LITTLETON -- Noel Coward's zany comedy Blithe Spirit takes center stage at the Cannon Theatre over the next three weekends. The play is about a successful writer who has a séance with a kooky medium named Madame Arcati. His intention is to debunk the idea of psychics being able to call up dead spirits. But it doesn't work out that way.

Instead, he finds out that his deceased wife, Elvira, has been summoned and only he can see her. And Elvira won't agree in the "til death do us part" part of their marriage vows. That leaves the befuddled writer in a juggling match between his current -- and very annoyed -- wife and the deceased wife who won't give up.

Janet Tyndall directs the play in the Cannon's black box theater at 410 Great Road, Littleton. Opening tomorrow, it runs each Friday and Saturday through June 2, at 7:30 p.m., with an additional showing on Thursday, May 31. A matinee show will also take place Saturday, May 26 at 1 p.m. Special treats during this opening weekend performances from Sweetpeas Bakery. Tickets $18, adults; $15, seniors 65 and up and students; $10, children, 12 and under at www.mktix.com or call 978-456-0060.

On the marquee

MRT EXPANDS: After a couple of years of discussions, Merrimack Repertory Theatre and the Friends of Professional Theatre in Worcester recently announced the beginning of the return of professional, resident theater to Worcester, New England's second-largest city.

Advertisement
MRT will present its production of John Logan's Tony Award-winning play Red at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts March 15-17, 2013. A 240-seat black box theatre will be created on the Hanover Theatre's stage, allowing for an intimate audience experience. It's the first step in a collaboration that allows both Lowell and Worcester to sustain a theatre company at a level that neither city could individually and will bring about larger productions. Visit www.merrimackrep.org for info.

MOMOLOGUES: A new edition of Momologues, a humorous look at the joys and hassles of bringing up kids, takes audiences into the harrowing years of motherhood when raising middle school- and high school-age kids. Sheila Eppolito, a Chelmsford mother of three and staff writer at UMass Lowell, is one of three playwrights, also including Lisa Rafferty and Stefanie Cloutier, who've penned the comic skits. A one-night only staged reading takes place on Wednesday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Company Theatre, 30 Accord Park Drive, in Norwell. It features Melissa McMeekin, recently seen on 30 Rock, Erica McDermott, who appeared in The Fighter and Irish Whisper, and Paula Markowicz and Ilyse Robbins. Proceeds benefit Operation: Military Kids, an Army collaborative supporting kids affected by their parents' military deployments. $22 at www.companytheatre.com.

SAVE THE DATE: Image Theatre presents City Stories, a selection of readings by various Lowell-area writers next Friday and Saturday at the Old Court, Central St., Lowell. Free. Visit www.imagetheater.com for info.

Nancye Tuttle's email address is nancyedt@verizon.net.