When I heard Next Act Theatre’s newest play had meatloaf, kittens and Hallmark movies, I knew it was something I needed to see. Well, that, and the fact that it’s a one-woman play written by playwright and actress (and Wisconsin native!) Heidi Armbruster. And when I read Archer Parquette’s preview of the show, I grabbed my tickets for opening night.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Scarecrow is reflective, funny and familiar. Armbruster, who plays herself, is back in Wisconsin because her father – her “most important person” – is dying of cancer. Told through flashbacks to his final days and her time coping with it all on his dairy farm after his death, the play examines grief and purpose. I know that sounds like a really sad play, and there were moments that absolutely were, but Armbruster takes this difficult time in her life and brings Wisconsin charm and humor to it with expert storytelling.
Armbruster enchanted the audience from the start, immediately receiving laughs, inviting them in to hear the story she was about to tell. The thick Wisconsin accents in her impressions of her family members, the “Go Badgers” every time she mentioned college, the descriptions of sweatshirts that smelled like manure – the details were fantastic.
I loved when she acted out a migraine commercial she was in, completed with background music, a strained smile and cheery voice. And I thought the Hallmark movie thread throughout was a hilarious way to poke fun at the fact that she came back to her hometown from New York. Every time it cut to those bits, the audience laughed.
I could sit here and write all the ways Armbruster made me – and the audience – laugh throughout the show, but I’d be recapping the entire thing. It was so enjoyable.
And the play was incredibly heartfelt, too. It was clear how special her dad was to her, even though they were so different.
Scarecrow had me focused and captivated the entire time, thanks to Armbruster’s engaging storytelling. And it seemed like the audience around me felt that, too. The performance was met with a standing ovation, rightfully so.
Scarecrow is at Next Act Theatre through March 17. Get tickets at nextact.org.
