HOP ABOARD THE "LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC"

                                               

When two strangers meet on a crowded train traveling from California eastbound in December of 1940, the result is whimsical, magical and life altering for both.  The prim and reserved May has her nose buried in a book, one she deems religious, when the handsome young soldier Raleigh invades her space and solitude.  He is heading to New York City with the ambitious goal of becoming a writer, inspired by the fact that two famous writers, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Nathanael West, are traveling on the same train to be buried at their destinations.  For her part, May has just suffered a great disappointment, as the man she was about to marry proved less than he promised.  Raleigh has also suffered a grave setback when a medical ailment has eliminated his desire to be a pilot.

These two people, she reticent and naive, he gregareous and outgoing, discover all they share in common and everything that is vastly different as they travel across the miles.  To accompany them on  their journey of friendship, let Playhouse on Park in West Hartford introduce you in this charming and bittersweet tale, "Last Train To Nibroc" by Arlene Hutton, playing until  Sunday, May 14.  

Lilly Wilton's May and Joshua Willis's Raleigh are perfectly cast as the shy spinster who wants to be a missionary and the teasing and sincere gentleman who decides to open her life to a little adventure and fun.  When he realizes they both live in Kentucky, quite near each other, he determines to accompany her to the famed Nibroc Festival, an event she calls outrageous.  Both are reluctant to go home because of the disappointments they have faced, her broken engagement and his dismissal from the service.  Together they forge the courage to face their obstacles and reach for happiness.

For tickets ($25-40 ), call Playhouse on Park, 244  Park Road, West Hartford at 860-523-5900, ext. 10 or online at www.PlayhouseOnPark.org. Performances  are 

Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., followed by a talkback. Watch for Dr Seuss's The Cat in the Hat for the family June 3-11 and their frequent Comedy Nights, the next one on June 3.

For a swirl of romance and a hint of humor, come visit May and Raleigh for ninety minutes of joy set at a wonderful waltz pace.