Curtain Times

Thursdays & Fridays
8:30 P.M.

Saturdays
3 P.M. & 8:30 P.M.

Sundays
2 P.M. & 7:30 P.M.

In Elena Hartwell’s story, time is like a bee flitting from flower to flower, here, over there, then, back here again. What unfolds is a delightful tale about holding loyalty tightly to the bosom and making as much sweetness as you can no matter the odds, the disappointments or shifts of fortune.

Lissa is an orphan. Her no nonsense surrogate mother is a beekeeper. Her self assured surrogate father left his thriving rural bakery shop to his long time partner, the beekeeper, who in turn passed the bakery along to the sensuous, young Lissa. Lissa’s passion is focused on the strong presence of a successful young farmer.

Lissa’s life becomes discombobulated when her surrogate father’s long lost, never seen, attractive and successful son suddenly enters the bakery shop. Her passions divide and the unexplained disappearance of bees threatens the sweet atmosphere. The feathers
of loyalty are ruffled.

Have no fear, however. Human decency finally wins the day.

In Romulus Linney’s powerful adaptation of Ernest J. Gaines prize-winning novel, a young man, Jefferson, is about to be executed for a murder he probably didn’t commit. At the trial his lawyer, trying to save his life, called him no more a human being than a hog. In prison, he acts like one, insisting he will be dragged like that hog to his death in the electric chair. His Godmother asks a schoolteacher to teach him to die like a man. The teacher faces both Jefferson and himself as execution day arrives. In 1948 Louisiana, the question is not whether or not young Jefferson will be executed, but how he will face his fate.

Ernest J. Gaines’ celebrated novel makes an engrossing, moving and finally devastating play for the stage.

William Missouri Downs’ timely and disconcertingly dark comedy is about political correctness, racial and ethnic profiling and cultural confrontation.

As a joke a student at the radio station of a small liberal arts college informs all Muslim students they must wear identification markers. In the resulting backlash, two progressive professors set out to create a more “Islam-friendly” campus atmosphere.

When an invited Somali poet arrives the professors go out of their way to make her comfortable, but soon their desire for toleration is called into question. The Somali poet turns out to be a formidable cultural and religious challenge. The confrontation ends with a shocking conclusion.

The title of Ms. Lepcio’s play takes its name from an old joke about the child shown a pile of horse manure who happily starts digging because “there’s got to be a pony here somewhere.” In this case, the situation in which you have to dig deep to find a bright side is a battle with cancer.

When Lauren receives the diagnosis, she turns to her step sister, Eloisa, for support. That way, she theorizes, she can keep life with her husband and their children relatively normal.

When you are in the audience at a play about breast cancer, you don’t expect to laugh a lot. Or enjoy the sweet taste of victory. But in “Pony” spontaneous applause is apt to be frequent. These are nice and brave people.