From now until opening night on Feb. 2, the Livingston Post will be profiling the cast members of the Community Theatre of Howell’s Production of “Squabbles.”
CTH veteran Brian Bickel is back on state in one of his funniest roles ever, playing crabby Abe Dreyfus in “Squabbles.”
He’s played everything from Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” to Marcellus Washburn in “The Music Man,” and he can’t wait for audiences to meet the dysfunctional crew in this latest CTH production.
The play pits a father-in-law against a mother in a comedic succession of squabbles. Jerry Sloan is a successful writer of advertising jingles married to an equally successful lawyer. Living with the happy couple is the not so happy Abe Dreyfus, Jerry’s curmudgeon of a father-in-law. Abe is a funny guy to the audience, not to Jerry.
The situation is exacerbated when Jerry’s mother Mildred loses her house in a fire and needs a place to stay. Abe and Mildred can’t stand each other. This play is one hilarious confrontation after another until the heartwarming finale in which the oldsters discover that really, each is not so bad.
Bickel and his wife Laura have three kids – Scott (who is serving in the U.S. Air Force), Eric and Austin; and grandkids Brandon, Sydney, Jordan, Grace, Bailey and Brodie. His supporting cast at home also includes a dog named Tye and ferrets named Ginger and Roxy.
Here’s a closer look at Brian Bickel:
How did you get involved in CTH and what shows have you been involved with in the past? What are some of your favorite roles from the past, either with CTH or other groups?
Austin started getting involved in performing at the age of 6. I watched him and thought, “I could do that!” We saw an advertisement for a show at a place called the Community Theatre of Howell, where one of Austin’s friends was performing. We decided to go see the show, even though our expectations were not very high. We were thinking that this was a “community theater,” so it is probably not very good.
We were blown away by the professional level of performance we saw, and decided to audition for the next show. Austin and I were cast, and then Laura joined in the next show.
We’ve been highly involved with CTH since that time. I have worked about 25 shows with CTH – mostly on-stage, but also in tech, set, and direction roles. I have also been involved in shows with Hartland Players, The Dio Theater in Pinckney, Hartland Prelude, and Pinckney Players.
Some of my favorite roles have been as Judge Randolph in “A Few Good Men,” Marcellus Washburn in “The Music Man,” Freddy in “Noises Off,” and my absolute favorite, Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.”
What do you most enjoy about doing shows with CTH?
I think what I enjoy most is that everyone becomes a family during the development of a show. New people are treated the same as someone who has been around for many years, and you learn to trust your new family to support you just as you support others. It is a true team effort, and the quality is apparent in the performances.
You get to tap into your creative side and tell a wonderful story that causes audiences to laugh, cry, think, or just relate. They can step out of their everyday rush and responsibilities and step into a world that you helped to create.
What’s been your favorite part of the “Squabbles” experience?
I have to say I love working with the other cast members and the production team. This is a smaller cast, which means you get closer to all. Of course, I’ve worked very closely with Gloria (Towns) in the past on “Fiddler,” and she always makes it easy and fun to develop a character and a show. The other aspect that has been fun is that I get to play the antagonist in a very unusual way (see the show to make this clear).
What can audience members expect when they see the show?
Think “All in the Family,” “Everybody Love Raymond,” “That 70’s Show” – you know, just like your own dysfunctional family. Except you see it happening to other people, which makes it much more funny.
When you come to see “Squabbles”, think about how much fun the cast enjoys, and how you, too, could be having that much fun. I’m always looking for another closet performer/technician/builder who can join our big family, and it could be you!
The Community Theatre of Howell’s production of “Squabbles” takes the stage Feb. 2-4 and 9-11 at the Howell High School Freshman Campus, 1400 W. Grand River Ave. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday each weekend.
Tickets are $13 for adults, $11 for students and seniors, available at Finding Roots in Howell, Maria’s School of Dance in Fowlerville, Big Acre in Brighton, and Ed Bock Feed and Stuff in Pinckney. Tickets are also available by calling 517-545-1290, or online at cththeatre.org. You can buy tickets by clicking here.
