Dan Goggin News

The Greenbrier Valley Theatre, located in Lewisburg, WV, has announced their 2019 season!

Maine seems to be enjoying a theatrical renaissance with large and small companies vigorously engaged in producing a wide range of repertoire throughout the state. Several of the leading professional theatres have become destinations in and of themselves - (witness the inclusion of Maine State Music Theatre and Ogunquit Playhouse in Scott Andrews' upcoming book, Vacationland) - while venerable community groups continue to raise the bar for their work. I am privileged to get to sample these performances as Broadway World's Maine editor and to be able to compare many of them favorably with shows I see across the country, in New York and London. These are my personal choices of the best in Maine for 2018, grouped by theatre company and show. MAINE STATE MUSIC THEATRE delivered a 60th anniversary season that redefined the meaning and substance of 'gala.'

Yes, we all know about her unfortunate run in with a hot dog cart, but there is so much more to incredible character actress, Mary Stout, who has appeared on Broadway in Copperfield, Me and My Girl, A Change In The Heir, Beauty and the Beast, My Favorite Year, and Jane Eyre! There was a Christmas with Sergio Franchi, a moment with Bill Cosby, and a dream with Tommy Tune!

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the historic Drama Book Shop will leave its 40th Street home because of recent rent escalations. Today playwrights of incredible shows such as Oslo, Sweat, and others will appear at a signing to support the shop.

This fall, Curtain Call Theatre in Braintree will present Nunsense, directed and choreographed by David Costa and music directed by Danielle Clougher. Winner of four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Off Broadway Musical, Nunsense begins when the Little Sisters of Hoboken discover that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters, and they are in dire need of funds for the burials. The sisters decide that the best way to raise the money is to put on a variety show, so they take over the auditorium.

It is so seemingly simple and yet so irresistibly infectious. The thirty-five year-old show envelops the audience in a haze of nostalgia and a cocoon of laughter that makes for a delicious theatrical evening. And in this delightfully fresh, colorful, exuberant, and touching co-production presented by Maine State Music Theatre and Portland Stage, Dan Goggin's original Nunsense story makes clear why this musical has remained a timeless phenomenon

Following a successful inaugural season, Marietta Theatre Company is kicking off its second season with Nunsense, a comedic, over-the-top musical that tells the story of five of the 19 surviving Little Sisters of Hoboken: a one-time missionary order that ran a leper colony on an island south of France. Nunsense, set to run August 17 through September 1 at the Lyric Studio on the Square, is a hysterical comedy written and produced by Dan Goggin, who received the 1986 Outer Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Music.

Una serata piena di buon senso e divertimento quella offerta dalla Compagnia dell'Alba lo scorso 11 agosto con un revival di uno dei suoi cavalli di battaglia, il musical NUNSENSE...LE AMICHE DI MARIA.

Anniversaries are times to reflect, to evaluate, but also to celebrate. Yesterday with its 60 Years of Musical Theatre: The Best of Maine State Music Theatre gala concert, the Brunswick theatre pulled out all the stops with a big, beautiful Diamond Jubilee gala that proved a stunning culmination to this milestone season. And indeed, six decades after Victoria Crandall launched her dream at the Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin College campus, MSMT can boast numerous reasons to celebrate its history, as well as its present accomplishments and future aspirations. In a matinee and evening stagings that featured musical performances by twenty-one soloists and an ensemble of ten, as well a number of spoken tributes, Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark architected a program that was classy, heartfelt, and rich and deep in the talent it showcased. As with any commemorative event, the program tapped into nostalgia and memory but blended these with a strong sense of the vigorous, energetic, imposing presence this company has become - not only in Midcoast Maine but also as a force in national regional theatre.

Following a successful inaugural season, Marietta Theatre Company is kicking off its second season with Nunsense, a comedic, over-the-top musical that tells the story of five of the 19 surviving Little Sisters of Hoboken: a one-time missionary order that ran a leper colony on an island south of France. Nunsense, set to run August 17 through September 1 at the Lyric Studio on the Square, is a hysterical comedy written and produced by Dan Goggin, who received the 1986 Outer Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Music.

' 'If laughter cures all ills, Nunsense will make doctors obsolete.' That is one of my favorite all time review quotes,' says Dan Goggin. 'Hearing an audience laugh and knowing you had something to do with it is one of the most rewarding experiences I can think of.' Despite the enduring international sensation Goggin's brainchild has become, the writer, director, and creator of a thirty-five-year musical theatre phenomenon and franchise that embraces seven musicals, three spin offs, television specials, a possible upcoming new television series, recordings, and an entire line of merchandise remains a bit bemused and amazed at his runaway success.

Visit the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse to enjoy a delightful show and a delicious meal. 'Nunsense,' the hit Broadway show is now being produced through August 22.

Maine State Music Theatre's collaboration with Portland Stage continues with a production of Nunsense by Dan Goggin beginning August 14th has been extended to September 2nd by popular demand.

O'Connell & Company, the professional theatre in-residence at The Park School of Buffalo, presents an exciting 23rd season filled with regional premieres and popular classics that offer something for everyone. The upcoming season reaffirms the company's dedication to offering affordable, quality theatre in an intimate space.

The success of the 'Nunsense' franchise may be a bizarre fluke, but there's no denying the charm of Gregg Brandt's production.

Dan Goggin's Nunsense, now playing at Bellport's Gateway Playhouse, is certainly a treat. It was never officially on Broadway per se', but rather it has lead a very successful, thirty-three year life with consistent incarnations off-Broadway and at regional and local theatres. Running through June 23rd as part of Gateway's dazzling (and busy!) 69th season, this production is all about fun.

More than 40 years after its creation, Dan Goggin and Robert Lorick's musical, Johnny Manhattan, had its world premiere in Goggin's home state, Michigan. Featuring a book and lyrics by Lorick, music by Goggin, and directed and choreographed by Mark Martino, Johnny Manhattan played a successful engagement at the Meadow Brook Theater (Rochester Hills, MI) in September 2017. Performance rights for the new musical are now available through Samuel French, the world's premier theatrical publishing and licensing company.

The Gateway season continues with the "habit forming" Nunsense running from June 8 until June 23at The Gateway Playhouse in Bellport Village (Previews begin June 6.)

The Gateway is thrilled to announce its 2018 Season! The Gateway's new season features dazzling Broadway hits incluing: A Chorus Line, Nunsense, Memphis, Cabaret, Flashdance and Beauty & The Beast. Tickets start at $59 and go on sale to the public on Tuesday, March 20 at 10am. Student and youth prices are available for select shows. Full Season Subscription Memberships are available now through March 18th. Season Subscription memberships include tickets to all five Main Stage shows and exclusive membership perks. For more information, contact the Box Office at (631) 286-1133, or visit the website at TheGateway.org.

The Gateway is thrilled to announce its 2018 Season! The Gateway's new season features dazzling Broadway hits incluing: A Chorus Line, Nunsense, Memphis, Cabaret, Flashdance and Beauty & The Beast. Tickets start at $59 and go on sale to the public on Tuesday, March 20 at 10am. Student and youth prices are available for select shows. Full Season Subscription Memberships are available now through March 18th. Season Subscription memberships include tickets to all five Main Stage shows and exclusive membership perks. For more information, contact the Box Office at (631) 286-1133, or visit the website at TheGateway.org.