Raymond Marc Dumont News

“Are you ready for some fun and fairytales? We're going to need you to use your imaginations to help us.” The preschoolers in the front rows giggle and squeal in anticipation. Maine State Music Theatre's Artistic Director, Curt Dale Clark knows how to energize young audiences, and he clearly relishes the opportunity top perform for this morning crowd of over 160 ranging in age from several months to grandparents who have come to hear the special program of story and song, MAGIC TIME at Brunswick, Maine's Curtis Memorial Library. The two free forty-minute interactive programs, which featured readings, video, and live performances of the Robin and Clark musical versions of Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland, were created by MSMT in partnership with the Curtis Memorial Library with the help of a generous gift from the Maine Humanities Council and drew almost 300 people for both sessions. The idea, born of MSMT's desire to expand its outreach efforts, nurture young audiences, and draw a new diverse public to live theatre, began as a successful mini-grant proposal to Maine Humanities Council and by virtue of the enthusiasm of the MSMT and CML staffs and the community response mushroomed into something of a maxi event with lines cued up and out the library doors before the start of each show.

I continue my series of mini video profiles of Maine theatre artists with this portrait of actor, dancer, singer, director, and choreographer, Raymond Marc Dumont.  A lewiston/Auburn native and an AEA and SDC professional, 'Ray' has worked extensively in Maine and is closely associated with companies such as Maine State Music Theatre, Mad Horse Theatre, Portland Players, and Lyric Music Theater.

Having had the privilege to serve as Broadway World's Maine Editor for more than three years now, I can say with pride that the state, though remote as it may seem from the epicenter of the theatre world, Broadway, is blessed to be home to so many thriving theatre companies who produce exciting, vibrant seasons. As I compiled my list for 2016 with many familiar names, I was also struck by the extraordinary consistency of excellence these companies maintain. Here are my personal choices of the best in Maine, grouped by theatre and show.

When the now embattled Wells Fargo recently ran a series of ads suggesting that young people grow up and 'out of careers in the arts' and into 'mature choices of professions like the sciences and business,' the implications of the spots seriously irritated and alarmed most of us in the theatre community. A dancer yesterday, an engineer today….what message is that sending to our young people, many of whom are already deprived of arts education in their schools? It was then that the idea occurred to me and our Broadway World editors that a series of short video profiles asking successful theatre people why they had chosen a life in performance and what the rewards have been for them might be just the antidote.

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in South Bend, Austin, Sacramento and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include THE TEMPEST at The Shakespeare Festival at Notre Dame, the regional premiere of HAND TO GOD in Austin, and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME in Sacramento, just to name a few.

The young and young at heart were treated to a day of enchantment at Maine State Music Theatre today, when the company presented four performances of Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark's delightful musical retelling of Aladdin, directed and choreographed by Raymond Marc Dumont. Presented in a fully staged production, this timeless tale conjures up the magic of wish making, the power of love to transform, and the importance of believing in one's self. In the past few seasons, MSMT has made a concerted effort to expand and enhance their Young Audiences series by offering original musicals based on traditional children's literature and packaged in sophisticated productions with elaborate costumes, imaginative scenery and stagecraft. Moreover, these hour-long performances are entirely created by MSMT's young professional artists- interns, apprentices, and local actors – thereby offering these artists a chance to gain valuable experience.

When Aladdin, directed and choreographed by Raymond Marc Dumont, opens on August 22, the four performances at Maine State Music Theatre will mark twenty-six years of collaboration and fifteen original shows created by the team of Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark. These two highly respected artists – Robin, director, choreographer, Artistic Director of the Fulton Theatre and Clark, actor, director, Artistic Director of Maine State Music Theatre – have devoted a considerable portion of their indefatigable creative energy to composing, writing the books and lyrics for a series of musical fairytales designed to introduce new audiences to the magic, make believe and miracles that theatre can offer to the young and young at heart.

Maine State Music Theatre's third 2016 main stage production is a cause for celebration! After twenty-one years, the beloved Bock-Harnick musical, Fiddler on the Roof returns to the Pickard stage in a monumental production directed and choreographed by Gary John LaRosa, that stunningly weaves a rich and joyous tapestry of laughter, tears, and joy. Maintaining its perfect dramatic and emotional equipoise, this Fiddler on the Roof travels between tradition and change, monumental events and mastery of detail.

'This is like a real homecoming. The last time I worked at Maine State Music Theatre was in 1995, and it was also Fiddler on the Roof,' says nationally acclaimed director-choreographer Gary John LaRosa. La Rosa, who is widely considered one of the reigning authorities on the beloved 1964 Bock-Harnick bitter-sweet musical about Russian Jews confronting a changing world, has in his own words, 'literally done dozens' of Fiddler productions throughout his vibrant, busy career. 'I've actually stopped counting,' he says with a smile, though we note that among all these, he staged the 50th anniversary Fiddler gala on Broadway, as well as at least four of these won prestigious theatre awards and nominations. This month he finds himself in Brunswick, Maine, directing a thirty-six person cast in MSMT's third main stage show of the 2016 season.

