Here's my book report. Sorry it's late sir.

Wes Skinner defines Monky Business as "The Marx Brothers meet the monks of St. Bernard."


Skinner directs the musical comedy, which opens tomorrow in the Village Players' theater and runs through Sept. 24.

The story is simple, he says. When the monks of St. Bernard's monastery learn they have only a few hours to raise $250,000 to save their home from a real estate developer who wants to turn it into a casino, they brainstorm and come up with the idea of a radiothon.

The result is an evening of song, merriment, and mayhem, especially because the monks don't realize that they have more problems than a real estate developer.

There are only five characters, Skinner says, and it will be easy to keep them straight because each is a strong individual: Abbot Costello is the bumbling one, Brother Brooks is a control freak, Brother Lee Love questions his calling, Brother Forte is a mute, and Brother Clarence is the novice.

Skinner says the cast does the show justice, in both the areas of comedy and the singing.

Paul Soska, who plays Brother Lee Love, is in the Toledo Opera chorus; Jeffrey Thomas King (Brother Forte) has been in several musicals in regional theater, including the Village Players' Suds and the Croswell Opera House's Fiddler on the Roof; Matt Richardson (Brother Clarence) will be playing Gaston in Oregon Community Theatre's production of Beauty and the Beast in November; David Dysard (Brother Brooks) is a staple of local theater, performing in musicals such as 1776, Guys and Dolls, and Singing in the Rain, and Ben Lumbrezer (Abbot Costello), has appeared in such Village Players productions as Much Ado about Nothing, Of Mice and Men, and Cherchez Dave Robicheaux.

Songs include "The Mohair Rag," "Satan's Place," "Be Kind to Your Brother," "Celibacy," and Skinner's favorite, "The Greatest Book on Earth."

"It's a delightful number, and we're just having a lot of fun with it," he said

The production is definitely family-friendly, Skinner says. "We do talk about asses, but we're referring to the animal."

"Monky Business" is scheduled tomorrow through Sept. 24 in the Village Players theater, 2740 Upton Ave. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sept. 18. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. Information: 419-472-6817.