The Importance of Being Earnest
Adapted by L.E. Clark from Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece (COMEDY)
Oscar Wilde is a master of sophisticated comedy, and The Importance of Being Earnest is his masterpiece. Like all the composers of classics, Wilde injected timeless messages into his plays. Although the play was written near the end of the 19th century, the message is still valid—a person’s name and heritage mean little; it’s what you make of yourself that counts. Oscar Wilde wraps up his message into a delightful package. Two charming young ladies—sophisticated Gwendolen from the city and naive Cecily from the country—are in love with Earnest Worthing. But there is no such person as Earnest Worthing. Gwendolen thinks Jack is Earnest, and Cecily thinks Algy is Earnest. Each girl swears that she could never love a man who wasn’t named Earnest. In the midst of all this confusion comes Lady Bracknell, who doesn’t like the idea of anybody loving anybody. It sounds like a big mess, but Wilde unwinds this knotty affair into one of the favorite comedies of English literature.
Auditions: Sunday, July 11, 2021, and Monday, July 12, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Performances: September 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 at 8:00 p.m.
Matinee: September 12, 19 at 2:30 p.m.
Frankenstein
By Philip Grecian, based on the novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (DRAMA)
Remember the good old days of radio—when people had to use their imaginations—when the mind was a stage? Those days are back—only better! You can SEE as well as HEAR radio programs. Captain Robert Walton and his crew are aboard a ship heading for the North Pole when it becomes frozen in the ice. Waiting for the ice to break up, they see a giant of a man on a dogsled heading north. Later that day another man, near death, is brought close to the ship on an ice floe. Aboard the ship, he regains consciousness and begins to tell Walton his story. Upon graduating from the university, and with the help of his friend Henry Clerval, Victor Frankenstein set out to create life-using corpses stolen from graveyards. During a raging storm, he is successful but, too late, realizes he has created a misshapen, inarticulate horror.
Auditions: Sunday, August 22, 2021 and Monday, August 23, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Performances: October 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 at 8:00 p.m.
Matinee: October 24, 31 at 2:30 p.m.
A Little Women Christmas
By Stephen Joseph Burke, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott (DRAMA)
The story is familiar to nearly every American. The four March daughters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy—continue to live in the hearts of readers, causing smiles and tears, triumph and tragedy as they grow up, fall in love and face life. This classic American tale will touch the heart of every person in your audience.
Auditions: Sunday, October 3, 2021, and Monday, October 4, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
*Modified Performance Schedule*
Performances: November 27, December 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday Matinee: November 27, December 4, 11 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday Matinee: November 28, December 5, 12 at 2:30 p.m.
The Lion in Winter
By James Goldman (DRAMA)
Sibling rivalry, adultery, and dungeons – The Lion in Winter, by James Goldman, is a modern-day classic. Comedic in tone, dramatic in action – the play tells the story of the Plantagenet family, who are locked in a free-for-all of competing ambitions to inherit a kingdom. The queen, and wealthiest woman in the world, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has been kept in prison since raising an army against her husband, King Henry II. Let out only for holidays, the play centers around the inner conflicts of the royal family as they fight over both a kingdom and King Henry’s paramour during the Christmas of 1183. As Eleanor says, “Every family has its ups and downs,” and this royal family is no exception.
Auditions: Sunday, November 14, 2021, and Monday, November 15, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Performances: January 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Matinee: January 23, 30, 2022 at 2:30 p.m.
Wait Until Dark
by Frederick Knott, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher (DRAMA)
Forty-seven years after WAIT UNTIL DARK premiered on Broadway, Jeffrey Hatcher has adapted Frederick Knott’s 1966 original, giving it a new setting. In 1944 Greenwich Village, Susan Hendrix, a blind yet capable woman, is imperiled by strangers in her own apartment. As the climax builds, Susan discovers that her blindness just might be the key to her escape, but she and her tormentors must wait until dark to play out this classic thriller’s chilling conclusion.
Auditions: Sunday, January 2, and Monday, January 3, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
Performances: February 25, 26, March 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Matinee: March 6, 13, 2022 at 2:30 p.m.
Reefer Madness
by Kevin Murphy, Dan Studney (MUSICAL)
Inspired by the original 1936 film of the same name, this raucous musical comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the hysteria caused when clean-cut kids fall prey to marijuana, leading them on a hysterical downward spiral filled with evil jazz music, sex and violence.
You won’t be able to resist the spoofy fun of Reefer Madness. The addictive, clever musical numbers range from big Broadway-style showstoppers to swing tunes like ‘Down at the Ol’ Five and Dime’ and the Vegas-style ‘Listen to Jesus, Jimmy,’ featuring J.C. Himself leading a chorus of showgirl angels. Refeer Madness is a highly stylized and satirical political commentary that will leave you wanting more.
Auditions: Sunday, February 13, and Monday, February 14, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
*Modified Performance Schedule*
Performances: April 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday Matinee: April 16, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday Matinee: April 24, 2022 at 2:30 p.m.
Come Blow Your Horn
by Neil Simon (COMEDY)
“A slick, lively, funny comedy.” – The New York Times
Neil Simon’s first Broadway comedy smash. Alan Baker, a 30-ish swinging bachelor with time, money and women to spare, welcomes rebellious and eager 21-year brother Buddy into his den of iniquity while their horrified parents can only watch and pray. This farcical 60’s romp became a hit movie starring Frank Sinatra.
Auditions: Sunday, March 27, and Monday, March 28, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
Performances: May 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 June 2, 3, 4 at 8:00 p.m.
Matinee: May 29, and June 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Murder on West Moon Street
by Rob Urbinati (COMEDY)
Young Lord Arthur is deliriously happy – just down from Oxford and engaged to be married – when a mysterious palm reader predicts that he will commit a murder. A proper English gentleman, Arthur believes it is his duty to get this killing business over with before he marries. But his education has not provided him with the required skills, and a hilarious series of mishaps ensues as he sets about finding a victim.
Auditions: Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10, 2022
Performances: July 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 at 8:00 p.m.
Matinee: July 10, 17 at 2:30 p.m.
Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg 