If you take in a performance of Guys on Ice at the Chemainus Theatre Festival you may just leave humming about fish being the miracle food.
You'll definitely leave with a smile on your face.
Guys on Ice is an intimate three-character show to start off the theatre's 2025 season, and the timing of it could not be better.
With people feeling especially patriotic and appreciative of Canadian culture at present due to threats from the leaders of our American neighbours, this little slice of quintessentially Canadian life hits the spot.
Guys on Ice spends a day in an ice fishing hut with Marvin (Sean Baker) and Lloyd (the Chemainus Theatre's own Mark DuMez), with special appearances by Ernie the Moocher (Antony Knight), as the duo wait for the arrival of a star of a television fishing show, anticipating their moment in the sun.
Director Max Reimer says it best when he writes in the show program that "Fred Alley [the playwright] cut this little hole in the ice, creating this tiny window into the simple pleasures of enduring friendship."
I would say it's also about the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, dreams and realities of everyday life, making this a very relatable experience.
Baker and DuMez show off their multi-talented chops as the two ordinary guys with ordinary lives and simple dreams. They'll have you laughing with just a "Yeah". They talk to each other, dropping insights into their worlds both through conversation and song.
Because this show is chock full of short catchy earworms by James Kaplan that provide a wealth of comedy with their insight.
Baker does an especially excellent Marvin-as-Elvis that will have you in stitches, and DuMez plays a mean harmonica.
Between the writing and the performances you definitely get the feeling that these are guys you could meet at the grocery store or the local coffee shop just about anywhere in Canada.
So while it may be -17 C in the world of the show, there is something very warm and comforting about the feeling it leaves you with.
Ernie the Moocher is another recognizable figure 鈥� everyone knows that guy who's always looking for a freebie. Knight, who also plays the piano throughout the show, is a scene stealer. He also does a fun interactive bit with the audience at the end of intermission, so get your Canadian trivia ready.
The intimacy of the show is expertly brought to life with the ingenious set by designer James Maronek. At first glance it just looks like the outside of an ice fishing hut, but there's a lot more colour and life waiting on the inside.
The opening night audience was clearly appreciative as they immediately rose to their feet to fill the theatre with their applause.
You too can catch the show, which runs until April 6. While you're at it, check out the rest of the season, including Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Footloose, Home to Roost and Elf.
