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A talking train engine, trees that sing and a stuffed rabbit that becomes real made a whimsical scene when audiences learned "The Story of Velveteen Rabbit" last week at the CLHS Performing Arts Center.

A group of talented actors and crew from Chisago Lakes Middle School presented their annual musical in the high school theater March 27-28 in four performances.

It tells the classic story of how a child's stuffed animal transforms into a real bunny through the love of a little girl.

The play opens with the nursery magic fairy, played by Mary Cross, awakening all of the toys from the toy closet.

They are happy, until some of them are shoved rather forcefully into the toy closet in the next scene, as Nana, played by Clara Linehan, cleans up. Of course for the scene, she's cleaning up real toys on the set; when the toys interact, the audience knows they are watching the toys' "spirits."

"It's criminal the way she treats us - she calls it tidying up, I call it assault!" the Train Engine spirit, played by Katie Nelson, says.

Soon, the toys notice a newcomer to their toy closet - the Velveteen Rabbit, played by Rebekah Meyer, and try to figure out if she's an animal like the Skin Horse, or some other kind of toy.

The Skin Horse spirit, played by Karen Holt sings about what it means to be real, to help explain the difference to Velveteen Rabbit.

"Does it hurt?" Velveteen Rabbit asks.

"Yes, sometimes," Skin Horse replies. "But when you're real, you don't mind."

When Andrea, played by Rebekah Zabel, has trouble sleeping without her missing china doll, Nana hurriedly grabs Velveteen Rabbit and tells Andrea to sleep with the stuffed bunny instead.

Andrea reluctantly snuggles in with the rabbit, as the rabbit spirit watches in alarm.

"Skin Horse, she's choking me!" Rabbit shouts.

"You'll grow to like it!" Skin Horse answers.

From that moment on, Andrea takes Velveteen Rabbit everywhere and soon, she starts to become real.

But then Andrea becomes ill, and Velveteen Rabbit hides deep under the covers so she isn't taken away from her.

When Andrea is well again, the doctor, played by Jake Sells, tells Mother, played by Abby Collins, Uncle Brad, played by Dominic Lorenzi and JP Paulus, and Nana to burn all the bedding and toys that Andrea had touched. Velveteen Rabbit is taken away with the sheets and blankets to be burned.

Along the way, she falls out and finds herself alone in the woods. A group of wild rabbits, that she has met before, find her. As they surround her singing "Hi Ho, We Love to Hop," Rabbit is transformed into a real animal.

She joins with the fairy, trees, wild rabbits and toys to sing "I'm Real." Andrea spots the unique-looking rabbit in the woods, and is certain it is her beloved toy, now come to life.

The actors did a wonderful job creating a scene of magic and illusion by playing the part of toy "spirits."

The toy costumes were subtle, but conveyed the key elements of each toy. Katie Nelson, in a long black skirt with a stiff, squarish bottom and a white netting hat, didn't have to be dressed in a full train costume to convey the part perfectly.

The touching story had plenty to laugh about as well, including the forest scene when Velveteen Rabbit is left outside at night. She sings "Alone in the Dark" and is scared by strange noises, as a dog and cat wander onto the scene. Luckily for Rabbit, the trees are magical too, and they help scare off the animals by hitting them with their limbs.

Director Sally Lundholm put together a group of talented actors who fit perfectly in their roles, making The Story of Velveteen Rabbit heartwarming and fun.

Also participating in the musical were: Cody Dexter (Peavey), Chase Gadbois (Timothy spirit), Maggie Gerty (Model Boat spirit), Toys- Patrick McCarthy, Anna Lasiuk, Alesha Angel, Lilly Nyquist, Alissa Hynes, Taylor Delzer, Jaclyn Erdman, Hannah Erickson, Jenna Gale, Taylor Schoenecker, Alyssa Anderson; Trees- Sarah Welle, Carlton Djam, Haley Gajeski, Keesha Johnson, Danielle Bebus; Marissa Alliegro (Brown Rabbit), Wild Rabbits- Allison Gadbois, Kailee Carlson, Jesse Hanvey, JP Paulus, Jacki Vitali, Maggie McCarthy and Ari Rodriguez.

Choreographer/Production Assistant- Bobbi Sells, Initial Production Assistant- Sara Sonnabend, Stage Manager- Maddie Halberg, Light and Sound Technicians- Anna Goranson and Katie Gralish, Stage Hands- Megan Bouwens, Morgan Ford and Kaitlyn Owens.

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