DESPERATE MEASURES at Good Theater

Dates: (3/30/2022 - 4/24/2022 )

Theatre:

Good Theater

76 Congress St.
Portland, 04101

Phone: (207) 835-0895

Tickets: $32-$39

SUBMIT UPDATES

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Cast Creative Edit

After postponing the initial run due to COVID-19 during the spring of 2020, Good Theater is proud to finally present the Maine premiere of DESPERATE MEASURES! A smash hit off-Broadway in 2017 and 2018, DESPERATE MEASURES features music by David Friedman and book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg. Music directed by Victoria Stubbs, the cast of Good Theater favorites includes Glenn Anderson, Colleen Clark, Smith Daniels, Gusta Johnson, John Lanham, and Tony Reilly. Choreography by Ray Dumont. The production opens March 30th and plays through April 24th, 2022 at Good Theaters home, the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. For tickets and information, please call the Box Office at (207) 835-0895 or visit www.goodtheater.com.When the dangerously handsome Johnny Bloods life is on the line, he must put his fate into the hands of a colorful cast of characters including a mysterious sheriff, an eccentric priest, an authoritarian governor, a saloon girl gone good, and a nun out of habit. Before the sun sets, will they rise up and pull off the greatest caper yet, or will Johnny be left hanging? Winner of the 2018 Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Lyrics and the 2018 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, this witty and wild new musical comedy takes William Shakespeares MEASURE FOR MEASURE and shakes things up.Wonderful...a delight...such a hoot! - New York Times"...flat-out musical comedy fun. - BroadwayWorld.comA delicious concoction. The funniest, most tuneful, non-stop, slam-bang best musical of the season! - Broadway SelectGood Theater Artistic and Executive Director Brian Allen shares that he is "delighted that we finally get to bring this award-winning musical to the Good Theater stage after a two year wait due to COVID. When we had to shut down in the spring of 2020, we thought we would be starting again in the fall, but there was a delay of more than a year before we could reopen. Being patient is something COVID has taught everyone, I think. Now, the curtain is set to rise on this hysterically funny musical comedy. It is the perfect ending to our 19th season, and we look forward to welcoming patrons to the St. Lawrence to enjoy DESPERATE MEASURES."DESPERATE MEASURES plays Wednesdays at 7:00 ($32), Thursday at 7:00 ($32), Fridays at 7:30 ($32), Saturdays at 3:00 and 7:30 ($39), and Sundays at 2:00 ($39). Tickets may be purchased online by visiting the companys website www.goodtheater.com or by calling the Box Office at (207) 835-0895.

Authors

Cast and Creative team for DESPERATE MEASURES at Good Theater

Cast

Owen Dennis

Spencer

Soho Boy marks Owen’s professional debut ahead of graduating this Summer (2022) Training: Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Theatre credits whilst training: ‘Willard Hewitt’ in Footloose, ‘George’ in The Wedding Singer. Theatre credits: Beauty and the Beast at Theatre Royal Winchester Concert credits: Mayflower Theatre 90th Anniversary Gala Owen is very excited for this production and would like to thank his family and his agent Natasha at YOU Management for their support.

Creative Team

Paul Emelion Daly

Writer Composer

Paul’s writing credits include When Harry met Barry (Off West End), Boys in the Club (Off Broadway) Chedimi se voglia la Luna (Rome), Mangina Monologues (Sydney) Crimes of Passion (Charing Cross Theatre), Singing Heads (King’s Head Theatre) What about the Girl? (Charing Cross), Behind Closed Doors (Link Theatre), Bendover (RVT), Charming Dick (Cockpit Theatre), Rise like a Phoenix (Above the Stag Theatre). Paul’s work has been recognised at the Vivian Ellis Awards at the London Palladium and the Page to the Stage at the Tristan Bates Theatre. A new play is being developed for later this year. Paul’s work is focused on the LGBTQ world.

Aaron Clingham

Musical Director

Aaron has received nine Off West End Award Nominations for Best Musical Director. Theatre Credits include: Romance/Romance, Fanny and Stella, Grindr: The Opera (Above The Stag Theatre); Metropolis, The Kissing Dance, Wonderful Town (Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre); Into the Woods (Cockpit Theatre); It's a Bird...It's A Plane...It's Superman (Leicester Square Theatre); The Rippers Five (Theatre Technis); Naked Boys Singing (Kings Head Theatre and Garden Theatre); Sondheim by Sondheim (Camden Roundhouse). He was nominated for a Broadway World Award for The Apple Tree (Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre) and composed incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream (Blue Elephant Theatre). Cabaret includes: Mountains – A Musical Journey (St. James Studio & Jermyn Street Theatre); An Evening of Sondheim (Lauderdale House); Don't Ask the Lady! (Crazy Coqs); Sondheim Divas and Tim McArthur and Friends (Hippodrome Casino). Aarons work as Musical Director and Orchestrator can be heard on The original cast album of Grindr The Opera and The Pleasure Garden (Jay Records).

