By Randi Bjornstad

Perhaps the biggest change to note in the post-pandemic return of Radio Redux and its re-enactments of classic radio theater performances is that the start times during the 2021-22 season will be 30 minutes earlier than what theatergoers to the the popular shows in the past have been accustomed.

Season opens with a laugh

Starting with the season opener on Sept. 24 — The Burns and Allen Show, featuring the madcap Gracie Allen and her longsuffering husband George Burns — the new curtain times will be 7 p.m. on Friday evening and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

That means that the free lectures that precede the performances, courtesy of radio historian Patrick Lucanio, also will start earlier, at 6 p.m. on Friday and 12:30 p.m. before the weekend matinees.

George Burns and Gracie Allen cast themselves as a comedy team from the early days of their marriage in 1926, although their early efforts were on the big screen, starting with Lambchops in 1929 before they inaugurated their 30-minute radio show, called The Adventures of Gracie, five years later. The title reflected their relative roles in the popular series, with Burns as the bewildered husband always challenged with trying to decipher the meaning — and results — of Allen’s questionable logic.

In 1936, the show became The Burns and Allen Show and ran on one network or another until 1950. When the radio series ended, they immediately moved to television, where The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ran until 1958. Gracie Allen died of a heart attack in 1964, at age 58. Burns died in 1996, just short of two months after celebrating his 100th birthday.

In the Radio Redux reproduction “broadcast” of the The Burns and Allen Show, Gracie decides she can be a better detective than the famed radio sleuth, Sam Spade, and antics ensue.

Radio Redux 2021-22 season, at a glance

  • The Burns and Allen Show  (Gracie plays detective to outwit radio master sleuth Sam Spade.) — 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 25-26.
  • The House in Cypress Canyon (A scream in the night sends chills through a couple’s new home.) — 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29 and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 30-31.
  •  Radio Redux Holiday Special — (A revue of seasonal songs and stories brightens the holidays.) —   7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17 and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 18-19.
  • The Fibber McGee and Molly Show (Finding a flying saucer flummoxes Fibber to fantastical fantasies.) — 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25 and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26-27.
  • The Great Gatsby (The great American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald electrifies the airwaves.;) — 7 p.m. on Friday, April 15 and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, April 16-17.

Ticket information

  • Single tickets: $25 for adults ; $22 for ages 65+; $19 for youths and students through college; $19 each for groups of five or more
  • Season tickets for all five performances: $102 for adults; $94 for ages 65+; $89 for youths and students through college
  • How to purchase: Online at radioreduxusa.com or hultcenter.org; in person at the Hult Center ticket office from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; or by telephone to the Hult Center box office at 541-682-5000

Note: Hult Center Covid requirements

  • The Hult Center for the Performing Arts requires proof of completed vaccination against Covid-19 in order to enter Those who cannot be fully vaccinated (including children under the age of 12 years) must present proof of a negative Covid test administered within the 48 hours preceding the performance.
  • Masks must be worn inside the Hult Center, including both patrons and staff. Eating and drinking are permitted, but masks must be worn between bites and sips.