Twenty-five years after it was last presented at the Pickard Theater, Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Tim Rice's masterpiece has returned in triumph to Maine State Music Theatre in a stunning new production directed and choreographed by Marc Robin. Boasting the largest cast in the company's history (46), this Evita is gripping and epic, at the same time that it is touchingly intimate and magnificently detailed. The size of the endeavor is both literal and figurative, for MSMT's Evita succeeds not only in its grand sweep, but also in the magnitude of its intangible assets - unsparing honesty, intensity, and emotional depth.

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Connecticut, Chicago, Orlando and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include A CHORUS LINE in Connecticut, the pre-Broadway THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL in Chicago, and SPRING AWAKENING in Orlando, just to name a few.

Maine State Music Theatre continues its impressive 2016 lineup of shows with two performances on June 20, 2016, of A Grand Night for Singing, a musical revue conceived by Walter Bobbie to showcase the glorious songs of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Directed and choreographed by Curt Dale Clark with tap choreography by Raymond Marc Dumont, the revue features a sixteen-member cast of young professionals drawn from the intern company and local Maine performers, who turn in a performance that offers not only grand singing and dancing, but also speaks to the huge reservoirs of talent that MSMT is proud to possess. The original 1993 twenty-seven song revue skillfully weaves together a wide range of Rodgers and Hammerstein's works in arrangements by Fred Wells (and lovely orchestrations by Michael Gibson and Jonathan Tunick) from both their smash hits like Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, The King and I, and Cinderella, as well as gems from lesser-known shows like Allegro, State Fair, Flower Drum Song, and Pipe Dream. Patrick Fanning serves as MSMT's Music Director, conducting the wealth of melodic material with elan, delicious detail, and nuance and eliciting from the young cast lyrical and idiomatic renditions of beloved sings such as 'We Kiss in a Shadow,' 'Maria,' 'If I Loved You,' and 'This Nearly Was Mine' or upbeat numbers like 'Honey Bun' and 'Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!' The dynamically staged and imaginatively choreographed production by MSMT's Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark - with a dazzling, intricate tap number created by Raymond Marc Dumont for 'Kansas City' - is brimming with class, warmth, and humor. Clark inspires the cast to bring to their music and vignettes an infectious and embracing energy, an eloquence of emotion spiced with mischievous moments. His pacing is brisk, and he effectively builds a lively sense of character and communication among the cast members, who share their enthusiasm with the public, even interacting on several occasions with the audience in the house. By retooling the contexts of many of the songs, he is able to add a contemporary and universal touch to their appeal. Most of all, he helps these young artists find and share the timeless heart in this treasure trove of American musical theatre. Using the bare bones of the Ghost set makes for a minimal but attractive decor. The characterful casual and subsequently elegantly formal costumes by Travis S. Grant are carefully chosen for their complementary pastel hues; the kinetic lighting by Heather Reynolds and a well-balanced sound design by Nate Dickson contribute to making this revue offers a feast for eyes and ears. Working seamlessly as an ensemble, the youthful cast gives their all both in the big production numbers and in focused solos, amply illustrating the meaning of the musical theatre term 'triple threat.' They sing beautifully; they dance with technical aplomb, and they act with irresistible charm. Moreover, each and every one of them knows how to interpret a song - to make it more than a lyrical moment. Each has several occasions to shine, and Clark and Dumont have skillfully mined their individual strengths. Among the many highlights are a perky rendition of 'Surrey with the Fringe on Top' (Eric Berry-Sandelin, Katie Whittemore, Cameron Wright, Rachel Grindle, Hugh Cipparone, Berkley Jones), inspired vocal interpretations of 'If I Loved You (Jennifer Kennedy), 'It Might As Well Be Spring' (Berkely Jones)'This Nearly Was Mine,'(Matthew LaBerge), a smoldering account of 'Maria' (Alex Drost), a romantic 'We Kiss in a Shadow' (Giovanni DiGabrieli), a winsome 'All At Once' (Marty Lauter, Cipparone), and a single verse in 'Love Look Away' to bring tears to the eyes (Lauter), a feisty 'Stepsisters' Lament,' (Ali Sarnacchiaro, Haley Ostir, Megan Flynn), a spirited 'I Can't Say No' (Molly Keane-Dreyer, Kennedy), and a witty 'The Gentleman Is A Dope' (Alex Drost, Kyle Laing, Ostir, DiGabrieli, Lauter). The numerous ensemble numbers are enhanced by the strong camaraderie and chemistry among the players, making for some memorable comic and romantic moments such as the women's septet in sunny 'Wash That Man' and the men's octet in a plaintive 'Love Look Away.' The choreography is expressive, lyrical, and catchy by turns - ranging from ballet and modern to jazz and tap - with such numbers as the sweeping polka of 'Shall We Dance?' or the dueling tap in 'Kansas City' garnering special attention. Special mention to Berkely Jones, Marty Lauter, and Kyle Laing for their dance solos and impressive technique. To spend an evening with these magnificent Rodgers and Hammerstein classics makes it impossible not to take away a renewed appreciation for their geniuses and a love of their legacy. But A Grand Night for Singing does something else as well. It proves to be one more piece of evidence that MSMT is truly, as its catchphrase promises, 'Bringing Broadway to Brunswick.' Photos courtesy of MSMT, Roger S.Duncan, potographer Evita which begins on June 29 - July 16 at the Pickard Theater, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick, ME, on Monday, June 20 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For tickets call box office at 207-725-8769 or visit online at www.msmt.org

