UAB Theatre presents “The Ransom of Red Chief,” based on the classic short story by O. Henry, that answers the tongue-in-cheek question: Will the kidnappers return the boy before the ransom note is even answered?  Shows are scheduled at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. June 5-6 and June 11-13 and at 10 a.m. June 7 and June 14 in the Alys Stephens Center Odess Theatre. Tickets are $5.

This is the story of two men, down on their luck, who decide to make quick money by abducting a little boy and keeping him until his father pays a ransom. But the boy is a brat, who insists that he’s an Indian warrior called Red Chief and the kidnappers are his prisoners, which isn’t far from the truth. The men struggle to keep the boy incarcerated and survive the child’s rambunctious behavior.