Violence, confusion and chaos pepper the front pages of newspapers and people’s thoughts these days. Distant wars aren’t so distant anymore. Battles are waged every day overseas and across the street.

StageWest producer Ron Lambert says the comedy “Music From A Sparkling Planet,” about remembering the “better times,” comes to Des Moines at just the right moment.

“It’s a fun, kind of sentimental, kind of nostalgic show,” Lambert says of StageWest’s season finale. “It’s really good to have a show like that right now with so much serious stuff going on in the world.”

“Music From A Sparkling Planet” is about three friends who grew up in the 1970s watching cartoons and speculating about the future. Tamara Tomorrow, the title character in the play, is described by Lambert as a “cheery announcer” who predicts the future on her children’s television show.

Thirty years later, life hasn’t turned out quite like Tamara predicted, and the three friends go in search of their childhood fantasies.

Angela Stanger, who plays the role of Tamara Tomorrow, agrees with Lambert about the show’s nature.

Stanger says that Tamara portrays the essence of the play through her innocent disposition.

Matt Hanify, a StageWest regular, plays Andy, Tamara’s boyfriend. Hanify says that even though Andy and Tamara’s relationship isn’t typical of “The Wonder Years,” it is still wholesome.

Both Hanify and Stanger related Tamara’s television program to programs they watched as children.

“‘The Rompa Room’ had Ms. Julie, who was similar to Tamara,” Hanify says.

Lambert says that “Music From A Sparkling Planet” is an involved shows from a video and sound standpoint, with clips of live cartoons shown on television monitors during the play. This is the premiere production of this play in Iowa.

Lambert says that StageWest likes to exhibit contemporary plays and musicals. More than three-quarters of the shows StageWest does are Iowa premiere productions, he says.

Hanify says that working with contemporary productions is one of the reasons that he enjoys working with StageWest.

“I like exploring something for the first time,” Hanify says. “There’s something to be said for Shakespeare and the masters, but I like diving headlong into a new piece of literature.”