The Barley Sheaf Players announce 2016-17 season
08/09/2016 10:52AM ● By J. ChamblessBy Doug Schultz
The Barley Sheaf Players in Lionville invite you to set sail with them on their 2016-2017 season, opening on Sept. 9 with the Noel Coward comedy, "Hay Fever." Combining the best of a British comedy of manners with a roaring farce, "Hay Fever" brings together the four members of the Bliss family. Judith, the matriarch, is a retired London stage actress with a flair for the overdramatic. Her husband, David, is a self-absorbed novelist. Their son, Simon, is a would-be artist who probably shouldn’t be, and their daughter, Sorel, is a spoiled and moody debutante. When each member of the family invites a guest to stay with them for the weekend, they discover that a weekend in the idyllic English countryside can be anything but blissful. Add in one surly servant, and watch the sparks (and laughs) fly.
In October – just in time for
Halloween – comes "Wait Until Dark," a suspenseful tale of
three con men who try to coerce a blind woman into handing over a
mysterious doll. With the help of her young upstairs neighbor, Susy
begins to question what she knows to be true, but will she figure out
the rouse before the stunning conclusion? This 1960s era thriller
will have you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the end.
In December, director Rhonda Bastarache
will present "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" – a holiday
tradition at Barley Sheaf. In this unusual take on the Christmas
story, a family full of misfits decides to join the town’s annual
Christmas pageant, but not all of the townspeople are happy to see
them. Acceptance and understanding are demonstrated in this
heartwarming holiday tale, and in the end, the unexpected happens: a
touching moment where the true meaning of Christmas is discovered.
In March, as the snow melts and spring
rolls around, the Barley Sheaf Players will present "The Drowsy
Chaperone," a large musical with lots of heart, and tons of
laughs. Step inside the apartment of a Broadway enthusiast, who
shares with the audience the recording of one of his favorite classic
musicals. As the record spins, his vision of the show begins to come
to life in his own home, and we the audience are treated to
delightful songs, amazing tap dancing, and several spit-takes as "The
Drowsy Chaperone" transports us to a world where there’s always
a song in our heart, even when we’re feeling blue.
In April, audiences will be treated to the hilarious comedy, "Arsenic
and Old Lace." In this darkly comic tale, Mortimer Brewster is
excited to announce his engagement to Elaine to his aunts, Martha and
Abby. His excitement soon turns to panic when he discovers a dead
body in the window box seat of Martha and Abby's home. He fears his
sick brother, Teddy, committed the murder but when he investigates
further he reaches a shocking and unexpected conclusion. When
Mortimer’s other brother Jonathan arrives at the home, chaos breaks
loose, lights flicker and the police arrive to arrest the criminals.
Come enjoy this classic tale of murder and mayhem.
Finally, in June, the Barley Sheaf Players’ season will conclude with "Peter and the Starcatcher," an adult prequel to the beloved story of Peter Pan. As the story begins, a young orphan is being shipped off to a distant island to be a slave to an evil king. When he is discovered by a young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training whose mission is to protect a mysterious trunk full of "starstuff," they embark on a fantastic and magical adventure to save the trunk from pirates, including the fearsome (and flamboyant) Black Stache. This heartwarming and hilarious script tells the story of how this once-nameless orphan learned to fly above the grownups that treated him so poorly and became the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up.
Individual tickets for these shows, as well as discounted season subscription packages, are available now at www.barleysheaf.org. Tickets may also be reserved by calling the box office at 610-363-7075.