Ragged Edge Opens New Season With ‘Little Shop Of Horrors’

35th Season Opens Friday, Sept. 28

Robert Moore

rmoore@harrodsburgherald.com

Ragged Edge Community Theatre is kicking off their new season with an old favorite.

“Little Shop of Horrors” is the timeless story of a girl, a boy and a man-eating houseplant from outer space. The musical, which features Alyssa Wray as Audrey, Matthew Curtis as Seymour and Audrey II as itself, opens Friday, Sept. 28, with performances running through Oct. 7.

Starting with a 1960 black-and-white movie directed by Roger Corman and featuring Jack Nicholson in one of his first roles, “Little Shop of Horrors” has grown like a kudzu vine over the decades. It was adapted for an Off Broadway musical by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman in 1983 and turned into a yet another movie in 1986 starring Rick Moranis as Seymour and Ellen Greene as Audrey. According to Ragged Edge Executive Director Allan Barlow, the theater produced a version of it over a decade ago.

It’s not the only returning favorite this season, which is Ragged Edge’s 35th. Barlow will return to the stage in his one-man production of “A Christmas Carol,” which will run Dec. 7-9. Barlow has been acting out Charles Dickens’ holiday classic for 15 years. This will be the eighth year he’s done it at Ragged Edge.

There will also be a lot of new productions this year. Ragged Edge is one of the first non-professional companies in the country to do “Mamma Mia!” the jukebox musical featuring the songs of ABBA, which will premier June 21, 2019.

The theater will also stage readings of three new plays in August during their first ever New Works Festival.

Here’s the full lineup for Ragged Edge’s 35th season.

• “Little Shop of Horrors” runs Friday–Sunday, Sept. 28–30 and Oct. 5–7. Directed by Allan Barlow with music direction by Wendy Hood

• “A Charlie Brown Christmas” runs Nov. 9–11 and Nov. 16–18. A youth stage production featuring actors ages 6-13 portraying the classic comic strip characters created by Charles Schultz. Co-directed by Barlow, Margaret Meredith and Katie Followell.

• Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” runs Dec. 7–9. Allan Barlow acts out all the roles in the holiday classic.

• “A Year with Frog and Toad” runs Feb. 15–17 and Feb. 22–24 in 2019. A youth stage production featuring actors ages 14–19 based on Arnold Lobel’s books about the adventures a hoppy-go-lucky frog and his worrywart best friend, a toad. Directed by Barlow. Auditions will be held on Dec. 15 and 17.

• “The Marvelous Wonderettes” runs April 26–28 and May 3–5. A jukebox musical featuring songs by the girl groups of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Directed by Chuck Taylor with Natalie Berry Marshall as musical director. Auditions will be held Feb. 23 and 25.

• “Mamma Mia!” runs June 21–23 and June 28–30. This musical built around the music of ABBA is one of the longest running shows in Broadway history. Directed by Elizabeth Meredith with music direction by Margaret Meredith. Auditions will be held April 6–7.

• Ragged Edge Community Theatre New Works Festival runs Aug. 3–5. The festival will feature staged readings of three new plays. The price of one ticket pays for all three shows.

For more information, including show times and ticket prices, visit raggededgetheatre.org, Ragged Edge Community Theatre’s Facebook page or call 734-2389.