ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Escanaba’s Players de Noc theatre group premieres this year’s youth production on Friday, May 3.
The young cast of Fantastic Mr. Fox has been diligently working to put the finishing touches on their show.
“This fox family is stealing mine and a couple other farmers’ livestock, animals, etcetera,” said Daisy Ammel, who plays Farmer Bean. “We are trying to get revenge on them, but they have a master plan and lots of other stuff happens.”
The production calls for an especially large cast, which includes 34 onstage performers and seven puppeteers.
“From what I’ve heard, it’s probably the most complicated production that the Players have ever done,” said Roman Zeise, who will perform the role of Kristofferson. “We’re using a whole bunch of trap doors, there’s dancing involved. It’s very fun to do all this dynamic stuff.”
Many of the cast members even helped to make all of those elements work backstage.
“Obviously it’s fun doing the stuff onstage, but it’s really important to see what the people behind the stage do,” Roman said. “Not just the scene you see but the puppeteering—the sound effects, everything is very complicated and it takes a lot of hard work from a lot of people.”
A returning cast member, Daisy says being part of Players de Noc is an amazing experience.
“It’s super fun,” she said. “You make a lot of friends. It’s a great space to be in, lots of great memories.”
Roman says it’s also been a welcoming environment for newcomers.
“Everyone has been so kind and extremely nice,” he said. “I’ve never felt nervous or anything like that during the show. They’re so inclusive and they make sure you have a safe space and comforting space here.”
They believe audiences will enjoy Fantastic Mr. Fox just as much as they do.
“I think they’ll have a lot of laughs during the play,” Roman said. “I think it’ll also tug on their heartstrings a little bit and also keep them on their toes a little bit too because it’s sort of fast-paced. We get through a lot of stuff, but it’s all tied together in the end.”
“It’s super funny,” added Daisy. “It’s great for all ages. There’s lots of great characters, great costumes. It’s just all really great.”
Fantastic Mr. Fox runs May 3, 4, 9 – 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bonifas Theater, with a 1:30 p.m. matinee on May 5. Click here to purchase tickets.
