Maine Theatre + Broadway News

Now Playing Onstage in Maine - Week of 6/16/2013

(6/16/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 6/16/2013 for Maine

North Shore Acappella Headlines Benefit Concert at Merrill Auditorium Tonight

(6/16/2013) - NBC Sing-Off crowd-pleasers North Shore Acapella will perform on tonight, June 16, in a concert to benefit Greater Portland Festival of Nations and the Mugadi Foundation. Hosted by Portland's own Odokara-Okigbo, the concert also features local performing groups Zemya, a world music ensemble known for their beautiful, edgy folk harmonies; and the Boy Singers of Maine., a perennial favorite with a 30-year history of bringing Maine's talented young male voices to the stage.

Penobscot Theatre Hosts Costume-Clad RACE TO THE STAGE 5K Today

(6/15/2013) - Bangor's first costume 5K! Penobscot Theatre Company announces RACE TO THE STAGE, a 5K road race with a dramatic twist - runners in costume. This first-of-its-kind event, will take place today, June 15, in downtown Bangor, with runners starting at 9:00 a.m.

BroadwayWorld Special Coverage: SUMMER STAGES - Our Picks for Summer's Best Around the World!

(6/14/2013) - As the summer days near, BroadwayWorld rounded up our worldwide community - from Australia to Spain, California and beyond! - to bring you our top picks for the best of summer theater in each of our main markets! Looking for the best of the summer venue and production offerings in your area? Let's hear from a sampling of the BroadwayWorld experts!

BWW Interviews: Characters' Psychology Intrigues DREAMGIRLS Star, Kelvin Roston, Jr.

(6/14/2013) - It is hard to connect the soft-spoken young actor with whom I am conversing to the soul-singing, hip-swinging rogue he is playing onstage at the Pickard Theatre. Indeed, the more we chat, the more Kelvin Roston, Jr., who plays James 'Thunder' Early in the Maine State Music Theatre hit production of Dreamgirls, seems to be full of surprises.

Summer Stages: BWW's Top Summer Theatre Picks in Maine

(6/14/2013) - With the start of Memorial Day, hordes of summer visitors flock to Maine for an idyllic summer of sailing, swimming, hiking, kayaking, and reveling in the beauty of the rocky coast, serene lakes and mountains, and pine-scented air. But exploring the outdoors is not the only reason to visit the state whose moniker is 'Vacationland.' For theatre lovers there are some excellent opportunities to experience exciting professional and community theatre productions.

Theater at Monmouth to Present New Adaptation of THE VELVETEEN RABBIT, 6/22-8/15

(6/14/2013) - Theater at Monmouth's summer Family Show opens June 22 at 7 p.m. with a world premiere production of Margery Williams' The Velveteen Rabbit. Adapted by Dawn McAndrews, Velveteen Rabbit tells the story of a toy Rabbit, given as a gift to a young Boy, who yearns for the day the Boy will choose her so that she can become real.

BWW Interviews: Trista Dollison from the Cast of DREAMGIRLS at Maine State Music Theatre

(6/13/2013) - Martha and the Vandellas. Gladys Knight and the Pips. Paul Revere and the Raiders. Bill Haley and His Comets. Dianna Ross and the Supremes. The singer in the front always gets the recognition. But, what about the talented singers behind the "star"? What are their hopes and dreams, and do they ever long to be in the spotlight?

Snowlion Rep Debuts THE FREAKS CLUB Tonight

(6/13/2013) - A girl with fish-scale skin, a boy who cannot touch, a friend who sees only shadows...The Freaks Club is the funny, touching new musical where 'fish' turns to 'dish,' dreams become nightmares, and what is lost is the key to finding what really matters.

