MCT Performances

2004-2005 Season Shows

The Pajama Game

Employees of the Sleeptite Pajama Factory are looking for a whopping seven-and-a-half cent an hour increase and they won't take no for an answer. Babe Williams is their feisty employee representative but she may have found her match in shop superintendent Sid Sorokin. When the two get together they wind up discussing a whole lot more than job actions!

The Good Doctor

Director: Tom Huber
This hit by Neil Simon, one of Broadway's most prolific and talented writers, was inspired by Anton Chekhov's short stories that examine life in 19th century Russia. Simon's tribute to Chekhov resonates with great feeling and warm humor. The main character, The Writer, ties all of the vignettes together by gliding through the production in a series of fascinating guises. This will be a delightful evening of both serious and comic looks at life.

Sponsored by: Tim Harris for State Representative

The Star-Spangled Girl

Director: George Dicken
This fast moving, hilarious comedy deals with two liberal college hippies struggling to put out a "protest" magazine, and the all-American girl who moves in next door and manages to send both of them into a romantic tail spin. One of Neil Simon's funniest plays, the show will star Debbie Collins, Jimmy Campbell, and Danny Losure.

The Pirates of Penzance

Marion Civic Theatre presents a Crying Baby Production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, which spins an hilarious farce of sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen, dim-witted young lovers, dewy-eyed daughters and an eccentric Major-General, all morally bound to the often-ridiculous dictates of honor and duty.

Merry Christmas, George Bailey

Director: Greg Shockey
The scene is set as we enter the studio of a local radio station as the cast prepares to present a live radio version of the Christmas classic. Relive the era when commercials were live and the special effects were creative. The musical harmonies of the 1940's will have you tapping your toes and the comedy will have you laughing until your sides hurt. A great evening of holiday entertainment.

Sponsored by: Marion General Hospital

Dr. Evil Steals Christmas

A fun, seasonal show presented by CSA and MCT.
Tickets: $15. 7:30 PM each night with a 2:00 PM performance on the 19th. No reserves seating. Purchase tickets at the MCT Office.

'Night Mother

Starring and Directed by: Peg Richards
The play is set in a small house shared by Jessie and her mother. Jessie's father is dead; her loveless marriage ended in divorce; her absent son is a petty thief and ne'er-do-well; her last job didn't work out and, in general, her life is stale and unprofitable. This eloquent, enthralling and ultimately shattering play explores the final hour in the life of a young woman who has decided that life is no longer worth living.

I Hate Hamlet

Director: Pat Travis
Andrew Rally seems to have it all: celebrity and acclaim from his starring role in a hit television series; a rich, beautiful girlfriend; a glamorous, devoted agent; the perfect New York apartment; and the chance to play Hamlet in Central Park. There are, however, a couple of glitches in paradise. Andrew’s series has been canceled; his girlfriend resists his advances; and he has no desire to play Hamlet. When Andrew’s agent visits him, she reminisces about her brief romance with John Barrymore many years ago, in Andrew’s apartment. This prompts a seance to summon his ghost. From the moment Barrymore returns, dressed in high Shakespearean garb, Andrew’s life is no longer his own. Barrymore, fortified by champagne and ego, presses Andrew to accept the part and fulfill his actor’s destiny. The action becomes more hilarious with the entrance of Andrew’s deal-making friend from LA, spouting the laid-back hype of the Coast and offering Andrew a fabulous new TV deal worth millions of dollars. The laughs are nonstop as Andrew wrestles with his conscience, Barrymore, his sword, and the fact that he fails as Hamlet in Central Park.

Cast: Jon Blake, Jack Marshall, Jackee Eib, Theresa Leffler, Jeff Brady, Peg Wright

Give 'em Hell Harry

Starring Dave Losure as Harry Truman.
Telling the truth or giving 'em hell... whatever you call it, no President in America's history did it with more courage, flair, and frequency than Harry S. Truman. Farmer, soldier, failed haberdasher, and 33rd President of the United States, this "ordinary man" confronted some of the most critical problems of his time.

Starting Here, Starting Now

Thursday: Music Review Only ($11/ticket)

Friday & Saturday Limited Seating:
Dinner & Performance ($30/ticket; dinner at 6:15 p.m.; open bar)
Performance Only ($11/ticket; 7:30 p.m.)

Director: John Butcher
The excitement of love and the confusions of life (or is it the other way around?) are explored in this intimate revue from one of the most respected teams in the contemporary musical theatre, Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire. From tender ballads to hysterical husband-hunting laments, from wry comments on trendy marriages to ecstatic shouting-from-the-rooftop celebration, Starting Here, Starting Now has an appealing freshness that has made it a perennial favorite throughout the world.

Thursday's performance is at 7:30 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, dinner will be served at 6:15 p.m. followed by the performance at 7:30 p.m. (Limited show-only tickets will be available for the Friday and Saturday performances.)

Dinner buffet catered by Chef Dennis Regan of Sirloin Stockade. Menu: Chicken Osclar (Crab Meat), Beef Wellington, Roasted Garlic Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad, Dessert & Drink. A cash bar will be available from Folkies.

Cast: John Butcher, Kendra Cline, Diana Reese, Tim Tedder, Marsha Vermilion

Sponsored by: Tom Huber

Forever Plaid

Back by popular demand! This music & comedy presentation was a huge hit during our 2003-2004 season and so we're bringing it back for two weekends of encore performances. If you already saw it, you'll want to see it again. If you haven't seen it, don't miss it this time around.

This is the story of four guys from the 1950-60's who love to sing and form a group called Forever Plaid. On their way to pick up their tuxedos for their "big gig" at a Airport Hilton cocktail bar, they are instantly killed in an accident. It is at this moment, when their careers and lives ended, that the story of Forever Plaid begins. The power of strange cosmic forces allow them to return and perform the show they never got to do in life... and you can be there to see it!

Starring: Jon Blake, Jimmy Campbell, Josh Matchette, Jason Prater

The Diary of Anne Frank

Director: Kathy Boxell
The moving story of the struggles of a young girl and her family as they attempt to hide from Nazis in a concealed storage attic. This story captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence -- their fear, hope, laughter, and grief. Anne confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit and determination. Story adapted from Anne Frank's diary.