By Marilyn Jozwik
I saw the musical “Dad’s Season Tickets” a few years back and remembered the laughs as a widowed dad grapples with two daughter who are vying to be recipients of his season Packer tickets when he dies. Matt Zembroski, a Dominican High School graduate, created the show.
What I had forgotten [MJ1] is what a tender, sweet story it is of a dad who is finally getting out from under the cloud of his wife’s death, only to be confronted by a family determined to rain on his parade. Waukesha Civic Theatre’s version provided this story with lots to chuckle about, but also gave us characters who we genuinely care about thanks to some nicely drawn portraits. Justin Spanbauer directs.
The story centers around Frank (Bob Zimmermann), who tenderly speaks to the photo of his wife as he is determined to bring a spirit of joy and togetherness to the upcoming holiday season which coincides with the Green Bay Packers’ successful 1996-97 football season. The family gathers every Sunday to pay homage to their hometown team with traditions and lots of hooting and hollering.
Frank’s daughters Rhonda (Jenavieve Plutz), from left, Cordy (Mariah Kiefer) and Gabby (Sierra Rottier) gather in Packer gear for a game in a scene from Waukesha Civic Theatre’s “Dad’s Season Tickets.”
Middle daughter Gabby (Sierra Rottier), who along with husband Edgar (John Rottier) is expecting their first child and Frank’s first grandchild, is a Packer fanatic. Rhonda (Jenavieve Plutz) – the oldest -- has taken up the mantle of her mother, preparing the family’s favorite snacks oblivious to the game. Youngest daughter Cordy (Mariah Kiefer), a high school senior, plans to go to journalism school and has gotten several scholarships.
But rivalries bubble up as Dad sets out to make out a will that will include his Packer tickets. Gabby is certain they will be hers as her deep interest goes back to when Dad took her to her first Packer game at age 8. Rhonda doesn’t know beans about football, but her husband Ralph (Mark Thompson), a Packer diehard, convinces her to learn the game and show her Dad that she’s worthy of the tickets.
Rhonda and Gabby have been at odds for years, and the competition for the tickets only makes matters worse. With her reporting skills and notebook in hand, Cordy, a fan but one not at all interested in joining their fight, sets out to discover why her once-close sisters have grown a football field apart. Meanwhile, Dad is exasperated with the bickering. Will the family come together with Packer season tickets on the line?
Edgar (John Rottier) and Ralph (Mark Thompson) share a moment in Waukesha Civic Theatre’s “Dad’s Season Tickets.”
Zimmermann plays his part with all the right fatherly emotions: he is tender at times, tough at others; he gets soft and he gets angry. Plus, Zimmermann adds a pleasing voice to Zembrowski’s catchy tunes.
I loved Frank’s three daughters, who jell wonderfully and provide some lovely Andrews Sisters-like harmonies as well as spot-on vocals befitting their distinctive characters.
As Ralph, Rhonda’s husband, Thompson gets into his green-and-gold, dyed-in-the-wool character with genuine enthusiasm, rendering a touching and fun “I Love You More Than Football” to his skeptical wife.
John Rottier’s Edgar, Gabby’s professor husband, breaks the Packer spell, dropping literary pearls among the raucous gameday cheers. His bespectacled, articulate character – and also a closet fan of a rival team -- provides a humorous contrast to the shenanigans.
Zembrowski has gifted the show with some great tunes that resonate with football fans, such as the Act 2 opener “What Do You Do With a Bye Week?” showing the family’s malaise on Sundays when the Packers don’t play.
Music director Heather David and orchestra director Phil Smith keep the tunes at a lively pace with well-articulated lyrics.
Football fans will find lots to cheer about, while non-fans will be rooting for this All-American family come together as a team.
If you go:
Who: Waukesha Civic Theatre
What: “Dad’s Season Tickets”
When: Through Sept. 28
Where: 264 W. Main St., Waukesha
Info/Tickets: www.waukeshacivictheatre.org; 262-247-0708 [MJ1]