Harvey

Before Harvey was a vehicle for Jimmy Stewart's admittedly appealing brand of aw-shucks charisma on the movie screen, it was a Pulitzer Prize-winning 1945 play by Mary Chase. And beneath its cuddly surfaces beats a heart of stone-cold weirdness, what with its story of Elwood P. Dowd, a mild-mannered sort who begins to draw attention to himself by introducing to people the titular invisible, six-foot-plus rabbit who is his friend. Elwood's sister tries to get him tossed in the loony bin, and is temporarily restrained there herself, but finally succeeds in getting her brother firmly in the sweaty grasp of the psychiatric establishment. Lakeshore Players opens its 55th season with this American chestnut (a family-friendly show), with the emphasis on nut.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Starts: Aug. 31. Continues through Sept. 23, 2007