by John Quinn

Posted: Feb. 1, 2015 at 7:27 p.m.

Do not confuse “Guys on Ice” with “Disney on Ice.” In the first place, “Guys” is a musical about male bonding that opened in time for frigid February at The Encore Musical Theatre in Dexter. Secondly, the only male bonding around “Disney on Ice” went into assembling Olaf, the singing snowman from “Frozen.”

“Guys on Ice” was developed and created by American Folklore Theatre, a Wisconsin-based professional company that develops and produces shows inspired by traditional American culture. More specifically, its book & lyrics are by Fred Alley and its music by James Kaplan – two names that seem to have hit the cutting room floor when the program was edited.

“Guys on Ice” is short and sweet, with a plot as sturdy as Sturgeon Bay ice in May. There’s just enough structure to support a whole lot of very good music and fishing jokes that stink worse than dead fish. What must be understood, though, is that what the plot says is less important than what the plot implies.

Marvin (Timothy Brayman) and Lloyd (Peter John Riopelle) are blue-collar types, loyal to their sport – or is fishing an art? Lloyd believes, “Work is for guys who don’t know how to fish.” They’re in a cluttered ice shanty, located on Sturgeon Bay on a momentous, frigid winter morning. They await the arrival of the host of a cable TV fishing show, who wants to tape a segment featuring Marvin. But, like Godot, “Cubby” will not come. Instead, descending on our duo like a plague of locusts is the insufferable pest, Ernie the Mooch (Keith Kalinowski). The dialogue reflects on the vagaries of life, the mysteries of women and the glory of fish. You know – manly stuff.

Fair enough, but what does it all mean? It means that men and women bond differently. Write about women’s response to adversity and you get “Steel Magnolias.” Write about how men support each other, with bawdy jokes and tall tales, laughing through the pain (never tears), you get “Guys on Ice.”

The performers are an affable trio of cut-ups. Burly Brayman possesses a grizzly beard and a warm laugh that could lead one to believe the North Pole is in Wisconsin. Riopelle’s Lloyd is a little more excitable and energetic. But his musical performance is causing armchair quarterback syndrome in the critic. Lloyd sings two of the most memorable songs of “Guys on Ice,”: the wistful, yet funny “The One That Got Away,” and the beautiful “Everything Is New.” Every so often we catch a note or two that reflects Riopelle’s rich, resonant lower range, yet most of his delivery is head tones. So here’s the 64 dollar question: should performances in musical theater highlight the music, or reflect the character? Lloyd’s unpolished style reflects the character’s lack of training, but, man would I like to hear Riopelle in full voice!

I reviewed “The Fantasticks” at Encore in days gone by, so I know Keith Kalinowski has a head for comedy. “The Mooch” is winning character, and Kalinowski exceeds expectations by leaving no pratfall, pregnant pause, or awkward intrusion unused in delivering a comic punch.

This simple tribute to the American spirit is directed by Tobin Hissong. He is ably assisted by a production staff that includes R. Mackenzie Lewis as Musical Director, choreography by Maria Tilmos, the multi-talented Daniel C. Walker conceived lighting and sets, Anne Donevan provided an eclectic collection of properties, and Sharon Larkey Urick ran up the snowmobile suit-chic costuming. The glue holding this all together is stage manager Alexander Kunitz.

February is shaping up to be less “Guys on Ice” than “Guys under Snow”. This past Jan. 22, photographer Daniel Mears of “The Detroit News” captured a shot of retiree Pat Lawson of Utica making his way onto the cold ice of Lake St. Clair. The fisherman’s quip? “Beats sitting at home, waiting to die.” It that morbid? NO! It’s a reflection of Michiganders’ indomitable will.

Take that, Cheezeheads!

SHOW DETAILS:
“Guys On Ice: The Ice Fishing Musical Comedy”
The Encore Musical Theatre
3126 Broad Street, Dexter, MI 48130
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, Feb. 5, 12, 19
8 p.m. Friday & Saturday, Jan. 30, 31, Feb. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21
3 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and some Thursdays, Jan. 31, Feb. 1, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22
1 hour 35 minutes 15 minute intermission
$22-32 ($15 student rush tickets one hour prior to curtain, if available)
734-268-6200
www.theencoretheatre.org