Stories of history are something that every culture has in common. Whether it’s tales of the gods shaping the world and the universe around us, stories of royalty and magic and fairy tales, or folklore, there is always a story to explain what happened and to share it with others. Americans have a bit of a unique kind of story that we tell - Tall Tales, the adventures of extravagantly exaggerated folk heroes. Some of the American Tall Tale heroes include the Giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan and Babe, his Big Blue Ox, Davy Crocket who was, “King of the Wild Frontier,” legendary apple tree planter Johnny Appleseed, railroad worker John Henry, “Buffalo Bill,” William F. Cody, and Annie Oakley. Not all tall tales are American, there are similar stories found all over the world.
A “fish story,” is an improbable, boastful tale, an exaggerated or incredible story that alludes to the tendency of fishermen to exaggerate the size of their catch. A fish story is also not a uniquely American experience. The commonality of a fish story has dwindled over time thanks to the development of cameras and smartphones meaning it’s now much more difficult to exaggerate - everyone has got pictures or videos of everything. But what do you get when you cross a tall tale with a fish story? Probably something along the lines of the story of Escanaba in da Moonlight.
Our story takes place in Escanaba, Michigan. The state of Michigan is divided into two pieces, the southern part of the state which is just north of Indiana and Ohio, and the northern part which shares a western border with Wisconsin that the locals call the Upper Peninsula, or the “U.P.” Lake Michigan and Lake Huron separate the two pieces of the state. From just about anywhere in Michigan if you go straight north you’ll only find more Michigan or Canada. Escanaba is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where the locals call themselves Yoopers (pronounced YOU-per, like the Upper Peninsula, “U. Per” get it?!). Escanaba is a real town and it is actually farther north than Toronto (in Ontario) or Ottawa (in Quebec), Canada. Because of this, there is a bit of crossover in culture. The Northern United States starts to look and sound a lot like Southern Canada when there’s essentially a whole lake separating you from the rest of your state. Escanaba, which is commonly shortened to “Esky” is a port city right on the shore of Lake Michigan. To give you an idea of its size, it’s about 12 square miles (16 if you count the water) which is about the land size of Kearney, Nebraska. However, the population of Kearney is a little over 34,000, while the population of Escanaba is about 12,500, which is closer in number to the population of South Sioux City or Beatrice. Escanaba is an ideal place for deer hunting, which is critical to our story. According to the Visit Escanaba website, they have some of the highest deer density per square mile in the Upper Peninsula.
Our story focuses on the Soady family. Albert Soady (played by Kevin Colbert) is the family patriarch, and keeper of traditions, and family lore. He has two sons, Reuben Soady and Remnar Soady. Remnar, the younger of the two sons, (played by Jamion Biesterfeld) has long had a successful hunting career, however, his brother Reuben (played by Dough Rotheb) has yet to get a buck of his own. The family has been hunting many times, and in all his years Reuben has come up empty - he believes himself cursed! Reuben works hard to stay on the “right side” of the Soady family history books and tries to break this curse any way he can. He even employs the wisdom of his wife, Wolf Moon Dance Soady (played by Eilene Rodriguez), who is a member of the Ojibway tribe, to connect with nature in extreme and sometimes nauseating methods. During the hunting trip the Soady family are joined by Jimmer Negamanee (played by Jim Knierim) who has a bit of an odd way of talking, and Ranger Tom T. Treado (played by Scott Pope), who checks in on the men, on Deer Season-eve.
What makes the story a tall tale, what makes it a fish story (except it’s hunting) are all of the hijinx and amazing events that occur during this year's hunting trip. The maple whiskey the men brought with them suddenly loses the liquor, strange lights can be seen around the forest, and the men learn that sometimes flatulence can have healing abilities! It’s a story that has to be seen to be believed - and you won’t want to miss it!
Escanaba in da Moonlight is a story that anyone can enjoy, but we think it will be particularly special for the hunters, people who are new to the theatre, and those who are looking to “not think too hard,” enjoy themselves, and laugh! Performances are September 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, & 15. Tickets can be purchased at lofte.org/tickets or call the box office at 402-234-2553
Credit to Encyclopedia Britannica online for the exact definition and description of Tall Tale
Credit to Dictionary.com for the exact definition and description of Fish Story
Credit to Visit Escanaba for details about the town and the area.
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