THE ART OF DINING by Tina Howe May 3-5, 10-13, 17-19

A newly opened gourmet restaurant has garnered rave reviews, and now if only Chef Ellen could keep her manager/husband from compulsively snacking on ingredients for the evening meal! We are invited to eavesdrop on a dining room full of eccentric characters in this comedy that has been called "a spicy compote of social satire, slapstick zaniness, and sight gags…" Food Network fans will be in heaven!

BUNNY BUNNY by Alan Zweibel May 24-26, May 31-June 3, and 7-9

"Here’s how I remember it. I was hiding behind a potted plant and this girl asked if I could help her be Julie Andrews’ parakeet, and I’ve been smitten with Gilda ever since." This affectionate comedy introduces us to two best friends, one a sketch writer for Saturday Night Live and, the other, a marvelous comedienne named Gilda Radner. Adult language advisory.

THE BOYS NEXT DOOR by Tom Griffin June 14-16, 21-24, 28-30

We are eager to introduce our audiences to the great humor and grace found in this hit comedy. It is the story of four unique men who share an apartment—a golf pro, a donut king, an exterminator and an expert on Russia. They are also developmentally disabled adults who face the universal complexities of everyday life. Poignant, rewarding and often very, very funny.

OVER THE TAVERN by Tom Dudzick July 5-7, 12-15, 19-21

1959: The era of Elvis Presley, The Honeymooners and hula hoops. In an apartment over their bar and grill, Chet and Ellen Pazinski are raising four children including young Rudy who struggles with impure thoughts, the Chief Spiritual Works of Mercy and the wrath of ruler-cracking, no-nonsense Sister Clarissa. "A heart as big as its belly laughes." Bound to be a sell-out!

CHARLEY’S AUNT by Brandon Thomas July 26-28, August 2-5, 9-11

This may be the darling of all farces, energetic and silly in its story of romance, virtue and good-natured mischief. At Oxford College in the late 1800's, Charley and Jack need a proper chaperone for their visit with the young ladies who have won their hearts. Will Lord Fancourt Babberly’s frumpy impersonation of Charley’s wealthy aunt from Brazil, "where the nuts come from," do the trick? Bring the whole family!

APARTMENT 3A by Jeff Daniels August 16-18, 23-26, 30-September 1

Annie Wilson is having a bad day. After catching the love of her life in an "acrobatic act of infidelity" she has suffered a particularly hilarious on-air breakdown during a Sesame Street pledge break. Will she open her heart to the good-guy co-worker who adores her, or will she fall for the mysterious and dashing neighbor in 3B? This is a genuine romantic comedy for adults, filled with hope, miraculous twists and surprises. Some material may not be appropriate for children.

ANCESTRAL VOICES by A. R. Gurney September 6-8, 13-15, 20-22

Set in Buffalo, NY between 1935 and 1942, this is twelve-year-old Eddie’s story of his mother, father, grandmother and grandfather. "As elegantly faceted as a marquise diamond," this reader’s theatre piece is performed in the style of Gurney’s own popular Love Letters. The play has been reviewed as "genteel and gently comic…a nuanced reminiscence full of time and change and loss and suffering—as well as joy."

ALMOST, MAINE by John Cariani September 27-29, October 4-6, 11-13

On a mid-winter night under the Northern Lights residents of Almost, Maine are falling in and out of love at a startling rate. One critic wrote, "A charmer. Unexpected magic lingers in the air like someone’s breath on a cold winter’s night. John Cariani aims for the heart by way of the funny bone." An area premiere..

AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare October 18-20, 25-27, November 1-3

Love poems that seem to grow on trees. Rivals and lovers banished to the enchanted Forest of Arden. Rosalind, one of the Bard’s most appealing heroines. Touchstone, a fool with wit and intellect. "All the world’s a stage" in one of Shakespeare’s most light-hearted comedies.

ESCANABA IN DA MOONLIGHT by Jeff Daniels November 8-10, 15-17, 23 and 24

A hilarious tall tale. At the opening of the play, Mr. Soady tells us, "Yer gonna walk out o’ here sayin, ‘I didn’t believe a word dat ol’ yooper said.’ " Terrific laughs as the Soady clan reunite for the opening of deer season—and Rueben Soady battles his embarrassing reputation as the oldest Soady in the history of Soadys never to bag a buck. We’ve got to admit—women will laugh as hard as the men at this boisterous comedy.

A TUNA CHRISTMAS by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears & Ed Howard November 29-Dec. 1, 6-8, 13-1

It’s back!! It is. It is. A silly, irreverent, sidesplitting barrel of redneck monkeys! In this belly-laughing sequel to Greater Tuna, radio personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on the Yuletide activities of the good folks of Tuna, Texas. We can’t think of a better way to spend your holiday season than celebrating with Aunt Pearl, Petey Fisk, Vera Carp, Didi Snavely, Stanley Bumiller and those cowboy-loving Tastee Kreme waitresses, Inita Goodwin and Helen Bedd. Not to be missed. Not to be missed. Not to be missed.

	Photos by James Orr, chestnuteast.com