Music and Book by James Valcq, Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley
Based on the film by Lee David Zlotoff
Basic Info: Come to Lewis Station Winery and enjoy a small town musical with a big heart! Tickets available at the winery or by calling 920.648.5481. Tickets are $15 each, shows start at 7:30 on Aug. 12, 13, 19 & 20.
What’s the show about? Meet Percy, a feisty parolee who follows her dreams, based on a page from an old travel book, to a small town in Wisconsin and finds a place for herself working at Hannah’s Spitfire Grill. It is for sale but there are no takers for the only eatery in the depressed town, so newcomer Percy suggests to Hannah that she raffle it off. Entry fees are one hundred dollars and the best essay on why you want the grill wins. Soon, mail is arriving by the wheelbarrow full and the locals see their town through new eyes.
Reviews: “A soul satisfying…work of theatrical resourcefulness. A compelling story that flows with grace and carries the rush of anticipation. The story moves, the characters have many dimensions and their transformations are plausible and moving. The musical is freeing. It is penetrated by honesty and it glows.” -The New York Times
“Soulful…The amiable country flavored tunes and lyrics are rendered with the kind of conviction and expertise that make them transcendent. What in normal times would be a joy is, in these troubled ones, sheer nourishment.” -New York Magazine
“Soaring melodies!…Well before the show reaches its conclusion, many…city slickers in the audience may be ready to enter Percy’s raffle.” -The Wall Street Journal
“An abundance of warmth, spirit and goodwill!…Some of the most engaging and instantly infectious melodies I’ve heard in an original musical in some time.” - USA Today
Penguin Productions presents a radio theater performance of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Go back in time a see how a 1940′s radio show was done – complete with live sound effects! The show will be performed Friday, November 26 (right after the Tree Lighting in Commons Park, about 6:30) and Friday, December 3 at 6:30. Performances will be in the upper floor of the historic L.D. Fargo Library. Free will offering, each show is limited to 55 people. For more information call Jill at 920.285.1986.
3-D Family Theatre presents “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” Dec. 4 & 5 at the Renaissance Theater, Lake Mills. The traditional church Christmas pageant takes on a unique flavor when local outcasts, the Herdman’s, show up at Sunday School and volunteer for all the lead roles . Through both hilarity and heartwarming moments, we begin to see the Christmas story anew, through the eyes of some raggedly beautiful children who are hearing it for the very first time. Endearing family entertainment for all ages.
Saturday, Dec. 4, 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 5, 2:00 p.m.
$9 Adults, $8 Seniors/students, $30 Family Rate
For information, contact 3-D Family Theatre at 608-764-5267
The Renaissance Theatre in Lake Mills will be hosting Penguin Productions doing the hilarious murder mystery Murder at Cafe Noir on October 15, 16, 22 & 23 at 7:30. Lake Mill’s restaurant Carp’s Landing, is offering a special Café Noir menu each night and will have patrons to the theater on time for the opening curtain.
Menu choices include Tobago Cay Half Rack of BBQ Ribs & Tempura Shrimp, Maria LaRue’s Chicken Florentine Pasta, Thursby’s Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin and Rick Archer Ribeye. Reservations are a must, call 920.648.3005 and tell them you want to order from the Café Noir menu.
Murder at Cafe Noir is one of the most popular murder mystery shows in the country and has had weekly productions coast to coast since its premiere in 1989. It is a stylized forties detective story featuring Rick Archer (played by Seth Habhegger), P.I. Rick is out to find a curvaceous runaway on the forgotten island of Mustique, a place stuck in a black and white era. The owner of the Cafe Noir has washed ashore, murdered, and Rick’s employs his hard boiled talents to find the killer. Was it the French madame and club manager (Heather Tongue), the voodoo priestess (Ann Penfield Grover), the shyster British attorney (Matt Emerson), the black marketeer (Jay Deppe) or the femme fatale (Beth Rohn Habhegger)? The audience votes on what they want Rick to do next and these decisions change the flow of this comic tribute to the Bogart era. Can you guess who the murderer is?
Tickets are $15 and are available at Countryside Jewelry, 120 Lake Street in Lake Mills, online at LakeMillsRenaissance.net and at the door. Order tickets online! For more information call Jill Nadeau at 920.285.1986.
Local theatre group Penguin Productions will present “We the People” a patriotic salute to America on July 2 and 3 at 7 pm at the Renaissance Theatre in Lake Mills. The show features adults and kids and is directed by Cathy Daley Bond. Veterans will receive free admission; adult tickets are $6 with students at $3. They will be available at the door.
Through a series of sketches, organized phrase by phrase from the Preamble, the presentation shows not only how the Constitution applies to our past, but also to our present and future. Everyday life is showcased in both funny and poignant vignettes, offering a variety of moods as it explores the deeper meanings of the language of the Constitution. From two neighbors arguing their constitutional rights to have crab grass to an immigrant’s heartwarming story of coming to America, this Norman Rockwellesque review offers slices of life in America. Spelling bees, parades, letters home from war, all become part of this patchwork quilt of American life. This play will serve as a reminder that the remarkable words written by our forefathers many years ago are still a living document and part of our lives each and every day.
The Renaissance is located at 412 W. Madison in Lake Mills. For more information call Jill at 920.285.1986.
Its another Legendary Weekend in Lake Mills!
Tickets for the next Penguin Productions play, “The Odd Couple,” are now on sale. The Lake Mills community theatre group will perform the female version of this classic Neil Simon comedy on March 12 and 13 at 7:30 at the Renaissance Theatre in Lake Mills.
The female version, like the original, features two newly single friends who decide to share an apartment. A great idea, except neat, organized Florence is driving sloppy, disorganized Olive crazy. Add four Trivial Pursuit playing friends throwing out zingers every other sentence and two hilarious Spanish brothers with a bit of a language problem and you have recipe for non-stop laughter.
The Renaissance is located at 412 W. Madison in Lake Mills. Tickets are $15 and are available on line at www.LakeMillsRenaissance.net or at Denny’s Hair Styling and Countryside Jewelry in Lake Mills. Tickets will also be available at the door. Discount coupons will be available on the Renaissance Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LakeMillsRenaissance), become a friend and get yours! For more information call Jill at 920.285.1986.
Lake Mills Community Theatre group, Penguin Productions, has announced plans for a performance of the classic holiday story, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” The play will be performed in radio style with live sound effects and commercials, similar to what was done in the golden age of radio.
The show will be performed at the L.D. Fargo Library, 120 E. Madison in Lake Mills on Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5 at 7:30 pm. No tickets will be sold, there will be a free will offering. Seating is on a first come first serve basis.
“It’s A Wonderful Life” is radio veteran Tony Palermo’s faithful radio drama adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic film about dreams, sacrifice and redemption in small town America. This radio adaptation has been performed by Hollywood professionals, radio stations, community theatre troupes, and schools across the world.
For more information call Jill at 920.285.1986.
Things are getting mysterious in downtown Lake Mills! Someone has bumped off Mr. Baker – can you find out who did it, with what and where? Join the Get A Clue Contest and win! Clues are available in participating downtown business.
You can also participate in a wine tasting event at The Wine Vineyard and see an old time radio production of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” performed at Water House Food Cafe & Bakehouse on Friday & Saturday night. Tickets are $10 for the show, with dinner available for an additional $13 (dinner includes a choice of two great gourmet sandwiches, delicious dessert and drink.
Tickets are available at the Bakehouse, The Wine Vineyard and Countryside Jewelry. Seating is very limited, it is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance.
