Madcap Skit Show Will Poke Fun Life in La Crosse

By Geri Parlin, La Crosse Tribune, Wis.

Nov. 23–Even though the title of the show is “The 12 Steps of Christmas,” Heart of La Crosse member Lisa Warsinske hastens to assure this is not a Christmas show. “That’s so sensitive to some people,” said Warsinske. “Not everybody wants Christmas. It’s certainly not a Christmas show, we just happen to mention it a couple of times.”

So what else does the cast of comedy plan to mention? They will search for glazed doughnuts in a land suddenly bereft of the sugary confections. And they will try to settle all things Shelby in “CSI: Town of Shelby.”

“It’s quite a mystery involving chickens and trains, and we’ll leave it at that,” Warsinske said. “That’s part of the mystery. Luckily, it does get solved.”

In the year since Heart of La Crosse last poked fun at the foibles of our community, much has happened and audience members can expect to see most of that on stage in some form or other. There will be a holiday detox center and a spoof on “Austin Powers.” How would life have been for the groovy spy had he been Norwegian? He would, of course, be Ole Powers.

There will be improv games, of course, and don’t think the whole animal control issue has escaped Heart of La Crosse’s notice. Expect a struggle between the cadets and the humane society. It could get ugly. And now that the mayor is getting a new rug, Heart of La Crosse will reveal what they find under the rug in City Hall.

But happy days are here again because there’s a Macy’s in town now and Heart of La Crosse is throwing its own Macy’s parade.

Old lady Gladys is back, and this time she gets pulled over by a trooper who forces her to perform sobriety tests. “She probably doesn’t go to jail,” Warsinske said, “because she was not drinking.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Heart of La Crosse’s “The 12 Steps of Christmas” or “How Many Rotarians Does it Take to Screw in a Lightbulb.”

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. with shows on Nov. 30 and Dec 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16. Nov. 30 and Dec. 9 are sold out.

WHERE: The Pump House Regional Arts Center, 119 King St., La Crosse

ADMISSION: $15 in advance, $18 day of show; priority seating for groups of 10 or more

INFORMATION: (608) 785-1434 or thepumphouse.org

CAST: Brad Williams, Bret Emmel, Barry Montee, Jim Warsinske, Lisa Warsinske, director Dan Lee and technical by Adam Montee

Geri Parlin can be reached at gparlin@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8225.

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Copyright (c) 2006, La Crosse Tribune, Wis.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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