MONMOUTH – The Theater at Monmouth continues its 35th anniversary season with Robert E. Sherwood’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Idiot’s Delight,” which opens Friday, July 23, and runs through Friday, Aug. 20.

The Monmouth Theater’s artistic director, Sally Wood, makes her directorial debut with this political comedy, which was adapted as a film in 1939 starring Clark Gable, Norma Shearer and Burgess Meredith. The fast-paced comedy is most remembered for Gable’s song-and-dance routine to “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” the only time he sang and danced in a movie.

In the Clark Gable role, actor Bill Van Horn plays Harry Van, a confidence man and small-time vaudeville performer. After years of touring vaudeville circuits and sideshows, he’s finally hit the big time in Europe with his all-girl review, “Les Blondes.” In the play, at an undetermined time, soon before the start of World War II, passengers, including Harry Van and Les Blondes, on a train bound for Switzerland are prevented from leaving the country because war is going to break out.

They’re detained at the Hotel Monte Gabriele, a resort in the Italian Alps. Tensions are high, since nobody, including the local authorities, knows which country or countries will attack which. Set in a time of political uncertainty, this play is just as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Under these extreme circumstances, an eccentric group of characters is brought together. Two of the guests at the resort are millionaire Achille Weber (played by Daniel Noel), an arms merchant with inside knowledge about when the fighting will begin, and his slinky Russian mistress (played by Janice Stevens), who claims to be a wealthy aristocrat. But Harry Van knows better; he recognizes the pretty blonde as Irene Fellara, a small-town girl with big dreams whom he’d met years earlier while performing in Omaha.

“Idiot’s Delight” is a timeless story of love, war, patriotism and humanity, which includes performances of singing and dancing and a plot line about long-lost lovers reuniting at the final moments of their lives.

“Idiot’s Delights” opens on Friday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. A free opening night celebration with light refreshments will be held at Cochrane’s Restaurant immediately following the show. The evening performances on July 24 and 29 and Aug. 12, 13 and 20 will be at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday evening performance on Aug. 25 will be at 7 p.m. and a post-show discussion with the cast and crew will be held immediately following the play that night. A matinee on Saturday, Aug. 7, will be at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $26 for opening night, $22 for general admission, $20 for seniors/matinees and $18 for students. Order tickets by calling the box office, at (207) 933-9999.