Carol Burnett tribute means slapstick comedy for Round Lake community theater group -- and their audience

Oct. 27—ROUND LAKE — If you're looking for a reason to get out of the house, mix and mingle with others and enjoy an evening of pure slapstick comedy, then you'll want to get your tickets for JD Productions' latest performance, "A Night with Carol."

The tribute to Carol Burnett and friends will be presented Saturdays and Sundays Nov. 6-7 and 13-14, with Saturday performances beginning at 7 p.m. and Sunday matinees starting at 2 p.m., at the Round Lake Community Center (formerly the Round Lake High School gymnasium). All shows will include complimentary popcorn and pop, as well as table seating to provide for social distancing.

JD Productions, founded earlier this year by Jeri Sirovy, of rural Jackson, and Denise Deitchman, of Lakefield, have directed four shows together since March. This time, they lead a cast of 17 players, hailing from several southwest Minnesota communities including Worthington, Lismore, Round Lake, Windom, Storden, Jeffers, Lakefield and Jackson.

"A Night with Carol" features 17 original skits from the Carol Burnett show, which aired for 11 seasons — from September 1967 to March 1978 — on network television.

"The writers put these out for people to have fun with," Sirovy said. "The skits are all fairly short — the longest is probably seven minutes; most are three to five minutes per skit."

Attendees can expect to be entertained by "just plain fun comedy," she said, adding it's appropriate for people of all ages.

"We have many different Carols, Harveys and Tims," Sirovy said. "That's what's really fun about this."

Both Sirovy and Deitchman are cast in roles, with Sirovy playing Carol for one of the skits.

"She is so iconic. Everybody knows how fabulous she is and you think, 'Can I come close?'" Sirovy said. "We have such a high bar. The writers were funny and ... we've had a lot of fun giving it our own interpretation."

The production includes several of the Old Folks skits from the Carol Burnett show, and Sirovy said the same two actors will portray them throughout the performances.

Because of the short skits, Sirovy said the stage will be split, with one half depicting a living room/dining room setting that will remain constant throughout the show. The other half of the stage will change from a jail to a dressing room to other scenes. Meanwhile, the front porch scenes will take place out in front of the curtain.

The cast, which includes actors as young as 10 to older adults, has been in rehearsals since mid-September. A couple of people are new to theater, and some have been performing on stage for years, Sirovy said.

Advance tickets for "A Night with Carol" are available for purchase at the Round Lake Community Center in Round Lake, The Hair Gallery and BTU Heating and Cooling in Worthington, and will also be sold at the door during each of the performances.