Jen Means

Portland’s Good Theater poetic, poignant revival of the Ahrens/Flaherty musical, A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, exquisitely directed by Brian P. Allen, marks several memorable milestones for this company which has been a jewel in Portland’s theatrical scene for twenty-one seasons.

Good Theater will present A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, with music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and a book by Terrence McNally, based on the 1994 Albert Finney film of the same title. Learn more about the production here!

The current production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CAROUSEL at the Good Theater represents the realization of a lifelong dream for Executive/Artistic Director Brian P. Allen, and the show that he has conceived and directed is both ambitious and genuinely affecting. Marshalling all the resources that this small company can command, Allen has created a chamber version of this 1945 masterpiece that preserves the heart of the tale and pays homage to what is arguably Rodgers & Hammerstein finest score.

Each Christmas the Good Theater presents BROADWAY AT THE GOOD, a musical concert benefit recreating songs from a particular decade. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 concert did not take place, so this belated virtual songfest, featuring highlights of the 1990s is especially welcome to fans of this company. The well-crafted revue, conceived and directed by Brian Allen with skillful music direction by Victoria Stubbs and video production by Steve Underwood, (Dave Grant, Lead Editor) nimbly handles all the curve balls the pandemic protocols require as it reunites most of the Good Theater regulars, together with special guest stars Valerie Peri and Roosevelt Baker.

Good Theater, the professional theater company in residence at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, has just released a video of “Seasons of Love”  from RENT, featuring 14 singers and stunning Maine video footage.  The song can be viewed on Youtube, at the link:

Each year Portland's Good Theater presents a holiday musical revue, written and directed by Brian P. Allen, and dedicated to celebrating a decade in American musical theatre history. Allen's show this year is devoted to the 1940s when so many of the geniuses of the a?oelegitimatea?? musical theatre style reigned supreme. The revue he has created is ambitious and comprehensive featuring twenty-five performers, including several Broadway actors, and covering the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, Cole Porter, Kurt Weill, and the Gershwins, together with many lesser-known writers. Performed with the intimacy and informality of a cabaret setting, Broadway at the Good Theater offers a nostalgic and delightful musical evening.

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.

Good Theater is excited to announce LIFE WITH BRIAN, the first special event of the 2019/2020 season. Join Good Theater favorites and Broadway guest stars for an outrageous, fun-filled celebration honoring Artistic Director Brian P. Allen as he turns 60! Embarrassing videos, hysterical sketches, powerful songs, and Brian's signature masterful storytelling will make this a night to remember - cake and champagne toast included!

Get a first look below at Good Theater's production of Lucky Stiff by Lynn Ahrens (book & lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music), directed by Brian P. Allen.  The production wraps up on April 28 at Good Theater's home the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. 

In a rare and very welcome bit of programming, the Good Theater has chosen to conclude its seventeenth season not only with a book musical but also with a rarely performed work. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's very first collaboration, Lucky Stiff is a delightful farce, based on a wild Monte Carlo caper, brimming with silliness and bursting with wacky characters.

Get a first look at Good Theater's production of Lucky Stiff by Lynn Ahrens (book & lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music), directed by Brian P. Allen. 

Good Theater will close out its 17th season with the zany musical comedy, Lucky Stiff.  The show opens March 27 and runs for five weeks through April 28.  Good Theater is the professional theater company in residence at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland.

In what has become a delightful Portland holiday tradition, the Good Theater presented its annual musical revue, created and directed by Brian P. Allen, starring an incandescent Valerie Perri, together with Daniel Patrick Smith and a fine ensemble of Maine talent. The program, which featured twenty-nine musical theatre classics as well as lesser-known songs of the 1980s, was woven together by Allen with his comprehensive knowledge of the repertoire and his customary wit and performed with relish and commitment by the entire ensemble.

Valerie Perri, who created the role of Eva Peron in the national tour of Evita will be the guest star for Good Theater's annual Broadway at Good Theater concerts December 5-9. Perri won the L.A. Drama Critics Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical. She also performed the role at Maine State Music Theatre in 1985.

The complex, sometimes conflicted, often poetic relationship between what we wear and self image and identity forms the framework of a delightful, delicately lyrical, and warmly wistful play by Nora and Delia Ephron, based on the book by Ilene Beckerman. Presented as a staged reading with a rotating cast of five actresses, Portland's Good Theater brings this exquisitely written piece to life with affectionate wisdom.

Good Theater presents the Maine premiere of Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron's smash hit off-Broadway comedy event, Love Loss and What I Wore, directed by Steve Underwood, featuring a rotating cast of Portland's favorite actresses. Love Loss and What I Wore plays January 20-March 6 at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland where Good Theater is the theater in residence. For tickets and information contact Good Theater at 208-835-0895 or go to the company's website at www.goodtheater.com.

Among the many holiday season theatrical offerings, the annual musical revue, Broadway at the Good Theater inevitably proves to be a refreshing and original approach to ushering in a season of good cheer. The 2017 production, conceived, written, and directed by Brian P. Allen, is no exception; in fact, if anything, this year's show is bigger, bolder, and full of delightful surprises.

Eric Kunze and Kathy Voytko will join Good Theater for their annual Broadway at Good Theater concerts November 29 - December 3 at Good Theater's home, the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. This year the concerts will be a tribute to the 1950s - the height of the Golden Age of Broadway.

Portland's Good Theater performs its annual musical revue, Broadway at the Good Theater this weekend bringing warmth, cheer, and an array of musical treats to mark the holiday season. Conceived, written, and directed by Brian P. Allen, this year's two hours of song and dance was devoted to the musicals of the 1970s.

The thirteenth edition of the Broadway at Good Theater concerts will be presented November 30 - December 4 for six performances.  This year will be a tribute to Broadway of the 1970s.