Ogunquit Playhouse to Donate Portion of MILLIE Ticket Sales to Rotary International

(6/12/2013) - For the fifth year, the Ogunquit Playhouse is joining the fight to eradicate polio worldwide by hosting Rotary Night at the theatre. The Ogunquit Playhouse will donate a portion of every ticket purchased to Thoroughly Modern Millie for the Tuesday, June 25, 2013, 8:00 p.m. performance to the York Rotary Club. The Playhouse seeks to raise $5,000 to support Rotary International's goal of eliminating worldwide polio.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES to Open at Hackmatack Playhouse on 6/21

(6/11/2013) - 4 Actors, 18 characters, over 150 sound cues, and one classic dark and stormy night. Hackmatack Playhouse is ramping up for their opening production of their 42nd Season: "The Hound of the Baskervilles." This fast-paced, comedic take on the classic brings some welcome laughs to the 1902 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle crime novel.

Year Round Apprenticeship Available at Penobscot Theatre Company

(6/11/2013) - Penobscot Theatre Company, the nation's most Northeastern year-round professional theatre company, seeks a year round apprentice to assist in production, lighting, carpentry, sound, rigging, costuming, properties, and stage management for the 2013-2014 season.

BWW Reviews: Mad Horse Theatre's TITUS ANDRONICUS Challenges Sensibilities

(6/10/2013) - The brutality and barbarism of Shakespeare's early 'revenge' play, Titus Andronicus, make it difficult fare for modern audiences. And yet, as director Stacey Koloski says about her staging at South Portland's Mad Horse Theatre Company: 'Titus Andronicus shows the human cost to the cycle of war and violence.' That the tragedy with all its on-stage atrocities may be 'frighteningly relevant today' does not make the experience any less painful for the spectators. Yet despite its assault on our emotions and senses, the audience at the Mad Horse Theatre cannot help but be gripped and moved by what it witnesses.

BWW Reviews: TITUS ANDRONICUS at the Mad Horse Theatre - You'd Be MAD Not to See This Production

(6/10/2013) - I am here to tell you that not only can Shakespeare's work be truly life changing, but it IS accessible, and topical in our present world climate. And a production like the Mad Horse Theatre's stellar presentation of Titus Andronicus proves that to a tee.

Now Playing Onstage in Maine - Week of 6/09/2013

(6/9/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 6/09/2013 for Maine

Arundel Barn Playhouse to Present THE ANDREWS BROTHERS, 6/18-29

(6/8/2013) - Ready for a musical escape into a distant decade? Look no further than The Arundel Barn Playhouse as the 2013 Summer Season opens with the New England Premiere of Roger Bean's 40's musical, The Andrews Brothers. It's 1945 on an island in the South Pacific and a USO show is about to be cancelled when the Andrew Sisters fail to appear. It's up to three determined 4F stagehands to go on with the show!

BWW Reviews: DREAMGIRLS at Maine State Music Theatre: The dream you won't want to wake up from

(6/7/2013) - You know those dreams you have when you wake up suddenly, and all you want to do is fall back asleep and continue the dream? If you are lucky enough to see Dreamgirls at Maine State, you will leave the Pickard Theatre feeling the same way.

Becky Gulsvig & Sally Struthers to Lead Ogunquit Playhouse's THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Running 6/12-7/6

(6/6/2013) - The Ogunquit Playhouse, America's Foremost Summer Theatre, is thrilled to announce the opening of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Thoroughly Modern Millie on stage June 12 to July 6. Becky Gulsvig, plays small-town girl Millie Dillmount, who heads to New York City in 1922 to start a new life in a city filled with intrigue, jazz and a whole new set of rules for love! Her new flapper lifestyle leads to a series of madcap adventures when she checks into a hotel owned by a dragon-lady villainess audiences are sure to love to hate - played by none other than Ogunquit's favorite, Sally Struthers. This musical-comedy, based on the Mary Tyler Moore, Julie Andrews, Carol Channing film, opened on Broadway in 2002 and garnered six Tony Awards including Best Musical. A new glittering set design, along with the Tony Award-winning costumes and show-stopping dance numbers will be featured in the Ogunquit production. Musical theatre has found a new heroine for the ages - Thoroughly Modern Millie!

