“Blind Date,” an original Cutler Bros. comedy, opens at Cutler Bros. Theatre at 301 Main Street in Deer Lodge, MT on February 9th and runs through the 14th with nightly showings Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday and one matinee on Sunday the 11th at 2:00 pm.  “Blind Date” is a hysterical comedy with hints of Seinfeld and a rugged edge.  The show was first produced in 2008 on the Gunport Theatre stage and has undergone countless revisions since that time.

​Starring in Blind Date is Cutler Bros. go-to actress Mariann Cameron (Emilia) and new up and comer Josh Pentland (Charles).  Pentland played Lefou in last year’s “Beauty and the Beast.”  Other cast members include the Cutler brothers themselves, Matt (Greg) and Kelly (Romero) as well as Theresa Cameron (Natasha), Kyle Gillette (Quent), Linda Suckow (Ellen), and Craig Winter (Henry).  All are familiar to the stage and have been rehearsing since early January for this Valentine’s Day performance.

Blind Date” begins exactly as the title suggests: at a blind date.  Charles, a nervous, quirky young man meets up with Emilia, a dominating female, and the unlikely pair decide that they “like each other.”  However, Emilia has quite the laundry list of the “do’s” and “do not’s” in their blossoming relationship.  Unfortunately Charles breaks the “do not list” by leaving several ridiculous and nervous phone messages on Emilia’s answering machine after the blind date. 

Charles “scum bag” roommate Greg informs the squeamish boy that they need to “delete those messages” or Emilia will never see Charles again and she will ruin Greg’s relationship with her best friend Natasha, the latter of which Emilia has no clue is even going on.  Greg ropes their Italian landlord Romero into the plot and the plan goes off without a hitch, almost.  

Cutler Bros. Productions in Deer Lodge present Comedy Night 37 this December 23rd at 7:30 pm.  Comedy Night is the brainchild of the Cutler brothers and was first produced in 2003.  Comedy Night 37 is known as the brother’s “Christmas Comedy Night” with holiday themes.  Comedy Night is a comedic sketch show similar to Saturday Night Live.

​Hosting Comedy Night 37 is Deer Lodge native and grade school librarian Sarah (Mosier) Foster.  Foster has played trumpet for several Cutler Bros.’ musicals and has some acting experience from her high school days.  Kelly Cutler, the show’s director, has begged Foster to do Comedy Night for over six years when he realized how funny she was in the orchestra pit.  “I’m nervous, but excited,” said Foster.

Other cast members include many Comedy Night regulars such as Matt and Kelly Cutler, Jim Theresa, and Mariann Cameron, Kyler Noel, Zane Cozby, Dane Thompson, Darryl Barton, Jenn Logan, Kyle Gillette, Jenna Singleton, and Scott Grazier.  The voice of Butte radio, Carin Sullivan, will also take her fair share of roles.  Kamryn Johnson, a high school senior at Powell County, will be the show’s musical guest.  Johnson has won many accolades for her vocal performance in the state of Montana. 

​Sketches for Comedy Night 37 include a spoof on “Charlotte’s Web,” a trip to the “Handshake Factory,” the redneck version of “A Christmas Story,” the “Comedy Night News,” and many more.  “This is the 37th Comedy Night in our history and our system for creating these things has become more and more solid over the years,” said Kelly Cutler.  Matt Cutler, the show’s co-writer, added, “Comedy Night is a nice way to get into the holiday spirit.  People laugh.  People smile.  It’s all good feelings.”

​Comedy Night 37 will be staged at the Cutler Bros. Theatre at 301 Main in Deer Lodge.  Tickets are $10 general admission and $15 for the front row.  Reservations are recommended by calling (406) 846-4096.  For further questions or directions visit cutlerbros.com. 

“A Christmas Story” will be staged at the Cutler Theatre in Deer Lodge from December 1st to the 17th.  The family friendly classic will run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.  Tickets are $15 general admission and may be reserved by calling the Cutler Box Office at (406) 846-4096.  “A Christmas Story” is written by Philip Grecian based off of Jean Shepherd’s semi fictional anecdotes and the 1983 American Christmas comedy film.

