LUMBERJACKS IN LOVE Offers Romance in the Rough for February

Penobscot Theatre Company is making the most of the shortest month of the year, preparing a musical comedy that is long on laughs. Lumberjacks in Love, a Maine premiere, will open in previews February 2 and run through February 19, with 15 performances at the Bangor Opera House including a specially scheduled show for Valentines Day. With book and lyrics by Fred Alley and music by James Kaplan, the creative team behind the theatre's 2014 hit Guys on Ice, Lumberjacks is the perfect antidote for the winter doldrums.

The story takes place at the Haywire Lumber Camp, where four burly loggers live in a state of manly bliss - until an encounter with a plucky mail order bride interrupts life as they know it. "This hilarious musical continues our tradition of keeping audiences laughing through the depths of winter," said Producing Artistic Director Bari Newport. "It's silly yet heartfelt, a true feel-good production!"

Dominick Varney, who helmed Guys on Ice and last year's world premiere Hair Frenzy, will direct and choreograph. The cast includes company veterans Heather Astbury-Libby (Rock of Ages), Brianne Beck (Oliver!), Bradley LaBree (Calendar Girls), Ben Layman (Oliver!), and Matt Madore (Guys on Ice), along with Cory Osborne, who will be making his Penobscot Theatre Company debut.

This production also marks the Maine debut for twin sisters Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay of Axis Studios Design, an award-winning scenic and costume design team based in Atlanta. In February 2016, they were featured as part of American Theatre Magazine's "seven theatrical artists to watch."

Rounding out the design team are Scout Hough (lighting), Brandie Larkin (sound) and Meredith Perry (props). Music director and pianist Larrance Fingerhut (Guys on Ice, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play) will bring the musical to life with Gaylen Smith (Ring of Fire) on bass and banjo.

Show tickets are available online at www.penobscottheatre.org or through the box office, located at 131 Main Street, Bangor; (207) 942-3333.

Lumberjacks in Love is produced in proud partnership with Groth & Associates with generous support from Granville Stone and Hearth and season sponsors Bangor Daily News, Blueberry Broadcasting, Canyon Networks, The Charles Inn, The Maine Arts Commission, The Maine Edge, Darling's, Downtown with Rich Kimball, Wave Radio, WLBZ Channel 2, and ZONE Radio.

To post a comment, you must register and login.