STAGE TUBE: Promo - Mad Horse Theatre's TITUS ANDRONICUS

(6/5/2013) - Mad Horse closes its 27th Season on a grand scale with one of Shakespeare's most sweeping and controversial plays. In this depiction of an aging warrior's return home, TITUS ANDRONICUS is a masterful examination of power, corruption, loyalty to family and to country, and the lengths to which one man will go to right a horrifying wrong. Click below to watch a promo for the show!

STAGE TUBE: Promo - Snowlion Rep's THE FREAKS CLUB

(6/5/2013) - A girl with fish-scale skin, a boy who cannot touch, a friend who sees only shadows...The Freaks Club is the funny, touching new musical where 'fish' turns to 'dish,' dreams become nightmares, and what is lost is the key to finding what really matters. Snowlion Repertory Company, known for bringing new musicals to the Maine stage, announces the world premiere of The Freaks Club by Thomas Adams (co-book, music) and MK Wolfe (co-book, lyrics). The Freaks Club has been workshopped in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Stamford CT, and now the world premiere production is being staged at the Studio Theater at Portland Stage opening Friday June 14. Click below to watch a promo for the show!

DREAMGIRLS, MARY POPPINS and More Set for Maine State Music Theatre's 55th Season

(6/5/2013) - Maine State Music Theatre has announced its 55th Season.

BWW Interviews: Curt Dale Clark Tackles Triple Roles at MSMT

(6/3/2013) - The dark, handsome man with twinkling blue eyes and classically chiseled features who sits opposite me at the Maine State Music Theatre has the look of a leading man. However, at this moment he is wearing his hat as the company's newly minted Artistic Consultant. Nonetheless, I am not wrong in my initial impression. Curt Dale Clark is, indeed, a leading man - a prominent actor who has tread the boards in major theatres across the country starring in roles such as Javert (Les Miserables), The Phantom (Phantom of the Opera), Don Lockwood (Singing in the Rain), and Joe Gillis (Sunset Boulevard). He is also the playwright and lyricist of a number of musical fairy tales, for which his longtime collaborator, Marc Robin has written the music. But this is the first juncture in a career that has spanned twenty-four years that Clark has had the opportunity to combine his creative and acting talents with his skills as a theatre administrator.

Now Playing Onstage in Maine - Week of 6/02/2013

(6/2/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 6/02/2013 for Maine

Photo Flash: Meet the Cast of Riverbank Shakespeare Festival's THE WAR OF THE ROSES

(5/30/2013) - After a one-year absence, Acorn Productions once again offers area residents a chance to see live Shakespeare in downtown Westbrook's pastoral Riverbank Pank, located along the Presumpscot River on Main Street. This year's Riverbank Shakespeare Festival features two productions: The War of the Roses, directed by Michael Levine, and The Tempest, directed by Karen Ball and featuring the teen actors in Acorn's Young Actors Shakespeare Conservatory. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast below!

Penobscot Theatre to Host Costume-Clad RACE TO THE STAGE 5K, 6/15

(5/30/2013) - Bangor's first costume 5K! Penobscot Theatre Company announces RACE TO THE STAGE, a 5K road race with a dramatic twist - runners in costume. This first-of-its-kind event, will take place Saturday June 15, in downtown Bangor, with runners starting at 9:00 a.m.

North Shore Acappella to Headline Benefit Concert at Merrill Auditorium, 6/16

(5/28/2013) - NBC Sing-Off crowd-pleasers North Shore Acapella will perform on Sunday, June 16, in a concert to benefit Greater Portland Festival of Nations and the Mugadi Foundation. Hosted by Portland's own Odokara-Okigbo, the concert also features local performing groups Zemya, a world music ensemble known for their beautiful, edgy folk harmonies; and the Boy Singers of Maine., a perennial favorite with a 30-year history of bringing Maine's talented young male voices to the stage.