“A Christmas Story” has a Christmas past and present plotline.  Ralph (Darryl Barton), in his forties, presents his story in 1st person to the audience while the rest of the cast acts it out.  Young Ralphie (Deker Hogan) wants one thing for Christmas and one thing only: A 200 shot range model, Red Ryder cabine action BB gun with a compass and a thing that tells time built right into the stock.  The classic phrase “you’ll shoot your eye out” resonates from his mother (Ramona Chrisman) and his unsupportive teacher Miss Shields (Jenna Singleton.)  While Ralphie experiences let down after let down his father (Zane Cozby) has his own impasse with the downstairs furnace.
 

Kaiden Dolan) to stick his tongue on an icy pole, but he also gets in some hot water with the old man after blurting out the “mother of all curse words” when a hub cap full of lug nuts goes toppling over into oblivion.  Ralphie’s littler brother Randy (Jonah Tilley) can only laugh hysterically.  A trip to visit Santa Claus (Scott Grazier) doesn’t help matters much either.

​Deker Hogan makes his leading debut with Cutler Bros. after attending the Rising Star Academy children’s theatre camp for three years.  “He’s a natural, and he looks just like the kid in the movie,” said director Kelly Cutler.  Other notable Cutler Brother’ faces in the cast include Louis Savalla, who plays the bully Scut Farkas, and his little sister Izzy Savalla who plays Farkas’ crony.  A handful of Deer Lodge kids will make their first ever stage appearance in this Cutler Bros. production. 

​Reservations for “A Christmas Story” are highly recommended as seating is limited.  For questions, directions, or more information call the number listed above or visit cutlerbros.com.  
               

Cutler Bros. 6th annual “Creepshow” will kick off this Friday, October 20th and run weekends through the 28th with several tours a night beginning at 7:00 pm.  The 2017 “Creepshow” theme is stories by Stephen King including “Misery,” “The Shining,” “IT,” and many more.  Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door.

The Cutler Bros. “Creepshow” began in 2012 when the Deer Lodge-based entertainment company decided to try its hand at horror.  After two years of creepiness at the brother’s theatre the troupe moved the October show to the Old Montana Prison Museum in Deer Lodge where it produced back to back successful shows with themes being “Killer Clowns” and “A Cannibalistic Tribe in South America.”  All shows and plots have been original to the Cutler brothers.  In 2016 the Cutler Bros. “Creepshow” found its way back to the Cutler Brother’s Theatre and the theme was “The Purge.”

Once again the brother’s horror show will be produced inside the walls of their theatre at 301 Main in Deer Lodge.  “There’s a lot more space in here than people think and only a portion of the show takes place on the stage,” said Creepshow’s co-producer Kelly Cutler.  His brother Matthew and co-writer agreed, “We take audiences all over this facility including the bathrooms and into our big creepy basement.  They really become disoriented.”

​The Cutler Bros. “Creepshow” is much more than just a haunted house.  The show is interactive with actors, plot lines, setting, special effects, and some audience participation.  “The audience is literally in the story,” concluded Kelly Cutler.  For more information on “Creepshow” call (406) 846-4096 or visit cutlerbros.com.   

Cutler Brothers Productions in Deer Lodge will have a busy October as the entertainment company plans to produce a month of staged horror.  Early October will bring the gothic and ghost story genre in “The Turn of the Screw,” based off of an 1898 novella written by Henry James.  The last two weeks of the month will be the 6th annual Cutler Brother’s Creepshow which is a staged haunted house with a storyline and actors.

