Lake Country Players – an intuitive perspective

April 10, 2024

Lake Country Players: The Clockmaker’s Daughter, An Original Musical Faerytale.

You might guess from the subtitle, An Original Musical Faerytale, that the scene isn’t our present day America. No, much of the story is an Ireland of about a century ago…although it does bookend in contemporary times but where better to hear a faerytale than the old sod?

Cory Klein as Abraham Reed. Photo courtesy of Lake Country Players and Taran Schatz Photography

So what is our faerytale? An Irish clockmaker, who lost his wife in child birth, loses his daughter as she was approaching young adulthood. In his sadness and depression he fashions a clockwork figure to take the place of his daughter in his life. And once wound up, she becomes animated and cognizant beyond his wildest dreams. But ever fearful for her well-being, he forbids her from leaving their home…but she can see the great and intriguing real world right outside their very window.

So of course, her curiosity overcomes her fealty to her ‘father’, and when he’s away she ventures out of the house into Spindlewood…where she meets the town’s people and finds many friends and many new emotions. And all goes well as no one suspects her origins until one fateful day when…everything goes awry. You will have to experience the play to get the rest of the story.

Jyrajo Petit-Walla as Constance. Photo courtesy of Lake Country Players and Taran Schatz Photography

So this IS a musical…the songs and lyrics are truly amazing. They not only move the story forward but they are just beautiful to behold in their own right…and there are a number of very challenging duets and solo pieces within the ensemble pieces that are just amazing. But despite the apparent complexity, Director Sarah Jo Martens’ cast just nails it…and kudos also to Music Director Tracy Garon for bringing these songs to the fore and making every voice a joyous celebration.

And this is a faerytale, but it goes beyond that. It is a story of community, in good and bad times, there is sadness and joy, depression and elation, love and hate, hope and curiosity, a bit of jealousy, family dynamics of different bents, and rash and irrational fears that tear a community apart.

Lexi Ellis (center) as Amelia Glynn. Photo courtesy of Lake Country Players and Taran Schatz Photography

But this is also a master class in presenting a full sized musical in a jewel box theater, something the Director Sarah Jo Martens can be particularly proud of. There are twenty two characters here…and at times they are all on stage…a seemingly small stage…my guess about 25 feet wide and 15 feet deep. And for a Clockmaker’s Daughter they had to share a corner of the stage with the raised platform for the band. And the action is constant, and I mean CONSTANT. Not only the action but the setting and resetting of the set pieces and furnishings…all cleverly designed and moved throughout the performance. The set design team is Kimberly Laberge and Adam Harrison. And again my thanks to Music Director Tracy Garon for keeping the voices on cue and on tempo…but also to Choreographer Thom Cauley for creating the ensemble dance pieces and Stage Manager Danny Polaski for keeping it all straight. I never was sure where to look as the actors were again, constantly in motion, but I never suspected a moment of hesitation in the dance or song.

Ben Ardis as Will Riley and Jyrajo Petit-Walla as Constance. Photo courtesy of Lake Country Players and Taran Schatz Photography

So, I have rambled and rambled and haven’t mentioned the actors! So let’s start with the clockmaker’s daughter, Constance, as played by Kyrajo Petit-Walla. Petit-Walla does an incredible job of portraying the initially clumsy and awkward clockwork doll and then with her growing cognition and learning, becomes a young lady of Spindlewood. Her ‘father’, the clockmaker Abraham Reed, is played by Cory Klein, who also has to portray the gamut of emotions, from grieving father, to doting father, and finally to worried parent as events transpire in Spindlewood. Ben Ardis plays the love interest for Candace, one Will Riley, a seemingly put upon son of the seamstress Ma’ Riley, with visions and hopes of a great future adult life for himself. Ma’ Rainey is something of an enigma here, a deft artisan, a stern taskmaster in her shop, and a sales lady on demand, and finally a community activist and skilled liar at the end. She is played by Danielle Katers…and oh what a voice as she has a significant song in the first act. One other stand out is Lexi Ellis who plays Amelia Kelly…soon to be Amelia Glynn in a marriage that sets the turning point in the action in the play. Ellis portrays a loving fiancee, true friend, and strong personal presence in the story.

Again, I am amazed that Lake Country Players has taken on such a demanding piece of theater…and again they have excelled in their presentation.

Photo courtesy of Lake Country Players and Taran Schatz Photography

Two Quibbles:

First, with the authors. The constant change in venue from clockmaker’s workshop, to town’s square, to dressmaker’s workshop, to brook, to mayor’s home, and o’er and back seems a disincentive to small companies interested in staging this musical. Martens and team overcame the challenge.

Second, at times the music is too loud. Particularly during some solos…the band obscures the vocals making the lyrics difficult to hear…and of course, the lyrics are critical to the story.

Here is the link to their website with more information. Unfortunately the site indicates that the show is sold out. But click through and plan on seeing their upcoming shows…from my experience, I can’t imagine that the Lake Country Players will disappoint and the drive to Hartland is worth it!

