Lucy Godinez News

It's December, and the first standings of the month have been announced as of Tuesday, December 5th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Maine Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

While the plot and jokes of Something Rotten will be appreciated by most audience members, if will be especially welcomed by musical theater nerds who will recognize the beginnings riffs of Pippin’s Magic to Do and brief homages to a certain Technicolor Dreamcoat.  The more you know, the more you will laugh.

“As an actor, I have a huge sense of play, and this show is very much that. It’s really like a fun game of tennis with lots of back and forth. We don’t always know what is going to happen until we are in the moment, declares Tyler Hanes, who portrays Shakespeare in SOMETHING ROTTEN!, the musical which closes out MSMT’s 2023 season. Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark concurs, “SOMETHING ROTTEN! is like a game I love to play; it teases you verbally, vocally, and instrumentally to name those Broadway musicals. It is so much fun!” “It is everything I love about musical theatre all in one show,” agrees Lucy Godinez, who plays Bea Bottom. “It’s joyful; it’s fun; there is love. The sense of play in this show gives you the license to fill in the blanks.” Bryant Martin, who plays Nick Bottom, adds that not only is the show great fun with lots of great musical numbers, but it also “speaks to the struggle all artists have dealing with validation. Nick asks why his peers are having success and he isn’t. It’s a situation with which we as actors can easily resonate.” The foursome are serving on a panel moderated by BWW World Maine Editor, Carla Maria Verdino-Süllwold, at MSMT’s final Peek Behind the Curtain on August 16 at Brunswick’s Curtis Memorial Library to discuss MSMT’s hilarious production of SOMETHING ROTTEN! And judging by the laughter in the room, the large audience agrees that the musical by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick is not only clever and hugely funny, but a crowd-pleasing hit.

Dancing omelettes, a zany soothsayer, THE Bard of English theatre, and a ragtag troupe of Renaissance actors struggling to survive all share the Maine State Music Theatre stage in dizzying profusion in the final main stage production of the season: SOMETHING ROTTEN! - an outrageously funny, simultaneously urbane and plebeian send up and homage to classical theatre and that unique genre the MUSICAL. The stylish and brilliant co-production with Lancaster’s Fulton Theatre, directed by Marc Robin, creates an entirely new imaginary universe, a world at the intersection of Elizabethan England and modern American musical theatre – part Renaissance Faire (on steroids), part Monty Python at their most hilarious. The evening, which is filled with endearing characters, showstopping song and dance numbers, comedy fueled by allusions, puns, slapstick, scatological jokes, and occasionally even poetry, is pure entertainment. No one will need to “brush up his Shakespeare” or be able to “name that tune” in order to come away from SOMETHING ROTTEN! thoroughly exhilarated and brimming with joy.

Maine State Music Theatre’s new production of 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL with Dolly Parton’s pulsating score is a high energy, hilarious madcap misadventure that somehow also manages to ring uncannily true. Both a period piece and a contemporary one, this tale of women in the workplace is propelled by zany humor, but also fueled by the empathetic characters at its core. The trio of women embattled with their narcissistic boss are - as Parton, herself, phrased it “just a step on the boss man's ladder” - and yet they sing and dance their way into our hearts in an evening filled with laughter and warmth.

Get a first look at Paramount Theatre's School of Rock, the Chicago professional regional premiere of the good-time musical based on the hit Jack Black movie, featuring new music from the genius mind of Andrew Lloyd Webber, directed by Trent Stork.

Get a look at production photos from Paramount Theatre's production of School of Rock!

Get a first look at video of School of Rock at Paramount Theatre!

What did our critic think of SCHOOL OF ROCK at Paramount Theatre, Aurora IL?

Chicago's favorite evening of big voices for a big cause, returns with the 8th annual Belting for Life. For one night only on Monday, May 15 at 7:30pm at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre in Evanston, Jeff Award-winning director and HIV+ activist Christopher Pazdernik presents the beloved benefit concert.

Porchlight Music Theatre announces the roster of new faces starring in its latest 2022 – 2023 season offering, New Faces Sing Broadway 1984, hosted by Honey West, directed by Tommy Novak with music direction and arrangements by Micky York. New Faces Sing Broadway 1984 takes place Tuesday, April 25.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present New Faces Sing Broadway 1984, hosted by Honey West, directed by Tommy Novak with music direction and arrangements by Micky York.

Paramount Theatre has announced its roster for School of Rock, the Chicago professional regional premiere of the good-time musical based on the hit Jack Black movie, featuring new music from the genius mind of Andrew Lloyd Webber, directed by Trent Stork.

Get a first look at footage of Big Fish at Marriott Theatre starring Alexander Gemignani and more.

The Marriott Theatre's 2023 season launches with the family-friendly musical adventure, BIG FISH, now on stage through March 19, 2023. Get a first look at the production.

What did our critic think of Big Fish? The new theater season has begun. The current production at Marriott Theatre is Big Fish which is based upon the novel by Daniel Wallace and the Columbia Motion Picture written by John August. The book is by John August and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa. Under the direction of Henry Godinez and associate director and choreographer Tommy Rapley, this story of a big fish, a witch, Karl the giant, a mermaid and a circus run by a werewolf are brought to life in all their glory. In the end, though, it is about love and family.

The Marriott Theatre’s 2023 season launches with the family-friendly musical adventure, BIG FISH! See photos of Broadway star Andrew Gemignani and more in new character portraits!

Porchlight Music Theatre announces the cast of New Faces for its latest offering in its 2022 - 2023 season, New Faces Sing Broadway 1951, hosted by multi-award winner and Broadway veteran David Girolmo, directed by David Fiorello with music direction and arrangements by Dr. Michael McBride.

The Heartstrings Awards celebrating the most moving creative efforts in Chicago area theatre for the 2022 theatrical season have been announced citing winners including Marriott Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Broadway in Chicago, Elgin Theatre Company, and Porchlight Music Theatre.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced the latest offering in its 2022 - 2023 season, New Faces Sing Broadway 1951, hosted by multi-award winner and Broadway veteran David Girolmo, directed by David Fiorello with music direction and arrangements by Dr. Michael McBride.