Stone Soup Theatre Company's Guys on Ice Is a
Delightfully Witty, Fast-Paced Production

Guys on Ice: An Ice-Fishing Musical stars Chris Kudlick (left) as Lloyd and Jos Purvis as Marvin (photo by Melissa Dombrowski)

Let's go fishing! Or rather, let's spend an hour and a half as flies on the wall of a Wisconsin ice-fishing shack, where we can get a glimpse of an interesting way of life, while being entertained by Stone Soup Theatre Company's delightfully witty, fast-paced production of Guys on Ice: An Ice-Fishing Musical.

Let me begin by saying that my family hales from rural areas in eastern Minnesota -- mere miles away from neighboring Wisconsin. Yes, there are more than a few ice fishermen among my cousins. Yes, I went ice fishing (with my grandfather) -- once. And, yes, my cousins speak with the same twangy Midwestern accent as these characters do -- "Don't ya know?"

So, this show afforded me with an extra, slightly nostalgic, measure of entertainment. But one need not have a similar background in order to find, in this show, a great way to spend an afternoon or evening.

The script, with book and lyrics by Fred Alley and music by James Kaplan, was conceived and researched by Fred Alley and Frederick Heide. This production is directed by Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, with music direction by Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis. It plays through Sunday, Dec. 22nd, at the Mettlesome Theater in Durham, with a "pay-what-you-can day" on Thursday, Dec. 19th.

Guys on Ice stars (from left) Chris Kudlick as Lloyd, Ethan Westmoreland as
Ernie the Moocher and Jos Purvis as Marvin (photo by Gabrielle Tessier)

The Play:

When the curtain rises, Marvin makes an early morning phone call to Lloyd on a −7°F day (with a wind chill of −36°F). Decked out in their wintriest attire, these two Wisconsinites meet up to spend a day together in a tiny shack on a frozen lake, where they will be fishing, drinking beer, trying to stay warm, and just generally bonding while chatting about the Green Bay Packers (and other subjects that are almost as important).

Today is special, because the host of a local cable TV fishing program, along with a film crew, will be paying a visit. Yes -- our two heroes will soon be local TV celebrities!

This is a nonstop laughter show. It includes over a dozen well-sung songs (mostly silly, but sometimes a little sentimental), masterfully accompanied by music director Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis on keyboards. There is also some well-executed choreography, and you haven't lived until you have witnessed synchronized dance moves, performed in a tiny area by big men wearing snowmobile suits and heavy winter boots!

And how can you top a song list that includes such catchy titles as "Ode to a Snowmobile Suit," "Fish Is the Miracle Food," "The One That Got-Away," "Twelve Beers in a Twelve-Pack," and "The Beer in the Bucket"?

By the way: keep an eye out for some fish to join in on the musical numbers.

Will Marvin and Lloyd catch any fish? How will the interview go? And how will they minimize the ill effects of the inevitable visit paid by "Ernie the Moocher?" And how, exactly, does Elvis Presley figure into the scheme of things?

Guys on Ice: An Ice-Fishing Musical stars Chris Kudlick (left) as Lloyd and Jos Purvis as Marvin (photo by Gabrielle Tessier)

The Acting:

Jos Purvis (as Marvin) and Chris Kudlick (as Lloyd) show that they know how to "play together well," giving us a pair of friends that are as distinctly different and as well matched as Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble (of The Flintstones) and Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton (of The Honeymooners).

Even when the dialogue becomes quite silly, Purvis and Kudlick make it seem as though it is their characters' natural conversation.

Ethan Westmoreland's Ernie the Moocher adds another dimension to the interpersonal dynamic. Ernie is delightfully oblivious to his being unwelcome. Westmoreland shines in his end-of-intermission "Half-Time Show." (Spoiler Alert: You stand a chance of winning a wonderful prize.) I did, however, find myself wishing that Westmoreland would amp up his volume somewhat during his scenes with Purvis and Kudlick.

And a major kudo is in order for dialect coach Nick Malinowski -- whose tongue-in-cheek Radio Announcer voice is also on point -- for managing to locate these characters in the same rural Wisconsin county.

The Tech:

The set, designed by director Melissa Dombrowski and built by master carpenter Nathan Dickson easily converts from the split-stage view of the homes of Marvin and Lloyd to the pretty-much "to scale" interior of an ice-fishing shack. The two "holes in the floor" work nicely for holes in the ice, and the small stove at the back is a nice touch.

