Hepcat will be at the Bard College graduation/reunion because, well, he’s that kind of guy. It’s not even his year. Whatever.

I’ll be seeing my good friend Nancy in a Rhinebeck Theater Society production of Heartbreak House in Rhinecliff, NY. If you’re up there come on by.

Billed as the funniest play ever about love, money, and the end of the world, George Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House describes a world not unlike our own, where base materialism and raw power threaten the values upon which society is built. Nobody but Shaw could turn such a gruesome situation into three acts of hilarious comedy. And probably nobody but the Rhinebeck Theatre Society would undertake such an ambitious project.

The RTS production is directed by  Ellen Honig, one of the region’s most experienced directors and the ten-member cast includes many names familiar to Hudson Valley theatergoers as well as a few newcomers.

Much of the story of Heartbreak House revolves around Ellie Dunn (played by Dorothy Penz), a young ingénue who intends to attain a life of wealth and comfort by marrying Boss Mangan (Phillip Levine), a ruthless businessman who has amassed a fortune by exploiting others. The action takes place at the home of Captain Shotover (John Adair), a retired, hard-drinking sea captain, who plays the reluctant host to his two daughters and their husbands. Nothing unfolds as expected as each character reveals their true nature and motives over the course of the three acts. Even the burglar who is caught after breaking into the house turns out to be both more and less than he appears at first.

My friend Nancy O. Graham, who stars as Hesione Hushabye, one of Shotover’s daughters, most recently appeared in BOUND, directed by Amy Poux and presented by High Meadow Arts, and in ‘The New Kid,’ an improv play presented in schools as part of the Act/Write! program.

A comedy with a serious underlying message for our time, Heartbreak House, described by Shaw as the favorite of his plays, is a dazzling tale of false appearances and romance set against the backdrop of a troubled, cynical world.

The show runs through Sunday, May 23. Tickets are $20, with discounts for students and seniors. Tickets are available at www.showclix.com or by phone at 1 (888) 71-TICKETS.