‘Haphazardly Ever After’ Offers Laughter For Kids & Parents Alike
February 2, 2025 at 3:21 p.m.

Even a king and queen may want their adult children to move out of the house at a certain point, audiences will see in the Wagon Wheel Jr. production of the musical comedy “Haphazardly Ever After.”
“So, the plot of the story is that we are the parents of four kind of misbehaving princes and princesses and we are trying to create a fairy tale to make them be normal,” explained Karaline Schuman, who plays Queen Mildred in the show.
“Our characters are kind of like sick of having them in our house and we’re trying to get them out - like 30-year-old kids in their parents’ basement - so we’re trying to get them out so that doesn’t happen and try to get them married. This story is about how that happens,” said Gaby Basalo, who plays King Barnabas.
Schuman said there are fairies that kind of narrate the story who drop a fairy tale book into the story. Queen Mildred and King Barnabas find the book and get inspired from all the different fairy tales to try to create their own fairy tale.
Things don’t quite go according to plan.
Part of the comedy in the show comes from how the characters are, Schuman said. “Especially the children have very niche different types of comedy that they pertain to,” she said.
Basalo said the comedy in the musical is very silly. “Not like super childish, but I think it’s to the point where both kids and parents can laugh together, kind of like family comedy,” he said.
As for the music, Basalo said there’s a lot of “raps.”
“I like the music the best in this show out of a lot of the shows that we do. It’s just fun and upbeat, but there’s also more slower, more heartfelt songs,” Schuman said.
Basalo stated the music sounds slightly off, but it’s part of the design of it. “The composer put that into the play because it’s called ‘Haphazardly Ever After’ and everything’s supposed to be like strange or off, and that kind of adds to the play,” he said.
Schuman said while kids attending the show will probably find the princes and princesses funny, the queen and king are important roles in the play because parents can probably relate to them as the queen and king are at wit’s end and don’t know what to do with their offspring.
There’s a little over 30 cast members in the Wagon Wheel Jr. show.
For Schuman, a Columbia City High School junior, this is her seventh Wagon Wheel Jr. show. “Haphazardly Ever After” was her first Wagon Wheel Jr. show back in 2017 when she was 9 years old.
“So now I get to do it again!” she said. “I was in the ensemble, so I sang and danced, and I actually always looked up to Abigail Koorey, who played the queen, and I always hoped that someday we would get to do ‘Haphazardly’ again and that I would get to play the queen. And so, now here we are, and so it’s a very full circle.”
“Haphazardly Ever After” is Basalo’s ninth and final Wagon Wheel Jr. show. He started in 2019 in “Sleepy Hollow” when he was in seventh grade.
“Now, I’m a senior and after this show I will be unable to do any more Jr. shows because I will be graduated,” said Basalo, a Lakeland Christian Academy senior. “That’s kind of sad, but at the same time it’s a little bittersweet because I’ve been doing this so long and I’m going to miss it, but at the same time I’m kind of excited to see what’s next in my life.”
Wagon Wheel Outreach and Education Director Kira Lace Hawkins is directing the show, with Wagon Wheel Artistic Director Scott Michaels serving as artistic director and choreographer.
“We kind of have the direction of kind of we have to be composed, in a sense, because we’re the king and queen, but also kind of at our wit’s end,” Schuman said.
She said people should come out and see the show Feb. 7-9 because, “I think, just like with so many of our Jr. shows, there’s something for everyone and it can appeal to a lot of different types of comedy and types of emotions. It’s just a really fun, exciting show, and it’s a great way to support local youth. It’s also great for younger kids who might want to get involved in theater and for them to see what that’s like.”
Basalo echoed Schuman’s sentiments, adding, “One of the main reasons is to just support the Jr. program. The Jr. program has been such a big part of my life, and I would love to see it keep going and that’s just the best way to support it.”
He said the Wagon Wheel has felt like a family to him over the years. The participants in Wagon Wheel Jr. are treated like professionals so they get to experience what professional theater would be like, here in the local community. “Which is pretty awesome,” Basalo stated.
The cast only has two weeks to put the show together.
Schuman said they started Jan. 23 and their last rehearsal is this Thursday, Feb. 6. “So it’s exactly two weeks of rehearsal,” she said.
“Haphazardly Ever After” is the show that made her fall in love with theater and now she gets to come back years later and do it again. “I have learned so much through Wagon Wheel Jr. and even if I take a little break from doing shows to pursue other things, I know that I can always come back here and have a home here and always have people that support me and I’ve gotten to grow really close relationships with a lot of the adults and a lot of my peers and castmates, and it’s just a great experience and it’s definitely something that we appreciate all of the support of people coming and watching our show,” she said.
Basalo said, “If you are able to get into this program and do shows here, it’s definitely worth your while. It’s fantastic.”
Showtimes of the Wagon Wheel Jr. production of “Haphazardly Ever After” at the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts, 2515 E. Center St., Warsaw, are 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7; 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9. General admission tickets are $16, including all fees, and can be purchased online at wagonwheelcenter.org; by phone at 574-267-8041 or at the box office.
