True, it is not quite football season. And true, the new theater season hasn’t had its official Curtain Up! kickoff. But everyone knows sunsets after 8 p.m. won’t be seen again for months, and we can keep the windows open at night and, golly heck, it sure FEELS like a new season is here.

In recognition of that, and for the pure fun of it, Lancaster Opera House is presenting the theater-meets-gridiron Buffalo Bills fantasy, “Once in My Lifetime,” written by Buffalo’s own Donna Hoke.

We will say right up front that if you don’t know what that title refers to, this might not be the show for you.  But, for the other 99 percent of the people in Western New York, this 100-minute visit to the Miracle Bar is a chance to get primed for the new, wonderful seasons coming fast upon us. 

Like all local football stories, “Once in My Lifetime” can feel at times like a bit of a bumpy ride as the joke-packed narrative zigzags among each of the regular’s Bills Fan origin stories. The older patrons recall that heart-breaking Super Bowl streak; others have even deeper memories. Joe Ferguson, anyone? There also are the generational connections to parents and grandparents, some here, some gone, who never lost hope that just once in their lifetimes they would know what it felt like to see their team win it all.

Barkeeper Lyn (Pamela Rose Mangus) knows all those feelings. Now widowed, she holds fast to her husband’s dying wish that she keep the Miracle Bar running until the Bills win the Super Bowl. Hoping and suffering along with her are a pair of feuding friends, feistily played by Nick Lama and John Vines; young Ethan (Devin Klump), estranged from his football-loving father; and the affluent P.T (Jon May) and his Bills-ambivalent bride Belinda Sue (Melanie Stang), who gets the audience up in arms when she proclaims, “There are other things in life than the Bills winning some dumb game!”

The blasphemy continues when bartender Ty (Johnny Rowe) reveals his true allegiance and Michael J. Galante takes center stage as a mysterious stranger who keeps his Chiefs jersey under wraps.

The gang has gathered at the bar for a midseason game, experienced via off-stage announcers Steve Brachmann and Davida Tolbert. Originally written in 2017 right before the Bills ended their playoff drought, some of the group’s despair feels out-of-place for this bandwagon era. However, for this run, Hoke deftly tweaked the script to reflect the current moment, tempering the perennial loser mentality with a few touches of “this is our year” without weakening the emotional climax.

What hasn’t changed is the undying belief that dreams can come true. With heart and humor, “Once in My Lifetime” captures the spirit that binds Bills Nation together. Let’s hope that the next rewrite Ms. Hoke does (maybe for 2026?), has to begin with the title. “Once MORE in My Lifetime” has a nice ring. 

The show continues this Saturday and next (Aug. 30 and Sept. 6) at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 31 at 2:30 p.m.; and Sept. 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lancaster Opera House, 21 Central Ave., Lancaster. Tickets are $35; $33 for seniors; $20 for students at lancasteropera.org. (Bills attire not required but recommended.)