Is it their funny lookin’ snowmobile suits? Or the way that they playfully throw their empty beer cans into the makeshift garbage can? Or is it the thick Northern Wisconsin accent that makes the audience chuckle, even in the simplest of sentences? Whatever it may be, the “buddies are back,” and the fishin’s better than ever in Madison Repertory Theatre’s presentation of the musical comedy “Guys On Ice.”
In an obviously stellar move by the Madison Rep this season, “Guys On Ice” was brought back for the second year in a row. With 85 percent of the tickets sold by November 14, it is apparent that the word has spread to Madison theatergoers that this show is a must-see. With five added performances to an already busy schedule and almost all of its shows currently sold out, “Guys On Ice” is truly becoming a Wisconsin annual favorite.
Written by the late Fred Alley, this musical tells the tale of two ice fishermen, Marvin and Lloyd (Doug Mancheski and Steven Koehler), and a day in the life of their ice-fishing excursions. Marvin awaits a cable-television personality who wants to interview him as a result of his status as the “King of Ice Fishing.”
With this television appearance, he hopes to impress a good-looking cashier, Bonnie, who has a Packer-helmet tattoo on a certain indiscrete body part, at the Sturgeon Bay Pick ‘N Save. Lloyd uses the day as a getaway from the drama between his wife, Debbie, and himself.
Debbie, upset with him for wanting to spend their anniversary at Lambeau Field rather than taking her out, has moved in with “the in-laws.” Lloyd argues that he has been married to her for seven years, and pronounced his devotion to the Green Bay Packers, who he has been “following for thirty!”
Set near Sturgeon Bay, Wis., this musical explores the lives and loves of two simple ice fishermen. Waiting for a bite and keeping warm in their ice-fishing shanty, Marvin and Lloyd talk about their unimportant day-jobs and their love for beer.
Mancheski’s hilarious facial expressions humorously exaggerate each scene, and both actors’ banter and wit make for constant laughter. Koehler, who, behind the snowsuit and five o’clock shadow, has an impressive musical-theatre tenor voice and does an equally impressive job as the fisherman who wants to change his ways. Both men are comically enduring as only Northern Wisconsin Ice Fishermen could be.
Marvin and Lloyd are joined throughout the show by a pesky visitor named Ernie the Moocher (Lee Becker), who comes into their shanty and politely consumes the two fishermen’s beer and venison jerky. At one point, Becker pulls out a trombone from his pocket and plays himself a song, with the other two rolling their eyes in his direction.
In the spirit of the season, Ernie the Moocher leads a delightful halftime show, which includes song and dance and an interactive ice-fishermen trivia game. Prizes included a one-pack of beer, a beef jerky stick, one individually wrapped cheese curd, and a pickled egg on a fork. Yes, the audience did receive and eat their prizes!
A simple set, made up of only the fishermen’s shanty, and simple lighting techniques allowed for the audience’s attention to be kept on the story. Although the show’s actors are the stars, the toe-tapping musical accompaniment completes the show. The composer and musical director, James Kaplan, remains onstage for the production’s entirety and plays his music on an old piano while dressed in a blaze-orange hunting vest and a red winter hat. At most, the show has three instruments playing at once, reflecting the simplicity of this story. And at times, you cannot help but want to sing along.
If Madison theatre enthusiasts are lucky, the Madison Rep will bring this charming musical back for years to come. Men and women alike can enjoy the quirky humor of these characters and explore the depths of the Wisconsin North Woods. “De wedderman said it was below zero, so I knew dat was good wedder for ice fishin’.” We think so too, guys, we think so too!
