HUNTINGTON -- Love is hard enough on its own.

Then you've got to bring her home to meet the parents.

In the case of Tommy, that means his soon-to-be-fiance has to come home to Southern Ohio to meet his two odd-ball aunts, Bitsy and Boots, who raised him.

That is the premise of "Bitsy and Boots," the latest original comedy play by prolific, young playwright Jonathan Joy.

"Bitsy and Boots" will be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday, as well as Friday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 23, at the First United Methodist Church, 1124 5th Ave., Huntington.

Dinner (prime rib au Jus or glazed Cornish hen, with tossed salad, baked potato, green peas and pearl onions, dilly rolls and assorted Valentine desserts) is served at 6:30 p.m.

Dinner plus the show is $22. Children under 12 are $8.

Show only is $5 (if space permits). Babysitting is available on request for all shows (advance notice required).

Joy, who graduated from Marshall University in 2004 with a master's in English, said it was fun to write "Bitsy and Boots," his 15th play, and his third full-length play, and see it come to life.

He didn't get to see his last one on the stage.

Joy's last play, "Danny and Bernard Backstage at the 'Dr. Phil Show,' " was read the last weekend in January at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, as Joy was one of 10 winners of the David Mamet Writing Contest.

Joy, who has had part of a play printed in The New York Times, and performed during FestivALL Charleston, said he packed this hour and 15-minute play with lots of comedy, drama and even an accidental shooting.

One of the aunts is dating a hot-shot politician, and inadvertently shoots him in the rear. She tries to cover up the accident to not freak out the visiting fiancé.

"When I think of dinner theater, it's got to be fast-paced with comedy or lots of music," Joy said. "This isn't a musical but it has those elements of being fast-paced and a farce that will appeal to this audience. It's very broad comedy that will appeal to just about anybody."

Joy is also excited to get to work with the First Methodist Dinner Theater run by Jerry and Jane Morse.

"I've known Jerry and Jane Morse for probably 17 years," he said. "We did a show together when I started doing plays in high school. I was friends with their daughters and did shows with them and we just kept in touch through the years."

He said it's been great to see the five-character play come to life.

"It is so new, and I've never written anything that fast before," Joy said. "I was kind of obsessed with it. I saw it for the first time a few weekends ago. It was just amazing to hear it and see all the jokes come together. It was really awesome."

Started as part of First Night in 1991, the annual dinner theater has been an integral part of the church's mission program raising more than $35,000 for mission projects through 15 productions.

In 2007, church members gave more than $30,000 to support community projects, mission projects across West Virginia, and national and international relief efforts. Members volunteer throughout the community, and participate in mission work teams in West Virginia, Alaska and Nicaragua.

Proceeds from the 2008 dinner theater will help fund the church youth work team and many other projects.

"It's important that with your art or whatever you do to be able to contribute and to give back in that way," Joy said. "It really is nice. They've been doing it since 1991 and they raise a lot of money every year so it's really special to be a part of that."

For reservations, call (304) 522-0357 or (740) 867-8576.

Howie McCormick/The Herald-Dispatch

Jonathan Joy, center, a theater educator with the Huntington Museum of Art, assigns a skit to a group of children attending a “Kids Art” session at the museum on Dec. 29, 2007. Joy’s latest play “Bitsy and Boots” will be performed this weekend at First United Methodist Church in Huntington.

Purchase this photo