Main Street Theater Extends GIRLS ONLY thru Dec 2

Girls Only - The Secret Comedy of Women, the hit comedy currently playing at Main Street Theater – Chelsea Market, has announced that the show has extended its Houston engagement until December 2, 2012, according to a statement released by Sydney Greenblatt, the play's on-site producer. The production, originally scheduled to run from Sept. 9 through October 14, will add 34 performances.

"Girls Only is shaping up to be one of the biggest box office hits in the history of Main Street Theater," Greenblatt said. "The show ran for almost two years in Denver -- 586 performances," she noted, "and it's looking like Houston women are responding to it every bit as much." Nationwide, the show has been enjoyed by nearly 200,000 women, she said.

Greenblatt cited a combination of factors contributing to the show's success – extraordinary reviews, an exceptional cast, lively audiences that often rise in a standing ovation at Curtain Call and box-office demand that has resulted in sold-out performances.

After high school in The Woodlands, cast member Tracy Ahern completed her B.A. in Theatre Arts at Baylor University and a two-year conservatory program at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre. Houston theater audiences will remember her at Main Street Theater as Edna in June Moon, Maria in Experiment with an Air Pump and Stupefying" Jones in Lil' Abner and in other roles at Houston's Masquerade Theatre. One of Ahern's favorite parts was as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in the American Family Theatre's national tour of The Wizard of Oz.

After Tomball High School near Houston, Keri Henson pursued her stage education at Abilene's McMurry University, where she earned her B.A. in Theatre with specializations in acting and directing. A fun-loving, daredevil mother of three, Henson has sky-dived, hot-air ballooned and had a ball doing morning drive-time radio. She has appeared in classics like Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream," in such contemporary productions as "The Vagina Monologues" and in the independent film, Paramount. Her appearance in Girls Only -- The Secret Comedy of Woman marks her Houston stage debut.

As another cause that Greenblatt cites for the runaway triumph is the nature of the show itself. "Because the script started with the authors' childhood diaries, it rings true, audiences believe it as authentic, women relate to it in a very personal way." She also noted that, because parts of the show are improv, each night's production is unique. "No matter how many times you see it," she said, "it's different every night."

"It's a word-of- mouth show," Greenblatt said, "and I can't overstate how much joy Houston women find in it. They're coming back a second time and bringing their girl friends. We only hope that the additional performances will be enough to satisfy their demand."

Performance times for Girls Only: The Secret Comedy of Women are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. at Main Street Theater – Chelsea Market, 4617 Montrose Blvd., in the Museum District. The show runs Thursday, September 6 thru Sunday, October 14.

Prices are $30 - $40. For more information on group savings for groups of 10 or more, please call Ingrid Gunn at 281.740.4408. Tickets may be purchased online at www.MainStreetTheater.com or by calling 713.524.6706.

For further information, visit www.MainStreetTheater.com.