Photo by Samantha Davis Lakeview Public School cast members of the “Annie Jr.” production rehearse the musical Monday afternoon, and will have a show this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Lakeview Auditorium.

COTTONWOOD — For its second summer musical in a growing theater community, Lakeview Public Schools will be hosting two shows of “Annie Jr.” this weekend, a nostalgic production of humor and adventure following the life of Little Orphan Annie in New York 1933.

Taking the stage this Friday and Saturday, a combined cast and crew of 40 will perform several musical numbers from the original play while taking the audience through Annie’s story.

“We did this one (‘Annie’) on purpose. We’ve got third, fourth, fifth, sixth grade girls, and they truly knock the socks off these songs,” director Krishana Dempcy said. “I think they’re (the audience) going to be absolutely blown away by the orphans because these little girls are pretty unassuming.”

The cast also has a handful of high schoolers, offering a range of ages that are involved to bring the show to life.

“It’s the exact same story as the original,” Dempcy said. “Annie, she believes that her parents are still alive. She’s been at the orphanage for 11 years … She was dropped off with a locket and a letter saying that her parents were going to pick her up, so she’s holding out hope for that for one day.”

“Finally, one day, she decides she’s going to run away … She gets caught,” Dempcy added about the storyline. “All of a sudden at the orphanage, a lady shows up and says, ‘Hey, I’m here with Oliver Warbucks,’ and everybody knows him by name, because he’s like a famous billionaire. She says he likes to bring home one orphan each Christmas season, and they pick Annie. They form a bond, and he tries to adopt her.”

Incoming Lakeview sixth grader Peyton Johnson plays Tessie, one of the orphans, and looks forward to seeing how the show will come together with a live audience.

“I think it’s going to turn out great. I’m just excited to see how it all lays out,” Johnson said. “This is my first time (in theater), and I think it’s really fun.”

Katelyn Basel, a sophomore who plays Miss Hannigan, added, “I love being my role. I love being the antagonist.” She also said the audience can expect a lot of humor.

Riley Kesteloot, a ninth grader, is cast as Rooster, and mentioned that rehearsals have been going well. This is his fourth theater production being a part of, and said one of his favorite parts of the show is when they perform “Easy Street.”

The show is an hour long, and the cast is putting together its finishing touches during the last few days of rehearsals.

“We’re going into week seven … We started out and learned the songs and the choreography. The songs came together really quickly because they’re well known, a lot of them are,” Dempcy said. “This is the week where we just throw all of the reins onto the children, and see what they can make of it. This is where the magic really comes together.”

The show was also able to get their own Sandy, who is a stray dog in the musical and a part of Annie’s journey.

“We have a therapy dog that comes to school here, her name is Dixie. She is so well loved by our community, we just feel like she’s our dog, and she plays Sandy,” Dempcy said. “It’s just a very nostalgic story.”

Another fan-favorite of the show will be the performance of “It’s the Hard Knock Life.”

“I like that song, and then Annie’s escape,” Johnson said. “At the end, Miss Hannigan gets caught, and Lily and Rooster, and then we all get together for Christmas and sing ‘Tomorrow.’ ”

The show holds numerous props and costumes, which Dempcy said the surrounding theater community was gracious enough to help lend a majority of the set design pieces.

This is the second summer that Lakeview is hosting a musical, with its first production last year of “Alice in Wonderland, Jr.”

“We’re building a program … It makes me really excited for what’s to come. This is a really good-building show, and this is a really good group,” Dempcy said. “It’s really fun … You get to teach them to be theater kids. This year, you’re starting to see the big kids teach the younger ones or the new ones.”

Both shows on Friday and Saturday will take place at 7 p.m. at the Lakeview Auditorium at the high school. Tickets can be purchased online at our.show/lakeviewannie, or at the door for $10.

“It’s really a grind to put something like this on, musicals are really big,” Dempcy said. “To just see it all come together, that’s the best part.”