Bust out your AquaNet! The first show of Let Me Be Frank Productions’ 2025 season featured all things from the 1970s, so it was fitting their next show moved right into the next decade. “The King of Krakow” is filled with songs, dance moves, pop culture references, costumes, and teased hair from the 1980s. Despite not knowing much about Krakow – I still hesitate to pronounce it with confidence – I am a sucker for an 80s show. Going into this show, I knew it had some Godfather-esque themes and I wasn’t wrong to assume the cast and crew had fun putting together the turf war show.
So, what’s this story all about? Well, we’ve got the Sha Na Na gang of Shawano County and the Brzezinski gang. The Sha Na Na gang wants to take over some turf from the King of Krakow, Don Brzezinski. Angel of Angelica of the Sha Na Na gang wants to have a little chat with enforcer Lard Face of the Brzezinski gang about a new delivery program that would benefit everyone. The mafia meeting will occur at Krakow Bowl in the weekly battle-of-the-sexes bowling night. The King of Krakow brings in a ringer to rig the outcome of the competition. Who will win and who will get whacked? You’ll have to find out in this all-new mob-based comedy-musical, featuring tunes from the 1980s.
This show followed a familiar pattern we’ve seen before where the cast is sectioned into two different groups. In “The King of Krakow” it’s the ladies in one gang and the men in another. Early scenes featured each group on its own, giving time for characters in both gangs to develop and shine. The groups eventually come together and share the stage in the second act. One thing that connected the groups before they officially came together in scenes was the work of Blake Hermans’ character, Stooley the informant. Blake bounced from group to group early on and played his character in a way that allowed both gangs to have hilarious moments with him as the informant. The two gangs finally come together at the Krakow Lanes for a spirited bowling game to round out the story. Of course, the LMBF cast makes watching a pretend bowling game entertaining – even when the bowling ball turns are pantomimed, I wasn’t exactly sure whose turn it was supposed to be, and the pins are knocked down unseen and off stage with sound effects!
The show opened with the 3 main ladies – Sarah, Lisa, and Amy as The Italian, Whack Job, and Angel of Angelica, respectively. Their fierce girl gang (The Sha Na Nas) had me laughing from the get-go. The feisty attitudes, accents, and banter with one another were fun to see. We don’t often get to see all three ladies playing the “bad girl” characters together, but it worked well. Take Lisa Borley, for instance. In real life, to know her is to love her and her kind heart. Watching her be a spitfire with a fast backhand was hilarious, and she performed her character with ease.
This show was FILLED with mentions of local establishments, cuisine, surnames, etc. Even though I’m not as familiar with the Shawano and Krakow areas, it was still amusing and had me continually laughing. I could just picture Frank writing the show’s script and dropping in little anecdotes and comedic one-liners about the cities, knowing they were going to land well with various audiences. From the pronunciation of a famous Pulaski bakery to the mention of “Highway Tirty-Tree”, a name drop about a local car dealership duo of brothers, to a joke about the “droppings” you might get at Bay Beach, I found myself looking forward to the next line I’d pick up on in each scene.
I also found myself particularly enjoying the dancing numbers in this show. Usually, the dancing blends in and I don’t notice it too much. However, there was something a little extra about the movement in this production. Kudos to the female cast members who are assigned songs to choreograph and put together something fresh and creative, taking the song to a new level. This was especially evident in Road to Nowhere, the closing number of the first act with Tom Verbrick leading the tune. I’m not sure exactly who in the cast put together the movement for that song, but they did a fantastic job.
Sometimes, but not always, LMBF shows feature special interlude sounds. For example, previous shows have had a sitcom laugh track, voiceovers done by various cast members, or a television theme song to kick off the show. Maybe it’s just me, but I always love it when the show has something special like that added to it. Executing these sound effects seamlessly can usually be credited to Kelly Klaus or Andrew Klaus — nice job to either (or both) of you! And I don’t want to give away too much, but the interlude music in this show was perfect.
