STAGE TUBE: Sneak Peek of Maine State Music Theatre's 42ND STREET

Maine State Music Theatre is in its final production of the season, 42nd Street. The show runs until August 25th; for tickets and showtimes contact the box office at (207) 725- 8769 or visit www.msmt.org. Check out the video preview below!

Maine State Music Theatre presents its season finale, the tap extravaganza 42nd STREET. The Tony Award-winner for Best Musical runs until August 25th at the Pickard Theater. Tickets are available online at www.msmt.org, over the phone at (207) 725- 8769, or by visiting the box office located in the Pickard Theater lobby at 1 Bath Road in Brunswick, Maine. Ticket prices range from $36 to $59. Matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. and evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

Based on the novel by Bradford Ropes and the 1933 film adaptation, 42ND STREET is a high-energy show about taking chances. At the height of the great depression, a director, Julian Marsh, decides to launch a musical extravaganza. Peggy Sawyer, fresh off the bus from Allentown, PA, has talent that shines but no one is looking until she runs directly into the person who could give her the break she needs, Marsh. After a series of events Marsh ends up casting the newcomer. However, Dorothy Brock, the experienced prima donna, realizes that Sawyer has the potential to outshine her stardom.

42nd STREET, with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin and music by Harry Warren, is a spectacle of tap dancing, familiar tunes and memorable characters. The 1980 Broadway production, directed by Gower Champion and orchestrated by Philip J. Lang, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit. Recognizable songs from the show include: “We’re In The Money,” “Keep Young And Beautiful,” “Dames,” “I Only Have Eyes For You,” “Shuffle Off To Buffalo,” and “Lullaby Of Broadway.”

Maine State Music Theatre’s production is led by Director, Charles Repole; Choreographer, Michael Lichtefeld; and Musical Director, Jason Wetzel. The cast contains Broadway veterans, MSMT veterans and some triple-threats making their MSMT debuts. Alessa Neeck (Peggy Sawyer) makes her debut at MSMT. Neeck was part of the original Broadway company of White Christmas. Patrick Ryan Sullivan (Julian Marsh) joins MSMT for the first time after playing the role on Broadway and the national tour. MSMT legend, Karen K. Edissi (Dorothy Brock), returns to the Pickard Theater for her 25th season. Edissi last appeared on stage in Brunswick in 2009 in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Drowsy Chaperone. Tyler Hanes (Billy Lawlor), has Broadway credits that include A Chorus Line and Hairspray and also last appeared at MSMT in The Drowsy Chaperone.

The cast also includes MSMT favorite, Charis Leos (Maggie Jones) and Courtney Romano (Lorraine Flemming), and making their MSMT debuts, Mara Newbery (Anytime Annie) and Marjorie Failoni (Phyllis Dale). Zak Edwards (Oscar) also makes his MSMT debut and is joined on stage by MSMT vets Raymond Marc Dumont (Andy Lee), Glenn Anderson (Abner Dillon), Chuck Ragsdale (Mac) and Gregg Goodbrod (Pat Denning).

Contributing to “those dancin’ feet” is a stellar ensemble of dancers including: Matthew Warner Kiernan, Taylor Anderson, Matthew Begin, Blair Best, Michaela K. Boissonneault, Jeffery Heimbrock, Andrew Metzgar, Allie Pizzo, Jonalyn Saxer, Jordan Weagraff, Zachariah F. Williams and Emmeline Wood.

Maine State Music Theatre continues its tradition of Pay-What-You-Can pricing for both the matinee and evening performances of 42ND STREET on Friday, August 10th. On that day, patrons who walk up in person to MSMT’s box office at the Pickard Theater can pay whatever their budgets will allow for any remaining, unsold seats. The box office opens at 10:00 a.m. It is important to note that this offer is not valid on previously purchased tickets or with any other discount offers and is subject to availability. The Pay-What-You-Can on August 10th is sponsored by Atlantic Regional Federal Credit Union.

Maine State Music Theatre is a professional, non-profit arts organization, operating in Brunswick, Maine for fifty-four years. The theatre, contracted with the Actors’ Equity Association’s Council of Resident Stock Theatres (CORST), produces four mainstage, Broadway-quality musicals; produces two children’s musicals; and presents three special concert events each summer at the Pickard Theater on the beautiful campus of Bowdoin College. For more information about Maine State Music Theatre, please visit our website at www.msmt.org.