“One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” coming to Hastings Community Theatre

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - Hastings Community Theatre continues its 63rd season with “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

It is an adaptation by Dale Wasserman of Ken Kesey’s famous novel of the same name. The play remains faithful to the spirit of the novel and has been praised as “scarifying and powerful” by the New York Times. Many may be familiar with the story thanks to the 1975 film version starring Jack Nicholson.

HCT presents “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on February 17th, , 18th, 19th, 24th, 25th and 26th. Performances on Fridays & Saturdays are at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Hastings Community Theatre is located in the Good Samaritan Village, 515 S 4th Ave, Hastings. Tickets are $20.00 for adults and $18.00 for Seniors/Students. Tickets are now available online at www.hctheatre.org. Tickets will also be available at the door on performance nights until sold out.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is not a comedy. It is definitely a drama. There are some funny lines and hilarious situations. However, at its core it is a story about the abuse and misuse of power in an Oregon state mental hospital during the late 1950s.

The hospital staff treat the patients with both cruelty and derision; subjecting them to electroshock therapies and forced medications. Enter one charming, devilish rogue: RP McMurphy. He cannot understand why the patients won’t stand up for themselves. He bets that in one week he can cause the mean, manipulative Nurse Ratched to come apart at the seams. The patients take that bet, and thus begins a clash of wills and temperaments, ending with life altering consequences.

A cast of HCT veterans will headline the show including Colin Sandall as the roguish McMurphy, Connie Sheehy as the fierce Nurse Ratched and Corey VomWeg as the narrator, Chief Bromden. HCT is pleased to welcome newcomers Alex VanderVeer, Mike Davidson and Cristi Eaglefeather to the HCT stage. The success of this play depends on the cast’s interpretation of their characters. This cast is up to that challenge. You will love them, hate them, cry for them, laugh with them and mourn for them.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is directed by Berice Rosenberg with Assistant Director, Morwenna Limper. These two directors are a mother/daughter duo who have collaborated in several other HCT productions including Miracle on 34th Street and Willy Wonka. The set was built by HCT’s master builder, Chuck Rosenberg, and is just one more character in the play.

The show is not intended for young children, as the production contains strong language and adult themes. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., a Concord Theatricals Company.

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