All great recipes have a variety of ingredients which range from the sweet to the savory and that’s exactly what makes the menu for the 16^th season at the Historic Star Theater so delicious. Lots of entertainment can be found for the whole family in this exciting lineup that features the return of several Star Theater favorites and some thrilling new plays that you won’t want to miss. This year, in order to offer smaller special events throughout the season, the specific dates for shows will not be released until approximately nine weeks prior to the performance. 

Star season 16 opened with the 15^th Anniversary Variety Show which will be a celebration that involves many of the Star Theater performers and directors. The show is truly a variety show and featured  dance from the Dance Shoppe, music from a score of local performers from the Dream Depot and surrounding counties and a return of several of the Carol Burnett skits under the direction of Debbie Bell. And that’s just for starters. There a number of ‘surprises’ that you will only see if you come to the show. This event will take place on July 18 and 19. The Saturday show will begin at 7PM and the Sunday show at 2 PM. Tickets are $7 per seat and will be available only at the Star Box Office, which will open one hour prior to showtime. 

The first Saturday in August, Caleb Brown made an appearance as Elvis on the Star’s stage. Caleb began his career as an Elvis tribute artist in 2002. Today, Caleb is still performing and helps keep the magic of Elvis alive. Caleb, who is a resident of Columbia, has preformed at many places including Gun Town Mountain, Branson in Missouri, Nashville and at the Dale Hollow State Park. Caleb specializes in 70’s era Elvis, but his act also includes 50’s and Elvis gospel. This one night event was held on  August 1 at 7 PM CST. Over 100 people atteneded. To find out more about Caleb and his show, you may visit him on the web at www.calebbrowntcb.com. 

The second weekend in August will saw a return of the Dance Shoppe in All You Need is Love, which features many of the Beatle’s songs from their recital, which was recently preformed at the Center for Rural Development. All You Need is Love is directed by Marti Sallee and will play August 8 and 9. The Saturday show will begin at 7PM and the Sunday show at 2 PM. Tickets for this event will be $7 and the proceeds will be donated to The Home of the Innocents, a Louisville based charity.

 A special one-night event entitled Saturday Night at the Star is currently under development. This will be a sketch comedy program in the style of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and has been moved to Janurary due to scheduling confllicts. More information on this production will be made available in the weeks to come. 

In October, The Invisible Man will become visible in an updated 1950’s version of the H.G. Wells’ classic where a family running a quiet motel confronts a mysterious scientist who has found the secret of becoming invisible. The young boy, Jim, discovers that people are not always what they seem, science and discovery bring us all sorts of ethical questions—and even intelligence and imagination can be dangerous two-edged swords. The play is spooky, thoughtful, and funny. Drive-in movies! Nuclear power plants! Special effects!! INVISIBILITY!!!  The Invisible Man is directed by Kyle Hadley, Barb Harford and Todd Wilson and will play October 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 and November 1. 

The Star will visited by ghosts this December in a return of the classic production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This is the timeless story of an old, bitter miser—Ebenezer Scrooge—and the chance for his redemption through the visitation of three timely ghosts and a partner from the past who learned his lesson too late. With traditional carols creating the proper atmosphere, the world of Scrooge, Tiny Tim and old England comes alive, igniting the holiday spirit for young and old alike. A Christmas Carol is directed by Ginger Smith and will star David Smith who has portrayed Scrooge in past productions. 

Hilarity returns in February with Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner. What do you do when you have three geriatric sisters as patients and all they want to do is sit at home and talk to one another all at the same time? You move another person in with them. At least, that's what Doc Lomax does when he has a new nurse needing a place to live—a nurse with a secret, that is. The hard part is convincing the sisters they need a roomer. In no time, however, Nurse Jean has them planning parties, pulling Halloween pranks and wearing jogging suits while they race each other to the corner. But when the nephew shows up with a plan to sell the family house, things seem to get complicated again, especially with Christmas just around the corner. This heartwarming piece is loaded with wisecracks and one-liners that keep the laughter flowing. ‘Crazy Ladies’ is directed by Debbie Bell, who directed this play several years ago.

April will bring about a main stage production written by longtime Star writer/director/actor Gary L. McGowan. An angel has fallen, a King has been born and the battle of good and evil has begun. Follow the life of Jesus Christ from his birth to his resurrection. Follow as he heals the sick, raises the dead, makes the blind see, and the deaf hear. The story of Jesus Christ is based on the King James Version of the Bible. This play with a large cast will recreate the wonderful life and works of Jesus Christ. Join The Star Theater and enjoy the play and be amazed by the special effects and up-lifting music as the most wonderful story of all time is told with Jesus Christ, The Miracle.

In June, the scene will be a fishing lodge in rural Georgia in ‘The Foreigner’. It is often visited by "Froggy" LeSeuer, a British demolition expert who occasionally runs training sessions at a nearby army base. This time "Froggy" has brought along a friend, a pathologically shy young man named Charlie who is overcome with fear at the thought of making conversation with strangers. So "Froggy," before departing, tells all assembled that Charlie is from an exotic foreign country and speaks no English. Once alone the fun really begins, as Charlie overhears more than he should—the evil plans of a sinister, two-faced minister and his redneck associate; the fact that the minister's pretty fiancée is pregnant; and many other damaging revelations made with the thought that Charlie doesn't understand a word being said. That he does fuels the nonstop hilarity of the play and sets up the wildly funny climax in which things go uproariously awry for the "bad guys," and the "good guys" emerge triumphant. This show will be directed by Todd Wilson.

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