Tony Kushner's most joyfully theatrical play, The Illusion, freely adapted from Pierre Corneille's original opens Friday, July 29th at 7:30 p.m. at the Theater at Monmouth. An anxious father seeks to reunite with his estranged son and enlists the services of a powerful sorcerer. Visions reveal the romantic, adventurous, and perilous life the son has been leading-but may not be as they seem. This wildly entertaining tale of passion and regret, of love, disillusionment and magic runs through August 19th.
The Theater at Monmouth kicked off its ambitiously programmed 2016 summer season, Vive La France, with one of the timeless treasures of French theatre, Cyrano de Bergerac. Presented in a severely abridged seventy-five minute adaptation by Jo Roets, the Edmund Rostand play made its impact largely through the artful staging and charismatic performance of its three-person cast.
Theater at Monmouth will kick-off its 2016 Vive La France season with Cyrano adapted by Jo Roets from Edmond Rostand's 1897 masterpiece on Saturday, June 25th at 7:30 p.m. Infused with enchantment from start to finish, this classic tale of unrequited love offers an inspired take on Rostand's admired work.
This holiday season, Theater at Monmouth starts a new comic tradition at Cumston Hall. Every Christmas Story Ever Told…(and then some!) is a fast, furious, and slightly irreverent look at holiday classics and traditions. The play begins as yet another version of A Christmas Carol and takes "a wrong turn in Albuquerque" on the way to a B.H.C. (Beloved Holiday Classic) Smackdown between A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life. Santy Claus, Rudolph (or in this case Gustav), the Grinch, and just about every other seasonal character makes an appearance in this racy comedy that, according to Kelly Monaghan of TheOtherOrlando, "will have you laughing harder than spiked eggnog."
William Shakespeare's dynamic and relentless history, Henry V, is TAM's Shakespeare in Maine Communities offering for 2015. Henry V will tour for three weeks to schools and community centers across the state and run for one weekend only in Cumston Hall October 16-18. This production is supported in part by the Maine Arts Commission and The Betterment Fund.
Theater at Monmouth's 46th season continues with the opening of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, Ruddigore, or The Witch's Curse tonight, September 17 at 7:30 p.m. Filled with what The Daily Gazette called Gilbert's 'humorous satire' and Sullivan's 'melodic genius which never fails,' Ruddigore combines wit and whimsy for a magical, mystical, murderous good time.
Theater at Monmouth's 46th season continues with the opening of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, Ruddigore, or The Witch's Curse on Friday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m. Filled with what The Daily Gazette called Gilbert's 'humorous satire' and Sullivan's 'melodic genius which never fails,' Ruddigore combines wit and whimsy for a magical, mystical, murderous good time.
In this 2015 season of 'Magic, Murder, and Mayhem' Maine's Theater at Monmouth serves up a gripping adaptation of Henry James' familiar tale of psychological Gothic horror, The Turn of the Screw. The novella tells the story of a governess' battle to wrench her two young charges from the grasp of spirits who haunt their estate and to probe the dark secrets which exert a debilitating psychological hold on everyone at Bly. Adapted here by Jeffrey Hatcher as a two person drama in which one actor plays all the characters other than the governess, TAM's seventy-five minute production has a lean look and taut pace that rivet even an audience familiar with the work.
William Shakespeare's magical comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream opens at Theater at Monmouth tonight, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream follows the journey of four young lovers as they find their way through the forest and to each other. But as Lysander says 'the course of true love never did run smooth.' Full of madcap chases and mistaken identities, A Midsummer Night's Dream is an exploration of the mystery and madness of love.
William Shakespeare's magical comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream opens at Theater at Monmouth Friday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream follows the journey of four young lovers as they find their way through the forest and to each other. But as Lysander says "the course of true love never did run smooth." Full of madcap chases and mistaken identities, A Midsummer Night's Dream is an exploration of the mystery and madness of love.
In 2015 Theater at Monmouth continues its long tradition of arts education for young people with two programs: Page to Stage and the Write On! Student Playwriting Project. Each program provides students hands-on opportunities to explore their creative voices with professional artists. For grades pre-k to 8, TAM's Page to Stage Tour brings a world premiere adaptation of the classic The True Story of Little Red to schools across the state. The third annual Write On! Student Playwriting Project invites students in grades 5 through 12 to make their voices heard by submitting their own original plays for an opportunity to be presented in TAM's 2015 Summer Season.
This winter, Steve Murray's adaptation of Frank Capra's holiday classic, It's a Wonderful Life, returns to Theater at Monmouth. With its hilariously touching message of hope and love, This Wonderful Life reminds us of the power of perspective, family, and community just in time for the holiday season.
William Shakespeare's swift and relentless tragedy, Macbeth, comes to Theater at Monmouth. Filled with ghosts, witches, and dark prophecies, Macbeth will run for one weekend only in Cumston Hall this weekend, October 17-19 before heading out on the road as part of the theatre's Shakespeare in Maine Communities Education Tour.
William Shakespeare's swift and relentless tragedy, Macbeth, comes to Theater at Monmouth. Filled with ghosts, witches, and dark prophecies, Macbeth will run for one weekend only in Cumston Hall October 17-19 before heading out on the road as part of the theatre's Shakespeare in Maine Communities Education Tour. Macbeth will tour for three weeks to schools and community centers across the state.
As has been the tradition for quite a few seasons, Theater at Monmouth ends its season with a production of one of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operettas. This year's choice, The Sorcerer, is a frothy, pleasant entertainment enhanced by the strong vocal merits of much of the cast. The pristine neo- baroque gem of a theatre in Cumston Hall is the perfect venue for singing. The acoustic - unmiked - is crisp, clear, focused, and allows for the ringing delivery and coloratura fun of Sullivan's music.
Theater at Monmouth's 45th season continues with the opening of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, The Sorcerer tonight, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. Bursting with wit, charm, and fantasy, The Sorcerer blends social satire with lighthearted comedy making it a 'neglected gem' of the Gilbert & Sullivan repertoire.
Theater at Monmouth's 45th season continues with the opening of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, The Sorcerer on Friday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. Bursting with wit, charm, and fantasy, The Sorcerer blends social satire with lighthearted comedy making it a 'neglected gem' of the Gilbert & Sullivan repertoire.
Theater at Monmouth's Family Show opens June 28 at 7 p.m. with a world premiere production Tales from the Blue Fairy Book based on Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book. Adapted by Dawn McAndrews, Tales from the Blue Fairy Book bursts with classic tales from around the globe, including East of the Sun, West of the Moon; The Bronze Ring; The White Cat; and The Stars in the Sky.
