Quirky 'Escanaba' earns your love
It's not hard to like the Soadys.
They're the hardheaded, hard-drinking, deer-hunting Yoopers (Michigan-speak for inhabitants of the Upper Peninsula) whose misadventures actor/writer Jeff Daniels chronicles in his "Escanaba" plays.
But for all their quirks and coarseness, Daniels' standard-issue eccentrics have an offbeat charm that's kind of irresistible. And that's what sustains "Escanaba in Love," an OK comedy whose homespun humor tends toward the sophomoric (the jar labeled "gas money" has nothing to do with fuel) and whose writing is not entirely consistent (the punch the playwright pulls late in the second act makes for a less than satisfying conclusion).
"Escanaba in Love" is not a substantive play, but it's a sweet one. And Circle Theatre's high-spirited Chicago-area premiere is respectable, thanks to director Chris Arnold's enthusiastic and entertaining cast and Bob Knuth's authentic-looking cabin.
Set in 1944, "Escanaba in Love" (prequel to the better known "Escanaba in da Moonlight" which Circle staged two years ago), unfolds in the U.P. at the Soady Deer Camp, where patriarch Alphonse (Jason Boat), grandson Albert Sr. (Tucker Curtis), great grandson Albert Jr. (an endearingly goofy Bradford R. Lund in a droll, well-timed performance) and family friend Salty Jim (Timothy C. Amos) gather for a last hunt before new recruit Junior ships off to Europe with the U.S. Army. However, Junior arrives with a surprise in the person of new bride Big Betty Balou (the dynamic, deliciously coarse Simone Roos who single-handedly kicks this production into high gear). A gal with a past, Betty's as crude and unkempt as any member of this boys' club. Yet, the wary Soadys demand she prove herself before she's allowed to join.
All this takes place on a terrific set designed by Knuth who earns kudos for his suitably rustic shack whose walls are filled with assorted racks, stuffed critters and the head of Alphonse's beloved Soady Ridge Buck.
"Escanaba in Love"
Location: Circle Theatre, 7300 W. Madison St., Forest Park
Times: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 26; also 3 p.m. Oct. 2, 9, 16 and 23
Running time: About 90 minutes, with intermission
Tickets: $20, $26
Parking: Some metered parking, street parking available
Box office: (708) 771-0700 or circle-theatre.org
Rating: For teens and older