Marv and Lloyd lead simple lives. They call Sturgeon Bay, Wis. home, and when they're not speaking in their backwards accents, they spend their days ice fishing.
And, of course, singing.
"Guys on Ice," a musical now onstage at the MusicalFare Theatre in Amherst, tells the story of two simpleminded Midwesterners. The show runs through Dec. 7.
Marv (Thomas A. LaChiusa) is a single factory worker with pipe dreams bigger than the monstrous perch he pretends to catch. Picked by a local TV star known as "Cubby" to be a guest on his fishing show, Marv feels he is finally getting his big break. He soon lands fame as well as the girl of dreams, Bonnie the checkout clerk.
LaChiusa is convincing as a genuine Wisconsin resident, his crazy behavior often resembling characters played by actor Steve Buscemi in movies like "Mr. Deeds" and "Big Daddy."
Lloyd (Norman Sham) is an overweight man whose wife, Debbie, has recently moved back in with her parents. More in touch with reality than Marv, Lloyd is content with his life, as long as he can fix things with Debbie.
Sham does a wonderful job playing the character that is the heart of the play. Simply innocent, he is a loveable character. Sharing anecdotes and bonding over their mutual dislike for Ernie "Da Moocher" (Robert Insana), the two buddies appear to be happy in their own little world. Drinking Leinenkugel's original lager, their beer of choice, and worshipping the Green Bay Packers are Lloyd and Marv's favorite pastimes.
The musical numbers - which at times can be almost too much - are silly, and further demonstrate the true personalities of the characters.
"Rootie toot toot, snowmobile suit," Lloyd and Marvin sing in "Snowmobile Suit." The pair dance around, index fingers bobbing up and down, while using their zippers and Velcro to make their own rhythms.
Another wacky but enjoyable song is "I'm De King," in which Marv's desire for fame goes to his head. Shaking it like Elvis - upper lip and all - Marv even has the mechanical fish on the wall lip-syncing with him.
The jokes are not sparse either, becoming more frequent as the beer dwindles. Explaining why his wife left, Lloyd discloses that he took a quiz in a woman's magazine to see how good of a husband he is.
"Marv, I got a one out of 10," Lloyd said sadly.
"How'd you get the one?" asked Marv.
Sharing with Lloyd the Alaskans' ability to catch bears with the use of canned peas, Marv explains, "When the bear comes to take a pea, they kick it in the ice hole."
Corny jokes and plays on words are the pair's forte.
"You can't have your kayak and heat it too," says Lloyd, relating a tale of Eskimos who set fire to their kayak.
At times, the play takes a more serious turn, while the characters ponder death and heartbreak. Lloyd sings, "Why did you go, why won't you stay, don't be the one that got away."
A great and unexpected portion of the play - without spoiling it - occurs in the middle of the play when Ernie sings, "Leinenkugel ain't just for breakfast anymore."
Certainly not a conventional musical, "Guys On Ice" offers yet another reason to get out of the Buffalo cold and into the world of singing ice fishers.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
