Blowing Rock Stage Company announces summer lineup

Series kicks off June 10 with Shear Madness

The Blowing Rock Stage Company’s mission is to produce revivals of popular plays and musicals that have sustained the company since its beginnings and to the exploration and development of new works that celebrate the culture and heritage of the Blue Ridge region. The company’s primary task is to celebrate, through theatrical performances and educational outreach programs, the common humanity binding us all together.

June 10-28
Shear Madness
A you-choose-Whodunit! by the Blowing Rock Stage Company
Discover why more than 8 million people around the world have seen Shear Madness, an uproarious salon-set whodunit where the audience gets to solve the crime. A mixture of improvisation and up-to-the-minute spontaneous humor, the play, which Time Magazine calls “one of the best-kept successes in show business,” incorporates the latest media scandals and local news items. Plus, since the audience plays sleuth, Shear Madness is delightfully different every time you see it. This production is by the creators of the shows in Washington D.C., Boston, Las Vegas and Charlotte. Produced in collaboration with the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (Charlotte). “A hair-raising hit.” -Newsweek

July 3-12
Suite Surrender
Two Divas, two egos...and one suite. by the Blowing Rock Stage Company
It’s 1942, and the luxurious Palm Beach Royale Hotel is under siege as two of Hollywood’s biggest divas vie for the same suite. The hotel staff and the stars’ secretaries do all they can to keep Hollywood legends Claudia McFadden and Athena Sinclair from killing each other. Mistaken identities, overblown egos, double entendres, and one pampered lap dog all crash together in Florida playwright Michael McKeever’s show-business valentine to those hysterical old farces of the ’30s and ’40s.  Great fun for the whole family. “Buckle up for a funny ride.” – Caldwell Theatre Company

July 17-Aug. 2
Bye Bye Birdie
An All-American Rock & Roll Musical. by the Blowing Rock Stage Company
This Tony Award winner for Best Musical made its Broadway debut in 1960 with Dick Van Dyke, Chita Rivera and Charles Nelson Reilly. Now this tuneful, toe-tapping musical comedy inspired by Elvis Presley comes to Blowing Rock. The affectionate tale follows rock-and-roll superstar Conrad Birdie and the antics that precede a publicity stunt on The Ed Sullivan Show in which Conrad will kiss one lucky girl from Sweet Apple, Ohio, before being drafted into the Army. “The score still sends us out of the theatre humming.” –talkinbroadway.com

Aug. 7-16
Angel Street
Where Love Becomes a Stranglehold. by the Blowing Rock Stage Company
One of the longest-running non-musicals in Broadway history, this Victorian England-set psychological thriller spawned a new generation of stage thrillers and led to the 1944 Oscar-winning film Gaslight, starring Ingrid Bergman. Patrick Hamilton’s white-knuckle-inducing tale, which follows a sensitive woman whose husband has just about convinced her that her sanity is disintegrating, is the stuff of great dramatic literature. Prepare to be glued to the edge of your seat. And don’t forget to breathe. “A dynamite thriller.” –theatremirror.com

Aug. 21 – Sept. 6
Hank Williams: Lost Highway
Musical Portrait of a Country Legend. by the Blowing Rock Stage Company
This spectacular musical biography is a tender ode to the brash, pioneering country star, who stands among the greatest innovators of American popular music. The musical documents the singer-songwriter’s rise from obscure hillbilly to country-western super-stardom to his early demise at age 29. An unforgettable tribute, Lost Highway highlights Williams’ unique magic as a performer and the unbreakable spell of his haunting songs. “Exhilarating! A rare achievement in musical theatre!” —Rolling Stone magazine

All shows will be performed at the Hayes Performing Arts Center, located at 152 Jamie Fort Road in Blowing Rock. For tickets or more information, call the box office at (828) 295-9627 or visit www.hayescenter.org.