January 31, 2024

Lake Country Players Presents Tommy Lee Johnston’s Geezers! Remarkable!!

Geezers. Just reading the title of Tommy Lee Johnston’s play brings a quick smile to the lips and the expectation of a farce around aging boomers. Now, while there are some pretty good gags and laugh out loud jokes here, this is a very human and socially relevant drama.

Ray, Neil (seated) and Kate. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse

So what is it exactly? Well it’s a very poignant play set in a retirement home. And it is a coming of age drama. But not the usual type that just came to your mind. Instead we experience the growth of Jack, a socially inept young man of 27 as he ventures out on his own. But there is also the personal growth and awareness in middle-aged Gina who is the head nurse at the home. And finally a new openness, acceptance, and truth around their own lives comes to the residents we get to visit here.

First we meet Jack, portrayed by Danny Polaski, as he interviews for a job that he has already been given by the unseen administrator of the home. The fact that he is being interviewed for a job that he already has is very confusing to him and he reaches a near catatonic state trying to understand the situation as the head nurse, Gina, asks him questions. At first he would seem entirely unfit for the job…with no resume and no prior work experience…but then, having cared for his own mother until her recent passing he might have the right tool set to work with the home’s various residents. Here Gina is played as a very patient and seemingly in command manager by Becca Richards. That isn’t necessarily always the case. And although she wants Jack to start immediately, she allows him to delay another day. He is to replace a much loved employee who left under a cloud.

Jack, Emily, and Gina. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse

We now move on the Jack’s first day on the job and Polaski gives us a clear picture of a Jack having a difficult time coping with his new situation. But he clearly wants to do a good job. We also are introduced to the other principal characters at work here, Emily, played by Diane Kallas, who has dementia and is happy to watch television, any television, as long as it has commercials that she can sing along with. And then we meet the two resident curmudgeons, Ray, played by Paul Wier, and Neil, played by Bob Hurd. These two gentlemen play a mean and hurtful prank on Jack. Egging them on is the self-centered, retired actress, Kate, who is at first, a charming and playful character provided by Paula Nordwig.

Given his social discomfort, it is surprising that Jack returns for a second day after his hazing on day one. I am not sure whether it is the need for the job, fear of a new ostracizing from Gina and crew, a responsibility for/to Gina, or a sense of moral duty to his late mother who enjoyed her time working here.

Jack and Gina. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse

In conversation, the residents find out that Jack is a writer and has written two plays. Kate of course is curious and demands an opportunity to read them. After convincing Jack to share them, she and Neil provide a critique and find them incredibly derivative. Then a plan is hatched for Jack to interview the various residents of the home…they all have original, unique, and personal stories to tell and can provide plenty of new material for his writing efforts. Jack is incredibly hesitant at first but as Neil and Ray explain, she won’t take no for an answer so he is essentially already committed.

Neil, Jack, and Kate. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse

And this is where we start to feel the growth in all of our characters. Polaski’s Jack develops as an individual and has a growing empathy for the residents, but he never completely loses his fear and unease. And Gina recognizes that Jack is also having a positive effect on the residents…even apparently reaching inside Emily’s fog from time to time. Jack eventually starts to revel in his role as listener and story keeper.

The play is presented as two acts, each over just an hour long. The first is setting up the characters and relationships, while the second brings us the growth and release we didn’t initially expect. But instead of traditional ‘scenes’, the action unfolds in short vignettes separated by black outs and musical interludes of 1950s and 1960s pop hits. Someone was singing/humming along during these…it wasn’t me…but I wanted to!

The audience will shed some tears here and feel a tightness in their throats as the stories are quietly told. And the story telling takes on clever plot changes…as the contemporary characters start their stories, a transition occurs, and Jack moves cross stage and interacts with a young, age appropriate for the story being told, version of the character. And here the seamless shift is effected by Mikael Hager as Young Neil, Max Levine as Young Ray, and Amy Wickland as Young Kate.

Emily’s story is something different and comes to us from the visits of Jenny, played by Angie Rodenkirch, who is trying to break through to Emily…and in some ways is able to do just that. Kallas gives us an emphatic Emily, providing rousing sing-alongs with the TV and occasionally some very lucid interjections into the conversations going on in the room.

It seems remarkable that the Lake Country Players are able to find and present edgy plays like this and make them entirely their own. Of course the perfect casting and flawless staging designed by director Nancy Hurd has a lot to with the success. And Hurd also is responsible for the spot on costuming as well…including a very jaunty beret ala a contemporary Joni Mitchell look for Emily.

The play continues through February 11th, 2024 at the Lake Country Playhouse in Hartland WI. It was sold out for the matinee that I attended this past Sunday so don’t dawdle in ordering tickets. Information and tickets are available here:

September 18, 2023September 18, 2023

Lake Country Players’ The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee!

I had heard of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, but I didn’t know the actual story or format. So going in, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect of the play. What I did expect was a very professional tight presentation of the play by the very professional and skilled Lake Country Players…and I was not disappointed.

