PHIL IN THE BLANK: Not lost in Pontiac

I’ve spent some time in downtown Pontiac and gotten to know the city to our south a little bit, enough to get around without getting lost at least.
I’ve lived in Michigan for the past 25 years, but up in Flint. Everything south of Clarkston seems like one confusing mass of urban sprawl to me. GPS will get me to Novi when I head over there for Michigan Comic Con, but never in a way where I actually know where I’m going.
All the communities down there are fine; I’m just bad at direction.
I was down in Pontiac a couple weeks ago to check out the new Erebus Escape Room. They were inviting media types to check it out and I took them up on it, signing up for their “Body of Evidence” room.
Finding myself digging through a mannequin’s small intestines looking for a key, I decided their special effects are excellent and the puzzles suitably challenging. We solved it, but not without a bit of help.
I’m also in downtown Pontiac quite a bit rehearsing for Pontiac Theatre IV’s production of “A Time to Kill.”
Most of the cast and crew are members or have acted in Clarkston Village Players productions, and I, a member of CVP, was recruited to play the court deputy. I mostly swear in the witnesses and experts during the trial. I also get to read the verdict.
The show will be in Pontiac’s Little Art Theatre downtown across from the McLaren Oakland building, a cool place with a lot of history.
We’re in the last week of rehearsals, with opening night on Friday at 8 p.m. Four shows only, July 12-13 and 19-20, all at 8. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students.
The show overlaps a bit with Clarkston Village Players Youth Theatre’s production of “Spamalot,” but I’ll be able to go to their members night performance on July 17, which will be clear because rehearsals will be done with in Pontiac.
I was introduced to Monty Python as a boy younger than their youngest thespian. I based the accent I used in the May CVP show “Out of Order” on those guys. So I’m looking forward to seeing their take on it.
The Youth Theatre show runs July 19-21 and 25-27.

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