Molly Bee's Attic

I was in Sturgeon Bay over the weekend and went to see the Third Ave Playhouse's matinee of Shooting Star with Doug Mancheski and Amy Ensign. It was a great play about old lovers that meet up by chance years later while they are snowed in at an airport. The house was packed-sold out-which was great to see. This is such a wonderful theater and the plays I've seen there are intimate and outstanding!  I'd never seen Amy act before and she was amazing! And of course, Doug was his usual magnificent self! He has such a range of skills. If you've only seen him in his comedic plays, you owe it to yourself to try and catch one of his shows at TAP and see his more serious side. The average age of the crowd at this play was 75+.  It's weird to be one of the 'youngsters' in the crowd at 54! Reminds me of the time I went to Irish Fest on a  Burkhaulter tour bus out of Madison in my 30s. The average age on that bus was 812 and all they adopted me as the naughty grandchi...

I went to Door County last week to attend a couple of shows at Northern Sky Theater in Peninsula State Park. I went alone as a gift to myself-some down time to explore and reflect, and of course see Doug Mancheski in 'Lumberjacks in Love' and 'No Bones About It'. I stayed in Egg Harbor and the view from my room was stunning. You can't really tell from the pics but it's on the top of a high cliff. The terns were flying below my balcony at times! To the left Straight ahead To the right.  Yep! not a bad seat in the house. I spent an hour before I had to get ready to go sitting out here and just watching Lake Michigan. Bliss The plays were so good! Really funny musicals. I felt bad for Doug and the other actors because it was so hot and humid and they all had on long-sleeved, flannel costumes and were dancing and running around.  I got to visit with Doug between shows. He is a kind, gentle, intelligent, soft-spoken guy off the stage. On...

As a present to myself, in celebration of my 50th successful mission completely around the sun, I bought myself a ticket to see the play Guys On Ice  in the Stackner Cabaret at The Rep in Milwaukee. I saw this play about a year ago in Madison at the Barrymore and fell instantly in love. It's a sweet, simple story about two guys who go ice fishing, but it has a deep current of philosophy and life lessons running underneath.  I can't really fully explain my fascination with this play, but I feel a deep connection. It makes me happy and homesick all at the same time. It evokes happy memories of snowy, Northern Maine afternoons spent in the smelt shack with Daddy and Poppie and makes me long for those days where we were all together and times seemed so much simpler. I had never been to The Rep before and won't drive in Milwaukee for just any old reason so you know it has to be pretty special! I found the theater with no problem and even bumbled into the right parking pla...