BWW Reviews: MOON OVER BUFFALO Shimmers at Studio Theatre of Bath

(5/27/2013) - In his in vino veritas speech near the end of Ken Ludwig's comedy, Moon Over Buffalo, George Hay voices a nostalgic paean to the "wicked life upon the stage." Like several of Ludwig's other plays, Moon Over Buffalo is a predictable, but gently amusing look at a troupe of actors treading the boards in out-of-town theatres, ever dreaming about the big break.

Now Playing Onstage in Maine - Week of 5/26/2013

(5/26/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 5/26/2013 for Maine

Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers Return to Penobscot Theatre Company, Today

(5/25/2013) - Penobscot Theatre Company and the acclaimed Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers proudly present a new puppet play, perfect for the whole family, Everybody Loves Pirates. Performance is Today, May 25 at 10AM. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for kids.

Steven Dascoulias to Play 'Javert' in Hackmatack Playhouse's LES MISERABLES, Begin. 6/21

(5/24/2013) - Hackmatack Playhouse is proud to announce the return of former Artistic Director Steven Dascoulias who will play the role of Inspector Javert in this summer's production of 'Les Miserables'.

Penobscot Theatre Announces AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS Matinee, 5/31

(5/24/2013) - Penobscot Theatre Company, the Northeastern most year round professional theatre in the country announces a special 2pm performance of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS on Friday, May 31st. This is the only weekday matinee available for the public.

THE ANDREW BROTHERS, ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE and More Set for Arundel Barn Playhouse, Summer 2013

(5/23/2013) - The Arundel Barn Playhouse presents An All American 2013 Celebration.

Lakewood Theatre's BINGO: THE WINNING MUSICAL Begins Today

(5/23/2013) - Bingo: The Winning Musical! is described as a splashy, zippy, fun, new musical comedy. Let us introduce you to three wacky, lovable best friends who share an obsession.

Snowlion Rep to Debut THE FREAKS CLUB, June 13

(5/22/2013) - A girl with fish-scale skin, a boy who cannot touch, a friend who sees only shadows...The Freaks Club is the funny, touching new musical where 'fish' turns to 'dish,' dreams become nightmares, and what is lost is the key to finding what really matters.

STAGE TUBE: Sneak Peek - DREAMGIRLS at Maine State Music Theatre

(5/22/2013) - Dreamgirls will run at Maine State Music Theatre, June 5 - 22, 2013. The curtain goes up on June 5 with the Tony Award winning Dreamgirls, offering one of the most stirring, dynamic, rocking, emotional scores ever written for the stage, slathered in R&B, soul, and pop music. Click below for a sneak peak at the cast onstage!

THE RAT PACK IS BACK Runs at Ogunquit Playhouse, Now thru 6/8

(5/22/2013) - Straight from Las Vegas comes the award winning tribute show, The Rat Pack is Back, live on The Ogunquit Playhouse stage tonight, May 22 to June 8.

Now Playing Onstage in Maine - Week of 5/19/2013

(5/19/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 5/19/2013 for Maine

Public Theatre Presents HAIKU, HIP HOP AND HOTDOGS, Now thru 5/22

(5/19/2013) - Well known children's poems spring to life when The Crabgrass Puppet theatre brings their delightful show, Haiku, HipHop and Hotdogs to The Public Theatre today, May 19th at 2pm, with additional school day morning matinees May 20-22. Perfect for families and children pre-K through fifth grade, this production is a fun way to introduce a child to the magic of theatre, at the affordable price of only $5 a ticket for children 18 and under, and just $10 for adults.

Now Playing Onstage in Maine - Week of 5/12/2013

(5/12/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 5/12/2013 for Maine

THE RAT PACK IS BACK to Run at Ogunquit Playhouse, 5/22-6/8

(5/9/2013) - Straight from Las Vegas comes the award winning tribute show, The Rat Pack is Back, live on The Ogunquit Playhouse stage May 22 to June 8.