Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) high schools are bringing the laughs this fall play season. There’s a family drama with feuding and funny sisters at a funeral, an uncle convinced he’s Theodore Roosevelt and the children of infamous villains finding their inner heroes.
La Plata High Schools will suffer “Fools,” a play by Neil Simon Nov. 3 to 5. Leon Tolchinsky, a young schoolteacher, has landed a teaching job in an idyllic Russian hamlet. When he arrives, he finds people sweeping dust from the stoops back into their houses and people milking upside down to get more cream. The town has been cursed with chronic stupidity for 200 years, and it’s Leon’s job is to break the curse. The play is 6:30 p.m. from Nov. 3 to 5. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults. CCPS staff badges are honored for one free admission. Tickets can be purchased at the door or to purchase them from Eventbrite, click here. La Plata is at 6035 Radio Station Road in La Plata.
Make room for “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 to 12 at North Point High School. After suffering an injury while at the Stanley family home in Mesalia, Ohio, the brilliant radio celebrity Sheridan Whiteside must convalesce while wreaking havoc — intentional or not — on the home. The witty, madcap play is considered a timeless classic. Tickets are available at the door and are $5 for students and senior citizens and $10 for general admission. North Point is at 2500 Davis Road in Waldorf.
Behind every boy wizard and his friends who are destined to save the world are a bunch of people who happen to be hanging around watching it all godown. That’s the story of “Puffs — the Young Wizards Edition,” by Matt Cox, a tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world. Grab your portkey to get to Maurice J. McDonough High School from Nov. 11 to 13. Shows are 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 and 12, and 2 p.m. on Nov. 13. Tickets are $7 for thespians, $8 for students, senior citizens, and military personnel with an ID, and $10 for adults. A CCPS staff badge will be honored for one ticket. For tickets, go to https://mhsdrama303.booktix.com/. McDonough is at 7165 Marshall Corner Road in Pomfret.
Thomas Stone High School saves face with “Noses Off,” by Don Zolidis, an homage to the Michael Frayn penned “Noises Off.” The play follows an amateur theater company’s opening night, but the real drama is backstage with a costume designer bent on revenge and the actors wrapped up in a revolving door of showmances. Thomas Stone’s show is 6:30 p.m., Nov. 17 to 19. Tickets are $5 per person and can purchase at the door. CCPS staff badges are honored for one free admission. Thomas Stone is at 3785 Leonardtown Road in Waldorf.
Westlake High School is hosting the teenage children of some of the most infamous villains captured in animation for the play “Disney’s Descendants: The Musical,” written by Nick Blaemire. The children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella de Vil are headed to prep school where they meet the children of beloved Disney heroes. Will the main characters follow in their parents’ wicked footsteps or learn that good prevail? Find out 7 p.m., Nov. 17 to 19 at Westlake. Tickets are $6 for students and children and $10 for adults. Two free tickets will be given to those with a CCPS staff badge. Tickets can be reserved at https://westlake.ccboe.com/theatre. Westlake is at 3300 Middletown Road in Waldorf.
Don’t be late for “Chicken and Biscuits” by Douglas Lyons at St. Charles High School on Dec. 9 through 11. The comedy brings the Jenkins family together for their late father’s celebration of life. Hopefully, the family members can get through it without killing each other. Any hopes for a peaceful reunion unravel when a family secret shows up at the funeral. Shows are 7 p.m. on Dec. 9 and 10, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 11. Tickets are $5 for students, senior citizens, and members of the military, and $8 for general admission. One free admission per CCPS staff badge will be honored. St. Charles is at 5305 Piney Church Road in Waldorf.
You’ll want to tag along with Mortimer Brewster when he visits his eccentric aunts Abby and Martha Brewster at their Brooklyn, N.Y., brownstone — just don’t drink the elderberry wine. Henry E. Lackey High School is staging “Arsenic and Old Lace,” 6:30 p.m., Nov. 17 through 19. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students, senior citizens, and military members. Lackey is at 3000 Chicamuxen Road in Indian Head.