Red Barn Summer Theatre Artistic Director Michael Taylor was intrigued by the prospect of bringing “Curtains” to his Frankfort venue.
“I saw it on Broadway and I really enjoyed it,” Taylor said. “It’s a big show and I thought this would be a fun show if I can figure out how to downsize enough to fit the Barn’s stage. After working with my choreographer, some of the other directors, we kind of put our heads together and figured out how to make it work. We are really bringing something new.”
Red Barn will present “Curtains” from July 6 to 16. Kiara Wood is the choreographer and has a lead role, and Cole Riegle is the assistant director.
“It’s one of those shows that still has that old-school feel,” Taylor said.
The musical was written by composer John Kander and the late lyricist Fred Ebb, who wrote “Chicago” and “Cabaret.”
“It’s a musical whodunit, so there is a little bit of a mystery,” Taylor said. “It’s a big song and dance show. We haven’t done anything this large with a large ensemble in a while, so that’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s challenging because of that.”
The plot centers on the leading actress who is murdered and a detective, played by Adam Nichols, tries to solve the case. In the meantime, they are still trying to put on a show.
The number of cast members is 22.
“We had 18 last year for the musical, which was big for us, too,” Taylor said. “Generally, a big cast for us is 10.”
Taylor said the music is catchy.
“It’s a much lighter show than what ‘Chicago’ is,” Taylor said.
For more, visit redbarntheatre.net.
