OPENING DOORS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS "FLORA, THE RED MENACE"

OPENING DOORS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS "FLORA, THE RED MENACE"

Opening Doors Theatre Company presents FLORA, THE RED MENACE - the first production for Season II of their acclaimed "Closing Notice" Series on Sundays & Mondays, February 24th & 25th and March 2nd & 3rd. All four performances will be held at THE DUPLEX CABARET THEATRE (61 Christopher Street, NYC - 1-212-255-5438 - http://www.theduplex.com/ ) and are scheduled for 7:00 pm.

FLORA, THE RED MENACE is produced by Holli Leggett. The production will be directed by Suzanne Adams with musical direction by Ray Bailey from a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb. The book is by David Thompson, based on the novel Love is Just Around the Corner by Lester Atwell, originally adapted by George Abbott. Choreography will be by Christine Schwalenberg. The cast includes Whit Baldwin, Desire Davar, Alison Renee Foster, Francis Kelly, Andrew Lebon, Jillian Prefach, Buzz Roddy, Kevin C. Wanzor, and Erin West.

Tickets are $20 plus a 2-drink minimum.

FLORA, THE RED MENACE is a musical set in 1935, a time when many young idealists thought Communism could lead America out of the Depression and into a better world. It's a story about a young woman determined to make it in New York, whose love for a radical WPA artists leads her to join the Communist Party. This was the first collaboration between John Kander and Fred Ebb, written in 1965. Like Cabaret and Chicago, it features a headstrong heroine with passion and idealism, and has a strong dose of political content. FLORA, THE RED MENACE opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on May 11, 1965 and ran for 87 performances. At 19 years of age, Liza Minnelli won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Flora. A revised version appeared off-Broadway in 1987.

Opening Doors Theatre Company is a New York City-based, non-profit performing arts ensemble committed to developing an eclectic mix of programming through the artistic collaboration of performers as well as playwrights, composers, directors and designers, and providing opportunities for new talent to be seen and heard. The company was formed in 2006 by Suzanne Adams (Artistic & Managing Director), along with Hector Coris (Associate Artistic Director) and Eric Martin (Production Manager).

The "Closing Notice" Series is a set of "living cast album" presentations focusing on classic musicals that were either dubbed a "flop", had short commercial runs or most likely will never be revived again. Opening Doors respectfully presents these scores with the understanding that - unsuccessful or not - the creators poured their craft, guts and love into the work and they deserve to be heard once again - live on stage. The score will be presented in its entirety with a truncated book. The "Closing Notice" series began in December 2006 with the critically-acclaimed presentation of Bring Back Birdie (2007 MAC Award nomination - Outstanding Variety Production/Recurring Series), followed by the highly-anticipated, It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman! (March 2007). Season I was rounded off with the 50th anniversary presentation of 1957's Whoop Up. All three shows enjoyed sold out houses.