When the stage lights shine for the debut performance of Chicago, ''that's when the real job starts'', musical director Emma Wilson said, laughing.
Mrs Wilson will dovetail two sets of perfectly synchronised talents she marshalled in months of rehearsals: the cast putting theory into practice to sing the songs exceptionally well, and the 11-strong orchestra playing 18 instruments she will also conduct on the performance nights.
Add the multilayered complexity of the demanding all-singing, all-dancing, all-acting musical and ''it's an addictive process'', she said.
''The essence of my job is to make the actors look and sound good.''
Mrs Wilson was there at the very beginning of the process with the director and choreographer for auditions.
They had the difficult task of selecting the cast from 70 hopefuls, many of whom had put in months of work in preparation. There were close calls and some standouts for the roles, but the chosen few were the talents who could act, sing and dance at the same time and take direction for what was essentially a fantasy, she said.
Mrs Wilson said Cell Block Tango was the most challenging sequence so far, with its cast telling and singing six different stories, with variations in verses, chorus, timing, volume, silences, even language, which must become second nature to all.
Mrs Wilson lived and breathed music, especially as a primary school teacher in the United Kingdom, where she specialised in the subject and special needs and put on all-pupil plays for 20 years.
She first visited Queenstown on holiday in September 2010, but her life changed forever when she met and became engaged to renowned pianist-composer Mark Wilson.
She returned to England to earn extra money to ship her belongings, then settled with her husband in the resort in August 2011. She has never looked back.
The private piano, trumpet and trombone teacher became musical director of both the Queenstown Community Choir and the Corus Children's Choir, but her first Showbiz Queenstown production in the role was The Sound of Music last year.
Chicago reunited Mrs Wilson with returning director Bryan Aitken, whom she described as ''fantastic'' to work with.
''He makes people think and he's not dictating what to do. He's encouraging them to think for themselves and to go to places they haven't been before and me to develop things musically beyond what I would have considered.
''Morale is high, everyone is working hard and absolutely going for it. It's certainly an exciting show to be a part of.''
