From KMZU Radio

Paradise Playhouse Under New Management

Written by Chelsea Wade
Thursday, 22 September 2011

Image courtesy of "I miss Paradise Playhouse in Excelsior Springs" Facebook page

A once vibrant Excelsior Springs theater has a new lease on life.  KMZU’s Chelsea Wade talked with owner Jim Dickerson:

The words “Guess What?” mysteriously appeared on the blank marquee above the Paradise Playhouse. It has been more than two years since the neon lights glowed and actors took the stage. New owner Jim Dickerson stumbled upon the theater during a trip to Excelsior Springs. He said he couldn’t believe it was sitting empty, so he took a chance and called to check on it. “The broker told me it was in pristine condition. I have been doing business things for quite a while and I’ve heard a lot of pristine buildings. This thing was in really good shape and when I started looking into there were a lot of people that really wanted it to come back. [My wife] and I looked at ways to bring it back to Excelsior,” Dickerson said.

According to Dickerson, they hope to have it open as soon as possible. “We were originally going to try to purchase the property. Those things take time. The demand was so high for the theater within the community and surrounding area that we wanted to come up with something while we work on that. We are going to take over on October 1st and we’re going to open here shortly,” Dickerson added.