No Refund Theatre's production of The Curious Savage reverses the role of the traditional evil stepmother. It is the stepchildren who are wicked, and the widowed stepmother is the heroine.

The Curious Savage, written by John Patrick, is about a woman whose husband left her his fortune, said Dustin Yenser (junior-secondary education), the assistant director of the show.

"It's an old comedy," Yenser said. "It's about a wealthy heiress trying to teach her wicked stepchildren a lesson by not letting them have access to any of the money their father left her."

However, Mrs. Savage's real motive is not about keeping the money from the stepchildren. Mary Shaw (junior-biological anthropology), the director of the show, said Savage regrets doing foolish things in her life, so she wants to put the money that her deceased husband left her into a happiness fund.

"With her inheritance, she wants to help other people with their foolish dreams," Shaw said. "For example, there is a man who misses Italy so much that he wants to get some dirt from it to keep with him. She helps him get it with her fund."

To try to get the money, the stepchildren put Savage in a sanatorium.

"The stepchildren, who are greedy and money-grubbing, commit their stepmother," Shaw said. "But only then do they realize that only she knows where the money is hidden."

Savage befriends others in the sanatorium, and together they lead the stepchildren on a wild goose chase.

"The characters she meets in the asylum are just wonderful," Shaw said. "They help Mrs. Savage foil the plans of her evil stepchildren."

John Newman (freshman-theatre) plays Sen. Titus Savage, one of the evil stepchildren.

"He is a very powerful senator who is very evil," Newman said. "I started off with Kennedy impressions, but that didn't work. Now I just try to be as menacing as possible and do a lot of yelling and glaring."

Newman said his favorite scene in the play is when the siblings are digging for the bonds, trying to get the money.

"It's just crazy," he said. "It really shows what these people will do for money, and the money is not even there."

Newman said he thinks it's a great play.

"The cast is just awesome -- they are some really nice people," he said. "It's a good show with a lot of heart."

Shaw said Patrick, the author of the play, makes an interesting point with the contrast between the people in the outside world and people in the sanatorium.

"I think he's showing that the crazy people can really be the sane ones -- that a lot of the things they say and do are more logical than the people in the real world," she said. "Some of the lines the guests in the sanatorium have make you think, 'Oh, that's right, that makes sense,' while the people on the outside say some really stupid things."

Shaw said she decided to put on The Curious Savage because of the characters in the play.

"I fell in love with the play," she said. "The characters are just so sweet, and the main character is amazing. There's also this relationship in it that you don't really see until the end of play, and it is just so heartwarming. [The relationship] is what stuck with me when I saw the play."

Shaw decided to stick closely to the original play.

"It is just really well put together," she said. "The play gives a good positive message. It's just very heartwarming. It gives you a lot to think about -- at least it did for me."

The only change Shaw said she made was the casting of one of the brothers that was originally written as timid and small.

"It was just too stereotypical to have the timid brother be indistinguishable and fading into the background," Shaw said.

Yenser said the cast works wonderfully together and that the play is going to be excellent.

"We have plans for a good set, some good costumes, a great cast, and the actors really make the characters come alive," he said. "I think it's going to go really well."

Yenser also said students should see The Curious Savage just because it will be fun to watch.

"It's a good time on a Friday or Saturday night," he said. "It's a friendly, open and relaxed atmosphere."