Matt Strachan

Director

Matt is an award-winning director whose credits include head/lining (Pleasance), Beyond Neverland (Theatre503), Tier Three Sisters, Starved (Hope) and The Chimes (OVO/Tramshed). He has assistant directed various productions in the West End and at Fringe theatres across London. He is currently Associate Director at OVO, an Associate at the King’s Head Theatre and Artistic Director of Knuckledown. OFFIE OffComm for HEAD/LINING and London Pub Theatre’s Standing Ovation Award for TIER THREE SISTERS

Robbie O'Reilly

Choreographer

Robbie has had an extensive career starting as a performer in numerous stage productions for Original London and European theatre companies: Chicago; Fosse; My One and Only and Royal National Theatres’ Anything Goes to name a few, as well as many appearances on Television, in Film, on Video and in Cabaret. Her recording credits include: Chicago (Original London Cast) and Anything Goes (National Theatre Cast). Choreography credits include: Boys in the Buff the Concert (King’s Head Theatre); Boys in the Buff (Stockwell Playhouse); Dynasties: The Sands of Time (Jazz Dance Company, UK Tour); critically-acclaimed Sondheim’s Follies, Put On A Happy Face, Into The Woods (Landor Theatre); I Love You Because (UK Premiere, winner of Theatregoers’ Choice Award for Best Off-West End Musical, 2007, Landor Theatre); Alvaro’s Balcony ( Landor Theatre); Curtains (2013 Award Winner for Best Choreography, Front Row Dress Awards and shortlisted Finalist for the WhatsOnStage ‘Offies’ for Best Choreography, Landor Theatre); Damn Yankees (Offie Nomination for Best Choreography 2014, Landor Theatre); She Loves Me (4 Offie Nominations, 2015 and shortlisted Finalist for WhatsOnStage ‘Offies’, Landor Theatre); The Clockmaker’s Daughter, Sincerely Yours (Landor Theatre); Opening Gala , Hello Again, Pippin , Assassins for (Birmingham School of Acting); The Wrong House (LSMT); The Step into Dance Company; The Royal Academy of Dance; Almost Like A Virgin (Edinburgh Fringe); City of Angels (Bridewell Theatre); Bumblescratch (Workshop, Robert Sherman Jr, Network Theatre); Do You Have A Secret Crush? (Sleeping With Straight Men) (LOST Theatre), Guys and Dolls, Sound of Music , Oliver, (Francis Holland school) and numerous Jazz and Musical Theatre pieces for various dance colleges , Move it and corporate gigs including The Natural History Museum and Mastercard . Directorial credits ; Skin Deep – The body image show (Edinburgh Fringe), For the Jazz Dance company -Touring productions, JDC, Evolution , Circus of Dreams, Silver Screen, Unexpected Tales , Dynasties-The sands Of Time, Decades, Iconic and Phoenix- Rising from the Ashes .(Pentland Theatre), Assistant Director Alvaro’s Balcony (Landor Theatre ) Other info: Robbie is Artistic Director and Company Director of London Studio Centre’s Jazz Dance Company.

David Shields

Designer

David has designed the set and costumes for plays, musicals, and other spectacles at venues of every scale from international arena tours to studio theatres via prominent international and regional producing houses and the West End, most recently with Heathers The Musical (Theatre Royal Haymarket). Some of his other credits include: Little Shop Of Horrors, Sister Act and Legally Blonde (Aberystwyth); Strictly Come Dancing The Professionals (UK tour); Ice Age Live - A Mammoth Adventure (Arena World Tour); the UK touring Production of Robin Cousins’ ICE; National Touring productions of End of the Rainbow, Little Shop Of Horrors, and Our House. High Fidelity (Turbine Theatre); Honest Amy (directed by Kathy Burke); Bang Bang by John Cleese, Dick Whittington, Snow White, (GBPA best costume design nominee), Jack and the Beanstalk, Oliver and Cinderella (Mercury Theatre Colchester).

