Meet the musical Saskatoon family sharing the stage in ‘Oliver!’

For nine-year-old Josephine Lapointe, one of the hardest parts of rehearsing for her leading role in Oliver! has nothing to do with learning lines or remembering choreography.

It’s pretending to be afraid of her parents.

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“They act really funny in Oliver!,” she said. “I have to be scared of them in one scene. It’s really hard because they’re my parents, so it’s hard to be scared of them when I’m not!”

Josephine Lapointe, 9, is playing Oliver in the upcoming Saskatoon Summer Players’ show. (Saskatoon Summer Players/Submitted)

Saskatoon Summer Players’ production of Oliver!, running June 19-28, has become something of a family reunion. Many parents, children, siblings and couples will be taking to the stage together.

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Among them are Amanda Trulicz-Lapointe and Matthew Lapointe and their three daughters: Elsie, 13, Hazel, 11, and Josephine.

It’s the first time all five members of the family have been in the same show.

Nine-year-old Josephine Lapointe said the hardest part of acting in this show might just be pretending to be scared of her parents. (Saskatoon Summer Players/Submitted)

That means rehearsals don’t end when everyone leaves the theatre. Lines get practiced at home. Songs get stuck in everyone’s heads.

“Sometimes when people say a line from a song, I just want to sing that song,” Josephine lamented.

Meanwhile, her sisters are discovering a side of their parents they don’t usually see.

“When I’m at home, they’re just like regular parents,” said Hazel. “But on stage they’re like, act like totally different people, and it’s cool.”

Hazel Lapointe, 11, said she loves seeing her parents act like completely different people on stage. (Saskatoon Summer Players/Submitted)

Elsie agreed. “I love seeing how they act together, especially since they’re a couple in the show.”

She said seeing her parents become Widow Corney and Bumble has been entertaining enough. Watching her younger sisters perform has been another pleasant surprise.

“It makes me even a little bit emotional sometimes when they’re singing their songs or doing their things.”

And if the girls are getting emotional, their parents don’t stand a chance.

“It’s both stressful and really exciting,” Amanda said, of watching her girls perform. “We’re so proud of them. They’re doing such amazing work.”

Elsie Lapointe, 13, admitted that even she gets emotional watching her sisters performing on stage. (Saskatoon Summer Players/Submitted)

Unlike most parents, Amanda and Matthew aren’t waiting for opening night to see the results of their daughters’ hard work.

“We don’t get to see just the end product, we get to see every little fun little bit along the way,” Amanda said proudly. “It’s really fun to be at rehearsal with them.”

Watching their daughters grow in confidence has become one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.

“They’re learning so much and growing so much and impressing us every time we see them in rehearsals.”

The whole experience feels especially meaningful for the couple because theatre is what brought them together in the first place.

“We did two shows together and ended up dating after we did West Side Story in 2003,” recalled Matthew.

More than 20 years later, they’re back on stage together again. Only now, their children are standing beside them.

Amanda Trulicz-Lapointe’s children have only seen her on stage once, nearly a decade ago. This time, they’ll be standing by her side. (Saskatoon Summer Players/Submitted)

For Josephine, there is one unexpected benefit to having Mom and Dad in the cast: “It feels free because your parents aren’t in charge!”

But of course, they’re still typical parents. So when Josephine sings her solo, she knows exactly what her mom is doing.

“Sometimes I see my mom watching me very thoroughly, and sometimes even crying,” she noted.

Matthew admits he hasn’t been doing much better.

“I think we’ve both been in tears already,” he said.

This will be Matthew Lapointe’s first time back on stage since becoming a dad. (Saskatoon Summer Players/Submitted)

Still, if you ask Josephine what it’s like being in a show with her whole family, she doesn’t talk about theatre history, family traditions or carrying on a legacy.

She talks about funny parents.

About songs she can’t stop singing.

About seeing grown-ups act silly.

And about trying — not always successfully — to be scared of Mom and Dad when they’re standing right in front of her.

Some challenges, it turns out, are even bigger than playing the leading role.

The Lapointe family is flipping the usual theatre script: instead of watching from the audience, the parents and children are onstage together in this Saskatoon Summer Players’ performance. (Saskatoon Summer Players/Submitted)