Just in time for deer season, the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea is reviving “Escanaba in da Moonlight,” Jeff Daniels’ popular comedy about buck hunting in the Upper Peninsula.

The production, which kicks off the 2011/12 season, will run Sept. 22-Dec. 17. Guy Sanville, the theater’s artistic director and by chance an Escanaba native, will direct the show, as he did in 1995 and 1997.

“We haven’t done it here for 14 years,” Sanville said of the revival. “It brings a lot of people into the theater who don’t usually go to the theater. A lot of those people come back. … The movie’s been out since the last time we did it; there are a lot of people who have seen the movie but haven’t seen the play, so we’re excited to do it again.”

The story remains the same. As the Soady clan of Escanaba gathers at the family deer camp, Reuben Soady is still hoping to get his shot and shed the shameful mantle of "the buckless yooper.” But as opening day of deer season approaches, a series of weird occurrences and crazy locals seem to prevent him from reaching his goal. The question is, will Reuben bag his buck or go down in family history as a failure?

Jim Porterfield (Albert Soady) and Wayne David Parker (Jimmer Negamanee) return to the roles they created. Michael Brian Ogden plays the part of hapless Reuben.

The play premiered at the Purple Rose in 1995, and was subsequently produced in 1997. The fifth play in Daniels' playwriting career, “Moonlight” spawned a feature film version in 2001 shot on location in its namesake town. The play has also become part of an Escanaba trilogy—Daniels has also written the prequels “Escanaba in Love,” and “Escanaba.”

“A lot of the stuff seems pretty weird,” Sanville said of the play’s contents, which include evil spirits, otherworldly phenomenon, native remedies and some extreme flatulence, “but if you spend enough time in the U.P. you will eventually see something you can’t explain. (It’s) a very ancient, gnarly place in the best sense of the word. It’s like going back in time 40 years, it really is, especially around deer season. Schools close opening day; it’s as big as Christmas.”

Sanville said playwright Daniels, who is currently occupied with several projects, has been mostly hands-off when it comes to this production.

“He’s been busy with concerts, he shot a pilot for HBO written by Aaron Sorkin, he’s doing a movie directed by Neil LaBute—he’s got a lot going on right now. He’s working with some of us a little bit—that’s about it.”

Not the play needs any tinkering; it’s a classic just the way it is, Sanville said.

“We did it first in ‘95, and did it again in ‘97 when Jeff did a pretty big rewrite. I think the script got a lot better, and then we did the movie and the movie was a little different than the play. Then the published script was more a reflection of the movie. We’re going to be doing the ‘97 version of the script, which I think is the best one. So even people who have seen the movie will see a few cool things that weren’t in the movie.”

The show, Sanville added, has taken on some of the trappings of a cult classic.

“Millions of people have seen the movie, a lot of people have made it a part of their holiday ritual,” he said. “They will have their dinner and they’ll sit around after the football game and watch ‘Escanaba in da Moonlight.’ There’s a Jimmer Negamanee fan club on the west side of the state with about 500 people in it. I got a note from a woman in Missouri and they have a huge ‘Escanaba in da Moonlight’ party every year—200 people went last year and they all dress up like the characters. It’s been quite a phenomenon.”

Purple Rose rehearsal video: