The Soady family is back again at Little Fish Theatre in Escanaba in Love after rocking the house in 2009's Escanaba in da Moonlight. Yooper country (Michigan's upper peninsula) is the scene of rollicking romance when Big Betty Balou sets her sights on Albert Soady, Jr. These two hilarious family comedies will run concurrently on the LFT stage: Escanaba in Love on the weekends for 6 weeks (Feb. 26-April 3), and a return engagement of Escanaba in da Moonlight on Wednesdays and Thursdays for 3 weeks only (March 3-18).
Actor, playwright and musician Jeff Daniels wrote Escanaba in da Moonlight for Michigan's Purple Rose Theatre in the 1990s. He wasn't sure how the show would be received at home, let alone anywhere else. The play was an overwhelming success, not only in Michigan, but also throughout all the states, including at Little Fish Theatre in 2009.
Audiences were eager for more deer camp antics, so, in 2006, Daniels took us back in time with a prequel called Escanaba in Love. The show, set 40 years before Escanaba in da Moonlight, shows the humble beginnings of Albert Soady Jr. and his true love, Big Betty Balou. The play has that same Daniels' off-beat, quirky "Yooper" humor found in the first play, plus some very poignant themes about love and forgiveness, making this theatre piece just as heartwarming as it is hysterical.
Gia Jordahl, who helmed the original Escanaba production in 2009, will direct both Escanaba in Love and Escanaba in da Moonlight. Judging by the success of last year's adventure into Yooper territory, Escanaba in Love promises to be the perfect vacation from winter blues and the ideal way to hunt down some hearty laughter .
For tickets and more information visit LittleFishTheatre.org