Noah Johnson Daily Press Members of Players de Noc rehearse a scene from It Runs in the Family. The production starts tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center in Escanaba. From left are Jenny Heller (Jane Tate), Dale Van Drese (Dr. Hubert Bonney) and Brian Tourangeau (Dr. David Mortimore).

ESCANABA — Players de Noc is kicking off December with a new show starting tonight.

This year, the group is performing It Runs in the Family by Ray Cooney and directed by Georgia Wilder Peitsch.

The showings are at the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center in Escanaba.

The play is a British farce in a hospital, specifically the doctor’s lounge, three days before Christmas. It concerns a doctor preparing for a speech in front of his colleagues, only to constantly be interrupted by an array of characters.

Director Peitsch said the play is a chaotic, over-the-top comedy following Doctor Mortimore involving lies, mistaken identity, and, of course, laughter.

“It’s in typical farce fashion, where you have ridiculous situations, mistaken identity, and a very fast pace,” Peitsch said.

She added that she hopes the audience laughs and enjoys themselves and maybe even learns a lesson about honesty along the way.

Peitsch urges the public to see a live show, saying it is a completely different experience from a typical movie or TV show.

“It’ll never be the same. You know, you could come to all six performances, they would all be slightly different, and some that it is because of the audience. Audiences will find this thing funny, and they’ll laugh, and then other audiences won’t think that’s funny at all, and they won’t laugh. And the actors really feed off of the response they get from the audience,” she said.

She added going to a show makes a great date night or even an early Christmas gift.

Opening night is tonight, Dec. 6, with additional shows on Dec. 7, 12, 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. There is also a Sunday matinee on Dec. 8 at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center or online at playersdenoc.org.