The children of Mason United Methodist Church have something to say, and they'll say it in their own words — and songs.

        Their self-composed musical, Flash Forward, involves a family getting ready for church, and the kids aren't too happy about it.

        “Suddenly, a young girl is transported to the future, where she sees the state of the world and what might happen,” said Judy Allison, the group's adviser. “She's then convinced that she should be a little more accommodating to her family and have a better relationship with Christ. The message got pretty deep, much more than I expected it to be.”

        The writers are members of the church's High-C, a choir for kids in the third to sixth grades.

        “The youth will help prepare a dinner and serve it,” Ms. Allison said. “Our choir has prepared the entire play — the music and the script. We even have our own set designers. The kids have done the total process.”

        They started writing the script last February.

        “Actually, it's not been that much time, considering we have had only an hour a week together,” she said. “The play will last 40 minutes.”

        Ms. Allison helped them write the script. She is a retired music teacher. She took special training with Metropolitan Opera Guild in New York and Milwaukee to help prepare her to work with children on such a project.

        “The training helps the teacher to hand over a lot of decision-making to the kids, yet still stay on top of things,” she said.

        The play is open to the public. The only cost is for the dinner, $6 for adults and $4 for children 12 and younger.

        Dinner starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the play.

        “It has been a lot of hard work,” Ms. Allison said. “We had the date set and then we decided that we should be involved in something to help the Afghan children. So the church also will do something with that on Sunday night. I'm delighted to share the evening.”

        Mason United Methodist is at 773 Mason-Montgomery Rd.

        LEBANON — Kettering author James B. Cash will discuss three major Buckeye area historical figures — Little Turtle, Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison.

        His free talk will start at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Warren County Historical Society Museum, 105 S. Broadway.

        Mr. Cash wrote Unsung Heroes, a book about U.S. presidents from Ohio. It has become a statewide hit, selling more than 8,000 copies in two years.

        His book will be available for sale after the speech.

        Information: 932-1817.

        HAMILTON — Give 'em Hell Harry!, a one-man show starring veteran Cincinnati performer Bill Hartnett, will run Feb. 8-10 at the Fitton Center for Performing Arts.

        The play is one of a series from the Mad Anthony Theatre Co.

        “Our mission is to present diverse offerings that accommodate an intimate setting,” said Henry Cepluch, artistic director.

        Information: 863-8873.

       Randy McNutt's column appears on Saturday. Contact him at The Enquirer, 7700 Service Center Dr., West Chester, Ohio 45069. Telephone: 755-4158. Fax: 755-4150. E-mail: rmcnutt@enquirer.com.

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