The tale of an unscrupulous 8-year-old who will stop at nothing to fulfill her dreams of stardom comes to the Burnsville Performing Arts Center stage when Chameleon Theatre Circle presents the acclaimed off-Broadway show "Ruthless! The Musical" next month.

The play is a winner of the New York Outer Critics Circle Award for best off-Broadway musical. Chameleon's production is directed by Mishia Burns Edwards and features Holly Brimhall, Olivia Coon, Andy Elfenbein, Kayla Hambek, Jillian Jacobson, Christy Jones and Meagan Kedrowski. The production also has a live band.

The theater group warns that the show contains mature language and simulated violence. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4, 5, 7, 10, 11 and 12 and 2 p.m. Oct. 6 and 13. Oct. 7 will be pay what you can — audience members can set their own price for a ticket — and that show will be followed by a discussion with the cast and crew.

Shows will take place at the black box theater in the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Av. Tickets are $20 for adults and $17 for students, seniors, Fringe button holders and groups of eight or more. See www.burnsvillepac.com for more information.

BURNSVILLE

Frightmares begins Oct. 11

Buck Hill will get its annual Frightmares season running Oct. 11, and this year it's swapped one of its four haunted attractions for a new version.

The frightfest runs 10 weekend nights through Oct. 27 and also includes a roster of local musical acts on Friday and Saturday nights and a full-service bar and restaurant.

The Bellharm Asylum, one of the haunted houses from past years, is now said to have burned down, and this year guests can visit "Under Bellharm," described as the "fetid netherworld of the asylum's forgotten basement level." Past attractions — the Haunted Hollow, the Orchard Manor and the Fright Factory — are back for another season.

Frightmares will also include "The Magic Maniac Show" featuring the Halls of Magic, seen on NBC's "America's Got Talent" in 2001.

Buck Hill is at 15400 Buck Hill Road in Burnsville. Tickets are $20 for Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and $18 on Sundays. See www.frightmares.com for more information and a full schedule.

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