GUYS ON ICE
Subject: Quicktake - "Guys on Ice" (1998) by Fred Alley and James Kaplan
Date: Sat, Jan 13, 11:27
Quicktake on GUYS ON ICE
The closest we're liable to get to ice-fishing hereabouts this winter is currently running at the Stoneham Theatre. The duo who adapted "The Spitfire Grill" for the American Folklore Theatre in Wisconsin, Fred Alley and James Kaplan, turned their imaginations to this sedentary winter sport to create an engaging show, light on plot and folksy in demeanor. "Guys on Ice" is a day spent fishing for working men Marvin and Lloyd, played by Cory Scott and Bill Stambaugh, snug in a shanty out on the lake, drinking Leinenkugel (Linie beer) and singing about things like their snowmobile suits or "Fish is de Miracle Food." They're waiting for the arrival of Cubby from the cable TV fishing show, their shot at local fame, and hiding their beer from Ernie the Moocher, played by William Gardiner. He starts the second half with a bit of audience participation and a paean to "Linie" accompanied by the spoons.
"Guys on Ice" is an homage to the homegrown musical shows which had their roots in the Grange and the brief heyday of regional playwriting which began after WWI and faded after WWII. Its tunes echo lightweight country comedy with a touch of the polka. The creative team, IRNE winners director Jason Southerland from BTW, Jose Delgado, one of Boston's busier music directors, and eclectic choreographerIlyse Robbins, have let the material speak for itself, moreso than more frantic treatment of small town working class life seen in TV sit-coms. Jenna MacFarland Lord's set is a revolving fishing hut against a slanted drop of ice and sky, with an amazing collection of props and decor assembled by Karla Sund. Molly Trainer has dressed the cast in appropriately well-worn winter gear. The show is an affectionate portrait of small town Wisconsin which the American Folklore Theatre has played since its creation in 1998, complete with regional accent ( vaguely Scandanavian) and local slang and no particular political message. See you on de ice.
"Guys on Ice" by Fred Alley and James Kaplan, Jan. 12 -28
Stoneham Theatre
395 Main St., (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham Theatre
posted by will at 11:27 AM
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