Though now commonplace, acting was condemned in colonial times as “public lying,” with offenders being yanked off the streets with novelty-sized shepherd’s crooks. Embrace vaudevillainy with today’s deal to The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea. Check the schedule to plan your visit; Groupon users must call in advance to reserve their seats. Seating will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, and is subject to availability; having a Groupon does not guarantee a seat. Choose between the following options:

• For $20, you get two tickets to a Wednesday or Thursday regular or preview performance of any show (up to a $50 value).
• For $40, you get two tickets to a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday regular or preview performance of any show (up to an $80 value).
  
  

Founded in 1991 by acclaimed actor and playwright Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose Theatre Company enriches its community with original and classic productions that range from light-hearted comedies to poignant dramas. Resident artists elicit laughs during Escanaba in da Moonlight, a revival of Daniels’s deer-camp comedy about a group of hunters competing for the first shot at a buck and the most creative camouflage pattern. Starting January 19, A Stone Carver introduces us to a retired stonemason named Agostino who resists being evicted from his home in the face of planned highway construction, even at the risk of alienating his only son. Converted from a 1900s-era auto garage, The Purple Rose Theatre Company distributes sight lines evenly throughout its 168-seat auditorium and grumbling Model T ghosts throughout its marbled 1930s-style lobby.