— Matt Hodges/Tribune-Courier || ‘Bus Stop’ is the newest show at Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers, celebrating all the things that made the 1950s such an exciting decade.

All Aboard: Badgett Playhouse recalls the 50s with 'Bus Stop'

By Matt Hodges
Tribune-Courier News Reporter

GRAND RIVERS – Roadside diners, jukebox tunes and Elvis. These were some of things that made the 1950s such an exciting decade.

For those who lived it, this was the age of progress and the “Leave it to Beaver” lifestyle.

The 1950s was also a time of great American playwrights such as Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. One particular playwright, William Inge, captures the essence of the 1950’s in the Midwest in his play, Bus Stop.

Throughout the month of September, Badgett Playhouse will be reminding audiences of the days of yesteryear with the showing of “Bus Stop.” Viewers will embark on a journey back to the days of old diners and the wild Midwest.

The romantic comedy takes place during a howling snowstorm, leaving a bus load of weary travelers stranded in a roadside diner for the night. The place gets a little crowded when a nightclub singer stumbles in claiming to be kidnapped by a young cowboy who intends to wrestle her all the way down the wedding aisle.

But these two aren’t the only ones causing a stir. While waiting for the roads to clear a young small-town girl has her first brush with romance, a waitress and the bus driver explore a romance of their own, and a suave professor is confronted with his past. The chemistry between these unfortunate strangers makes for a night of humor and charm.

The Badgett Playhouse will be showing Bus Stop through Oct. 3.