FLORA THE RED MENACE Comes to Court Square Theater Next Month

Forager Theatre Company will present Kander & Ebb's first musical, "Flora the Red Menace," a rarely-mounted tale about labor rights, female self-actualization, and the power of community in Depression-era New York. With a fizzing eccentric score featuring lost gems like "A Quiet Thing" and "Sing Happy," it shows a young woman with unabashed optimism encountering the realities of both love and injustice for the first time. And as she learns that all her personal actions are in fact political, her thrilling run-ins with communists, capitalists, and all in between create a new worldview all the more powerful, nuanced, and humanist.

Coming off their acclaimed in-the-round semi-immersive production of "tick, tick...BOOM!" last year at The New Ohio (NYC) and Kitchen Theatre Company (Ithaca, NY), Forager presents a similarly innovative and excavating take on this classic. It will also feature an original Social Realist wall mural designed for this production by visual artist Tanya Gupta.

"Flora the Red Menace" has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, the original 1965 book by George Abbot & Robert Russell, and a revised 1987 libretto by David Thompson. Its original Broadway first production starred Liza Minelli, who won a Tony Award for her performance. Seeding many ideas for Kander & Ebb's later hit "Cabaret," "Flora" is a unique mix of political Federal Theater Project plays of the 30s, Golden Age musical comedies, and the concept musicals of the late 20th century.

Forager Theatre Company is a registered non-profit that "builds dynamic, joyful, and holistic theatrical experiences from the objects, spaces, viewpoints, contributions, and people it can gather from any and everywhere." It comprises four branches: Take Root donation-based classes, Unearth readings and content development, Blossom concerts and one-night experiences, and Harvest staged productions. www.foragertheatre.com

PERFORMANCES: Thursday May 2nd @ 7:30pm, Friday May 3rd @ 7:30pm, Saturday May 4th @ 2pm & 7:30pm, Sunday May 5th @ 2pm.

CREATIVE TEAM: Co-Directors: Jennie Hughes & Jacqueline Keeley, Executive Producer: Iris Rodrigo, Choreographer: Theresa Alexander, Music Director: Alex Parrish, Associate Music Director: Ashley Grace Ryan, Assistant Director: Anita Sagar, Stage Manager: Kristen Tunney, Mural Designer: Tanya Gupta, Set/Props Designer: Erin Long, Photographer: Angela Gonzalez.

CAST: The production will star Iris Rodrigo as Flora, *Alex Parrish as Harry, Jennie Hughes as Charlotte, Juan Castro as Willy, *Mick Hilgers as Mr. Weiss, Kayla Jacobs as Elsa, Da'Merius Ford as Kenny, Katherine Winter as Maggie, Nathaniel Lee as Mr. Stanley, and Theresa Alexander as Swing/Maggie u/s.

*Actors appear courtesy of Actors Equity Association.

LOCATION: Court Square Theater (44-02 23rd St, Queens, NY 11101), accessible by E/M/G/7 subways, near NQRW line.

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