By Erica Mead

For the Daily Press

ESCANABA — As any veteran of live theater will tell you, the road from first rehearsal to opening night is never entirely smooth. “Don’t Talk to the Actors”, Players de Noc’s second show of the season, showcases the journey from script to stage without glossing over any of the delicious mania, manipulation, drama, and above all, laughter, along the way.

Directed by Pete Dzanbozoff, “Don’t Talk to the Actors” is playwright Tom Dudzick’s semi-autobiographical play about the process behind getting his first show, “Greetings!” performed on Broadway. Dudzick’s plays are frequently performed on the Players stage, including “Greetings!” in 2009, and this latest offering does not disappoint.

The play opens on a modest rehearsal studio, thoughtfully organized by renowned stage manager Lucinda (Dawn Martin), patron saint of water bottles, extra pencils, and blue tooth ear pieces. Bright-eyed novice playwright Jerry Przprezniak (Pete Ammel), and his innocent fiancée Arlene Wyniarski (Jessie VanZile) enter, having left Buffalo, N.Y., for the glittering stages of New York City. After a chance encounter with a veteran producer, Jerry’s subtly heartwarming play about his parents, “Tuning Pianos”, is being readied for its Broadway debut, and Jerry couldn’t be more optimistic.

Directing the play and keeping Jerry’s unbridled enthusiasm in check, is amiable theatrical sage Mike Policzek (Mike Peitsch), on loan from Chicago. Pompous television has-been (and Arlene’s teenage crush) Curt Logan (Jim Soderberg) has been cast as the father, and Curt’s former co-star and current lounge act, Beatrice Pomeroy (Lynn Soderberg) as the mother…and she’s bringing her double-entendres with her. While (in service of script integrity) Lucida and Mike warn, “Don’t talk to the actors,” naïve Jerry nonetheless engages. Curt’s hammy machismo and Beatrice’s flamboyant song-and-dance routine begin to take over, and the audience is spun in a whirling tornado of hilarity as Jerry’s show unravels.

Director Dzanbozoff has perfectly cast the show with a talented group of actors. Ammel, recently returned to the area and back on the Players stage after over a decade, is warmly welcomed back. Audiences will delight in his physicality and humor, transforming Jerry from cloyingly hopeful to mad and disheveled. VanZile, in her second Players show of the season, impresses as Arlene, a perfectly doe-eyed ingénue.

Jim Soderberg,’s deliciously lecherous portrayal of ego-driven Curt, and Lynn Soderberg’s sublimely zany, yet ultimately tender portrayal of Beatrice bring the madness to the method, eliciting non-stop, uproarious laughter. Audiences will feel the hilarious frustration of Martin as the put-upon workaholic Lucinda, and will eagerly anticipate her next heightened response. Holding the show-within-the-show together with warmth and intelligence is Peitsch as director Mike. His nonchalant mannerisms indicate these theatrics are all-too-common in show business…and those in the know can certainly agree.

In this behind-the-scenes show, one cannot forget the behind-the-scenes crew. The small, but mighty talented production staff led by Dzanbozoff have done a fantastic job of bringing together all the elements that create a highly recommended, entertaining night of theater.

One of the great thrills of both performing and attending live theater is that anything can happen. What “Don’t Talk to the Actors” proves is that much of the real fun happens behind the curtain.

Tickets for the remaining performances are available at the Bonifas Arts Center during business hours, online at www,playerdenoc.org, and at the box office one hour before the show if any seats remain available. The show runs Nov. 30, and Dec. 1, 6, 7, and 8 at 8 p.m., with a Sunday matinee on Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.