Ole and Lena coming to Lakeville stage
The husband-and-wife acting team of Michael and Julie Bateson will perform as the lovably dim-witted Ole and Lena next week at the Lakeville Area Arts Center. (Photo submitted)
‘Ole & Lena’s 50th Anniversary and Vow Renewal’ plays the Lakeville arts center Feb. 18
by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers
Wedding anniversary? Oh, jeez.
The lovably dim-witted Norwegian couple of Ole and Lena will be taking the stage of the Lakeville Area Arts Center on Feb. 18 for “Ole & Lena’s 50th Anniversary and Vow Renewal.”
The all-ages stage comedy features real-life husband and wife Michael and Julie Bateson as the title characters.
Michael Bateson wrote and is directing the show, which follows Lena’s preparations for a romantic anniversary celebration as Ole seeks ways to instead compete in an ice-fishing tournament.
“It’s a lighthearted comedy, but it’s not just a series of Ole and Lena jokes,” Bateson said. “There’s a story, we do a fair amount of improv and there are some interactive sections with the audience.”
The Batesons are no strangers to the characters. This is their third Ole and Lena show, having performed as the comic Scandinavian couple in two other shows Michael wrote – “Ole & Lena’s Family Christmas” and “Ole & Lena’s Cruise Vacation.”
Both of those shows were staged at the theater the Batesons owned and operated in Cannon Falls, the now-defunct Stone Mill Dinner Theater.
South-of-the-river audiences will recognize Michael Bateson from his one-man Mark Twain shows last year at the Lakeville Area Arts Center and the Dakota County Fair.
A Cannon Falls resident who works at Charter Media in Rosemount, he has been performing as the venerated Southern humorist for about 10 years. As a Twain fan since childhood, he brings an encyclopedic knowledge of the author’s life and literary works to the act, and his impersonation comes complete with a white suit, wig and Missouri drawl.
Making the switch from Mark Twain to Ole may seem like an odd transition, but as a character actor it comes with the territory, he said.
“Mark Twain tends to be a little more challenging just because of all the research that goes into it,” he said. “Ole is a little more freewheeling – and a lot more fun.”
Tickets for “Ole & Lena” are $15 and can be reserved by calling (952) 985-4640 or visiting www.ci.lakeville.mn.us.
Andrew Miller is at andrew.miller@ecm-inc.com.