Maine State Music Theatre will be presenting one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most beloved musicals, EVITA, June 29 through July 16.

An air of curiosity and expectation was in the air at the opening of Andrew Lippa's THE WILD PARTY at South Portland's Portland Players. The 1997 musical with book, music and lyrics by Lippa is not a familiar piece for many musical theatre audiences. What they experienced in a little over two hours, created in the searing vision of director/choreographer Raymond Marc Dumont, was a theatre piece that is difficult, disturbing, and absolutely brilliant!

“We came up with this pitch that alliterates,” says Maine State Music Theatre's Managing Director Stephanie Dupal of the theatre's description of their upcoming 2016 summer season. “Relive the romance of Ghost; feel the fire of Evita; welcome the warmth of Fiddler; and experience the excitement of Mama Mia,” she recites. Joined by Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark, the pair is talking about their plans for their main stage productions and the various new initiatives this dynamic team has launched since taking the helm of the company's leadership in 2013. By all accounts it is to be a season to surpass even the excellence of the prior ones!

The theatrical scene continued to be lively in Maine this year, with the Portland-area theatres presenting a number of stunning world premieres and the musical theatre scene gloriously vibrant. These are my personal choices of the best in Maine, grouped by theatre company and show: Because their repertoires are so vastly different, and because both companies produced outstanding seasons, my vote for highest honors goes to both Maine State Music Theatre and the Good Theater.

Each year some two dozen young theatre professionals make their way to Brunswick, Maine, to take part in a dynamic summer program that is both educational and experiential. They come to fill performance, production, and administrative internships at one of New England's leading regional theatres. Maine State Music Theatre is an Equity summer company with more than a half century of storied history of bringing first-class Broadway shows to midcoast Maine and beyond. And at the heart of this ensemble are the talented, aspiring, and inspiring young actors and technicians who come to learn, to absorb, and to contribute to the magic of their chosen profession.

As its mainstage season draws to a close, Maine State Music Theatre presented the second of its offerings for young audiences, Shrek Jr.,The Musical in an ambitiously staged interpretation of the 2008 David Lindsay-Abaire-Jeanine Tesori musical version of the Disneyworks film that packed Brunswick's Pickard Theatre for four performances on August 17th. Though MSMT has always offered children's theatre as part of its summer season, this Shrek distinguishes itself in its exuberant and deliciously talented young cast, its impressive production values, and its decision to address the show to a broader family audience. To see toddlers and grandparents, the literally-young and young-at-heart all relishing the energetic performance was an absolute delight!

'All our stories this year will be about families or individuals who are broken, but they come back to make the best of it - to survive. That is our job as human beings, and if our shows can give somebody the strength and courage to do just that, then we in the theatre are doing our jobs.' Curt Dale Clark, Artistic Director of Maine State Music Theatre, is waxing eloquent about the company's plans for the 2015 summer season, the fifty-seventh for the company, and his second in the leadership position. Together with his partner, Managing Director, Stephanie Dupal, Clark outlines their plans for what they hope will be a worthy encore to last year's spectacularly successful season.

Once again 2014 was a year to revel in the diversity and accomplishments of the theatrical scene in Maine. The summer and winter seasons yielded a nice balance between adventurous programming and classics. Here is my personal list for 2014, grouped by theatre company and show. 1. MAINE STATE MUSIC THEATRE once again receives my vote for the finest company in the region. Their 2014 season offered four dazzling main stage productions, including the remarkable revival of Chamberlain: A Civil War Romance, a daring and moving music theatre piece, beautifully realized by director-choreographer Marc Robin together with stars James Patterson and Kathy Voytko.