Hedgerow Theatre to Present CORPSE!, Begin. 8/29

Audiences should expect the unexpected and prepare to roar with laughter when they see Corpse! at Hedgerow Theatre from August 29 to October 6. When Gerald Moon's comedy thriller premiered on Broadway in 1986, the New York Post described it as "vastly entertaining" with "sparkling, ingenious plot twists," and warned "you may die laughing."

Before the Broadway production, Corpse! was staged in 1984 in London, where the play is set. The plot sounds simple enough. It's 1936, and Evelyn Farrant, a struggling, out-of-work actor, devises what he feels is a foolproof scheme to get his hands on his identical twin's fortune--murder his brother, Rupert, and assume his identity. Evelyn doesn't want to kill Rupert himself, so he hires a down-on-his-luck Irishman, Major Ambrose Powell to do the job on a night when everyone will be glued to their radios listening to King Edward VIII's abdication speech. Of course, nothing goes as planned, characters aren't always as they first appear, and everything that can go wrong does.

The four members of the cast should all be familiar to Hedgerow theatergoers. Former Fellow Carl Smith, last seen as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, plays both Evelyn and Rupert. Powell is portrayed by Shaun Yates, who most recently appeared as Tournel in A Flea in Her Ear. Also in the production are veterans Zoran Kovcic and Susan Wefel, both of whom were in this summer's Run For Your Wife. Kovcic is Hawkins, a police constable with a knack for showing up at inopportune moments, while Wefel is Mrs. McGee, Evelyn's frequently tipsy, flirtatious landlady who's always trying to collect his back rent.

Corpse! is directed by Liam Castellan, a Rose Valley native who has both acted and directed at Hedgerow and at the Curio Theatre Company in Philadelphia, where he is a company member. He acted alongside Yates in A Flea in Her Ear, playing Etienne. He is also directing the Philadelphia premiere of Traveling Light by Lindsay Harris Friel, which will run in September as part of the 2013 Philly Fringe Festival.

After a preview on Thursday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m., shows are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, at 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. There are also two Wednesday matinees at 2 p.m. on September 11 and October 2, with complimentary teas.

Adult ticket prices for Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows are $32, Thursday shows are $29, and Wednesday matinees are $25. There is a $3 discount for seniors; tickets for students with valid ID and children under 18 at $10. Previews are $20, and no other discounts apply. For groups of 10 or more, tickets are $18 for adults and $16 for seniors. Prices include all fees and are subject to change. For reservations, call 610-565-4211, or visit www.HedgerowTheatre.org. Hedgerow Theatre, America's First Repertory Theatre, is at 64 Rose Valley Road, in Rose Valley (near Media).