If the name Girls on Sand rings a slight bell, that may be because you’ve heard of Guys on Ice, the massively popular musical comedy by Fred Alley and James Kaplan that celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, originally joint-produced by Northern Sky Theater (then American Folklore Theatre) and Milwaukee Rep. While Girls on Sand—a new musical receiving its world premiere at Northern Sky (through Aug. 24)—isn’t connected to Guys on Ice, the new show’s creative team hopes to capture a similar exploration of friendship with new characters and a fresh season as they turn coastal.
“A lot of people have their escapism here,” said Lachrisa Grandberry, who co-wrote the show’s book and lyrics with Molly Rhode, referring to the summer tourists who flock to Door County, Wisc., “to find joy, to refuel themselves and enjoy themselves at the same time.”
That’s precisely what Grace and Zoey, the show’s title characters, are looking for: peace and release, an escape from the real world as they watch their troubles melt away by the water. Grandberry and the Rhode sisters (Alissa Rhode wrote the music) said that the show is very much based on their real-life friendships, and the days Grandberry and Molly (who also star in Girls on Sand) used to enjoy at Door County’s Ephraim Beach, located on the way to and from Peninsula State Park, where Northern Sky produces their summer shows.
“We often stop after the play and hang at the beach in the evening when it’s empty,” Grandberry said. “We sing and we dance and we give gratitude to the sky and the stars, and we reset and leave recharged.”
This new show comes two years after Grandberry and Alissa’s first team-up at Northern Sky, Sunflowered, for which Grandberry worked on the book (alongside Aidaa Peerzada), music, and lyrics. After that successful staging, the company’s first with an all-female cast, the team started on their next project in early 2023. This time, the theatre’s associate artistic director, Molly Rhode, stepped outside of her typical role of guiding new plays by others to help to shape this project herself.
“Lachrisa pushed me to step out of my comfort zone,” Molly said. “I’m very comfortable thinking of myself as an editor for other people’s writing, and she gave me the opportunity to step into that author role.”
Still, Molly called the collaboration “logical,” considering that she’s seen Northern Sky’s family of writers grow and cross-pollinate over the years. Their strong personal links behind the scenes make the show almost metatheatrical, as it explores what it means to have a place to escape and celebrates the friends who can escape with you.
“I feel honored that I get to work with Molly and Alissa, befriend them, be family with them, create with them, and continue to do what we try to do together,” said Grandberry, “which is spread a little joy, find the rainbow in every day, and give that to the world.”
Jerald Raymond Pierce (he/him) is the Chicago editor for American Theatre. jpierce@tcg.org
