can take its toll:

"Jeff!" someone yells. Actor Jeff Black has missed his cue. A moment later, heavy breathing vibrates through the sound system. Black, who works the graveyard shift at the Showboat Inn, is asleep. His wireless microphone is on.

In any rehearsal, tempers can flare:

"Kai! We're waiting for you!" stage manager Samm Lind calls as the stage comes to a standstill.

Kai Blakesley, playing the villain, pokes his head out of the balcony window. "Uh, yeah. It's not my cue. I'm waiting for the music. Thanks, though."

"Don't get obnoxious. We're just trying to get done."

In any rehearsal, a scene can completely fall apart:

Belle's costume change is taking longer than it should. The cast laughs as two actors improvise on stage to fill time.

Empey is not impressed.

"What's the holdup now?"

Two days before his first audience, Empey wears the weight of the past six weeks. He is exhausted. If only he had a couple more rehearsals, he thinks.

But bright patches are emerging.

George Taylor and Tyson Brett are sizzling onstage as a talking clock and candelabra. Fellow cast members are laughing, though they've heard the jokes dozens of times.

When DeCock sings "Tale as Old as Time," the audience will believe a beauty could love a beast.

Empey wanted his fairy tale to have heart, and he has found it. The players exude it in their tired voices and in the sweat that drips under the hot lights.

A musical is built of milestones: The first time the actors set aside their scripts. The night they master the choreography. The first practice with the orchestra. The full dress rehearsal.

Each milestone adds depth and disaster. Forgotten lines. Steps that don't gel. Jail. Resignations.

Opening night comes, ready or not. All that has gone wrong in rehearsals will either be fixed or not.

See Friday's WeekEnder for a behind-the-scenes look at the show's first performance.