Kicking off the month of fright is the classic “The Turn of the Screw.”  The story is about a governess who is hired to watch a young boy (Miles) and a young girl (Flora) after the deaths of their parents.  Miles returns from boarding school after being expelled and the governess fears there is some horrible reason for the expulsion.  Soon after the governess begins seeing the figures of a man and a woman around the country house and learns from the housekeeper that the “ghosts” are Miss Jessel and Peter Quint, the governess’ predecessor that spent much time with the children.  The children eventually become possessed by the supernatural figures. 

“The Turn of the Screw” is a suspenseful stage show to take place October 6th to October 15th.  It runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm.  The cast includes Annmarie Downey as the governess, last seen in 2016’s “Damn Yankees,” as well as Karen Phillips (the housekeeper), Kyler Noel (Peter Quint), Mariann Cameron (Miss Jessel), Jim Tilley (the uncle), Louis Savalla (Miles), and Izzy Hunter (Flora).  All actors are familiar faces to the Cutler Bros. stage.

Later in October comes the Cutler Creepshow which takes on the theme of “Stephen King” this year.  The Creepshow generally begins with a horrific short film followed by a short stage performance followed by audience participation and movement through a “haunted house” structure.  Planning is still underway on this year’s Creepshow but Stephen King themes will likely include “Misery,” “The Shining,” and “IT.”  Creepshow writer and director Kelly Cutler said, “Stephen King is a great theme and we’re sure our haunted house will leave people with chills for maybe days.”  Creepshow will run Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 7:00 pm until close from October 20th to October 28th.  A special Halloween performance will also take place.

​Tickets for either Cutler Bros. performance may be reserved at (406) 846-4096 or by simply showing up at the door.  “The Turn of the Screw” is $15 while the Cutler Creepshow will be $10.  All shows will take place at the Cutler Theatre in Deer Lodge at 301 Main Street.  For questions, reservations, or more info call the number listed or visit cutlerbros.com.       ​

​The 36th Comedy Night in the Cutler Brother’s series will be staged this Friday, August 18th at 8:00 pm in Deer Lodge.  Comedy Night is a Cutler Brother’s staple and resembles the late-night sketch show Saturday Night Live.  The show is the brainchild of the Cutler Brothers and it was first produced at the Rialto Theater in 2003.

​Fourteen years later the Deer Lodge Valley entertainment company’s sketch show is going strong.  Comedy Night 36 will be hosted by Jake Nachtigal out of Missoula who was seen in this year’s “Beauty and the Beast” as the role of the Beast.  “I’m really glad I found this little entertainment company,” said Nachtigal.  He added, “It has given me some big opportunities and the people around here are a lot like family.”

Butte’s very own Russ Nelson and “Shell Shock Lulluby” will perform as the show’s musical guest and the cast boasts upwards of nineteen actors.  Kyle Gillette and Stuart Jewell, who last performed comedy in July’s “The 39 Steps,” will take to the stage as well as local Das Froot members Zane Cozby, Jim Cameron, Rex Kendall, and Marquis Dijon Archuleta.  Archuleta has a theatre degree from the University of Montana with an emphasis in acting.

​Other comedians in the show include Jim Tilley, Jenna Singleton, Theresa Cameron, Scott Grazier, and Darryl Barton.  Barton was last seen as the riveting Juror 4 in “12 Angry Men.”  Annmarie Downey and Mariann Cameron both return to the show as well as Butte’s radio personality Carin Sullivan.  Marik Chrisman, who was seen as the candlestick Lumiere in “Beauty and the Beast,” will make this Comedy Night debut.  

Sketches for Comedy Night 36 were written by Patrick, Matthew, and Kelly Cutler, the latter two also performing in the show.  Sketch themes include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Shark Tank,” “Rapper Nation,” and many, many more.  Jenn Logan rounds out the cast as she joins Kelly Cutler on the Comedy Night News.

​Tickets for Comedy Night 36 are $10 to $15 and may be reserved by calling the box office at (406) 846-4096.  Seating is limited for this single night show and reservations are highly recommended.  The doors open at 7:00 pm.  For questions, directions, or more information call the number listed or visit cutlerbros.com. 

