HOW THE BUTLER DID IT SINGING: MYSTERY WRITERS LEARN TO DANCE AND SING

The Rockettes they aren't, but Joseph Myers, Zach Morgan, Jeff Quigley and Rich Behring have almost mastered the chorus-line kicks that made the dancers at Radio City Music Hall famous.

It's all part of the show for "The Butler Did It, Singing," the latest production from the River City Players. The show opens at 6:30 p.m. today with a dinner theater performance at Port Cape.

The men gathered to learn their dance moves during a rehearsal last week. They still had work to do -- as did much of the cast, who had little experience with musicals.

As they hummed the tune to "Cherchez la Femme" and moved about the stage, the men stumbled over their feet sometimes more than their lines. But then there isn't much room on the 13-by-20-foot stage that also holds a love seat, a fireplace mantel, a desk and a chair. Bookcases are built into a door on the set using wallpaper strips.

"I've got nowhere to go back here," Behring said at one point as the chorus line shuffled closer to the edge of the stage.

After several attempts at reviewing the steps, choreographer Raina Childers told the group to "please practice at home."

Snapping back wittily, Quigley said, "I'll practice in my bathroom since it's about the same size."

It's not that the stage is too small, actually, it's that the cast is one of the largest ever in a River City Players production. There are 10 people filling roles. The largest cast for a RCP production was 16 people for "The Night of January 16," but not everyone was onstage all at once as they are for this play.

Off stage, telephones rang for the Port Cape restaurant downstairs and the light crew manager slid a ladder across the floor to reach a spot where more light is needed.

"The Butler Did It, Singing" isn't really about a butler but rather about a mystery novelist who hosts a weekend party where all the guests -- also mystery writers -- must discover who is responsible for the death of a colleague.

"You always think the butler did it," director Suzanne Scherer said. But there isn't any butler among this cast. So the ending to this story will be a surprise, as most mystery books are.

It's also somewhat of a mystery how the cast manages to sing 14 songs in a two-act musical and keep the show at 2 1/2 hours long.

"Everyone tries harder as it gets closer to performance night," said Ann Swanson, the musical director.

The cast has been rehearsing four nights each week since mid-June.

The most challenging part of rehearsals has been to learn dance steps and songs all at once, said Mandy Brooks, who plays Laura Carlyle. "It's hard to concentrate and do both without thinking about it."

Claudette Hency said, "You get so winded from dancing that you can't sing." She had just finished shuffling through the steps of a cha-cha during the song "Femme Fatale."

The rehearsals and work of learning lines, stage blocking and dance steps just mean that people can showcase their theatrical talents, said Jeff Quigley, who plays detective Peter Flimsey.

At least once each year, the River City Players try to produce one musical, but sometimes that can be tough depending on tryouts and performance dates. This summer, schedules were tight, but with an open audition and a network of talented actors, singers and dancers there wasn't much trouble filling the cast slots, the directors said.

Musicals are usually popular shows. The River City Players try to choose plays that have general audience appeal, smaller casts and few set changes, Swanson said.

At the end of a full cast rehearsal, Scherer reminded the actors to exaggerate their actions and to speak up on stage. "You have to get flamboyant, honey," she tells them.

Want to go?

When: At 6:30 p.m. Aug. 4, 10 and 11 for dinner theatre

At 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9 for performance only.

Where: Port Cape restaurant, upstairs

Tickets: $19.95 for dinner and show; $7 for show only. Reservations are required by calling 334-0954.