Stephen Underwood News

Once again 2014 was a year to revel in the diversity and accomplishments of the theatrical scene in Maine. The summer and winter seasons yielded a nice balance between adventurous programming and classics. Here is my personal list for 2014, grouped by theatre company and show. 1. MAINE STATE MUSIC THEATRE once again receives my vote for the finest company in the region. Their 2014 season offered four dazzling main stage productions, including the remarkable revival of Chamberlain: A Civil War Romance, a daring and moving music theatre piece, beautifully realized by director-choreographer Marc Robin together with stars James Patterson and Kathy Voytko.

Portland's Good Theater has mounted the Maine premiere of Jeffrey Thatcher's wacky, wickedly funny comedy, Mrs. Mannerly, a two-character spoof of the obsession with politeness, manners, and surface polish which often disguises truths. Set in the 1960s in Steubenville, OH, Hatcher tells the tale of a character (bearing his own name) who takes on the challenge of trying to achieve a perfect score in the etiquette class of the fearsome Mrs. Mannerly, long a town institution. Jeffrey's quest leads him to crack the facade of Mrs. Mannerly's presentation and past, and in so doing to discover that inner and outer reality frequently have little in common.

Good Theater will open the Maine premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher's delightfully wacky comedy MRS. MANNERLY beginning tonight, October 29 and continuing through November 23. Good Theater is the professional company in residence at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland.

Good Theater will open the Maine premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher's delightfully wacky comedy MRS. MANNERLY beginning October 29 and continuing through November 23. Good Theater is the professional company in residence at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland.

Portland's Good Theater opened its thirteenth season with a radiant revival of N. Richard Nash's 1954 play, The Rainmaker. The production, perfectly cast, sensitively directed and acted, and capped by an attractive physical production, speaks volumes about the virtues of this little company. Nash's play, set in a western ranching town crippled by drought, is a bitter sweet tale of a young woman imprisoned in her self-image of plainness and of the charismatic con man who brings not only rain, but also the healing power of dreams.

Good Theater, the professional theater company in residence at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland, has announced the start of its 13th season. Opening tonight, October 1 and running through October 19 will be N. Richard Nash's acclaimed classic, THE RAINMAKER.

Good Theater's production of THE RAINMAKER by N. Richard Nash, directed by Brian P. Allen, runs October 1-19 at Good Theater's home, the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Good Theater, the professional theater company in residence at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland, has announced the start of its 13th season. Opening October 1 and running through October 19 will be N. Richard Nash's acclaimed classic, THE RAINMAKER.

Portland's Good Theater closed its season with a highly original and poetic premiere of Stephen Underwood's multi-media performance piece, Underwater Guy. Underwood's play uses video, music, lights, scenery, and a single actor/narrator to recount the protagonist's lifelong obsession with diving, underwater exploration and photography. Part documentary, part dramatic monologue with movement, the rapid shifts in the modes of communication prove stimulating, sometimes surprising, but always engaging. For in Underwood's play, water is more than a habitat or a passion; it is a metaphor for his life's journey, and as such, the piece takes on a deeper significance and resonance.

Good Theater has announced the world premiere of Stephen Underwood's UNDERWATERGUY playing April 2-13 for twelve performances at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. For tickets and more information contact Good Theater at 207-885-5883 or go to www.goodtheater.com .

Good Theater has announced the world premiere of Stephen Underwood's UNDERWATERGUY playing April 2-13 for twelve performances at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. For tickets and more information contact Good Theater at 207-885-5883 or go to www.goodtheater.com .

Good Theater announces 'Lucky 13' their 13th season at the St. Lawrence Arts Center. Artistic Director, Brian P. Allen, said, 'After the success of our 12th season, I wanted to make sure our 13th was equally exciting. I think we have found the perfect balance in our five productions. We are offering three Maine premieres, a world premiere and a fresh new look at a timeless classic. Our subscribers are vital to the stability of Good Theater. As I pick shows, I try to think of them and how they will feel moving from one show to the next. I'm very excited by the line-up we've put together.'

Good Theater continues its 12th season with the New England premiere of THE OUTGOING TIDE by Bruce Graham running March 5-30, at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. Tickets and information are available at 207-885-5883 or by going to the Good Theater website www.goodtheater.com .

Good Theater kicks off the second half of its season with the Portland premiere of the hilarious hit comedy BECKY'S NEW CAR by Steven Dietz. BECKY'S NEW CAR plays January 29 through February 23 at Good Theater's home the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Good Theater has sold out all five performances of its upcoming event Broadway at Good Theater, December 5-8.

Good Theater announces the stars and cast for its 10th edition of Broadway at Good Theater. Performances will be Thursday 12/5 at 7:00 ($25), Friday 12/6 at 7:30 ($25), Saturday 12/7 at 3:00 ($25) & 7:30 ($30) and Sunday 12/8 at 2:00 ($30). This year the company will host Kenita R. Miller and Christopher A. Pecoraro as the Broadway headliners for the five concerts playing December 5-8.

Portland's (Maine) Good Theater opened its 2013-2014 season with an incisive production of Bruce Norris' 2011 Pultizer Prize winning drama, Clybourne Park. The play, inspired by Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, explores the issues of subtle, yet pervasive racism in a Chicago neighborhood, first in 1959 and then in 2009. That the characters in each half of the drama have different names and ostensibly different experiences is a bitter illusion. History not only repeats itself, albeit it in a more understated and sophisticated way, but it also painfully demonstrates that prejudice dies hard; even time, education, and improving economics do not erase deeply ingrained fears and intolerance.

Good Theater kicks off its 12th season with the 2012 Tony Award winning Best Play CLYBOURNE PARK by Bruce Norris, playing tonight, October 2-27, at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Good Theater kicks off its 12th season with the 2012 Tony Award winning Best Play CLYBOURNE PARK by Bruce Norris, playing today, October 2-27, at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland. Contact Good Theater at 207-885-5885 or www.goodtheater.com for tickets and information.