For those unfamiliar with neighborhoods surrounding Milwaukee, the name "Cudahy" in the title of I>A Cudahy Caroler Christmas may need a bit of explanation. Located on the south end of the city, it's more than a place; it's a distinctly unfashionable address. It's the kind of working-class area that supports what Milwaukee is traditionally famous for: beer, brats and bowling. In fact, one of the play's characters owns a bowling alley.
When we first see him relaxing at home, he's wearing a (Green Bay Packers quarterback) Brett Favre t-shirt and plaid flannel pants. The real name of this character is never identified, as he is referred to only as "Pee Wee."
This lively show is an annual treat for Milwaukee audiences who have come to know and love the antics of these characters. They are all former members of a community singing group, the Cudahy Carolers. Started a generation ago by a group of Polish factory workers, the Carolers shrank to a handful before the group disbanded.
The show's main character, Stasch Zielinski, pulls out all the stops to bring the group together one last time, to appear on a local cable TV access show. The company's artistic director, Chris Fleiller, deserves most of the credit (or blame) for the show's continued success. In recent years, the show has moved from a tiny, hole-in-the-wall theater in a marginally safe part of town to a real-live theater in marginally safe downtown Milwaukee. The show's new digs are a big step up, and consequently, the show has played to larger and larger crowds. Flieller also stars in his role as Stasch, the one man who can stop the bickering and start the singing.
The show's funniest moments are in its fractured holiday carols, which are performed absolutely straight-faced. With nary a single "wink" to the audience, the cast blithely belts out "O, Holy Night" as "Oh, Bowling Night." In another example, "Carol of the Bells" takes on lyrics such as, "Jesus is here, let's have a beer." Most of the time, this is very clever stuff maybe just for Milwaukeeans, hey, don't cha know?
As Stach makes the rounds of the former Carolers, we meet the aforementioned Pee Wee (who is, of course, more than six feet tall) and his ex-wife, Edna. A social up-and-comer, Edna is often dressed in pearls and a mink stole. Actor Laurie Birmingham gives Edna an endearing, foolish hilarity. Their daughter, Nellie, is superbly realized by actor Kristin Pawlowski Fischer. Although her character is age 20, Fischer is every inch a stubborn teenager. She refuses to give up on her dream job water ski queen at a well-known local attraction.
Rounding out the group is a brassy, sex-starved beauty salon owner (Lisa Claire Buchmeier), a timid librarian with a dark side (Alison Mary Forbes) and Stasch's lame-brained son, Zeke (Rick Pendzich).
Although A Cudahy Caroler Christmas is pure goofiness from start to finish, it's a nice, downscale counterpart to the city's other big-budget holiday shows, including A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker.
