Beat the snow this weekend at new theater production
From picnicking at Lavern M. Johnson Park to trail running on Sleepy Lion Trail, there’s no shortage of fun activities to do in Lyons during the springtime.
But what is one supposed to do when Mother Nature isn’t cooperating and the forecast is calling for 40-degree weather and intermittent snowstorms?
Luckily for anyone whose weekend plans have been hampered by the current weather situation, the Lyons Community Theater is presenting a fun — and indoor — alternative. Today and Saturday the community theater is hosting “Giggles & Nibbles” — a series of dinner theater performances at Oskar Blues Brewery in downtown Lyons.
For $35, guests can look forward to an evening of five hilarious one-act comedies, along with some pre-show appetizers and mid-show pizza, also included in the price of the ticket. And of course, all of Oskar Blues’ famous beers will be available on tap to purchase.
The evening’s five familyfriendly plays are each directed by a different member of the theater company. Roy Marcus, actor and newly-elected vice board chair at Lyons Community Theater, is making his directorial debut with “Canker Sores and Other Distractions” — a comedy written by Christopher Durang that follows the story of a former married couple who try to reconcile over dinner, only to have it ruined by a canker sore and a talkative waitress.
“I’ve appeared in theatrical stuff throughout what has been a very long lifetime, but I’ve never actually directed a piece before. One of the wonderful things about community theater is that it’s of and by the community, so people like me have the chance to try our hand at something that we haven’t done before. It’s been a hilarious and fascinating process,” Marcus said.
While Lyons Community Theater is relatively new to Lyons, the company made waves back
in December with a live radio play of “It’s a Wonderful Life” at Planet Bluegrass. The group is made up entirely of volunteers and includes cast members from all different ages and backgrounds. But the one thing that sets the company apart from others in the area is passion for the craft, Marcus says.
“None of us are getting paid for this, but we all still show up and deliver an amazing show. For that to happen, you need a very passionate cast. Our company is dedicated to creating community and creating a place, for Lyons and of Lyons, to come and be united Miszewski in laughter, in entertainment, in theater.”
Other plays on the program include three plays written by legendary playwright David Ives: “Dr. Fritz,” a comedy about an American tourist who seeks medical help from a wacky German Surgeon;
“The Philadelphia,” a play about a restaurant patron who gets trapped in a twilight zone of sorts; and “Variations on the Death of Trotsky,” a play about the famous Russian Revolutionary on the day of his death. The program also features a play by Fred Carmichael, “The Three Million Dollar Lunch,” a farce about a futuristic world in which food is replaced by pills.
The evening is set to be a hysterical, convivial, and delicious adventure that will most definitely be as fun as — and warmer than — anything there is to do outside.
Showings for “Giggles and Nibbles” are at 7 p.m. today and at 1 p.m. Saturday. For tickets, visit sites. google.com/view/lyonscom munitytheater/home.