Review: GUYS ON ICE Spices up the Mundane

It's hard not to be totally blown away by the Elkhart Civic Theatre's current show, Guys on Ice. The musical opened on March 4th, and will continue until this weekend, and I can almost guarantee that it is probably sold out. To begin with, the show is a musical about, well, exactly what the title states: guys on ice. The premise is about two men, Marvin and Lloyd, who are ice-fishing buddies. They live in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where nothing really happens except the snow and drinking beer. Marvin, who has a reputation for being quite the ice-fisherman, receives a phone call from TV fishing show host Cubby (who Marvin idolizes) inviting him to participate on the TV program. Marvin invites Lloyd to tag along while they wait for Cubby (Lloyd is also a fan) so both of them can be on the show together. The remarkable thing about Guys on Ice is its ability to make the most mundane things of everyday life seem not only interesting, but extremely hilarious. And I don't mean hilarious in an over the top comical kind of way (besides the regular musical numbers) but actually just being able to sit back and laugh about human nature. The two men spend the day in an ice-shanty waiting for fish and do regular "guy" things like, drinking beer, talking about woman, sports, and dodging moocher friends. That's pretty much it - I know it doesn't sound like much, but there's a lot to be seen and felt when watching Marvin and Lloyd interact. Elkhart has been able to take a show about normal guys doing normal things, and make it extraordinarily entertaining to watch.

You'll be amazed by the ice-shanty that folds out to reveal an amazing set designed by both director and set designer, John Shoup. No detail is spared in making the ice-shanty seem like a total "man cave" where any Packers fan and ice-fisher would love to just kick back and relax. You could spend the entire show looking at the detailing and decorations on the walls and still find yourself findings new things by the end of the show.

Tony Venable, who plays Marvin, and Rick Nymeyer, who plays Lloyd, have the extraordinary responsibility to take characters who are just "normal guys" and give them layers upon layers of feelings and complexities in a short amount of time where no real drama occurs. Venable and Nymeyer accomplish this flawlessly. They stick to the nature of their characters through all circumstances and never falter in how you would believe each of these men would face their current situations. They share an intense energy that translates into booming chemistry between the actors, and thus the characters. The performances are so pristine that they seem like real people, and we are just privileged enough to have a glimpse into their ice-shanty and therefore, their world. The characters are so lovingly adorable and the performances so real that when you leave the theater, you feel like you could be leaving your friends.

All of the above are only a few good reasons to head out and try to see the last few performances of Guys on Ice at the Elkhart Civic Theatre this weekend. There is more behind the magic that is this show and I encourage anyone to try and see it.

Checkout Elkhart Civic Theatre at:

http://elkhartcivictheatre.org/

Photos by: Mel Moore