Quogue - The Hampton Theatre Company has announced its 27th season, a season of plays that continues through June at the Quogue Community Hall.

Sarah Hunnewell, HTC Executive Director, described the choice of the new season as, in part, a response the times in which we live. "The news we are bombarded with every day," she said, "does not exactly induce cheer. We decided, therefore, that, while our first aim is always to pick good plays - well-written plays that move, entertain and inspire - we also wanted to offer plays that would provide some good escapist fun."

To brighten the January doldrums, the HTC will present the classic thriller "Deathtrap" by Ira Levin. The play centers on a famous writer - of thrillers - who is out of fresh ideas, locked in a game of cat and mouse with a talented young writer with a potential Broadway hit. While the play is certain to produce gasps and perhaps even screams, it also is sure to induce spontaneous bursts of laughter. Described as "two-thirds thriller and one third devilishly clever comedy," "Deathrap" is a chance to escape and be delighted.

In March, the HTC presents a new comedy in the quirky mode, Steven Dietz's inventive "Becky's New Car." As the play opens, Becky recounts her friend's theory: "When a woman says she needs new shoes, what she really wants is a new job. When she says she needs a new house, she wants a new husband. When she says she wants a new car, she wants a new life." "Becky's New Car" is about a seemly "normal" woman's unlikely, and very funny, journey of discovery.

The Hampton Theatre Company will wrap up the season in June with A.R. Gurney's latest comedy, fresh from its successful New York run, "Black Tie." The play takes place on the eve of a wedding between a young man of vintage Gurney WASP lineage and a young lady of more colorful background. Will the wedding be derailed as values and generations collide? The play represents the playwright at his best and most entertaining.

Each production will run for three weekends, Thursdays through Sundays, at the Quogue Community Hall. Season subscriptions and individual tickets are available now. For further information or to make reservations, visit the Hampton Theatre Company website, call OvationTix at 866-811-4111, or call the Hampton Theatre Company at 631-653-8955.