By Nick Beversdorf
Reporter

Come to the beautiful Chateau Laroche for a weekend get-away, where you’ll be greeted by a friendly host of…cockroaches?!?!

Crawling with slapstick humor and circus-like stage action, “Chateau La Roach” is this year’s Merrill High School fall play. This award-winning comic farce will take you through a weekend in the lives of Francois and Mimi Laroche, the French proprietors of the chateau on the shores of a peaceful American lake.

The owners are horrified to discover the enormity of their cockroach problem as they prepare for a big weekend of visitors. A famed travel writer, a British bicyclist, a honeymoon couple, the manager of a bratty child star and a wealthy widow and her hypnotist will all be staying the weekend and, of course, the health inspector will also be coming disguised as one of the guests!

Even with the help of zealous exterminator Roskel T. Goomey, the cockroaches quickly and hysterically adapt to the chemical assault and begin to grow bigger, while the supposed health inspector hallucinates after mistakenly using the toxic bug powder on his spaghetti, thinking it was Parmesan cheese!

The Merrill High School students are already hard at work practicing their roles, fine-tuning their various accents and exaggerated physical movements. Even during practice the play was a laugh riot, with the various directors, producers and stage-hands head over heels with laughter.

The showtimes are at 7 p.m. on Nov. 10, 11, and 12 in the MHS Auditorium. Tickets are available at Lee’s Piggly Wiggly, Dave’s County Market, the MHS Cashier’s office and at the door. The cost is $7 for an adult and $5 for students and seniors.

With lively and fast-paced dialogue and great opportunists for physical humor, the play provides a hilarious look at the price humans pay for attempting to control nature and is sure to delight audiences of all ages!

“Chateau La Roach” by Laura Wilson

Cast List:

Mimi Laroche – Maggie Holdorf
Francois Laroche – Will Leischer
Robin Wren – Bailey Iwen
Paolo Quinti – Jerry Boquist
Happy Lamperson – Jayda Bushor
Elsie Welks – Izzy Prebeg
Gina Retch – Emily Schroeder
Roskel T Goomey – Abe Akey
Josie Nackerly – Maddy Leischer
Jip Nackerly – Ian Cohrs
Enira deCan – Sierra Severt
Madame Zillinda – Faith Wheat
Nigel Havic – Mark Thompson
Lola St. Brittania – Amber Skiff
Ronnie Zircon – Gwen Wheat
Hanula Bing – Makayla Taylor
Liza Bethingil – Keia Woller
Cockroach – Jeremy Thomas
Rat – Keven Guglielmina

Director – Nancy Arndorfer
Ast. Director – Hannah Burmesch
Producer – Amy Grefe
Costume Designer – Gale Behm
Set/Stage/Light/Sound Director – Chad Premeau
Set Builder – Scott Blaubach