The Campbell family are recognizable in these parts: for them, Michigan football is a religion. And when the Wolverines play Ohio State? Forget about it. It’s war.
In Paul Stroili’s 90-minute one-act play My Mother and the Michigan Ohio War, Farmers Alley Theatre’s 19th season opener, football rivalry, sibling rivalry, and a 19th Century border dispute come together at an apex moment in the life of a family headed by a straight-shooting, sharp-tongued, self-denying matriarch who comes clean with her two kids after their father’s death about what it’s cost her to create the family they take for granted.
“When I say I don’t like my children, don’t take it the wrong way,” Izzy says directly to the audience as part of an extended monologue that breaks the fourth wall and at times becomes clever banter with the audience.
Daughter Carey is 12 years past graduation from the University of Michigan and still trying to find herself—in a Captain Morgan bottle of rum and through therapy, which she jocularly references amid revelations about growing up with adopted brother Josh, who is often the butt of jokes for being a Buckeye and having OCD.
They’ve returned to their childhood home decorated with framed images of the Big House, maize and blue barstools, and a stuffed Wolverine named Bobo (excellent props from Cameron Taylor and scenic design by Sam Transleau) to help Izzy pack and downsize after their father’s death. His obsession with the Michigan Ohio War (aka The Toledo War) of 1835-36, “an overblown dispute” between Michigan and Ohio that resulted in Michigan possessing the Upper Peninsula with the Toledo Strip going to Ohio, manifested in a homemade board game through which the children competed mightily, more to win their father’s affection than anything else.
Amid packing boxing, sharing memories, and ribbing each other, the three bring out the old board game and play, which reveals more than laughter and trivia.
Heartfelt comedy is Stroili’s trademark, and My Mother and the Michigan Ohio War underpins the hilarity with just enough depth—about grief, identity, and family—to make the story more than just a good time.
Full of set ups, pay offs, and rapid-fire one liners that are laugh-out-loud funny, it’s a live sit com ideally suited for a Michigan audience, directed by the playwright (last seen on stage in Misery at Farmers Alley) with a terrific cast and perfectly delightful technical elements.
The play made its world premiere last spring at The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, where Stroili is Artist in Residence and also premiered A Jukebox for the Algonquin, which he subsequently directed at Farmers Alley in 2025.
Much like in Jukebox, My Mother and the Michigan Ohio War is shot through with strong characters who come to life through strong performances. Caitlin Cavannaugh reprises the role of Carey, which she originated at The Purple Rose, and her command of the character shows—through impeccable timing, physical gestures, and terrific scene work. Brandon Foxworth is equally funny as Josh, and he relies on facial gestures and mug shots to the audience in addition to terrific physical comedy (his breakout dances are gold) for laughs.
Laura Jordan (who last appeared at Farmers Alley opposite Stroili in Misery) has deadpan delivery as Izzy, the glue who hold everything together, including the family and the show, and relies on terrific improv skills to play with the audience—to keep track of everything offensive she says, for example—as well as the other actors. Together they create what feels like a real family—one that may be familiar for the way they roast—and love—each other, particularly in the face of loss that very well may be a gift.
The biggest gift of all is one the kids create for their parents—and the audience, a musical montage recreation of the Michigan Ohio War that brilliantly riffs on Evita and Hamilton. Lanford J. Potts’ lighting design, Carter Furlong’s sound, and Lori Green’s costumes maximize the profound performance from Cavannaugh and Foxworth, who do justice to Rhiannon Ragland’s original choreography to “Not Giving Away the Strip”.
My Mother and the Michigan Ohio War at Farmers Alley more than anything is a rollicking good time. A comedy with heart, perfect fodder for a Michigan audience at the start of football season. It’s more than laughs, more than rivalry, more than winning or losing. It reminds us through watching one family realize “Great families don’t just happen; they’re built.”
My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War
Farmers Alley Theatre
Sep. 17-Oct. 4
farmersalleytheatre.com
