Set in not one, but two, iconic decades in American history, the setting and characters of “Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean” are drenched in the sensibilities of a bygone era.

The play’s overarching themes, however, are timeless.

Opening Friday night in downtown’s Beckwith Theatre, “Come Back to the Five & Dime” tells the story of the reunion of a James Dean fan club, who meet at their old hangout at the Woolworths five-and-dime branch in McCarthy, Texas in 1975, the 20th anniversary of the actor’s death. Interspersed with flashbacks to that tragic day, the women of the club slowly unravel the lies they’ve been telling themselves and others, while trying to determine what happened to their sole male member.

“It’s about how we want the world be a certain way,” said director Donna Courtney. “And sometimes, we do stupid and desperate things to make reality conform to how we want it to be.”

Rife with controversial subjects such as alcoholism and domestic abuse, the play created a stir when it was first put into production in 1976, Courtney said.

“Back then, people didn’t like to talk about these subjects,” she said. “Today, we talk, but we do it in whispers, and we shouldn’t. These topics are just as relevant today. I want people to start talking about them more openly.”

This is the third show that Courtney, a Beckwith regular, has directed for the Dowagiac theatre house. The director said she has a fondness for this particular play, though the last several weeks of set preparation, casting and rehearsals have all presented their own set of challenges.

“It’s like I’m working with two casts, due to the split time period in the show,” Courtney said.

Not only was keeping the characters consistent when portrayed by two different actors difficult, but also coordinating the lighting and positioning during the flashback segments, which are interwoven with the main storyline, Courtney said.

Another difficulty the production experienced was with sorting out the nine-character cast, as the transition between summer and fall left a lot of the Beckwith regulars with other commitments.

“Several of the actors had only three weeks to rehearse,” Courtney said. “They have done an awesome job pulling it together.”

A total of three actors are making their Beckwith debut with this show, including Allison Culver, who is junior at Three Rivers High School. A pair of Lake Michigan College theater students also star in the play.

“Each of my productions had their own challenges and rewards, but this is the one that I can finally say ‘I REALLY like this play,’” Courtney said.

“Come Back to the Five & Dime” will run from Sept. 19-21 and 26-28 at the Beckwith, with curtains opening at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets cost $10, and be ordered by calling (269) 782-7653.

“There’s no substitute for live theater,” Courtney said. “We don’t have special effects or explosions, but we have an intimate atmosphere that makes audiences feel more connected to the characters on stage. Plus, you no never know what will happen.”