After premiering Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2008, Saved authors Michael Friedman (music/lyrics), John Dempsey (book) and Rinne Groff (book) have continued to develop the musical based on the 2004 film about a group of Christian high school students.

Director Gary Griffin (The Color Purple) again stages the production that officially opens Sept. 19 and will run through Oct. 3.

"Saved is like many other successful musicals that do not reach their full potential in their first production. I believe we were only able to get a good first draft in New York, and it would be a shame to stop when we were just discovering the musical’s strengths," Griffin said in a statement.

Finley (The Wedding Singer, Happy Days) is cast as Lillian, Rowat (White Christmas, Guys and Dolls) is Pastor Mike and Spangler (The Fantasticks) is Patrick. The cast also includes Patrick Andrews as Roland, Izzie Baldwin as Tia, Justis Bolding (Woman in White) as Hilary Faye, Doogin Brown as Mitch, Gillian Goldberg as Cassandra, Laura Huizenga (Saved workshop) as Mary, David Hull (Wicked) as Dean and Emily Peterson as Lana.

Saved has orchestrations by Curtis Moore, scenic design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Megan Turek, lighting design by Jason Lyons and sound design by Joshua Horvath. Jasper Grant serves as musical director and conductor. According to KC Rep, "Saved is a story about a group of Christian high school students seeking acceptance and inclusion as they search for meaning in their complicated lives."

Friedman will be represented on Broadway this September with the musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; he also penned original music for the Off-Broadway engagement of Tony Kushner's Angels in America this fall. Dempsey authored lyrics for The Fix, Zombie Prom and The Witches of Eastwick. Groff's play Compulsion, which stars Mandy Patinkin, will arrive in New York in early 2011.

See cast member Nick Spangler's exclusive rehearsal photos.

For tickets visit KCRep.