From 'Dracula' to 'On Golden Pond,' OKC theater revisits familiar favorites in newer space

With the Jewel Box Theatre revving up a classic lineup for its 2024 season, its directors are steering into the latest theater trends.

"We actually did a lot of research, and a lot of articles in major theater magazines and in newspapers around the country said that, obviously, because of the pandemic, people were not going out to theaters much," Richard Lemin, who is embarking on his second season as Jewel Box Theatre's co-managing director, along with his wife, Deborah Franklin.

"What most of the artistic directors and managing directors were finding out was that people were not coming back to new stuff, but rather coming back to what they called familiar things. Even if they had never seen a play before, if they had heard of it, they were more likely to go see that than they were to see a brand new play."

OKC's longest continually running community theater, the Jewel Box's "Classic Season 66" features six titles that could be considered familiar favorites, from the sentimental drama "On Golden Pond" and the Southern comedy "The Sweet Delilah Swim Club" to the twisty whodunit "The Mousetrap" and the iconic Gothic tale of "Dracula."

"It's been a while, but these have been performed ... at the Jewel Box at one time," Franklin said. "We are trying to pull back some of our season subscribers that got lost in the shuffle of COVID."

Where is the OKC's Jewel Box Theatre?

As Jewel Box embarks on its new season Feb. 2-18 with attention-grabbing title "I Hate Hamlet," the directors also are trying to steer theatergoers to its new space.

Jewel Box is a ministry of First Christian-Oklahoma City, and its former home at NW 36 and Walker was torn down in fall 2022 along with the distinctive domed church building. But Lemin said many people don't realize that the theater moved in 2020 into the former Trinity School building right across the parking lot at 321 NW 36.

"I think that version of the Jewel Box Theatre opened in 1959, but the Jewel Box Players originally started back in 1911," Lemin said. "We're doing whatever we can to let the audience know that we're still here."

What shows are coming up on the Jewel Box Theatre's 66th season?

Here are the show's planned for the Jewel Box Theatre's 66th season. For tickets and information on the Jewel Box Theatre's 2024 shows, go to https://jewelboxokc.com or https://www.facebook.com/jbtheatre.

'I Hate Hamlet'

When: Feb. 2-18.

Lemin directs the season-opening production of Paul Rudnick's uproarious 1991 ghost story, which was still new when the Jewel Box Theatre initially produced it in 1992. The comedy, which the OKC theater also revisited in 2010, follows a television actor who relocates to New York after his show is canceled.

When he lands the lead role in a production of "Hamlet," the TV star moves into an apartment once owned by John Barrymore, who famously played the part in the 1920s, for inspiration. Instead, he finds himself literally haunted by Barrymore's ghost.

"Even if you've never heard of 'I Hate Hamlet,' you've probably heard of 'Hamlet,' and you're wondering, 'Why would somebody hate Hamlet?' And it's worth the ticket price to come in and find out," Lemin said. "It's a comedy, it's the middle of winter ... and people can come in and just have a good time."

'On Golden Pond'

When: March 22-April 7. No performance on Easter Sunday, March 31.

The Jewel Box has staged Ernest Thompson's poignant 1979 family drama, which he famously adapted into an Oscar-winning 1981 film starring Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda, at least three times prior to this season.

Denise Hughes will direct the OKC company's new production of the show, which centers on an aging couple who agrees to care for the son of their estranged daughter's new boyfriend.

"It's probably the best known title on our entire season ... But the movie came out more than 40 years ago. There are a lot of young people today who've actually never seen it," Lemin said.

"It's an introduction of these shows to that generation — and that's exciting," Franklin added.

'The Mousetrap'

When: May 10-26.

Agatha Christie's murder mystery is the world's longest running play: It opened on London's West End in 1952, ran continously until the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close in spring 2020 and then reopened the following year.

Between Kenneth Branagh's three recent Christie film adaptations and Rian Johnson's two "Knives Out" movies (with another on the way), Lemin said the current popularity of whodunits inspired them to reset "The Mousetrap" at the Jewel Box. OKC theater staple Terry Veal will direct the new production.

"With Agatha Christie, there's that attention to detail ... and with just everything that Terry brings to the table, we think this is a really great pairing," Franklin said.

'The Sweet Delilah Swim Club'

When: June 28-July 14.

The Jewel Box opened its 2014-2015 season with the OKC premiere of this Southern comfort comedy, formerly titled "The Dixie Swim Club."

Penned by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten — the latter was a producer and writer on the TV series "The Golden Girls" — it was a huge hit for the theater. The show chronicles the friendship of five women who bond while competing on their college swim team and reunite for a long weekend every August for the next three decades.

"It's the same story, same characters, and we have asked the same director, Billie Thrash, to come ... and direct it for us again," Lemin said.

"The Jewel Box ... has done several plays by the same authors, and they've done several plays that are predominantly female," Franklin added. "When you start putting a 'Classic' season together, lots of classic plays are heavy on the male roles. ... We wanted to make sure we had plenty of opportunities for actresses."

'Charley's Aunt'

When: Aug. 23-Sept. 8.

Franklin will direct Brandon Thomas' British comedy, which was first produced at London's Royalty Theatre in 1892.

The madcap farce centers on a pair of pals who invite their lady-loves and their families to meet a rich relative during her planned visit from Brazil. When the millionaire aunt cancels her travel plans at the last minute, the fellows persuade a schoolmate to disguise himself as Charley's aunt so they can go ahead with the important introductions. Naturally, the real aunt turns up after all, and comedic chaos ensues.

"For those people who love 'The Importance of Being Earnest,' this one's that funny," said Franklin, who has acted in and directed the title before. "We wanted to be sure we had things for our younger talent pool, and, hopefully, it's a fun opportunity to do a period piece — a Victorian comedy — that they might not have had that opportunity to do in their careers."

'Dracula'

When: Oct.11-27.

The Jewel Box will close its 66th season during the spooky season with John L. Balderston and Hamilton Deane's stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's iconic 1897 novel.

"We very specifically went to the publisher and got the rights to the original 1924 version, which when it premiered on Broadway starred an unknown Hungarian actor named Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula. This is the original adaptation done in collaboration with the estate of Bram Stoker and the one that they based the (1931) movie on ... because the play was such a hit," Lemin said.

"This is less of a ... horror play than it is a Gothic mystery."

The original version of "Dracula" finds young Lucy Seward suffering from a baffling illness. Her father’s friend, Professor Van Helsing, suspects the girl is the victim of a vampire, and the arrival of an enigmatic nobleman from Transylvania seems to be the key to the puzzle.

Don Tayor, who played the title role in Jewel Box Theatre's 1999 and 2010 productions as well as in 3rd Act Theatre's 2019 staging of "Dracula," shifts into the director's chair for the show.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC's Jewel Box Theatre lines up classics 'Dracula,' 'On Golden Pond'