“I thought this piece, when I saw it, was the funniest piece I’ve seen in a very, very long time,” says Artistic Director Mark Clements of Bruce Arntson’s The Doyle & Debbie Show. Thus, The Milwaukee Repertory Theater has brought together a prime cast of Michael Accardo, Erin Parker and Bo Johnson to perform this hilarious comedy at the Stackner Cabaret. We meet washed-up country star, Doyle, and his singing partner, Debbie, and are pulled into a hilarious 90-minute comedic spoof on the male-female country western duo genre that pokes fun at love, NASCAR, pregnancy and what it means to be a family.
Doyle & Debbie features 16 original musical hits, including “Blue Stretch Pants” and “Stock Car Love.” “It’s a strong comedic piece with two great roles and the songs are really fantastic,” says Clements. First Stage’s Company Manager Jeff Schaetzke makes his Milwaukee Rep debut as music director and Milwaukee Rep’s JC Clementz directs the cast. “The lyrics are smart and funny, and the music is just great,” Clementz shared in the press release. “You do not have to be a country music fan to enjoy this uproarious and sometimes irreverent homage to the genre.”
The show runs Sept. 5-Nov. 2 at Milwaukee Rep’s Stackner Cabaret, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com.
THEATRE HAPPENINGS:
■ The Alchemist Theatre will put on six short comedic plays by Doug Jarecki and Jason Powell with subjects ranging from a movie star with an impacted tooth to FBI agents carpooling to work. Destiny, Deviltry and Dentistry runs Sept. 4-20 at 2569 S. Kinnickinnic. For tickets, call 414-426-4169 or visit thealchemisttheatre.com.
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■ Cooperative Performance Milwaukee presents Anton Chekhov’s enduring classic The Seagull, a family drama about Arkadina, a famous actress, and her son, Konstantin, an aspiring playwright living in her shadow. Founding artistic member Don Russell wrote this unique adaptation and directs the show. The show runs Sept. 4-21 at Bucketworks, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave. For tickets, call 414-324-0037 or visit cooperformke.com.
■ Always…Patsy Cline comes to Peninsula Players’ stage, featuring more than 25 of Cline’s classics such as “Sweet Dreams” and “Walking After Midnight.” The show runs Sept. 3-Oct. 19 at 4351 Peninsula Players Road, Fish Creek. For tickets, call 920-868-3287 or visit peninsulaplayers.com.
■ Noël Coward’s classic Private Lives comes to Third Avenue Playhouse. Enter the scintillating world of couples divided, reunited and divided again. The show runs Sept. 3-25 at 239 N. Third Ave. in Sturgeon Bay. For tickets, call 920-743-1760 or visit thirdavenueplayhouse.com.