Richard Lambert

Lighting Designer

Frostbite, Pippin and Next Thing You Know (Garden Theatre); TICKLE, Margot, Undetectable (OFFIE Nominated), The Crumple Zone, Boys in the Buff (King’s Head Theatre); Skin Deep (Ed Fest and UK Tour); Marry Me A Little, Muscles the Musical, Alvaro’s Balcony, Discotivity, Stand Tall, Vincent River, The Hot Mikado, Get Aladdin, A Class Act, Next Thing You Know, Nunsense, Bakewell Bakeoff, Meet Me in St. Louis, No Way to Treat a Lady, The Man Inside, Damn Yankees (OFFIE NominatedOffice award nomination), She Loves Me, In the Dead of Night, The Clockmaker’s Daughter, Sincerely Yours, Personals, Romance Romance, Devilish (Landor Theatre); Do you Have a Secret Crush? (LOST Theatre) Other credits: Disney on Ice (Worldwide including Tokyo Budokan, New Orleans Super Dome, Toronto Sky Dome, NYC Radio City Music Hall), Royal Wedding Dress Exhibition (Kensington Palace). #Hashtag Lightie (Arcola Theatre), Cirque Enchantment (UK Tour) and Jazz Dance Company UK Tour (6th year). Other credits: Producer of Christmas Skating Events in Torquay for 5 seasons; Producer of Bluebirds (Above the Stag); LAMBCO Fringe Festival 2014 and 2015, Sincerely Yours (Landor Theatre) and Associate Producer for Bewitchment on Black Ice (Landor Theatre). Produced the LAMBCO Fringe Festival 2016, and The Crumple Zone (Pleasance London), Boys in the Buff (Stockwell Playhouse and King’s Head Theatre) and Skin Deep (UK Tour and Edinburgh Fringe 2018), DJ Maxx Festival, Dance Overtures, and various projects in the Middle East including the Luseil Stadium for the World Cup 22 lambcolighting.co.uk

LAMBCO Productions

Producer

Producing credits include: Christmas Skating Events (5 seasons, Torquay); Bluebirds the Musical (Above the Stag Theatre); LAMBCO Fringe Festival 2014 – 2016 (LOST Theatre); Sincerely Yours (Landor Theatre); Bewitchment on Black Ice (Associate Producer, Landor Theatre); Do you have a Secret Crush (Sleeping with Straight Men)? (LOST Theatre); The Crumple Zone (Clapham Omnibus, Pleasance Theatre, King’s Head Theatre); Boys in the Buff the Musical (Stockwell Playhouse) and Boys in the Buff the Concert (King’s Head Theatre), Skin Deep (UK Tour and Edinburgh Fringe 2018), Margot, Dame - the most famous ballerina in the World (King’s Head Theatre), Tickle (King’s Head Theatre), Boys in the Buff (Drayton Arms Theatre)

News About DESPERATE MEASURES at Good Theater

BWW Critic's Choices: Best of Maine 2022

December 15, 2022

After three seemingly endless years, Maine's theatrical landscape has truly begun to come to life again after the pandemic. I am thrilled to be able to pen this article, having experienced a 2022 that saw the remarkable 'comebacks' of Maine's theatres. While the year was not without continued challenges, these brave, resilient companies managed to produce first-class live theatre for grateful audiences. These are my personal choices of the best in Maine for 2022, grouped by theatre company and show.

BWW Review: Good Theater Season Frolics To a Close with DESPERATE MEASURES

April 07, 2022

Portland’s Good Theater’s final offering of its nineteenth season is a deliciously zany and stylish production of Peter Kellogg and David Friedman’s 2017 musical comedy, DESPERATE MEASURES, a witty, saucy sendup of Shakespeare’s MEASURE FOR MEASURE set in the Wild West. Directed by Brian P. Allen and Cary Libkin with musical staging by Raymond Marc Dumont, the comedy written in rhyming verse is a rollicking, madcap adventure from start to finish.

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After postponing the initial run due to COVID-19 during the spring of 2020, Good Theater is proud to finally present the Maine premiere of DESPERATE MEASURES. A smash hit off-Broadway in 2017 and 2018, DESPERATE MEASURES features music by David Friedman and book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg.

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Good Theater has announced the line up of this year’s Broadway at Good Theater. The annual musical event runs November 17th through the 21st at Good Theater’s home, the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. For tickets and information, please call the Box Office at (207) 835-0895 or visit www.goodtheater.com.

Good Theater Will Not Reopen Until 2021

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Good Theater will not reopen until sometime in 2021. Concerns for public safety, as well as the safety and well-being of our cast, crew and staff, is what brought us to this decision. We are eager to reopen, and we are committed to opening with Desperate Measures, the musical which was in rehearsal at the time of closures due to COVID-19.

Good Theater Cancels Performances Due to COVID-19

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Good Theater has postponed its production of Desperate Measures.

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Good Theater has announced the line up of this year's Broadway at Good Theater. The annual musical event runs December 4th through December 8th at Good Theater's home, the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. For tickets and information, please call the Box Office at (207) 835-0895 or visit www.goodtheater.com.

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Good Theater Announces its 2019-2020 Season - DESPERATE MEASURES, POPCORN FALLS, and More!

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