"Felicia and I have a song in our concert, LETTIN' THE GOOD TIMES ROLL, that we wrote. It's called 'That Wasn't Me,' laughs actress E. Faye Butler. It talks about how people will walk up to me and say, 'Felicia, I'm so glad to see you.' And then they do the same thing to Felicia, calling her E. Faye. It makes us laugh!"
Butler is speaking of her close friend and co-star at MSMT this summer, actress Felicia P. Fields, with whom she shares the stage in SOPHISTICATED LADIES and in their joint revue, LETTIN' THE GOOD TIMES ROLL. "We have known each other for thirty-one years on and off stage. We both began our journeys growing up on Chicago's South Side. I am godmother to her daughter; our husbands are good friends. We have gone on vacation and spent holidays together. She is like a sister to me. We can laugh, argue, say I'm sorry, and hug it out. We can finish each other's sentences. Working with Felicia is easy, so it is always a treat to do a show together."
'I love the way Snow White is a strong female character in this version. She doesn't go away with the Prince in the end, and she doesn't feel she owes him anything just because he rescued her. She is written to be a self-aware and smart character,' says Ayanna Stover, who plays the princess in MSMT's Theatre for Young Audiences musical SNOW WHITE.
Maine State Music Theatre launches its 2019 Theatre for Young Audiences series with a fresh, vivid, polished production of Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark's highly original musical version of SNOW WHITE. The familiar fairytale gets a 'politically correct' overhaul in this iteration - one which despite the fact that it was written more than twenty-five years ago - remains astoundingly innovative and relevantly modern.
Musical Theatre West (MTW) returns to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center with a line-up of West Coast regional premieres, Tony Award -winning classics, and a new family favorite, opening with the West Coast regional theater premiere of Something Rotten! (October 18 November 3, 2019); Ragtime (February 7 - 23, 2020); Mame (March 27 - April 12, 2020); and the West Coast Regional Premiere of Treasure Island (July 10 - 26, 2020).
The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre is proud to present the riveting family drama and electrifying rock musical, Next to Normal, in the Tell Studio Theatre May 16 through June 2, with Previews May 14 and 15. An emotional powerhouse, Next to Normal is the recipient of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre has announced the most exciting season in the theatre's 166-year history! The Fulton "Engages Life Through Art" through three distinct series serving over 160,000 patrons through diverse programing reflecting the broad make-up of the Lancaster community and greater region of eastern Pennsylvania. The 2019-2020 season, with three regional premieres, begins September 17 and continues through July 26.
The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre, in association with Maine State Music Theatre is proud to present the dance and music-filled Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies, May 2 through May 25, with Previews April 30 and May 1. Three acclaimed choreographers, Broadway's Mark Stuart, Broadway's Kenny Ingram and Lancaster's own Marc Robin, have joined to make this one memorable celebration!
'It's always hard to follow an anniversary season, where you've pulled out all the stops for that special celebration,' confides Maine State Music Theatre's Artistic Director, Curt Dale Clark, as he sits down with Broadway World Maine to preview the company's upcoming 61st season. 'It's a bit scary because after the anniversary, then, what next? But the beautiful thing about what we do for a living [in the theatre] is that every year seems like an anniversary. MSMT has carved out a niche here in Brunswick where we pull out all the stops year after year. Our public expects it, and it is pour job to do it!'
Thanks to generous, continuing grants from the Anna-Maria Moggio Foundation and new foundation support from Androscoggin Bank's Greater Giving Program and The Onion Foundation, Maine State Music Theatre will continue its annual sensory-friendly performance series this summer by presenting Snow White and The Little Mermaid.
The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre is proud to present the captivating tale of surviving in plain sight, I Am My Own Wife, in the Tell Studio Theatre April 4 through April 28, with Previews April 2 and 3. Star Kevin Loreque takes on this one-man show and portrays over 30 characters.
Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) is partnering with six local libraries starting April 1 through July 13 to inspire readers to discover or become reacquainted with Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, the novel that inspired the theatre's upcoming show Treasure Island: A Musical Adventure.
The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre, in association with Virginia Repertory Theatre, is proud to present the inspiring and romantic Once, The Musical, March 21 through April 14, with Previews March 19 and 20. The actors serve as their own orchestra, playing sixteen instruments, a mixture of Celtic and traditional, for a melodic and foot-stomping good time!
Where can you find characters from Dr. Seuss, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, popular Disney favorites and large-scale kids' musicals under one roof? At the Maltz Jupiter Theatre's popular Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts summer camp programs, of course!
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning play wright Tennessee Williams, take a look through the fading memory books of Tom's fractured life in The Glass Menagerie. Living with his controlling mother and introverted sister Laura, who lives in her own world of make believe, Tom struggles as the pillar of his family. As the memories are revealed, Tom and his mother Amanda, wish for nothing more than for Laura to find a loving husband. When Tom sets up a blind date for his sister with his coworker from the shoe warehouse, Amanda's obsession and frustration is pushed to new extremes, while Laura is left vulnerable and exposed like her glass figurines.
The Fulton Theatre swings into the new year with one of Broadway's longest running musicals, Chicago. Opening on January 24, 2019, the Fulton's distinctive production of Chicago is set to be the hottest show of the season, and will channel the alluring luster of 1920's vaudeville. Featuring a two story band stand, flying jail cells, and set elements that extend into the audience, Chicago is sure to be a spectacle so alluring it should be criminal. The dazzling set was designed by Adam Koch, who recently wowed audiences with his set design for Fulton Theatre's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Fulton's costumes are a departure from the simple all-black garb of the Broadway revival. Featuring glistening sequins, feathers, and boas, the Fulton's costumes epitomize one of the show's most iconic numbers, "Razzle Dazzle". The exquisite costumes are designed by Fulton regular, Ryan J. Moller, who has crafted wardrobes for some of the Fulton Theatre's biggest shows including Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Robin and Clark's Treasure Island, A Musical Adventure.
It is the winter doldrums here in North Country, but what better way to combat those blues than to take in an entertaining, moving, or inspiring evening at one of Maine's fine theatre companies? And if not in winter, why not plan ahead by subscribing to some of these companies or buying seats for one of the many exciting upcoming events for 2019?
To assist you in your planning, BWW offers these picks of the ten productions and company repertoire to which we look forward most.
It's the last week to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Central Pennsylvania Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.
There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Central Pennsylvania Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.
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