FLORA THE RED MENACE Will Come to Lakewood Theatre Company

Lakewood Theatre Company’s Lost Treasures Collection, a series of rarely performed musical gems, will return for the final show of its sixteenth season. The musical Flora The Red Menace will be performed on Lakewood’s Side Door Stage on April 10 and 11, 2026. This year’s theme is George Abbott – Broadway Legend. The shows, staged in a concert or cabaret style, are presented script-in-hand with minimal staging. No sets, no props (free from the usual trappings of a fully staged production). 

This show was the first Broadway collaboration of John Kander and Fred Ebb (composer and lyricists of Cabaret, Chicago, and Kiss of the Spider Woman). The book was by George Abbott and Robert Russell.

Flora the Red Menace is a charmingly simple love story set against the backdrop of American communist agitation during the 1930s Depression. This lively musical asks the question: Is Flora a “red menace” or just “a girl in love”? The score features memorable songs like “A Quiet Thing,” “All I Need is One Good Break,” “The Flame,” “Dear Love,” and “Sing Happy.”

Flora The Red Menace will have only three performances: Friday, April 10, at 7:00 PM; Saturday, April 11, at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. 

In the 1930s, many people faced unemployment due to the Great Depression, but they kept hope alive. Headstrong aspiring fashion designer Flora Meszaros (Sydney Webber) is part of an artists' cooperative filled with bohemians—dancers, musicians, designers—struggling to find work. Hoping to get a job paying at least $15 a week, she is hired by a department store manager for $30. She falls for Harry Toukarian (Erik Montague), another struggling designer who tries to convert Flora to his communist beliefs. Although risking her job in an organization that doesn't recognize the new unions, she tries to balance both her job and her relationship. In the end, Flora finds herself caught between two very different ideals and must choose one to find true happiness.

The ensemble playing multiple roles includes Emily Smith, Jason Nuesa, McKenzie Brock, Tim Ward, René Bordelon, Dylan Macabitas, and Mike Dederian.