 “12 Angry Men,” the jury room suspense classic, will be the final show of the Cutler Brother’s 2017 summer theatre season and will run August 3rd to August 13th on the Deer Lodge stage.  The story is by Reginald Rose and is adapted from the 1954 teleplay of the same title.  The Broadway debut came 50 years after CBS aired the play, on October 28th, 2004.

​The entire setting of “12 Angry Men” takes place in a jury room on one set.  Twelve jurors convene to figure out the verdict of a young teenager who is on trial for allegedly stabbing his father to death.  At first they all seem to agree on a guilty judgment, until one juror has other ideas.  Through some intense discussion and reenactment one by one each juror switches their vote to not guilty, even the most bullheaded of the men. 

​“Finding 12 men that could act this drama in a town as small as Deer Lodge was the real challenge,” said the show’s director Kelly Cutler.  He managed to do just that.  Josh Pentland, who was last seen in “Beauty and the Beast” as the role of Lefou, will play the Foreman who leads the common jury duties.  Other familiar Cutler Brother faces in the play include Kyle Gillette, Paul Chapman, Tristan Marjerison, Jim Cameron, Marquis Archuleta, Marik Chrisman, and Kelly and Matthew Cutler.  Daryll Barton, who hosted Comedy Night 33 last summer, took the role of flashy juror number 4 while Tom Gomola, a newbie to the theatre troupe, will play the soft-hearted juror number 10. 

​“12 Angry Men” runs Thursdays to Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.  Reservations are recommended and may be made by calling the Cutler Bros. box office at (406) 846-4096.  The Cutler Bros. Theatre is located at 301 Main Street in Deer Lodge.  For directions, questions, or more info visit cutlerbros.com or call the number listed above.  

The Cutler Brother’s 3rd show of the 2017 Deer Lodge theatre season “The 39 Steps” comes on the heels of the entertainment company’s highly successful “Beauty and the Beast” which was staged in June.  “The 39 Steps” is a melodrama adapted from the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock.  It is a four-actor production that requires the team to play upwards of 150 roles.

​The play shares the plot and characters from the film, but in a more comedic manner in the style of “Monty Python” and Barlow’s own “National Theatre of Brent.”  Deer Lodge local Anthony Savalla plays the hero (Richard Hannay) while University of Montana theatre major Tiana Albery plays 3 women with whom he has romantic entanglements.  Deer Lodge comedians Stuart Jewell and Kyle Gillette play all the other roles in the show from villains to children to sometimes even the occasional inanimate objects.  

The cast and crew have been busy rehearsing this quick comedy since early June.  Gillette, who has ties to Improv Olympic in Chicago, was last seen as crazy old Maurice in “Beauty and the Beast” and will take on the directing duties of this Hitchcock classic.  Tiana Albery starred in Cutler Bros. 2016 smash hit “Jesus Chris Superstar” as the emotive Mary Magdalane while Stuart Jewell is a crowd favorite among the theatre’s comedies.

​“The 39 Steps” will play on the Cutler stage from July 14th – 23rd with performances Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.  Tickets are $15 general admission and reservations are recommended by calling the Cutler Bros. Box Office at (406) 846-4096.  For more information or directions call the box office or visit cutlerbros.com.    

“Beauty and the Beast,” the Disney-Broadway musical version, will play at the Cutler Brother’s Theatre in Deer Lodge from June 16th to July 2nd marking the entertainment company’s second major musical of the 2017 theatre season.  The popular children’s show has music written by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tom Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton.  It plays Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.

​The stage version of “Beauty and the Beast” implements several facets from the world renown Disney cartoon, which was produced in 1991, as well as a few new songs to beef it up for Broadway.  The ever-popular “Be Our Guest” will entertain audiences for nearly ten minutes straight with intricate dance moves and enough comedy to last the rest of the show.  Other popular songs from the Disney cartoon include “Gaston,” “Belle,” “Kill the Beast,” and the heartstrings puppeteer “Tale as Old as Time.”

