JournalNews Go! section
Sept. 7, 2007

Hamilton actor Chris Kramer returns to his roots with a role in the Mariemont Players’ production of “Escanaba in da Moonlight.”

Written by Michigan native actor Jeff Daniels for his Purple Rose Theatre, the comedy takes place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the first day of deer hunting season.

When the Soady clan reunites for the occasion, 35-year old Reuben Soady brings with him the infamous reputation of being the oldest Soady in the history of the Soadys never to bag a buck.

The opening day traditions are familiar to Kramer, who lived near Escanaba from the time he was in the seventh grade until he went away to college.

“There were woods behind us and the lake across the street,” he said. “We had a ball with it. My younger brother was a big trapper, but we all went hunting. When I was 16 or 17, I shot an animal and it grossed me out, so I never went hunting again.

“Deer hunting for most of them is not really about hunting but about getting away from the wife for a while. On Nov. 15, everything is closed because everybody’s out at deer camp.”

Kramer said he’d been trying to get local groups to do this comedy for a very long time to no avail, so to better his chances of getting a role, he took his high school diploma with him to the Mariemont audition.

Oddly enough, however, the role he landed was for the only non-Escanaban character in the cast, although his services have been drafted as a dialogue coach to help the other actors get the UP dialect down.

Kramer plays Department of National Resources Ranger Tom T. Treado, who arrives on the night before opening day of deer season.

“He happens to get the bejeebers scared out of him by seeing a light up on the ridge and thinking he’s seen God,” he said.

how to go
WHAT: “Escanaba in da Moonlight” by Jeff Daniels
WHERE: Walton Creek Theater, 4101 Walton Creek Road, Mariemont
WHEN: Through Sept. 23
COST: $15
MORE INFO: (513) 684-1236; www.mariemontplayers.com