[NEohioPAL] PRESS RELEASE: CVLT opens 95th Season with one-woman comedy about Erma Bombeck

[Chagrin Valley Little Theatre]

*PRESS RELEASE*
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: 8/28/2024
------------------------------

Contact: Andrew Rothman
From: Chagrin Valley Little Theatre

40 River Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44122
Phone: 440-247-8955
E-mail: cvlt at cvlt.org
Website: www.CVLT.org <http://www.cvlt.org/>
*CVLT opens 95th Season with one-woman comedy about Erma Bombeck*

*Subheading:* Paula Kline-Messner stars in "Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End" by
Chagrin natives Allison and Margaret Engel

CHAGRIN FALLS, OH — Chagrin Valley Little Theatre opens its 95th Season
with Allison Engel and Margaret Engel's wildly funny one-woman show *Erma
Bombeck: At Wit’s End* on September 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29. Performances
will be at 7:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, 2:00 PM on Sundays at CVLT's
Main Stage, 40 River Street in historic Chagrin Falls. $23 admission, with
$3 discount for seniors, students, and military.

Although Erma Bombeck started out as a journalist for the Dayton Journal
Herald, she transitioned to full-time motherhood and homemaking in the
early 1950s. In 1954, she started writing a column for the Dayton Shopping
News which later gained national syndication. Bombeck's column,
characterized by her keen wit and poignancy, focused on the everyday trials
of suburban motherhood and married life. Eventually it reached 900 papers,
making it one of the most widely syndicated columns in America, and
launching Bombeck into the popular culture as a TV guest and author.

Chagrin Falls natives Allison and Margaret Engel grew up reading the
column. The identical twin sisters also pursued journalism careers, and in
2010 penned a play based on the work of journalist/humorist Molly Ivins.
The play caught the attention of Bombeck's agent, who suggested they
make Erma the focus of their next project. Already fans, the sisters were
eager to oblige. They not only read and watched everything they could find
from Bombeck's career, but also visited with Bombeck's husband and children
for their first-hand accounts of their wife and mother, who passed away in
1996. The result was *Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End*, which premiered to
critical acclaim in 2015 and was staged at Cleveland Play House in 2023.

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's production stars Paula Kline-Messner
(SAG-AFTRA) under the direction of Mark Seven. Ms. Kline-Messner has
appeared in numerous productions in NE Ohio and national tours, including a
half-dozen tours of *Menopause, The Musical*. She is a former television
host and producer of several nationally syndicated programs and a four-time
Emmy Award Winner for her work as a television writer, producer and on
camera talent.

On opening night the theatre will host a $25 VIP reception with wine and
hors d’œuvres beginning at 6:00 PM. After the premiere performance, all
audience members are invited to stay for a talkback session with the show’s
playwrights.

Tickets for *Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End* can be purchased online 24/7 at
CVLT.org or by calling the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre Box Office at
440-247-8955, Tuesday - Friday afternoons from 1:00pm - 6:00pm. Early
reservations and arrival are highly recommended, especially with a major
reconstruction of the bridge above the Chagrin Falls underway. CVLT's 95th
Season also includes *The Sound of Music, Agatha Christie's Murder on the
Orient Express, Jersey Boys, Clue: On Stage,* and* Freaky Friday.*

###

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded through
individual and corporate contributions. Our programming is made possible in
part by the citizens of Cuyahoga Country through Cuyahoga County Arts and
Culture and by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio Legislature to the
Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports
quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally,
educationally, and economically.

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