It takes a certain kind of person to want to fish in the desolation of an iced-over lake in northern Wisconsin in the middle of winter. And it takes a certain kind of theater company to leap at the opportunity to stage a musical about ice fishing. In this case, that company is Elm Grove’s Sunset Playhouse, which stages Guys on Ice next month.
Scott Kopischke, Tim Gensler and Matt Zembrowski play ice fishermen Lloyd, Ernie and Marvin. The three characters may not share the inner complexity of their counterparts in classic drama, but they aren’t the shallow stereotypes one might expect from a musical about northern Wisconsin.
The musical is in good hands. Bryce Lord, a seasoned talent both on and off the stage, is set to direct. Accompanying Lord will be James Kaplan as musical director. Kaplan is uniquely suited to direct the music for this production, seeing as he created it. The prolific Kaplan has worked on numerous scores over the years, including Lumberjacks in Love and Belgians in Heaven.
Guys on Ice replaces Sunset Playhouse’s What About Luv?, an altogether different musical originally scheduled for January.
“We've been talking to Jimmy Kaplan about the possibility of us doing this at the Playhouse for a while,” says Jonathan West, Sunset Playhouse managing director. “The fact that Jimmy was also available and interested in being our musical director was a true perfect storm of good timing.”
Having debuted with the American Folklore Theatre 12 years ago, Guys on Ice is no stranger to larger stages. Milwaukee audiences may be familiar with a series of annual performances that were staged in the Milwaukee Rep’s Stiemke Studio.
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A full musical featuring three characters in an ice fishing shantyallows for plenty of empty space, and Lord says that space in Guys on Ice is being used to create a sense of isolation. To that end, the frozen lake is blended with the sky. “To further help with this,” Lord says of creating a sense of isolation, “we're placing the musicians offstage as well. Essentially all the audience will see is a small building surrounded by this field of blue/white.”
The Sunset Playhouse’s production of Guys on Ice runs Jan. 13-Feb. 6.
Theater Happenings
- The Skylight Opera Theatre pays tribute to one of America’s greatest 20th-century composers with Gershwin and Friends. This musical revue featuring classic Gershwin tunes from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s takes place in the Broadway Theatre Center’s Studio Theatre Dec. 31-Jan. 9. For tickets, call 414-291-7800.
- Composer Brian Myers presents STATUS: A music drama for the digital age on New Year’s Eve at The Vox Box in the Marian Center, 3195 S. Superior St. The musical about social networking will be performed in a classy, formal program that includes classic show tunes sung by Vox Box founder Lisa Golda. Theatergoers are asked to wear cocktail attire to the show, which runs 8:30-10 p.m. Dec. 31.
