What's Happening in Lowell, MA…

A theater in Lowell will present a play written about one of the great American wits.

Erma Bombeck is one of the greatest humorists of the 20th Century, ranking with such stars as David Sedaris, Will Rogers, and her long-time friend Art Buchwald. A successful book author, she is known to most people for her column “At Wit's End,” which was syndicated in approximately 900 newspapers by the end of her career. She spoke for the ordinary housewife, describing a life full of laughter, love, dirty socks, irritating children, and never-ending housework. She also told some uncomfortable truths about the way society categorizes women at a time when such views were rarely expressed.

The play “At Wit's End” is a one-woman show written by Margaret and Allison Engel, twin sisters, who created the script using materials from the more than 4,000 columns Bombeck published in her life. The action is set after World War II, and during the 1950s and 1960s. With humor and insight, the script explores Bombeck's ideas about a “woman's place,” which she points out was sometimes a trap in which a “housewife” may literally feel married to her house.

The Merrimack Repertory Theatre will present “At Wit's End” from March 24 to April 11, 2021. Poster printing can be used to create colorful adverting for events like this.