Lisa Hess, who doubles as costume designer and stage manager, shows that she knows how to dress these men for this activity and that she also knows how to call cues and keep the pace on point.

Lighting designer Cana Yao and sound designer Jos Purvis, along with props designer Nicky Carrington, add the necessary touches to make everything unfold and locate the audience "right there," buying into the reality the entire time,

Guys on Ice: An Ice-Fishing Musical stars Chris Kudlick (left) as Lloyd and Jos Purvis as Marvin (photo by Gabrielle Tessier)

Nice Touches:

• The stagehand changing the set is suitably clad in a hooded parka.
• Marvin's "Tide" hat (you have to see it to appreciate it).
• Marvin's shirt's slogan referencing polka music (again, you have to see it).
• References to Pick n Pay and Super Value (popular stores in the region).
• The classic "Lars and Ole" and "Ole and Lena" jokes.
• The delayed reactions to jokes -- these are priceless!
• The script's mentioning of Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers' quarterback from 1992 until 2007) establishes the time frame, making the choice of telephones appropriate.
• The "encore" at the end.

Guys on Ice: An Ice-Fishing Musical stars Chris Kudlick (left) as Lloyd and Jos Purvis as Marvin (photo by Gabrielle Tessier)

Memorable Lines:

• "I'm a grown man. I can eat as many frozen waffles as I want."
• "Speakin' of pains in the butt, how's the wife?"
• "If I was a regular on that [cable TV fishing] show, I'd never have to buy a beer in this town again."
• "... like a heavier Mel Gibson." "What's the world gonna do with another Gibson?"
• "Who wouldn't want to go to Lambeau Field on their anniversary?"
• "The one that got away."

Guys on Ice stars (from left) Chris Kudlick as Lloyd, Ethan Westmoreland as Ernie, and Jos Purvis as Marvin (photo by Gabrielle Tessier)

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

The shack's wall decorations are a nice touch, but I have two picky-picky bones to pick:

1. Given the Wisconsin setting, I found it odd that the licence plate on the wall is from North Carolina.
2. With the dialogue's multiple references to Leinenkugel's beer and the nice touch of using a 12-pack of "Leinie" as props, it seems strange that Leinenkugel's is not represented on the wall along with (or instead of some of) the Budweiser, New Belgium, and Avery promotional material.

The Bottom Line:

Even though it's not a "Christmas show," Stone Soup Theatre Company's Guys on Ice: An Ice-Fishing Musical is an excellent "seasonal show." The offbeat humor, the seldom-seen Wisconsin "local color," the singing, the acting, the keyboard music, and the dancing are a joy -- from start to finish.

Note the somewhat unusual schedule: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19th, and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 21st and 22nd. And try to catch one of these performances; I guarantee that you will be glad that you did.

James Kaplan and Fred Alley's GUYS ON ICE: AN ICE FISHING MUSICAL (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19th, and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 21st and 22nd), directed by Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, music directed by Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis, and starring Jos Purvis as Marvin, Chris Kudlick as Lloyd, Ethan Westmoreland as Ernie the Moocher, and Nick Malinowski as Radio Announcer (Stone Soup Theatre Company at Mettlesome Theater in Durham). PRESENTER: http://stonesouptheatreco.com/, https://www.facebook.com/StoneSoupTheatreCo, https://www.instagram.com/stonesouptheatreco/, and https://www.tiktok.com/@stonesouptheatre. 2024-25 SEASON: https://stonesouptheatreco.com/current-season/. VENUE: https://thisismettlesome.com/, http://www.facebook.com/thisismettlesome, http://instagram.com/hellomettlesome, and https://twitter.com/hellomettlesome. DIRECTIONS: https://thisismettlesome.com/location. GUYS ON ICE: AN ICE-FISHING MUSICAL (2001 musical comedy): https://www.guysonice.com/ and https://northernskytheater.com/show/guys-on-ice-2/. JAMES KAPLAN (composer): https://northernskytheater.com/james-kaplan/ and https://northernskytheater.com/show/guys-on-ice-2/ (scroll down). FRED ALLEY (playwright and lyricist, 1963-2001): https://northernskytheater.com/show/guys-on-ice-2/ (scroll down), https://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsA/alley-fred.php, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Alley. TICKETS: $30 ($25 students), plus taxes and fees, except Pay-What-You-Can Day at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19th. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-408-7228 or stonesouptheatreco@gmail.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Stone Soup Theatre Company. Melissa Rooney's Triangle Review Review Permalink.

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