Unrequited 'something' at heart of latest comedy

Things are moving quickly at the County Seat Theater these days.

Opening today in person and with view-on-demand is the comedy "Jerry Finnegan's Sister."

It's been a busy few weeks for the community theater, said general manager Joel Soukkala.

"Due to Covid-19 cases in the previous production pushing back its opening date, the actors and crew in 'Jerry Finnegan's Sister' have had a shortened time span to get ready for their opening night," Soukkala said.

Less than two weeks after County Seat's last production, "Suite Surrender," the set was struck, a new stage was set, lights were repositioned and programmed, actors had memorized scripts and all involved were "ready to roll," Soukala said.

"Jerry Finnegan's Sister" is a comedy by Jack Neary about Brian Dowd (Rick Breuer) and his neighbor, Beth Finnegan (Ruthie Breuer). Brian has spent the last 10 years of his life wrestling with an unrequited "something" for his best friend's sister, who happens to live next door. But each and every time he's spoken with Beth Finnegan for more than 30 seconds, he's ended up with his foot planted firmly in his mouth. Now, Brian's time is about to run out. With recent news that Jerry Finnegan's sister is getting married, the time has come for him to put up or shut up. Making this performance especially delightful is the fact that the actors are married in real life.

This show will feature familiar tunes and original music by Tom Cawcutt Sr. on the piano, underscoring the scenes throughout the show. There will also be a corresponding art show in the gallery featuring original works by Sue Rauschenfels as well as a number of Carlton County artists.

Performances are set for June 3-5 and 10-12 at the Encore Performing Arts Center in Cloquet. To reserve seats, call the box office at 218-878-0071 or reserve online at http://www.countyseattheater.com.

Kids' camps

When the current County Seat show closes on June 12, County Seat will immediately begin its summer youth programming. The theater will be offering four weeklong camps of the children's musical "Off Their Rockers" in June and July. In July there will also be a weeklong camp for young adults ages 12-21 who will be performing the production "Game of Myths." Registration is available online at http://www.countyseat theater.com.

Check out the website for performance dates for the shows and more, including art shows and parking lot variety shows.