One of the great surprises in the Portland theater community these past couple of years has been the success of the Old Port Playhouse in downtown Portland.

Against the backdrop of a down economy, the small theater company began operations in fall 2009. In many ways, the timing could not have been worse. The economy was spinning into a morass, and the local theater scene already felt crowded.

Founders Michael J. Tobin and Jeffrey Caron forged ahead with their 70-seat space at 19 Temple St. in Portland. Their ambitious first season included a mix of straight plays and musicals, as well as a Christmas show.

They surprised themselves with their success.

“It went better than we expected,” Tobin said. “We got great reviews, and we sold a lot of tickets. Our houses averaged 80-percent capacity, and we sold out some shows completely.

“It wasn’t just the big-name show titles that drew crowds, either. Word got out about this little playhouse on Temple Street, and people wanted to experience it.”

The second season has proven more challenging. Attendance is down, and Tobin is restructuring his winter and spring schedule to accommodate the theater company’s loss of rights to shows that it had originally planned and promoted. Beginning tomorrow, Old Port Playhouse opens the musical version of “The Wizard of Oz.”

Tobin, who directs the musical and serves as artistic director of the company, produced the show in the theater’s inaugural season. It’s unusual to bring back an encore version so soon, but Tobin is betting that audiences will turn out again. His decision to bring it back now is strategic.

“Last year with ‘Wizard,’ we sold out before we opened,” he said. “We’re hoping for a similar response again. We’ve noticed a drop-off in attendance, and it will be great to fill the seats again with a family-friendly musical.”

“The Wizard of Oz” opens Friday and runs through Feb. 6, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets cost $15. Call 773-0333. 

Here’s a roundup of other theater productions opening in January and February:

SPACE GALLERY, 538 Congress St., Portland, presents Federico Garcia Lorca’s “Blood Wedding” tonight through Saturday. Tess Van Horn directs.

The Spanish tragedy, written in 1932, explores the loves and grudges of a small town. The ensemble includes Nicholas Schroeder, Pat Mew, Amanda Huotari, Peter Brown, Laura Chakravarty Box, Annie Larmon, Dena Riegel, Michael Dix Thomas, Ian Carlsen, Joe Bearor, Amanda Painter, Deirdre Fulton, Andrew Sawyer and Claire Guyer.

Local musicians Emily Dix Thomas, Aren Sprinkle, Patrick Corrigan, Ed Kniseley, Eric Schwan and Derek Kimball wrote original music to accompany Lorca’s text, and will perform during the show.

“Blood Wedding” is on stage at 7:30 p.m. today and Friday, and at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10. Visit www.space538.org. 

GOOD THEATER, the theater company in residence at the St. Lawrence Arts Center on Munjoy Hill in Portland, has two shows running almost back-to-back.

The first is Ellen Domingos’ one-woman autobiographical play “Is There Fat in the That?” about her experiences as a New York model and actress. Domingos uses humor, music and moments of reflection to lead audiences on a journey through her life. Brian P. Allen directs the play, which opens today and runs through Jan. 23.

On Feb. 3, Good Theater opens the Hollywood farce “Moonlight and Magnolias” with an A-list cast of local talent: Stephen Underwood, Tony Reilly, Brent Askari and Lynne McGhee. Allen directs this one too.

Tickets for both shows range from $15 to $25. The St. Lawrence Arts Center is at 76 Congress St. Call 885-5883 or visit www.goodtheater.com.

ACORN PRODUCTIONS in Westbrook presents the third play in the company’s inaugural Studio Series with “Crying at Movies,” a John Manderino play based on his memoir by the same name.

In the piece, Tony reflects on how his experiences watching leading ladies in movies affect his relationships with women. Michael Levine directs. It stars Paul Haley and Kerry Rasor.

“Crying at Movies” opens Friday and runs through Jan. 30, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 5 p.m. Sundays. Tickets cost $8 and $10. Acorn Studio Theater is located in the Dana Warp Mill, 90 Bridge St. Call 854-0065 or visit www.acorn-productions.org.

PORTLAND PLAYERS, one of Maine’s longest-running community theaters at 420 Cottage Road in South Portland, opens Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” on Friday. The play is a murder-mystery set in a London manor, and runs through Jan. 30. Tickets are $15 to $20. Call 799-7337 or visit www.portlandplayers.org.

