Nicholas Nickleby (Nov 4, 7:00 pm)

Prize-winning playwright Tim Kelly, a lifelong Dickens buff who is also the adaptor of the hit comedy M*A*S*H, has created a superb dramatization of this classic that is easy to produce. Here is the essence of Dickens' most theatrical novel, a parade of colorful characters: wicked Uncle Ralph; stylish Madame Mantalini; "decayed" Arthur Gride; pitiable orphan Smike; the winsome Cherryble brothers; lovely Madelaine Bray; scheming Lady Hawk; and the amazing Crummles with their seedy theatre troupe. Standing above all the villains is the infamous Wackford Squeers who, with his horrible wife and daughter, runs his dreadful school with his cane and tablespoons of foul-tasting medicine. A delightful blend of comedy, mystery and melodrama written for easy production.