The Washington Street Theatre

The 2007-08 Season

Individual shows can be purchased at $7 per ticket except A Christmas Carol which is $9.00

All shows are Thurs., Fri., Sat. at 7:30 PM and Sun. at 2:30 PM at the Washington Street Theatre, except for A Christmas Carol which will be presented at the Olean High School Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, December 7 & 8 at 7:30PM

Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward

October 25-28

The smash comedy hit of the London and Broadway stages. The ingenious plot tells how novelist Charles Condomine invites into his placid country home an eccentric, breezy lady medium in order to learn the language of the occult. Little does Charles or his lovely second wife, Ruth, dream that the seance staged by the medium will summon back Charles' first wife, now "passed over" for seven years. But the lady from beyond, still handsome, still mischievous, appears and torments Charles by reminding him of their days and nights together. Only Charles can see or hear her. A floating vase, handed to her out of thin air, finally convinces Ruth that Charles is not losing his mind, that his first wife is indeed in the room. The first wife has a ghostly plot in mind: if she can get Charles into an automobile accident and make a ghost of him, life in the spirit world will have more appeal for her. Mistakes occur, however, and it is Ruth who takes the fatal automobile ride and passes on only to return with the first wife to plague the utterly bewildered astral bigamist! How Charles manages to extricate himself from these two very blithe spirits makes an hilarious conclusion to this very unusual farce. Hilariously funny, brilliant, clever and about as cockeyed as a play can be.

A Christmas Carol

December 7 & 8

Book by Christopher Bedloe; Adaptation and Lyrics by James Wood; Music by Malcolm Shapcott; From the Novel by Charles Dickens

Pretty, singable music, witty lyrics and plenty of scope for dancing and colorful staging make this musical version of a well loved story a real piece of Christmas cheer. Tremble with Scrooge at the sight of Marley's ghost and rejoice with him when he sees the errors of his ways, feel sorry for Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, and take comfort from the good spirits of Christmas who make everything right in the end.

The Lion in Winter by James Goldman

March 27 - 30   Please note change in Dates!

King Henry II of England has three sons by Eleanor of Aquitaine: Richard, Geoffrey, and John. He wants the kingdom to stay united after his death, but all three sons want to rule and the kingdom is likely to be torn apart by revolution. Henry favors the youngest son while Eleanor favors the eldest. The middle son hopes to play both ends against each other and come out on top. Henry would like to have another heir by his mistress, but that would only add to the contenders. Uneasy is the head on which the crown lies, and uneasy the truce between a matchless king and queen. This mundane history is glorified in language that is brilliant in its ability to characterize, its rhetorical impact, its actability, and its generative power. Few since Shakespeare have had such a marvelous gift for truly comic repartee.

I Remember Mama by John van Druten

May 15-18

Shows how Mama, with the help of her husband and Uncle Chris, brings up the children in their modest San Francisco home during the early years of the century. Mama, a sweet and capable manager, sees her children through childhood, manages to educate them and to see one of her daughters begin her career as a writer. Mama's sisters and uncle furnish a rich background for a great deal of comedy and a little incidental tragedy, while the doings of the children manage to keep everyone in pleasant turmoil.

September 2007 Olean Theatre Workshop