Middlesboro Little Theatre will be breaking new ground with its fall presentation of the musical comedy Don't Hug Me. This year's production will be condensed to qualify it for competition in the Kentucky Community Theatre competition, and it will also be offered with a dinner theatre option for the first time.

Don't Hug Me is a musical comedy that takes place in a colorful, rustic,north woods bar in tiny Bunyan Bay, Minnesota. It's the coldest day of the year and cantankerous bar owner, Gunner Johnson, wants to sell the business and move to sunny Florida. Clara, his wife and former Winter Carnival Bunyan Queen, is perfectly content right where she is. Bernice Lundstrom, the pretty waitress, wants to pursue a singing career. Her fiancé, Kanute Gunderson, wants her to stay home. It's a battle of wills that tests their relationship until a fast-talking salesman, Aarvid Gisselsen, promises to bring romance into their lives through the “magic” of karaoke. And when Aarvid begins to woo Bernice all heck breaks loose.

Ken Maciula, artistic director for MLT, is heading up the production. A professor of theatre arts and communications at Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College in Middlesboro, he is assisted by stage manager Judy Cox, an MLT veteran.

The cast features Casey Thomas as Clara. Thomas has appeared in several previous MLT productions, including Not So Grim Fairy Tales and Strange Boarders. She is a graduate of Lincoln Memorial University and is employed at Home Federal Bank.

Also appearing is John Day, who is reprising the role of Gunner. Day is an employee of the US Post Office in Middlesboro.

Tony Robinson appears as Kanute. Robinson is also returning to MLT after acting in Macbeth Did It and Crimes of the Heart. He works in the SKCTC bookstore on the Middlesboro Campus.

Whitney Barton is reprising the part of Bernice. Despite her youth, Barton has appeared in many MLT productions, including two seasons of “Evening of One Acts.” She is a student at Middlesboro High School.

Michael Robertson rounds out the cast as Aarvid. MLT regulars will remember Robertson as the father in Cheaper by the Dozen.

Middlesboro performance dates are Friday, Oct. 27; Saturday, Oct. 28; and Sunday, Oct. 29. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinee at 2:30. These performances will be at the Middlesboro Central Auditorium on West Cumberland Avenue, next door to MHS. All seats at Middlesboro performances are $5.

Then the following weekend, there will be two performances in Pineville. Dinner will be served at the Flocoe on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. with the show following at the Bell Theatre at 8 p.m. Sunday lunch will be served at 1 p.m., with the Sunday matinee show at 3 p.m. Reservations for dinner may be made by calling the Flocoe at 337-2034. Audience members who wish to attend only the show without the dinner may obtain tickets at the door at show time. Dinner theatre is $13; the show admission alone is $5. The main entrée will be chicken casserole, although there will also be a vegetarian alternative for those who prefer it.

“We are proud to offer something new to our audiences in Bell County,” says stage manager Judy Cox. “We hope everyone will turn out and support this event.”

Robert Cox is president of MLT, and a professor of English at SKCTC's Middlesboro Campus