‘CRAZY LADIES’ RETURNS TO THE HISTORIC STAR

Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner makes a hilarious comeback as the February mainstage production at the historic Star Theater located in downtown Main Street in Russell Springs, KY. This play marks an impressive season of shows that that have been bringing many back to the old Main Street. For those who remember the building when it was a movie theater, February of this year marks the 60^th birthday of the building that houses the theater. Since re-opening as a community theater in 1994, the Star Theater had mounted hundreds of shows and became one of the best community theaters in the region.

What do you do when you have three geriatric sisters as patients and all they want to do is sit at home and talk to one another all at the same time? You move another person in with them. At least, that's what Doc Lomax does when he has a new nurse needing a place to live—a nurse with a secret, that is. The hard part is convincing the sisters they need a roomer. In no time, however, Nurse Jean has them planning parties, pulling Halloween pranks and wearing jogging suits while they race each other to the corner. But when the nephew shows up with a plan to sell the family house, things seem to get complicated again, especially with Christmas just around the corner. This heartwarming piece is loaded with wisecracks and one-liners that keep the laughter flowing. ‘Crazy Ladies’ is directed by Debbie Bell, who directed this play several years ago.

The crazy ladies of the title are three widowed sisters living together in the family home. Dora Miller is the bossy one, Maggie Brown is getting forgetful and absent-minded, and Lydia Van Horn is the practical one who keeps the household running. Dora is played by Mary Susan Judd, who returns from the original cast. Maggie is played by Lea Turner and Lydia is played by Barbara Harford.

The sisters share closeness and affection, as well as sharp tongues and various outlandish behaviors. Above all, each one loves to talk. When the three of them get going, the dialogue overlaps until they are all chattering at once, very often about different subjects. Dora, Maggie and Lydia can be strong-willed and difficult, each denying that they have any medical problems. This is a trial to Doc Lomax (played by Wendell McGowan, who also returns from the original cast), the local small-town physician, who decides to help them out.

Knowing the sisters will resist any sign of weakness or need of medical help, he introduces them to Jean Mitchell, a nice young single woman who wants to rent a room. Little do they know that Jean is a registered nurse. Jean moves in with the crazy sisters, and the fun begins. Jean is played by newcomer to the Star Dawn Robertson.

Jean seems to fit right in with the non-stop conversations, and adds a sense of new life to the aging sisters. With visits from the local delivery girl Blue (played by Renee Daffron), Jean makes sure the right pills are taken at the right time, and gently keeps the peace when possible. Her boyfriend Calvin (played by Jonathon Gosser) comes for a visit and the sisters try to turn into matchmakers. They celebrate Halloween in a unique way, and two of the sisters even take up jogging.

Then Phillip, Lydia's son (played by John Thompson), arrives with a plan to move the sisters to a retirement facility and sell the family house to be converted to a bed and breakfast. What now? Will the newly revitalized seniors lose their home and their sense of fun? By Christmas, when it seems things can't get any worse, a solution is found to settle everyone's future.

‘Crazy Ladies’ will play the last two weekends of February 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7PM and Sunday shows at 2 PM. All times CST. Tickets for this event will be $7, which will be available at the Box Office, which will open one hour before showtime. Tickets may also be purchased in advance from Grider’s Drug on Main St. For the latest and most up to date information, visit www.startheater.org.

Promotional Trailer for Crazy Ladies

Last Weekend for A Christmas Carol

This weekend will be the last weekend for Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at the Historic Star Theater in Russell Springs, Ky. Click Here for Cast Photo

Scene from a Christmas Carol Click to Enlarge

A Christmas Carol Returns to the Star

I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

Their faithful Friend and Servant, Charles Dickens December, 1843.

The holiday spirit returns to the historic Star Theater this Christmas with Charles Dickens’ immortal classic A Christmas Carol. After a 6 year absence from the stage, the play makes a return like you have never seen it before. Featuring many of the folks that have presented the play in the past, a Christmas Carol is directed by Ginger Smith and features David Smith as the miserly Scrooge.

This is the timeless story of an old, bitter miser—Ebenezer Scrooge—and the chance for his redemption through the visitation of three timely ghosts and a partner from the past who learned his lesson too late. With traditional carols creating the proper atmosphere, the world of Scrooge, Tiny Tim and old England comes alive, igniting the holiday spirit for young and old alike.

The book was first published in December 1843 with illustrations by John Leech, and quickly met with commercial success and critical acclaim. The tale has been viewed as an indictment of nineteenth century industrial capitalism and has been credited with returning the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and somberness. A Christmas Carol remains popular, has never been out of print, and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media.

The tale begins on Christmas Eve seven years after the death of Ebenezer Scrooge's business partner Jacob Marley. That night seven years later, the ghost of Jacob Marley appears before Scrooge and warns him that his soul will be bearing heavy chains for eternity if he does not change his greedy ways, and also predicts that a series of other ghosts will follow. Three Christmas ghosts visit Scrooge during the course of the night, fulfilling Marley's prophecy. The first, the Ghost of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge to the scenes of his boyhood and youth which stir the old skinflint's gentle and tender side. The second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes Scrooge to the home of his nephew Fred and to the humble dwelling of his clerk Bob Cratchit to observe his Christmas dinner. The third spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, harrows Scrooge with dire visions of the future if he does not learn and act upon what he has witnessed. Crippled Tiny Tim does not die as the ghost foretold and Scrooge becomes a different man, treating his fellow men with kindness, generosity, and compassion, and gaining a reputation as a man who embodies the spirit of Christmas

A Christmas Carol will play the first two weekends in December with shows on the 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, and 13. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7PM and Sunday shows begin at 2PM. All times CST. Tickets for A Christmas Carol are $7 per seat. There is a special group rate available for tickets purchased in a group of 10 or more. Tickets are currently on sale at Grider Drug on Main St. in Russell Springs or they may be purchased at the Box Office, which opens one hour before showtime.

The Man Behind the Invisibility

Tickets can be purchased at Grider's Drug on Main St. for $7.

For more information visit www.startheater.org

Russell County Arts Council has invited you to an Upcoming event

Russell County Arts Council has invited you to an event posted on Upcoming!

Event Details: (http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/4410466/?invitation=9810805cf8)

The Invisible Man
Friday October 23, 2009 - Sunday November 1, 2009 (7:00PM - 5:00PM)
The Invisible Man will become visible in an updated 1950's version of the H.G. Wells' classic where a family running a quiet motel confronts a mysterious scientist who has found the secret of becoming invisible. The young boy, Jim, discovers that people are not always what they seem, science and discovery bring us all sorts of ethical questions—and even intelligence and imagination can be dangerous two-edged swords. The play is spooky, thoughtful, and funny. Drive-in movies! Nuclear power plants! Special effects!! INVISIBILITY!!! The Invisible Man is directed by Kyle Hadley, Barb Harford and Todd Wilson and will play October 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 and November 1.

Venue Details:
Star Theater
546 Main Street
Russell Springs, Kentucky 42642

For more details about this event, including maps, comments, and other attendees, visit the event page at http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/4410466/?invitation=9810805cf8