Dale Clark News

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) in Brunswick and Portland Stage (PS) in Portland, Maine present The All Night Strut! August 15 to September 10, 2017.

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) in Brunswick and Portland Stage (PS) in Portland, Maine announce a second partnership and artistic collaboration that will continue to broaden the connection between the two communities and deepen the program offerings for both theatres' audiences.

Maine State Music Theatre presented two sold-out performances of The Who's Tommy, the rock musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, on July 31, 2017, at Brunswick's Pickard Theater.

Midway through the first act of The Who's Tommy, the young protagonist invites his mates and listeners to ride together on his amazing journey. And truly, Maine State Music Theatre's production of the Pete Townshend/DesMcAnuff musical, seen for two performances only at the Pickard Theater July 31 offers its audience just that - a riveting, often raw, perennially relevant, piercingly beautiful account of a boy's painful but ultimately uplifting journey through the darker side of human experience and into the light. The rarely staged 1992 musical version based on the 1969 concept album and rock opera with its sung-through score, narrative told largely in dance, and its sometimes disturbing material poses significant challenges to any company, but MSMT once again proves its artistic mettle. Under the inspired direction of Curt Dale Clark, with the complex choreography of Raymond Marc Dumont and the rousing musical direction of Patrick Fanning, this company of young artists marshals its considerable talents to tackle the ambitious project with energy, passion, and complete professionalism.

Maine State Music Theatre presents The Who's Tommy for one day only on Monday, July 31 with shows at 2 PM and 7:30 PM.

MSMT opens its Theatre for Young Audiences with three performances of Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark's musical retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, in a striking visual production, performed with energy, conviction, and style by a company of young actors. The hour-long musical version puts a contemporary spin on the familiar story and subtly raises issues and values which seem remarkably current, despite the fact that the show was written more than twenty years ago.

About half way through the musical, Always, Patsy Cline, Louise says of the legendary singer, 'She blew the roof off that old honky tonk!' And much the same could be said for the electric atmosphere at the Brunswick's Pickard Theater, where MSMT opened its 59th season with a dazzling production of the musical that includes twenty-seven songs made famous by the singer, who remains to this day - fifty-four years after her untimely death - a towering presence in the world of country and pop music. With true betes de scene, Christine Mild as Patsy and Charis Leos as Louise, accompanied by a virtuoso band, performing an unforgettable songbook, this production delivers not only powerhouse vocal-dramatic values, but also offers the audience a vibrant and poignant journey to another time and place that magically come alive through in the charismatic story of its protagonists. The Ted Swindley musical which focuses on the last six years of Patsy Cline's life and on her friendship with a Texas divorcee and fan, Louise Seger, is so much more than a catalog of songs strung together by a chronological narrative. Indeed, the book is touching well-constructed - funny, sad, warm and human by turns - and the songs are integrated into the story with a seamlessness that lets the play move from reality to memory.

'It's all in the way she placed her voice. I like to call it the Kermit the Frog place - the soft palate at the back of the throat, and that's what activates the yodel, the catch, the cry, the growl which are the iconic hallmarks of her singing. Patsy Cline wasn't really a technical singer; this all just came naturally to her, but for me as an actress and technical singer who has to do the show eight times a week, I have to make sure I am singing in a healthy, safe way and understand how to make that happen. So if I place the voice right - if I place it in the 'Patsy place'- it all happens without trying.'

Maine State Music Theatre provides Theatre for Young Audiences performances each season but this summer, thanks to a generous grant from the Anna-Maria Moggio Foundation, the theatre is also creating sensory-friendly performances of its children's shows. 

The nationally regarded Maine State Music Theatre celebrates music legend and cross-over sensation Patsy Cline, June 7 - 24. The touching true story, Always… Patsy Cline combines humor, heartache and 27 of Patsy's most unforgettable hits, such as "Crazy," "Walkin' After Midnight," "Sweet Dreams," and more.

The perennial Patsy Cline jukenox musical gets a solid production at the Fulton in Lancaster. It's not high art, but it's a good time.

The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre and Maine State Music Theatre celebrate music legend and cross-over sensation Patsy Cline, April 18 through May 21.

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) in Brunswick and Portland Stage (PS) in Portland announce a second partnership and artistic collaboration that will continue to broaden the connection between the two communities and deepen the program offerings for both theatres' audiences. 

'At the end of last summer I told myself that we were not going to try to top the 2016 season. I was going to think of 2017 as a completely separate and unique adventure, but the end result is that we are already topping our previous metrics in terms of ticket sales.' The speaker, Curt Dale Clark, Maine State Music Theatre's energetic and charismatic Artistic Director, is reflecting on the sold out 2016 season which garnered the company lavish critical and audience acclaim and made an MSMT ticket one of the hottest items in the region.

In preparation for their 2017 summer season at the Pickard Theatre, Maine State Music Theatre will host three Film Fridays at Brunswick's Curtis Memorial Library this May. Each screening will include a free showing of the movie versions of three of the theatre's summer main stage shows. Screenings will start at 6 PM and take place in the Morrell Meeting Room.

The hallways are jammed with bright, expectant, luminous faces wearing their most eye-catching outfits, laden with dance bags, juggling binders with music and resumes, scanning their ever present iPhones, and searching for a place to sit or stretch or warm-up as they await the call. The energy is palpable and the spirits high. Many have come together in groups and chat excitedly, while others search for a quiet corner to gather their thoughts. Some 300 actors ranging in age from children to seasoned adults have checked into Maine State Music Theatre's offices and rehearsal studios at 22 Elm Street on February 25, 2017, to try their luck at the company's annual open call local auditions for the 2017 season which opens June 7.

Maine State Music Theatre will present "Magic Time: A Program of Story and Song" - combining classic fairytale literature with contemporary musical adaptations - on Today, February 24, 2017, at 10 AM and 3 PM at the Morrell Reading Room at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.

The classic Irving Berlin musical gets a facelift and some wonderful singing at the Fulton Theatre

The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre is thrilled to announce the 2017/2018 Season which includes the Premiere Mainstage Series, The Ellen Arnold Groff Studio Series in the Tell Studio Theatre, and the Eichmann Family Series. The season will follow an unprecedented season of record-breaking productions. Next season will continue to welcome returning and new audiences to distinctive high-caliber productions that continue the Fulton tradition of "Engaging Life Through Art."

BWW Interviews Cast of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN at Fulton Theatre now through February 19, 2017, under the direction of Marc Robin.