Flat Rock Playhouse recently announced its upcoming season of shows during its 2019 Season Reveal event that gathered hundreds of people.
Lisa K. Bryant, Scott Treadway, Paige Posey and Mark Warwick — accompanied by Nat Zegree on piano — unveiled the lineup, which is heavy on country, comedy, proven past box office successes, and animals.
Among the popular family-friendly fare are shows like All Shook Up and Jungle Book.
Shorts bits from many of the shows were read by Bryant, the theater’s producing artistic director; Posey, the Playhouse president; and actors Treadway and Warwick.
“Kate Barton-Hope, currently performing in the sensational Pickin’ and a’Grinnin’ show, lit up the stage with a cover of Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy,’” the Hendersonville Lightning reported. “Bryant touted the new comfortable seats that will be ready in time for the season’s first show. Zegree provided backup piano and comic relief.”
The 2019 shows are as follows:
The Music of the Beatles and the Eagles, Feb. 14-17. A Valentine’s Day weekend opener features two of the most popular acts from the ‘60s through the ‘80s.
The Jungle Book, March 15-30. Rudyard Kipling’s journey of adventure tests friendship and loyalty.
Sylvia!, April 5-20. Man vs. wife, with a dog in between.
From Mozart to Pop Charts, April 25-28. An excuse to showcase the hyperkinetic Zegree, it’s gotta be good.
Country Loyalty, May 2-12. The Playhouse continues to demonstrate that it “can flat-out put on country,” the Lightning noted. “This one features Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, two big stars who flickered out too soon.”
Proposals, May 17-June 1. Healing and redemption in a Neil Simon dramedy.
South Pacific, June 7-July 6. The Playhouse banks on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic to fill those new seats in a four-week run.
Separate Beds, July 11-20. A playwright named M.J. Cruise discovers his comedy on a cruise in a “heartwarming and hilarious voyage of rediscovery.”
All Shook Up, July 26-Aug. 18. “Last staged here 10 years ago, the high-energy Elvis tribute lights up a dreary town.”
Bee Gees Gold, Aug. 23-24. Another good box office bet, the tribute salutes the hit-making band.
Rounding Third, Aug. 29-Sept. 8. A “bro-medy” has two coaches debating life and drawing laughs, for there’s no crying in baseball.
Cinematastic, Sept. 13-28. “What we call Music on the Rock, only supersized,” the musical salutes the silver screen in a song and dance extravaganza.
Smoke on the Mountain, Oct. 4-19. Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the fall musical with a bluegrass and gospel soundtrack honors faith and family.
The Turn of the Screw, Oct. 24-Nov. 2. In time for Halloween, the psychological thriller features a governess, two children and two ghosts. Boo!
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Nov. 8-17. C.S. Lewis’s coming-of-age classic is a Studio 52 Family Playhouse show.
A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas, Nov. 29-Dec. 22. A surprise hit with mostly local audiences in 2018, the Playhouse Christmas show will close the 2019 season. The show, which is being touted as “all new each year, but with lots of familiar favorites,” is vying to become a family tradition.