‘Mame’ at Community Little Theatre

WHAT: “Mame”

WHO: Lewiston-Auburn Community Little Theatre

WHEN: at 8 p.m. Aug. 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19, and 2 p.m. Aug. 13 and 20

WHERE: air-conditioned Lewiston Middle School auditorium, Central Avenue, Lewiston

TICKETS: $15, $13 for seniors and full-time students. Call 783-0958.

With better lighting, ‘Mame’ could shine

There’s no denying that much of the musical “Mame” is sentimental sweet and it still manages to charm audiences since its opening in 1966.

The show follows the antics of what happens when an innocent young boy, Patrick Dennis (played superbly by Andreas Wyder) becomes orphaned and is sent to live with his flamboyant New York City socialite aunt, Mame Dennis (played by vocal powerhouse Pam Vaillancourt).

Tensions arise when the young boy’s legal adviser, Dwight Babcock (Phil Vampatella) insists that Mame’s lifestyle is not appropriate for a young boy, preferring to send him to a private boys school.

Mame is comforted through Patrick’s departure by his nanny, Agnes Gooch (a wonderfully comic performance by Becky Poppke), her best friend, Vera Charles (Kathi Asquith) and a new found romance in Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside (Roger Philippon).

The Community Little Theatre presentation of “Mame” is exactly what CLT has offered the area for the past 66 years: good community theater consisting of veterans of the stage as well as newcomers to the theater. You can’t help but warm up to a production that features everyday people from the community getting together to produce live theater.

CLT’s “Mame” is a good production, at heart, though with many of the shortcomings found in a community effort. There are many wonderful moments in the show, though they lose their luster when some ensemble numbers lack energy, scene transitions are clunky and slow, and lighting cues are inconsistent. These are the little details that make or break a show and even a community theater cast and crew deserves professional attention in these areas.

In the leading role of Mame, Vaillancourt has an amazing voice and she really knows how to sell a song. While I’d like to see a bit more range in her character, no one can deny her ability to capture the audience’s attention in the shows best numbers, “Open A New Window,” “If He Walked Into My Life,” and “That’s How Young I Feel.” (The latter is the best vocal and dance number in the show.)

Wyder has a terrific singing voice and is one of the best young actors I’ve seen this summer. Poppke is the perfect social misfit, Agnes, who takes Mame’s advice to go out and explore the real world. Asquith is fine as Mame’s comrade especially in their trademark song, “Bosom Buddies.”

Joshua Michael Harris is convincing as the older Patrick while Carolyne Deblois has some fun as his upper crust fiancée, Gloria Upson.

If there was a lighting design for the show, it certainly wasn’t apparent with dark spots throughout the stage and so many missed lighting cues that I began to think this was a technical dress rehearsal. The orchestra had a rich sound, but they need to be careful not to overpower the onstage vocalists, especially in the second act.

CLT’s “Mame” is a really good community theater production with the potential to be great if director David Lock and his cast and crew can fix the blemishes that take away from its chance to shine.

“Mame” runs through Aug. 20 at the Lewiston Middle School Auditorium with evening and afternoon performances. For information or tickets, phone 783-0958 or go to www.laCLT.com

Dan Marois is an actor, writer, and producer and owner of Main Street Entertainment and Mystery for Hire.

He may be reached at dmarois@fairpoint.net.

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