Harlequins gears up for 98th season

SANDUSKY — Harlequins Coach House Theatre — now in its 98th year, it's regarded as Ohio's oldest continuously operating community theater — is kicking off a new season of laughs. First up in its lineup of productions will be "Nunsense," a rollicking musical featuring the Little Sisters of Hoboken. A theater statement provides a synopsis: The nuns discover their cook, Sister Julia, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show. Here you meet Rev. Mother Regina, a former circus performer; Sister Mary Hubert, the mistress of novices; a streetwise nun from Brooklyn named Sister Robert Ann; Sister Mary Leo, a novice and wannabe ballerina; and the delightfully wacky Sister Mary Amnesia, the nun who lost her memory when a crucifix fell on her head. Written by Dan Groggin and directed by Curtis Brown, this theater experience might just help you believe in the hereafter. Want to go? The show opens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17 Additional shows are scheduled for: • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25 • 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19 and Oct. 26 Tickets are available at the door or by phone at 419-504-1528 and are just $30 per person. They can be purchased ahead of time online through harlequinstheatre.com for just $25. All shows take place at the theater, 414 Wayne St., Sandusky. Looking ahead Among other shows planned for Harlequins' 98th season include: • Dec. 12-14 — "A Christmas Cabaret" • Select days from Feb. 20 to March 1 — "Theatre People, or the Angel Next Door" • Select days from April 24 to May 3 — "Over the River and Through the Woods" People can purchase tickets and/or learn more by visiting harlequinstheatre.com.