Old Lyric Repertory Company announces summer season

 The Old Lyric Repertory Company — the long-running summer theatrical production program at Utah State University — returns with a season of four stage productions at the historic Caine Lyric Theatre in downtown Logan. The summer 2009 season opens June 11 and runs through Aug. 1.
                Playing in the company’s tradition of repertory, this year’s four productions include time-honored favorites and a recent award-nominee. This season’s productions include “The Foreigner,” “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “Ghosts of Ocean House.”
                Tickets for OLRC productions are available by calling the Caine School of the Arts Box Office at USU, (435) 797-8022, or the Caine Lyric Theatre Box Office, (435) 752-1500. Tickets are available online (boxoffice.usu.edu) or in person. Individual tickets range from $19-$25. Additional ticket information is available online at csa.usu.edu.
                When assembling a season, the OLRC producer looks for a balance with four types of shows, including comedy, musical, classic and mystery.
                “We are very excited about this season’s shows,” said artistic director Colin Johnson. “Each show was carefully chosen to represent the best offering for high quality entertainment.”
                Joy and laughter have been the consistent response to “The Foreigner” since it was voted Best New American Play by the Outer Critics Circle more than 20 years ago, Johnson said. The family-friendly “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” has entertained three generations since its release more than 35 years ago. The musical captures a day in the life of Charlie Brown.
                Many theater patrons are familiar with the classic “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde, and this year’s mystery, “Ghosts of Ocean House,” is an Edgar Award nominee. The play deftly combines the elements of both a thriller and a ghost story, Johnson said. The Edgar Award is presented in several categories, including play, and is presented by the Mystery Writers of America. It is considered the most prestigious award in the genre.
                The Old Lyric Repertory Company is a production program based in the Theatre Arts Department in the Caine School of the Arts and the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at USU. For more information on the OLRC’s 2009 season, visit the Web site (http://csa.usu.edu).
                Below are short descriptions of this season’s productions.
                “The Foreigner” by Larry Shue, directed by Adrianne Moore. Euphoric joy and laughter have been the consistent response to this comedy since it was voted the Best New American Play by the Outer Critics Circle more than 20 years ago. Its simple premise has Charlie, a jilted husband, hiding out in a Georgia inn, pretending to have no knowledge of the English language. Soon, he knows everyone’s secrets, and when a mentally challenged resident with good intentions attempts to “teach” him English, the results are sidesplitting hilarity.
 
                “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” by Clark M. Gessner, based on the characters of Charles Schultz, directed by Kris Bushman. The musical that has entertained three generations needs no introduction. Join the kite-crashing romp with Charlie Brown and his friends Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Snoopy and Charlie’s sister, Sally, in this revised version of their madcap, angst-ridden childhood. This is entertainment for the whole family.
 
                “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde, directed by Lynda Linford. This perennial favorite of the British stage, dubbed “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People” by the author himself, has not been performed on the summer stage at the OLRC for more than 20 seasons. This time, the production employs the quirky and farcical tradition of casting one of the most famous characters of the English stage, Lady Bracknell, with a man.
 
                “Ghosts of Ocean House” by Michael Kimball, directed by Colin Johnson. Everybody has ghosts. You just never know when they’ll find you. Nominated for a 2007 Edgar Award as the best mystery of the year, this finely-crafted work deftly combines the elements of both a thriller and a ghost story. As two sisters and a brother meet one summer for a family pow-wow to decide the fate of their decaying ancestral home, the house itself becomes a character in the drama, offering up a few surprises of its own to mingle with the dark past of one of its occupants.