On November 15th, Over Our Head Players opens an original sketch comedy musical, KRINGLE ….. The Musical?, Part II: West of the I Side Story! by Rich Smith and Over Our Head Players. The hilarious new prequel to 2017’s popular KRINGLE ….. The Musical? runs four weekends November 15 – December 8 at Sixth Street Theatre, 318 Sixth Street, Downtown Racine. Reservations are available online at www.overourheadplayers.org or through the box office, (262) 632-6802. Tickets are $18 – $20.
KRINGLE ….. The Musical?, Part II: West of the I Side Story! sees the return of all of your favorite characters in a hilarious forbidden love story set during the opening of I-94 in Racine County. Tensions rise in the ultimate showdown of kringle vs. cannoli, butter vs. oleo, and East vs. West in a battle for pastry supremacy. Historical accuracy takes a backseat to puns, cheap jokes, song parodies, dancing, and plenty of Racine references.
Rich Smith, writer, director, and creator of the KRINGLE series, said he wanted to do a follow up because “interest in the first KRINGLE was very high, and a lot of audience members had been asking us to revive it.” He continues, “I’ve never been a strong proponent of bringing shows back, but I had an idea for a fun twist in the story that I thought was worth enjoying.” Rich said the idea for a sketch comedy musical came to him after watching “countless live sketch groups, a lot of sketch television shows, and a few comedy musicals in New York City and Chicago. I hope the audience gets an experience that is uniquely OOHPS.” Considering the uniqueness of the production, an eclectic collection of talent is also required. Rich said, “We needed musicians and singers as well as actors and comedians to pull off a show of this type. That obviously makes the production very unlike a straight play but even different than a traditional musical.”
The cast includes Kristin Althoff, A.J. Laird, Scott Lema, Anne Mollerskov, Michael Retzlaff, Joan Roehre, Ron Schulz, Jim Selovich, Brandy Smith, Rich Smith, Maureen Troy, Dan Venne, Melissa Zeien, and Tammy Zeller.
The band features Skip Carlson, Scott Fox, and Brain Lauer.
Rich Smith directs and production manages, with musical director Anne Mollerskov, and choreography by Kristin Althoff and Melissa Zeien. A.J. Laird serves as stage manager with Kristin Althoff as assistant stage manager. The staff includes Janine Anderson, Amy Ball, Diane Carlson, Rebecca Eisel, John Stanley, Teri Stanley, Parker Jones, Sally Laird, Michael Retzlaff, Lori Russ, and Ron Schulz.
KRINGLE ….. The Musical?, Part II: West of the I Side Story! runs November 15, 16, 17; November 22, 23, 24; November 29, 30; December 1; and December 5, 6, 7, 8. Performance times are Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5:30 and 8 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, December 5, there is a show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 on Fridays and Saturdays, and $18 on Sundays and Thursday. Tickets are available for purchase at www.overourheadplayers.org, or by calling the box office at (262) 632-6802. There are no handling charges; tickets are the same price via all convenient purchase methods. All performances are at Sixth Street Theatre, 318 6th Street, Racine. Advance reservations are recommended, as many performances are already sold out.
Over Our Head Players operates the Sixth Street Theatre, Downtown Racine. A non-profit organization of volunteer theatrical talent from throughout Southeastern Wisconsin now in their 28th season, OOHPs focuses on contemporary comedies and original productions. Their season includes the 2020 Snowdance® 10 Minute Comedy Festival, Outside Mullingar, and The Roommate. Past productions include sell-outs of their original The Cedar Chest Letters, It’s a Wonderful Lifeboat, The Underpants, Below the Belt, Fuddy Meers, The Gene Pool, Power Plays, Bathroom Humor, the Wisconsin premiere of Cheese Louise, and the original Still Haven’t Found…