Photo Flash: Hershey Area Playhouse Announces Upcoming Dark Night Series Production

Hershey Area Playhouse is proud to announce the second of its 2017 Dark Night Series productions, The Cemetery Club, a funny, poignant, and supremely human story of friendship, love, fidelity, and living on after loss.

Written by Ivan Menchell and directed by Cory Wilkerson, The Cemetery Club is about three Jewish widows - sweet tempered and nurturing Ida, feisty and fun Lucille, and conservative and fiercely loyal Doris. The widows meet once a month for tea and to pay their respects to their dead husbands by dutifully visiting their graves. Sparks fly when eligible bachelor Sam, the butcher, enters the scene. He meets the widows while visiting his wife's grave, and a budding romance seems in the cards; but then again, maybe not.

"This bittersweet story looks at mature romance and moving forward after losing a beloved spouse through the lens of a long-standing friendship between three inseparable women," said Wilkerson.

The Cemetery Club stars three of central Pennsylvania's most accomplished actresses, Terri Mastrobuono, Lisa Lutton Weitzman, and Linden Stern, who have branded themselves "The Crones." The mission of "The Crones" is to find and perform theater pieces that celebrate the joys, challenges, and unique experiences of "growing vintage."

There is a movement in theatre that has been developing over the past few years," said Wilkerson. "It is a growing trend around our nation to recognize an often ignored talent pool by finding roles for mature actors telling stories which reflect the full human experience. This group is the first in central Pennsylvania to actively pursue such ground-breaking work."

Take a look at photos from the show below!

The Cemetery Club runs March 3-5, 2017, at The Playhouse, located at the corner of Sand Hill Road and Cherry Drive; Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday performance begins at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available via The Playhouse's website, www.HersheyAreaPlayhouse.com or by calling The Playhouse's box office at 717-533-8525.

The Playhouse adopted the term "Dark Night," a term used by theatres when there is not a performance scheduled, a few years ago as part of a vision to incorporate a wider variety of entertainment to complement its five mainstage shows. The Playhouse relaunched its Dark Night Series in 2016, bringing additional entertainment options, including different, edgier content shows to its mainstage. Several Dark Night productions are already scheduled for 2017 to include musical acts, as well as original works, comedy acts, and special events.

Photo credit: Cory Wilkerson

Terri Mastrobuono, John Mallonee, Lisa Lutton Weitzman, and Linde Stern
Terri Mastrobuono, Linde Stern, Lisa Lutton Weitzman, and John Mallonee
Terri Mastrobuono, Linde Stern, Lisa Lutton Weitzman, and John Mallonee
Lisa Lutton Weitzman and John Mallonee
Linde Stern and Terri Mastrobuono