Those not from Wisconsin who attend the Madison Repertory Theatre's production of \Guys on Ice,"" an ode to ice fishing and Wisconsin culture being presented in Vilas Hall's Mitchell Theatre from now until Dec. 23, may feel like they're missing the joke. This musical portraying a day in the life of ice fishermen Marvin and Lloyd, two normal guys from Sturgeon Bay, Wis., is full of the flatulence, wife troubles and beer drinking all too familiar to Wisconsinites. Despite being backed by months of anthropological research into the world of ice fishing in northern Wisconsin, though, this piece, intended to be a comedic expos?? of Wisconsin culture, doesn't take any chances. ""Guys on Ice,"" despite strong performances, doesn't quite cut it.
The story is pretty simple. There's Marvin, played with a well-practiced bumbling idiocy by Doug Mancheski, the single guy who daydreams about his Elvis-like persona as king of ice fishing. Then there's Lloyd, more subtly acted by Michael Flanigan, overweight and constantly struggling to juggle his love of the Packers and his demanding wife's needs. They're out on the lake for a day of ice fishing, beef jerky eating and life contemplation. Marvin is especially excited because he has received a call from ice fishing television show host Cubbie from ""da cable TV,"" as Marvin so eloquently puts it. This local celebrity has told Marvin that his ice shanty has been chosen to host the upcoming week's show. As you can imagine, Marvin thinks this is his big chance'his 15 minutes.
For the rest of the show, while anticipating Cubbie's arrival, Marvin and Lloyd sing, dance and deal with the overwhelmingly annoying Ernie the Moocher. Ernie, played by Jack Wilson Forbes, is an example of what would have happened if Gilbert Gottfried had been born in Green Bay. He is loud, obnoxious and constantly borrowing Marvin and Lloyd's stuff, from fishing lures to beers. Not much actually happens during the day of ice fishing, but somehow, by the end of the play, Marvin and Lloyd are better friends than ever.
With songs such as ""Fish is Da Miracle Food,"" ""Dere's Something About Putting on a Snowmobile Suit That Makes a Fellow Feel Secure,"" ""De One Dat Got Away"" and ""In da Blink of an Eye,"" this musical was an experiment in the ridiculous. Mancheski, Flanigan and Wilson all showed a tremendous amount of musical talent as they pumped out these songs with confidence and pizzazz. They certainly had the audience, mostly made up of senior citizens and young children, laughing in hysterics.
Yet this play tried to be nothing more than clean-cut, holiday fun for the family. The unoriginality of the laughs was overwhelming, as some of the loudest responses came after a burp from Marvin and the Swedish jokes told throughout the play, none of which were worth more than a chuckle.
If you're familiar with the culture of ice fishing and northern Wisconsin, as many at this university are, this musical could very well have you laughing. Nearing the end of the play, Marvin comes to a realization: ""If hell is all flames and dat, den heaven must be cold like Wisconsin."" Well, no offense Marvin, but by the end of the show, the theater was starting to get a little hot.
