Tickets on sale for OSP’s ‘Farce of Habit’

VW independent/submitted information

Off Stage Productions is opening reservations starting today to members and this Wednesday, October 3, to the general public for its next dinner theatre show: Farce of Habit, a two-act comical farce written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten.

Performances will again be held at Vantage Career Center, 818 N. Franklin St. in Van Wert. Show dates are October 19-21, and 26-28. Saturday and Sunday performances will be dinner theatre shows. For Saturday performances, doors will open at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7, and the show at 8 that evening. For Sunday matinee performances, doors will open at 12:30 p.m., dinner at 1, and the show at 2 that afternoon. Cost for the dinner and show is $28.

Both Friday performances will be “Popcorn Night” performances and will not include dinner, although popcorn will be included with the cost of the show. Water and soft drinks will also be available for purchase. Doors open for Friday performances at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30 each evening. Cost for the “Popcorn Night” performances is $13.

Reservations can be made by members by calling the Off Stage reservation number at 419.605.6708. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. All reservations must be secured by credit card, and any cancellations must be made by the Wednesday prior to show date for a full refund.

Comic fireworks explode in Farce of Habit, an absurdly funny Southern-fried romp that takes us back to the Reel ’Em Inn, the finest little fishing lodge in the Ozarks. The proprietor, D. Gene Wilburn, is looking forward to a peaceful weekend on the lake. But there are only two chances of that happening: slim and none.

Why, for example, has his wife, Wanelle, picked these three days to white-knuckle her way through caffeine withdrawal? Why is son Ty’s marriage to Jenna falling apart so fast? Could it have something to do with the French Can-Can costume Ty is wearing? How on earth would D. Gene’s feisty sister, Maxie, allow herself to get caught up in such a bizarre undercover police assignment?

And that’s just his family. If this isn’t enough to thwart D. Gene’s weekend plans, he’s got a gaggle of nuns who’ve converged on the inn, hell-bent on experiencing a nature retreat — which might be tolerable if D. Gene didn’t have a chronic fear of anything in a habit. Add to this the presence of Jock McNair, a nationally known relationship guru whose colossal ego threatens everyone’s sanity; a shy retiree anxious to cut loose and embrace his “inner caveman”; and a couple of wild women who may or may not be who they claim to be.

Throw in the storm of the century that’s fast bearing down on Mayhew, Arkansas, and D. Gene has no prayer of baiting a hook any time soon. Oh, and did we mention there’s an axe murderer on the loose? If you enjoy gloriously preposterous hilarity, then laughing all the way through the “take no prisoners” lunacy of a Jones Hope Wooten comedy is one habit audience members will never want to break.