In January of 1998, the epic musical Ragtime opened on Broadway, thrilling critics and audiences alike with its daring scope and lush music. The team responsible for this megahit was composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens, who had been working together for over ten years.

Although they had had other shows open on Broadway, such as Once on this Island and My Favorite Year, their first professionally produced show was a little charmer called Lucky Stiff, a deliberate throwback to the quirky book musicals of the golden era of Broadway.

Lucky Stiff is now in rehearsal at the Newnan Community Theatre Company, and NCTC artistic director Dale Lyles says that "if audiences have half the fun we're having working on it, they will owe us more than what we're charging for tickets."

The show concerns Harry Witherspoon, a meek British shoe salesman who inherits $6 million from his casino manager Uncle Tony in New Jersey. There's a catch: to get the money, Harry must take his uncle's body on vacation to Monte Carlo! Otherwise, all the money goes to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn, his favorite charity.

With Miss Annabel Glick from the UDH of B dogging (!) his every step, Harry has to evade detection from all the crazies who suddenly enter his life. Will he make it through the week or will he be sent back to Hampstead to sell shoes for the rest of his life?

The cast includes Chris Scott as Harry, Brenda Barry-Weaver as Annabel, Caroline Carr as Rita (Tony's mistress), Murray Weed as Vinnie (Rita's brother), Alison Chambers as Dominique (cabaret singer), Jimmy Johnson as Luigi (man about town), and Matthew Bailey, Jr., Jenifer Doran, Craig Humphrey and Diana Kline as the chorus, playing multiple roles.

The show opens on Friday, April 28 and runs three weekends, through May 13 at the Newnan Community Theatre, 24 First Avenue in Newnan. Performances are 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $10 ($8 for seniors and students). A special performance for students, with tickets just $5, will be Thursday, May 11 at 8 p.m. Tickets for all performances are available now by calling 770-683-NCTC for reservations.

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