MAD HORSE THEATRE COMPANY presents Edward Albee’s 2002 Drama Desk-winning “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” It opens Jan. 20 and runs through Feb. 6 at the new Lucid Stage, 29 Baxter Blvd., Portland.

Company member David Currier makes his mainstage directorial debut with this shocking and funny show. It centers on Martin, a high-powered architect whose midlife crisis involves an affair with an unlikely subject.

The cast includes Christine Louise Marshall, James Herrera, Jaimie Schwartz and Benedetto Robinson. Tickets cost $18 and $20 (discounts are available). Call 899-3993 or visit www.lucidstage.com.

LUCID STAGE has a busy winter beyond “The Goat.” Mad Horse presents its Dark Night series Jan. 24 to Feb. 2 with another Albee show, “The Play About the Baby.” On Jan. 30, Figures of Speech offers “Paul Bunyan.” Local actor James Hoban has his one-man show “Thom Pain (Based on Nothing)” Feb. 10-20.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Amanda Huotari and Jake Brooks present “The Soiree,” a romantic evening of theater and comedy on Feb. 14.

On Feb. 25, Maine Freedom Trails produces an evening celebrating the Black Freedom Movement. “Harriet Tubman Visits a Therapist and Other Conversations of Color” will include a concert, a play by Carolyn Gage and a visual arts exhibition.

For details and information about Lucid Stage events, visit www.lucidstage.com.

PORTLAND OVATIONS brings the national Broadway tour of “Fiddler on the Roof” to Portland’s Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., for performances at 2 and 7 p.m. Jan. 22.

Based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, “Fiddler on the Roof” includes such time-tested classics as “Tradition,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” Maine audiences will recognize Birdie Katz in a starring role. Katz, who lives in Maine, has appeared many times at Maine State Music Theatre, and this is her first national tour.

Tickets are $45 to $60, and may be purchased at the Merrill box office, by calling 842-0800 or at www.porttix.com.

PORTLAND STAGE COMPANY opens “2 Pianos, 4 Hands,” one of the most successful touring shows ever exported from Canada, on Jan. 25.

The play is about two boys, Ted and Richard, who share a common goal of becoming concert pianists. They work toward their dream despite pushy parents, eccentric teachers, endless practice, stage fright and other roadblocks. The two actors, Jeffery Rockwell and Tom Frey, have performed the show hundreds of times over the past decade.

The show runs to Feb. 20 at Portland Stage Company, 25A Forest Ave., Portland. Tickets cost $30 to $37. Call 774-0465 or visit www.portlandstage.com.

THE PUBLIC THEATRE in Lewiston opens Rajiv Joseph’s “Animals Out of Paper” on Jan. 28. It marks the New England premiere of this sly play that lives somewhere between a comedy and love story. Said The New York Times in a 2008 review of the New York production, “Mr. Joseph’s observant, pitch-perfect script seems modest at first but is really quite ambitious, dealing ruthlessly (except in the semi-upbeat ending) with the fragility of happiness, the tragedy of impulsiveness and the tenuousness of hope.”

The show runs to Feb. 6. Tickets are $16 and $18. Call 782-3200 or visit www.publictheatre.org.

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE theater department in Gorham presents “Airswimming” by British playwright Charlotte Jones Feb. 3-6. The play follows Persephone and Dora during the half-century they were imprisoned in St. Dymphna’s Hospital for the Criminally Insane through their release into a shared apartment.

“Airswimming” explores love, survival and the power of the human spirit with both humor and compassion. The play will be performed at Russell Hall, 37 College Ave., Gorham. Tickets cost $8 to $15. Call 780-5151.

LYRIC MUSIC THEATER, 176 Sawyer St., South Portland, wins the prize for staging the most ambitious show of the winter: It will present the musical “Rent” Feb. 18 to March 5. The award-winning Broadway show tells the story of seven New York friends who experience fear, isolation and love.

Tickets cost $20. Call 799-1421 or visit www.lyricmusictheater.org.

GASLIGHT THEATER in Hallowell presents the farce “Key for Two” Feb. 25-27 and March 3-5. Richard Bostwick directs. Harriet solves her financial problems by entertaining two married men on different days of the week. Her scheme fails, and the play builds into confusion and hilarity. Call 626-3698 or visit www.gaslighttheater.org for ticket info.

Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at:

bkeyes@pressherald.com

 

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