Even a king and queen may want their adult children to move out of the house at a certain point, audiences will see in the Wagon Wheel Jr. production of the musical comedy “Haphazardly Ever After.”
“So, the plot of the story is that we are the parents of four kind of misbehaving princes and princesses and we are trying to create a fairy tale to make them be normal,” explained Karaline Schuman, who plays Queen Mildred in the show.
“Our characters are kind of like sick of having them in our house and we’re trying to get them out - like 30-year-old kids in their parents’ basement - so we’re trying to get them out so that doesn’t happen and try to get them married. This story is about how that happens,” said Gaby Basalo, who plays King Barnabas.
Schuman said there are fairies that kind of narrate the story who drop a fairy tale book into the story. Queen Mildred and King Barnabas find the book and get inspired from all the different fairy tales to try to create their own fairy tale.
Things don’t quite go according to plan.
Part of the comedy in the show comes from how the characters are, Schuman said. “Especially the children have very niche different types of comedy that they pertain to,” she said.
Basalo said the comedy in the musical is very silly. “Not like super childish, but I think it’s to the point where both kids and parents can laugh together, kind of like family comedy,” he said.
As for the music, Basalo said there’s a lot of “raps.”
“I like the music the best in this show out of a lot of the shows that we do. It’s just fun and upbeat, but there’s also more slower, more heartfelt songs,” Schuman said.
Basalo stated the music sounds slightly off, but it’s part of the design of it. “The composer put that into the play because it’s called ‘Haphazardly Ever After’ and everything’s supposed to be like strange or off, and that kind of adds to the play,” he said.
Schuman said while kids attending the show will probably find the princes and princesses funny, the queen and king are important roles in the play because parents can probably relate to them as the queen and king are at wit’s end and don’t know what to do with their offspring.
There’s a little over 30 cast members in the Wagon Wheel Jr. show.
For Schuman, a Columbia City High School junior, this is her seventh Wagon Wheel Jr. show. “Haphazardly Ever After” was her first Wagon Wheel Jr. show back in 2017 when she was 9 years old.
“So now I get to do it again!” she said. “I was in the ensemble, so I sang and danced, and I actually always looked up to Abigail Koorey, who played the queen, and I always hoped that someday we would get to do ‘Haphazardly’ again and that I would get to play the queen. And so, now here we are, and so it’s a very full circle.”
“Haphazardly Ever After” is Basalo’s ninth and final Wagon Wheel Jr. show. He started in 2019 in “Sleepy Hollow” when he was in seventh grade.
“Now, I’m a senior and after this show I will be unable to do any more Jr. shows because I will be graduated,” said Basalo, a Lakeland Christian Academy senior. “That’s kind of sad, but at the same time it’s a little bittersweet because I’ve been doing this so long and I’m going to miss it, but at the same time I’m kind of excited to see what’s next in my life.”
Wagon Wheel Outreach and Education Director Kira Lace Hawkins is directing the show, with Wagon Wheel Artistic Director Scott Michaels serving as artistic director and choreographer.
“We kind of have the direction of kind of we have to be composed, in a sense, because we’re the king and queen, but also kind of at our wit’s end,” Schuman said.
She said people should come out and see the show Feb. 7-9 because, “I think, just like with so many of our Jr. shows, there’s something for everyone and it can appeal to a lot of different types of comedy and types of emotions. It’s just a really fun, exciting show, and it’s a great way to support local youth. It’s also great for younger kids who might want to get involved in theater and for them to see what that’s like.”
Basalo echoed Schuman’s sentiments, adding, “One of the main reasons is to just support the Jr. program. The Jr. program has been such a big part of my life, and I would love to see it keep going and that’s just the best way to support it.”
He said the Wagon Wheel has felt like a family to him over the years. The participants in Wagon Wheel Jr. are treated like professionals so they get to experience what professional theater would be like, here in the local community. “Which is pretty awesome,” Basalo stated.
The cast only has two weeks to put the show together.
Schuman said they started Jan. 23 and their last rehearsal is this Thursday, Feb. 6. “So it’s exactly two weeks of rehearsal,” she said.
“Haphazardly Ever After” is the show that made her fall in love with theater and now she gets to come back years later and do it again. “I have learned so much through Wagon Wheel Jr. and even if I take a little break from doing shows to pursue other things, I know that I can always come back here and have a home here and always have people that support me and I’ve gotten to grow really close relationships with a lot of the adults and a lot of my peers and castmates, and it’s just a great experience and it’s definitely something that we appreciate all of the support of people coming and watching our show,” she said.
Basalo said, “If you are able to get into this program and do shows here, it’s definitely worth your while. It’s fantastic.”
Showtimes of the Wagon Wheel Jr. production of “Haphazardly Ever After” at the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts, 2515 E. Center St., Warsaw, are 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7; 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9. General admission tickets are $16, including all fees, and can be purchased online at wagonwheelcenter.org; by phone at 574-267-8041 or at the box office.