The thing about the new musical, “Guys on Ice,” which has its Maine premiere at the Penobscot Theatre Company next weekend, is that it’s anything but your typical musical theatre show. Yes, there’s singing and dancing. But aside from that, it’s essentially a show about guys on the ice, out fishing — just as the title suggests.
“I’ve been telling people that this is the musical that wives will drag their husbands to, but their husbands will drag their wives back to,” said director Dominick Varney, in his PTC directorial debut. “It’s got everything you expect a musical to have, but it’s really a show about men and friendship and having dreams that you don’t quite reach. It’s much more than just singing and dancing.”
“Guys on Ice,” written by James Kaplan, Frederick Heide and Fred Alley, tells the tale of Marvin (played by Scott Johnson, a Hampden native now based in New York) and Lloyd (Ben Layman, last seen as the Cowardly Lion in PTC’s “The Wizard of Oz”), two best friends spending a full day in their shack out on the ice, fishing and discussing life. They fend off the advances of Ernie the Moocher (Matt Madore, also seen in PTC’S “The Wizard of Oz”), talk about women and football, and maybe, just maybe, catch a few fish.
As “Guys on Ice” takes place in an ice fishing shack, it will hold special interest for a lot of Mainers, who, like the Wisconsin-based fellows in the musical, are big fans of sitting on the ice, waiting for a bite. To that end, PTC has offered a complimentary performance of the show for displaced millworkers at the former Verso paper mill in Bucksport. The special performance is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, and is free for former mill workers and their families.
“Understanding our limits in mitigating the serious challenges at hand, we hope a night on the town will succeed in lifting spirits and lightening hearts,” said Bari Newport, producing artistic director for PTC.
Varney is no stranger to directing — he’s helmed many productions with community theaters like Winterport Open Stage and with Ten Bucks Theatre. This is his first time directing in a professional setting with Penobscot Theatre, however.
“It’s wonderful to be able to collaborate with the amazing production staff here at PTC,” said Varney. “When you’re directing community shows, you kind of have to worry about every aspect of the show. With this, I can just talk with people like [set designer] Chez Cherry or [technical director] Aaron Noble or [costume designer] Kevin Koski and mesh all our ideas together. It’s very energizing and rewarding.”
Varney is an incredibly busy man — in addition to working full time as the coordinator for Foundations and Academic Recovery at the University of Maine, he has since September appeared as one of two leads in PTC’s “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” as the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz,” and now is directing a show. Two full time jobs, essentially. His secret to staying grounded and sane? Exercise, and the sheer love of doing it.
“I work out a lot…. and I think I have to do both because I love both. If I did only theater, I’d miss working in higher education. If I only worked at the University I’d miss theater. I’m very lucky to be able to do both,” said Varney. “And wine. Wine helps too.”
“Guys on Ice” runs from Jan. 29 through Feb. 15 at the Bangor Opera House, with performances each night but Mondays and Tuesdays. Tickets start at $25. To reserve seats for the special Jan. 28 performance for displaced millworkers, eligible parties must email special@penobscottheatre.org and provide their names and the number of seats they wish to claim.
