Lake Placid Middle-High School students will perform the musical “Tuck Everlasting” this week.

The musical is based on the novel of the same name by American author Natalie Babbitt. After the young Winifred “Winnie” Foster befriends an immortal family in 1800s New England, she falls in love with Jesse Tuck, a boy who looks 17 but is actually 104. As their relationship grows, the villainous Man in the Yellow Suit wants to learn the secret of the Tuck family’s perpetual life.

Production director and school choral director Kim Weems said she had trouble choosing a spring play at first. She considered musicals such as “The Secret Garden” – stories set in the 19th century with light fantasy elements – but couldn’t decide. Kent Streed, who works at Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake and does wardrobe for most of the local productions, suggested “Tuck Everlasting.”

“I’ve always loved the story, and the music is particularly attractive,” Weems said. “It has a little bit of a Celtic flavor. Some of the songs are very jazzy. Some are folk sounding. There’s a lot of variety. A lot is very different from most traditional Broadway scores.

“I also loved the fact that it takes place in the woods in New Hampshire,” she continued. “That brings it a little close to home.”

Weems said she also enjoys that “Tuck Everlasting” has a big focus on the ensemble as well as the main cast. Leads might be singing in some scenes, but ensemble characters take center stage, performing dance routines and creating an atmosphere.

“The ensemble is on stage almost all the time,” Weems said. “They play spirits, memories come to life, townspeople, carnival workers and patrons. They fill so many roles.”

Senior Jameson Batt plays the Man in the Yellow Suit. Imagine a daffodil or a rubber ducky in a bathtub; Batt’s suit is even more yellow than that somehow. The character is an antagonist with theatrical flair. Some of Batt’s friends joke that he was typecast in the role. Batt said he likes to draw from villains such as Hannibal Lecter from “The Silence of the Lambs” and the Joker from “Batman” for his role.

“I look to those charismatic yet psychotic villains,” he said.

There is a lot of humanity in theater, Weems said.

“We recognize ourselves in characters that we see on stage,” she said. “When students participate in acting, I think they learn a lot about themselves.

“The arts are so important in developing who you are as a person.”

Senior Emma Bishop plays Mae Tuck, the matriarch of the Tuck family. She said she was inspired for the role by strong, passionate women, citing Weems as one of them.

“She helped us all come out of our shells,” Bishop said. “She makes us feel like stars, and I don’t know where we’d be without her.”

Weems’ partner for all the school productions is her husband Tom Dodd. He designs and builds the sets. Dodd also teaches computer sciences at the school. This is their last show with the school before they retire, but Weems said she hasn’t really been focused on the finality of it all.

“It’s not about this being my last show,” she said. “It’s just another show. Every cast is different. Every show is different. Every show has a set of universal problems that you have to solve. We’ve just been so focused on doing it right that we haven’t given ‘the last show’ a lot of thought.”

Curtain time is 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 28-30 at the Lake Placid Middle-High School Admission is $10 adults, $8 students.

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CAST

Jesse Tuck: Cooper Holmes

Mae Tuck: Emma Bishop

Angus Tuck: Anders Stanton

Miles Tuck: Aiden Mellin

Winnie Foster: Lydia Bullock

Man in the Yellow Suit: Jameson Batt

Mother: Evelynn Sharp

Nana: Anne Smith

Hugo: Jesse Izzo

Constable Joe: Max Gole

Ensemble: (Various memories, spirits, travelers, townfolk, carnival workers and patrons): Ellie Bousquet, John Brownell, Brendan Bullock, Jacey Burns, Hallie Corrow, Lily Flanigan, Marley Levenson, Lea O’Brien, Magnolia O’Brien, Hayden Plank, Lindsey Rath, Madisyn Smith, Anna Taylor, Amber Winch

Children: Alexa Coffin, Norah Galvin, Parker Scanio