The Deer Lodge cast boasts nearly forty people.  Maggie Chrisman, a long time Cutler Brother player since 5th grade, will play the lead role of Belle while her brother Marik, last seen as Oliver Twist in Cutler Brother’s “Oliver!” will steamroll the comedy side of things playing Lumiere the French candlestick.  Lumiere’s sidekick, the ever cautious Cogsworth, will be played by Deer Lodge youth Louis Savalla.  Louis has taken part in Rising Star Academy theatre camps for the past three years and his sister Izzy was last seen as the star child role in “A Miracle on 34th Street.”  Izzy will play the role of Chip.
           
Other castle characters include Elizabeth Cozby as Mrs. Potts, Solveig Munson as Wardrobe, Kamryn Johnson as Babette, and Jake Nachtigal as the Beast.  Cozby is the co-founder of Stage Left Productions in Deer Lodge while Solveig Munson is the drama coach at Powell County High School.  Kamryn Johnson was last seen as the lead role of Audrey in PCHS’s “Little Shop of Horrors” produced this past spring.  Jake Nachtigal is a newcomer to Cutler Bros. Productions.  He was discovered in Missoula’s “Urinetown” this past January when he performed side by side with Kelly Cutler, the director of Deer Lodge’s entertainment venture.

Cutler will take the villainous role of Gaston and will be joined side by side with Josh Pentland (Lefou) and his brother Patrick who plays the asylum director Monsieur D’Arque.  The last show Patrick performed in was “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in the 2012 season.  The other 25 people in the cast will make up the huge ensemble of villagers, flat wear, and dancers.  Kyle Gillette will play Belle’s crazy inventor father Maurice and the show will be accompanied by an eight piece live orchestra.
           
​Reservations for Cutler Brother’s “Beauty and the Beast” are highly recommended and may be made by calling the Box Office at (406) 846-4096.  Tickets are $15 general admission and theatre space is limited to 120 seats.  Visit cutlerbros.com for more information or follow the theatre troupe on Facebook.  

​Cutler Brothers Productions in Deer Lodge present the 1977 American romantic comedy “The Goodbye Girl” which starred Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason in Neil Simon’s original screenplay.  The entertainment group will produce the musical version of the show which ran on Broadway in 1993 starring Martin Short and Bernadette Peters.  The music is written by legendary Marvin Hamlisch, who wrote “A Chorus Line,” with lyrics by David Zippel.

​Follow headstrong Paula (Mariann Cameron), a struggling and aging dancer in New York City, and her precocious daughter Lucy (Izzy Hunter) as they are duped time and time again by the opposite sex.  When Elliot Garfield (John Knispel), an actor, moves into the same apartment, Paula has had enough of her bad luck.  The eccentric duo hate each other at first, like a scene from “The Odd Couple,” but as their time together grows they both realize they’re more alike than different.  Romance mists from this unhealthy cesspool and the two end up falling for one another.  

​“The Goodbye Girl” in Deer Lodge has a strong cast of 25 singers and dancers who bring this great Mother’s Day show alive.  John Knispel returns from a theatre bout in the middle east and South America to play the role of Elliot before he moves on to Fort Peck Summer Theatre where he will be musically directing “Million Dollar Quartet” as well as playing the role of Elvis.  “I’m really excited to be back in Deer Lodge for this show,” said Knispel.  “The people in this company have a lot of energy and I enjoy the freedom they give me to hone my craft,” he added.  Other roles in the show include the pretentious director Mark (Kelly Cutler), Billy the dance instructor (Matthew Cutler), Mrs. Crozby the building caretaker (Gloria Blue-Earth Highley), and many more.

​Tickets for “The Goodbye Girl” are $15 general admission and may be reserved by calling the Cutler Bros. Box Office at (406) 846-4096.  Show dates are April 27th – May 14th, Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.  April 27th is the only Thursday showing and there will be no show on Saturday, April 29th.  Reservations are highly recommended.  Visit cutlerbros.com for more info.