Obviously the framework for the story is a countywide spelling bee bringing together the winners of regional or citywide bees in the county…and of course the characters have been written to present us with every stereotypical student that you might anticipate being at the spelling bee. And director Phil Stepanski has cast precisely the right actors here and brought out their quirks precisely as needed to bring the characters to life! And allowing the cast to feel their roles and bring to bear the questioning and awkwardness inherent in adolescent life…even when trying to hide it…but the trick here was finding that place in life when the actors are already young adults playing back to their earlier space in youth.

One of the things I didn’t know originally, and that is, Spelling Bee is a musical. And here too Stepanski and cast nail the feelings and moods of the songs…while maintaining character…and getting the choreography just so. So props to Gwen Ter Haar as music director and Grace Scott as choreographer for their incredible contributions to making the song and dance interludes work so incredibly. And one more ovation for Ter Haar for the incredible costuming of the ensemble…each cast member’s persona and role was easily discernible from their attire. And I must mention the set and props…Clayton R Irwin is credited with set painting…and Nancy Hurd for props. These support areas are always singular and help bring out the atmosphere expected from the text. Another area where LCP excels and always amazes me! And yes, I have been in a gym in a basement.

foreground: Michael Kocken as William Barfee. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Players

There are nine characters…three adults…and six youthful spelling bee contestants…but there is a twist…more later.

So let’s start with the adults! Rona Lisa Peretti is the number one realtor in the county and is the moderator of the spelling bee…but not because of her business prowess…but because she wants to relive her spelling bee win some years (or is it decades) past. Peretti is brought to poignant life by Jenna Martinez who later effectively does double duty as Olive’s mother in a side bar. And the actual spelling bee arbiter is Douglas Panch who is back after a five year hiatus due to an incident but he’s in a better place now! And Noah Maguire is just perfect as the precise overseer with a quick trigger finger on the bell to spell the doom of a ‘loser’! And Daniel Bingham is Mitch Mahoney…yes he is…a miscreant doing community service by acting as the official comfort counselor, handing out juice boxes, hugs, or handshakes when a contestant suffers the catastrophe of a ringing bell. He also serves as one of the Logainne’s sidebars. Despite his youth, Bingham pulls off both ‘adult’ roles.

foreground: Allison Chicorel as Olive Ostrovsky. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Players

Allison Chicorel brings us Olive Ostrovsky, whose father is late arriving for the bee, whose mother is in an Ashram in India, and who has made best friends with a dictionary. Chicorel brings us the blend of assurance and indecision and a bit of insecurity that inhabits Olive’s persona. And she is involved with just a bit of late play conflict when she and William Barfee are the last two standing. And William Barfee is the essential nerd in this piece, and Michael Kocken makes it seem like the part was written for him. He has certainly mastered his special spelling talent, the magic foot, until his resolve starts to crack when he realizes he has feelings for Olive in the final round. BTW: it’s pronounced Bar-Fay! Emily Mertens plays Marcy Park, a total overachiever in all ways adolescent and Mertens is able to make us aware of Marcy’s accomplishments quite determinedly. Yes, she knows SIX languages as Mertens beautifully explains in the song I Speak Six Languages! And she has her own sidebar when she decides she needs a harder word to spell and asks Jesus for help…and he appears to her in the person of Clayton R. Irwin! The result isn’t quite what she expected.

And an amazing Thomas Hess inhabits an over the top Leaf Coneybear, a youngster who makes his own clothes in certainly his own style, and is just just out there. He’s in this particular bee because other contestants couldn’t make it because the bee coincided with a bat mitzvah. Hess has the proper energy and lack of inhibition to play the care free Leaf! And another over the top performance…in a kinder and gentler way…is Michelle Delamatter’s depiction of Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere. Also an over achiever with apparent self confidence on the surface but a bit of self doubt when confronted by here two rather overbearing fathers. Delamatter’s exuberance in the role is contagious. And her ability to shift in focus in her sidebar with Hess and Bingham as her fathers is true to form.

And lastly…I saved Clayton R. Irwin for last. He plays Chip Tolentino as an active teen-ager…socially and athletically and for an awkward moment sexually. Irwin has the aplomb and physical sensibilities to pull this off most effectively. But as one of the songs in the first act explains very clearly, life is pandemonium…and during a musical number as a prop microphone stand started to take a tumble, Irwin reached for it and the stand over reacted and the microphone caught him in an eyebrow and opened a fairly serious cut. But he championed on later as Jesus with a prominent bandage and director Stepanski was able to make subtle scene changes to continue.

One last cast mention: if you go to see Spelling Bee, there are four other cast openings that are filled by young people in attendance. So you could make your stage debut at LCP! You will earn a juice box when you hear the dreaded bell after your own spelling error!

Here is the link with more information on performance dates and times and on how to order tickets. The show runs through October 1, 2023. The show is rated PG-13+ due to some adult content and sexual innuendo. Lake Country Players present their performances at the Lake Country Playhouse in downtown Hartland WI.

Coincidentally THIS showed up in my news feed this morning! What happens to Spelling Bee Champions When They Grow Old?