A Christmas Carol—in repertory with
The Christmas Carol Conspiracy: Scrooge’s Revenge

Dec. 4—20, 2009: On alternating nights, we present two shows: First, a faithful rendition of Charles Dickens’ immortal heart-touching tale of Scrooge, adapted by Joe and Cheryl Doyle. No gaudy special effects; the magic is in the script. Second, Joe Doyle’s silly 1996 send-up of the original — lampooning that it was all a trick in the first place. Scrooge learns he’d been duped and plots revenge! Sparks fly, laughs abound! Season ticket holders see both shows for the price of one! Directed by JOE DOYLE.

And in 2010, we present …

On Borrowed Time
Jan. 15—31, 2010: Paul Osborn’s stage adaptation of the L.E. Watkins novel. An old man traps death itself up a tree and refuses to let it down. While up there, no one dies. This disturbance of the natural order makes for a thoughtful and heart-warming fantasy.

The Play’s the Thing
Feb. 26—March 14, 2010: P.G. Wodehouse adapted Ferenc Molnar’s comic farce. A playwright and his collaborator bring a young composer in love with the leading lady of an upcoming musical to a weekend retreat. The trio overhear the leading lady having a dalliance with another man. The jilted composer vows to kill the production. Overnight, the playwright invents a new story line to save the show by convincing the playwright what they overheard was not an actual romantic overture, but a rehearsal of new dialogue for their play. This witty romp has it all.

A Moon for the Misbegotten
April 16—May 2, 2010: Eugene O’Neill’s masterwork. In 1920s Connecticut, sly Irishman Phil Hogan and his daughter, Josie, live on a farm owned by poetic lost soul James Tyrone Jr., who loves to visit the farm to drink with the old man and flirt with the daughter. When an enemy tries to buy the farm out from under them, Hogan and his daughter scheme to trick Tyrone into bedding Josie, catching him in the act and forcing a marriage. On a moonlit night the seduction begins. By dawn the pretending gives way to much more as sorrows are revealed, passions are exposed and souls are cleansed. Directed by CHERYL DOYLE.

Much Ado About Nothing
May 21—June 6, 2010: Shakespeare’s timeless comedy. Young lovers Hero and Claudio are to be wed in one week. For a lark, they conspire with Don Pedro to set a "lover's trap" for arrogant confirmed bachelor Benedick and his favorite sparring partner, Beatrice . Meanwhile, the evil Don Jon conspires to break up the wedding by accusing Hero of infidelity, which leads to denunciation, tears, and a faked death. In the end, though, it all turns out to be "much ado about nothing." Amidst the two love stories, the members of the local constabulary provide some hilarious slapstick.

Into the Woods
July 9—25, 2010: James Lapine wrote the book and the incomparable Stephen Sondheim the words and music for this fractured fairytale — the story of a childless baker and his wife, who attempt to reverse a curse in order to have a child. Act I ends with all ready to live “happily ever after.” Then Act II — and reality — strikes. The lively irreverent fantasy becomes a moving lesson about community responsibility and the tales we tell our children. Directed by CHERYL DOYLE.