The University Wits, a local theatrical troupe started in 2014, will kick off their 2016 - 2017 season with what they bill as a “Michigan horror story.”
No, they are not adapting the Evil Dead film series for the stage as others have done over the years. The University Wits’s Michigan horror story is “Escanaba in da Moonlight” written by Chelsea, Michigan native Jeff Daniels.
Wait a minute, you say, I do not recall Jeff Daniels’ story being a horror flick.
Well, it is and it isn’t depending on who you talk to about the play’s premise (that would later go on to become a film).
The story revolves around the tight and competitive Soady family clan who have gathered for the opening day of deer season at their family's Upper Peninsula camp.
But the horror begins for this clan when the 35-year-old Reuben Soady is not able to bag a buck, making him the oldest Soady in the history of the family not to kill a deer during deer season’s familia pressure-filled opening day.
This hilarious tale is a perfect kick-off event for the University Wits since this play brings so much life, laughter, and even a touch of suspense to this heart-felt theatrical script that offers powerful insights into the hunting culture to Michigan. How Reuben gets out of this pickle is best left to the actors on stage to reveal at
Dog Story Theatre.
Admission: $17 ($12 student rush tickets available one hour before performance with valid student ID)