Hickory – Prepare for an unforgettable theatrical experience with the hilariously horrifying hit musical, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals invades the Hickory Community Theatre. Loosely inspired by the classic sci-fi thriller, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this toe-tapping spectacle follows Paul, an average guy with a distaste for musical theatre. When a strange asteroid crashes outside Hatchetfield, He mysteriously finds himself in a world where people are transformed into mindless musical-loving zombies. Playing two of those creatures, and a host of other townsfolk, are two newcomers to HCT, Dylan Day and Andie Thomas.

Day is a native of Statesville, whose love of musical theatre began at VPAC/Statesville High School, where he performed in such shows as Into the Woods, Addams Family and The Little Mermaid. He has also worked with Theatre Statesville, playing a Gypsy in Dracula and Lyle in their recent production of Footloose. “I auditioned for this show, he said, “because it was the first musical my wife showed me when we first met and I fell in love with it. It’s great to be in the ensemble because I get to be in all the best songs!”

Originally from Fayetteville, Thomas graduated from Appalachian State University in 2018 with her Bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in creative writing. She now works at ASU as an Administrative Support Associate, where she assists the chair, Dr. Leonardo Flores, and the other faculty members in the Department of English. She married her husband, Justin Thomas, who has been in many HCT productions, in 2021. “Hickory Community Theatre is a beautiful space and I’m so happy to be sharing the stage here with Justin.”

Performances of The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals will be August 30 through September 14, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm and Thursday, September 12 at 7:30pm in the Jeffers Theatre. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students and youth 18 & under. Tickets may be purchased online at hickorytheatre.org or by phone at 828-328-2283.

 The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is rated PG-13, with adult language and cartoonish violence. The Hickory Community Theatre is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County.

 Photo: Andie Thomas and Dylan Day are two members of the Ensemble in The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. Photo by Eric Seale.