* FINAL WEEKEND! * * Chagrin Valley Little Theatre * presents * "Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End" * by Allison Engel & Margaret Engel Fri. & Sat.September 27, 28 @ 7:30 PM Sunday September 29 @ 2:00 PM 40 River Street, Chagrin Falls TICKETS: *CVLT.org* <https://cvlt.org> $23 regular, $20 senior, student, military *Starring Paula Kline-Messner * *Directed by Mark Seven* Asst. Dir. — Cindee Catalano-Edelman Producer/Props — Nancy Rogoff Stage Manager — Brittany Bizub Costumer — Jackie Kruyne Set, Sound, Lights — Maddie McClure Light Operator — Timothy Hayes 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 "Peggy" Engel grew up reading Bombeck'; 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.