A box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers, a dinner for two — the Valentine’s Day holiday doesn’t offer much in the way of novelty. But there is a red satin ray of hope for romantics seeking originality. On Feb. 14, the Maine State Music Theatre presented what could become a holiday tradition in the form of the “Our Funny Valentines” party and performance, which raised $12,000 for the company’s internship program.
The fun started in the wood-paneled lounge of Moulton Union on the Bowdoin College campus in Brunswick. Guests enjoyed cocktails and chocolate-dipped strawberries, while bidding on a number of love-themed silent auction items.
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With a nod to the heart-happy holiday, more than half of the people in the room donned red, pink or purple for the occasion.
“We would like for the event to become a tradition,” Barbara Whidden, the theater’s development director, told me. “People sometimes think we go away in the winter, so we thought this event would help keep Maine State Music Theatre in people’s minds.”
It’s unlikely those in attendance will forget the theater anytime soon. Not only did the party feature cocktails and desserts, but after the reception we all moved to Studzinski Hall for a romantic (and just a bit raunchy) performance by Charis Leos and Jenny Lee Stern, who charmed audiences last summer during the run of “Always … Patsy Cline.”
“When we first talked about Valentine’s Day, people said it’s the dead of winter, people won’t come,” Executive Director Steven Peterson told me. “But we’ve got 190 people here tonight.”
And everyone seemed to be having a fabulous time.
“It’s a great fundraiser for the organization,” Lennie Burke told me. “It’s wonderful that they did it on Valentine’s Day. It’s something different.”
Jon and Joyce Rogers of Harpswell won tickets to the party at the Orr’s Island Library benefit auction and were thrilled with the opportunity to do something new on Valentine’s Day.
“Usually we’d end up at a restaurant on Maine Street having dinner,” Joyce Rogers told me.
Season ticketholders John and Sheila Wiken, who live in the town of Peru, didn’t have time for a sit-down dinner before heading to Brunswick.
“We grabbed some lobster rolls on the way down,” Sheila Wiken told me.
Others made a night of it, hitting up one of Brunswick’s many restaurants before heading over to the festivities.
“It’s a fun thing to do on a Monday night,” Courtney Keefe of Bath told me. “We were at Clementine’s before. It seemed like everyone there was coming here.”
I confirmed the popularity of Clementine Restaurant as a pre-party venue when I chatted with Don and Carol Doele and Becky Halbrook and Sam Jones, who all dined at the eatery before arriving at the party.
Of course, what everyone wanted to talk about was the performance we were about to see.
“These women were fantastic last summer,” Jones told me.
“They were both so excellent,” Halbrook added. “That was the motivating reason to come out (to this event).”
They weren’t alone in their sentiments.
“The two of them did a wonderful job,” Alan Mooney told me. “Charis can’t be on stage without being funny.”
When I chatted with Polly Arnoff, who frequently heads to New York to see Broadway shows, she told me, “I moved here five years ago and I’m really impressed by the quality of the actors.”
And Leos and Stern more than lived up to the theater’s standards and their reputations when the performance began.
Before the music started, former TV news anchor Tory Ryden and her husband, Pat Scully, hit the stage and conducted a live auction of items that included a New York trip with Broadway tickets, a Vintage Perkins table, a theater trip to Boston on the Downeaster and a chocolate cake from the Barn Door Cafe.
During the show, I had the pleasure of sitting next to John and Patrice Carter of Edgecomb, who are regulars at the theater’s shows.
When Leos and Stern emerged on stage, accompanied by Edward Reichert on piano, they wowed us with love songs, tunes from “Always … Patsy Cline” and numbers from the upcoming season, which will see both actresses return to the Maine State Music Theatre stage.
In between songs, the pair served up heaps of funny comments. Stern, who was sporting a baby bump under her slinky red dress and above her 3-inch stiletto heels, proved quite agile despite the extra weight.
“Some of you may be interested to know, or maybe not,” Stern said to the crowd at one point. “Tell me if it’s too much information. Our next little bundle of joy was conceived in Brunswick, Maine.”
Which just goes to show that Brunswick is a rather romantic spot, whether it’s Valentine’s Day or not.
Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:
akamila@pressherald.com
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