The Box in the Wood Theatre Guild will present a gentle ghost story for its fall production as “Rest Assured” hits the stage Friday and continues through Oct. 12.
Mary Madsen, president of the Shawano County Arts Council, which manages the Box in the Wood Theatre Guild, is making her debut as a solo director. She previously was a co-director for “Characters,” which was performed in 2011.
“It’s been an experience,” Madsen said. “When you’re a co-director, everything feeds off the other one. Whatever one isn’t thinking of, the other one does, so you kind of mesh it. This one, if I hadn’t had a lot of help, would have been a nightmare.”
Madsen first read the script in May 2012 and wanted to see it performed locally that fall, but the renovation projects at the Mielke Arts Center put the show on hold until now.
“I absolutely fell in love with it because it’s so cute, and I could absolutely see this being done,” Madsen said. “It was funny. There were so many twists and turns to it. It really appealed to me.”
The show, with 14 performers, has a larger cast than some of Box in the Wood’s other shows. By contrast, the spring play, “Dixie Swim Club,” had five actors.
The story is one that all ages will be able to enjoy with ease, according to Madsen.
“One of our cast members has a little guy, and he was here the other day, and it was so funny,” she said. “We’ve heard the play so many times (in rehearsals) that we forget some parts are funny. Well, there he was watching it from the audience, and he just giggled.
“It made us feel good.”
The show focuses on Mr. Morlock, an old grouch in poor health who believes that money is what makes the world go around and it isn’t worth associating with anyone who doesn’t have money. That turns into a big problem when his daughter, Mary, decides she’s going to marry Joe Laconi, the son of baker Luigi Laconi.
Luigi tries to persuade Mr. Morlock to put his archaic attitude on hold so the two lovebirds can be happy, but the businessman informs the baker that the only way Joe and Mary will ever see wedded bliss will be over his dead body.
However, Luigi is the one who pushes up daisies first following a fracas between the two families’ patriarchs, but he quickly returns as a spirit to make life miserable for Mr. Morlock. Luigi kicks Mr. Morlock off the couch, kicks him in the caboose and flirts with the businessman’s secretary, along with a slew of other antics that would put other ghosts to shame.
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