Still photo take from Janis Joplin film showing Sunday at Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater. Jason Niedle photo
For one night only, “A Night with Janis Joplin” hits the screen at Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theater at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Captured live last October from the touring production at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, the multi-camera production stars Tony Award nominee Mary Bridget Davies as the legendary ’60s rock and blues singer.
Joplin exploded onto the music scene in 1967, charting five singles before her untimely death at the age of 27. Joplin’s voice made her a headliner from Monterey to Woodstock.
“A Night with Janis Joplin” saw a Broadway run during the 2013-14 season, garnering Davies a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. The show, which charts the singer’s rise to fame, later hit the road and is currently on its third national tour. Davies received praise from New York critics for her uncanny embodiment of the rock legend, performing such classics as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Mercedes Benz,” “Cry Baby” and “Summertime.”
Commissioned by the Joplin estate and conceived, written and directed by Randy Johnson, the musical tracks several of Joplin’s musical influences, including Bessie Smith, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Etta James and more.
“A Night with Janis Joplin” premiered regionally in 2011, playing engagements at Portland Center Stage, Cleveland Play House, Arena Stage, Pasadena Playhouse, and Milwaukee Repertory Theater before arriving on Broadway in the fall of 2013. Davis earned the Best Actress Award from the Cleveland Critics Circle and a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Resident Musical during the show’s out-of-town engagements.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for theater members and $5 for children 18 and under. More information is available on the theater website at lcct.org or by calling the theater office at (207) 563-3424 during office hours Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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