A few other thoughts:
+ Talk to Me showed off the vast power and depth of Sarah Galati’s voice. And a stellar keys solo by Tony Pilz!
+ I wasn’t sure what to expect when Blake Hermans started singing Marvin Gaye, but wow! I am here for it now! Paired with the sassy and sultry dancing by the female trio made Sexual Healing one I’ll remember from this show
+ I say this every show, but, is there any character Tom Verbrick doesn’t master? The Godfather character (atop his fancy throne!) is one I’ve never seen him do. He made it look effortless…as per usual.
+ In Your Wildest Dreams was a great selection for Paul Evansen. What a way to make an entrance into the storyline! And the backup harmonies by the cast elevated the song even more. After the song, we were able to see Paul’s character come forth as he pulled off the jittery and squirrelly ringer, Pauly Pencil Neck. His laugh alone had me cracking up.
+Did you know Frank Hermans celebrated his 60th birthday last year? You wouldn’t be able to tell by watching his rendition of Right on Track. He has an effortless charisma (not to mention those dance moves!) that makes it obvious why he’s been a beloved entertainer in NE Wisconsin. His ever-present energy lets us know he won’t be slowing down anytime soon!
+ John Singer’s guitar solo in You Don’t Want Me Anymore. Umm. Wow. I don’t even know what to say other than it was superb.
+ The use of neon light designs added more to the 80s vibe of the show. Ross Loining has a knack for not just adding fun lighting, but adding lighting that cohesively fits the show that has been developed from scratch.
+ Amy Riemer’s rendition of Twist of Fate displayed her wildly impressive vocal range. It started low and jumped way up high and she made it look like it was no big deal to hit them all flawlessly.
+ Lisa Borley has been dubbed The Little Lady with the Big Voice and her version Touch Me was a very clear example of why she’s been given that name! Those big notes soared to the back of the house with emotion and vivacity.
+ I had a smile on my face the entire time Pat Hibbard and the band shared That’s Just the Way It Is. Pat’s vocals were solid, Tony’s solo on keys had me cheering wildly, John executed that familiar guitar lick with ease, and Andrew always has a captivating presence on the drums.
While we still have cold temps outside, things are heating up in the “The King of Krakow” at the Meyer Theatre. If you want an entertaining night out where you’ll laugh and enjoy 80s songs performed by incredible vocalists and musicians, see colorful costumes and wigs, and be peppered with many local references and jokes, look no further than this show!
“The King of Krakow” continues:
Saturday, April 5th at 7:30pm
Thursday, April 10th at 7:30pm
Friday, April 11th at 7:30pm
Saturday, April 12th at 7:30pm
Sunday, April 13th at 1:00pm
Thursday, April 17th at 1:00pm & 7:30pm
Friday, April 18th at 7:30pm
Saturday, April 19th at 1:00pm & 7:30pm
Tickets are available at meyertheatre.org, ticketstaronline.com, or by calling Ticketstar at 920-494-3401. Doors open to the box office inside the Meyer Theatre for day of tickets one hour prior to each performance.
An out-of-town performance will be held at the Capitol Civic Centre in Manitowoc on Wednesday, April 16th at 7:00 pm. Head to cccshows.org or call 920-683-2184 for tickets and more information.
The show features: Amy Riemer (as Angel of Angelica), Lisa Borley (as Wack Job), Sarah Galati (as Sarah the Italian), Tom Verbrick (King Brezinski), Paul Evansen (as Pauly Pencil Neck), Pat Hibbard (as Tick-Tock), Blake Hermans (as Stooley), Frank Hermans (as Lard Face).
Band: John Singer (guitars), Pat Hibbard (bass), Tony Pilz (keyboards), Andrew Klaus (drums)
Lights: Ross Loining
Sound: Kelly Klaus
This season is generously sponsored by Diamonds & Gold Green Bay and Festival Foods.
