GOOD THEATER INC

THE YEAR WAS A PARTICULARLY BUSY ONE FOR GOOD THEATER. SEVEN PRODUCTIONS WERE PRESENTED INCLUDING THREE WORLD PREMIERES (KILLER COMFORT, THE HIGH ROAD AND BROADWAY AT GOOD THEATER THE TWIN PIANO EDITION), ONE MAINE PREMIERE (NUREYEV'S EYES), ONE PORTLAND PREMIERE (FIREFLIES) AND TWO ESTABLISHED HITS (CRIMES OF THE HEART AND YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU). JANUARY THROUGH APRIL SAW THE END OF THE COMPANY'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON. THIS WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR FOR THE COMPANY. IT WAS ALSO THE LARGEST SEASON IN THE COMPANY'S HISTORY. CRIMES OF THE HEART PROVED TO BE A HIT. TICKETS SALES WERE EXCELLENT, REVIEWS WERE GREAT AND AUDIENCES ENJOYED THIS DARK COMEDY. THE COMPANY MEMBERS GOT HIT WITH COVID DURING REHEARSALS, BUT WITH SOME ZOOM REHEARSALS, THE SHOW WAS ABLE TO OPEN ON TIME. LYNNE MCGHEE, A REGULAR WITH GOOD THEATER, HAD BEEN WORKING ON A SOLO ONE- WOMAN SHOW, KILLER COMFORT. THIS PRODUCTION WAS DIRECTED BY GOOD THEATER'S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, BRIAN P. ALLEN, AND IT WAS PRESENTED FOR THREE SOLD-OUT PERFORMANCES. THE SHOW EMPLOYED MULTI-MEDIA TO AID IN THE STORYTELLING. AUDIENCES ROARED WITH LAUGHTER. THE SHOW HAS GONE ONTO OTHER PERFORMANCES AT OTHER THEATERS. GOOD THEATER CO-FOUNDER, STEVE UNDERWOOD, UNVEILED HIS LATEST CREATION, THE HIGH ROAD, AS PART OF OUR MAINSTAGE SEASON. THE SHOW WAS WELL RECEIVED BY PATRONS, AND WHILE NOT A SELL-OUT, IT DID PERFORM BETTER THAN OUR BUDGET PROJECTIONS. NUREYEV'S EYES IS A TWO-CHARACTER PLAY ABOUT FAMED DANCER RUDOLF NUREYEV AND PAINTER JAMIE WYETH. GOOD THEATER WAS KEEN TO DO THIS PLAY SINCE THE WYETH FAMILY HAS RESIDED PART-TIME IN MAINE FOR DECADES. THE SHOW WAS A HUGE HIT CAUSING THE COMPANY TO ADD A PERFORMANCE DUE TO DEMAND FOR TICKETS. THE FINAL SHOW IN THE COMPANY'S 20TH SEASON WAS THE CLASSIC YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. THIS IS THE BIGGEST CAST THE COMPANY HAD EVER USED, AND IT PROVED TO BE A DELIGHTFUL WAY TO CAP THE COMPANY'S TWO DECADES OF PRESENTING SHOWS. VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE CAST HAD APPEARED ON THE GOOD THEATER STAGE IN PREVIOUS SEASONS MAKING FOR A TOP-NOTCH PRODUCTION. A FITTING ENDING TO A GREAT SEASON. THE SUMMER WAS FILLED WITH PLANNING AND CASTING FOR THE 21ST SEASON. THE FALL BEGAN WITH THE PORTLAND PREMIERE OF FIREFLIES. THIS FOUR-HANDER WAS A PERFECT OPENING. THE SHOW IS FUNNY AND TOUCHING. VALERIE PERRI LED THE CAST. FOLLOWING THIS WAS AN ORIGINAL SHOW/REVUE CREATED BY BRIAN P. ALLEN. HE USED SONGS FROM CLASSIC MUSICALS THAT HAD A TWO-PIANO ARRANGEMENT. HE WROTE A NARRATIVE TO TIE THE SONGS THE PIECES TOGETHER. THE SHOW EMPLOYED A CAST OF NINE INCLUDING BROADWAY VETERAN GEORGE DVORSKY. ALLEN NARRATED THE SHOW WHICH RECEIVED RAVE REVIEWS. THE STAFF REMAINED THE SAME, AND ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF THE COMPANY WERE STATUS QUO.