Stage

Guys & Does

deer hunting comedy to hit Heyde Center stage

Emily Anderson |

Typical Wisconsin hunter actors.
 
Typical actors acting like hunters.

Deer hunting is a time-honored tradition for many Wisconsinites, and Fritz Dingleheimer is no different. Fritz’s hunting experiences are brought to life in the hilarious new musical comedy Guys and Does, coming to the Heyde Center. Fritz thinks this hunting trip is going to be just like any other, until his daughter’s boyfriend, Duane Puddles, decides to tag along. Duane isn’t much of a hunter, he’d rather be knitting, but he hopes to use the time to bond with his girlfriend’s father. The pair head “up nort’” and despite Duane’s endless talking, Fritz determines he is a better companion than the only other hunter they run into: a Texan named Joe Jimmy Ray Bob Johnson III, who only wants to kill a rare white deer. Songs like Up Nort, Knitting Love Song, and, of course, Guys and Does set the scene for this northwoods adventure. Fritz and Duane are played by the show’s writers, Fred Heide and Lee Becker. Heide and Becker have created a pair of characters that embody everything that you’d expect in a stereotypical Wisconsin hunter, including the Minnesota/Wisconsin accent. You wouldn’t expect anything less from two men who co-wrote a musical called Packer Fans from Outer Space. Did I mention there’s a deer ballet?