A brand new cocktail bar is opening subsequent to the Bangor Opera Home
It is sensible {that a} sure magical nanny is flying in on her umbrella to remodel the Penobscot Theatre Firm stage this week into London in 1910, given the truth that the Bangor Opera Home itself is unveiling its personal type of transformation.
“Mary Poppins,” the theater’s summer season musical, opens this weekend for a month’s value of exhibits that includes a forged of each longtime native performers and New York theater professionals. On the similar time, the theater has opened its different newest manufacturing: The Stage Door, a brand new cocktail bar positioned immediately subsequent door to the opera home.
To say it has been a whirlwind few months on the theater can be an understatement.
“We managed to construct a stupendous new bar and mount an extremely bold manufacturing, all on the similar time,” mentioned PTC govt director Jen Shepard. “I’m fairly happy with everybody, to say the least.”
Only one door over from the Bangor Opera Home, a PTC crew has been exhausting at work remodeling the constructing at 115 Foremost St. into The Stage Door, a cocktail bar owned and operated by the theater.
The house, which till January of this 12 months was house to the now-closed Valentine Footwear, is owned by native property developer Louie Morrison. PTC govt director Jen Shepard anticipated Morrison to say no to her loopy concept when she approached him with it over the winter.
“I figured he’d say no to the thought of knocking a gap into the wall between this constructing and the opera home, however to our delight, he mentioned completely,” Shepard mentioned.
That gap is now a set of double doorways that lead from the fitting facet of the opera home immediately into The Stage Door. The bar, designed by longtime PTC set designer and architect Chez Cherry, is decked out in wealthy jewel tones and highlighted by artwork deco accents referencing the opera home’s unique designs from the Twenties. An extended group desk runs by way of the principle seating space, whereas within the again, a comfy space lit with atmospheric lamps gives an intimate spot for dialog.
A full cocktail menu together with specialty drinks impressed by PTC’s 50-year historical past in Bangor will probably be served, alongside wine and native beer and a small menu of snacks. It’ll be open two hours prior and for not less than one hour in spite of everything PTC exhibits, with common non-show hours deliberate for Wednesdays-Saturdays as nicely.
In the meantime at PTC, “Mary Poppins,” the musical, is predicated on each the beloved 1964 Disney movie and the unique books by P.L. Travers, with songs by Disney’s Sherman Brothers together with a number of new songs, and a guide by Julian Fellowes, the creator of “Downton Abbey.” It premiered on Broadway in 2006, and within the unique Broadway forged was Janelle Robinson as Mrs. Corry, who joins Penobscot Theatre in the identical function for this manufacturing.
The character of Mrs. Corry sings the present stopping “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” a quantity Robinson has sung numerous occasions over time. Robinson, a veteran of regional theater levels throughout the nation who was additionally seen in PTC manufacturing of “9 to five” final 12 months, mentioned she at all times finds some dimension to any longtime character she performs, because of the range of individuals discovered on regional theater levels nationwide.
“With ‘Mary Poppins’ particularly, each actor at all times offers every character their very own particular spin. The children taking part in Jane and Michael are at all times so totally different, and Ben Layman is taking part in Mr. Banks right here, and it’s so particular and distinctive to him,” Robinson mentioned, referring to longtime PTC actor Layman, and Stella Burns and Derrick Johnson as Jane and Michael, respectively.
The PTC crew has been busy turning the stage into 17 Cherry Tree Lane, with the added problem of constructing it so Mary Poppins — performed with effervescent attraction by New York actor Stephanie Bacastow — can fly. The theater partnered with On The Fly, an aerial results firm that has labored with Cirque du Soleil, Broadway exhibits and lots of others to create the phantasm of flight.
“Mary Poppins” opens on June 15 and runs by way of July 16, with exhibits set for Wednesdays by way of Sundays. For tickets and extra info on that present and on The Stage Door, go to penobscottheatre.org.
