BUCKFIELD — The Oddfellow Theater will present its final “The Early Evening Shows” — the second show ever performed at the theater in May of 1998 and a mainstay ever since — on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 25-26.
Through the years the show has seen four co-hosts, Randy Judkins, Amanda Huotari, Amy Latham and Jason Tardy; five orchestras and hundreds of guests from around the world. Audiences of the show have heard Pulitzer-Prize winning poets, seen Cirque du Soleil performers and witnessed the beginnings of the careers of Grammy-winning Ray Lamontagne and Emmy-nominated EepyBird.
“The Early Evening Show,” a spoof of late-night talk shows, received national attention when “CBS Sunday Morning” did a six-minute spot about the show, calling it “must-see reality.”
“The Early Evening Show” is the brainchild of Oddfellow owner Mike Miclon. “I had always wanted to host my own late-night talk show and once we opened the theater, I thought now was my chance.”
“For us this was a way to present a good old-fashioned vaudeville variety show in a format that audiences could relate to,” Miclon said of the show that has been predominantly sold out for its 14-year run.
This month’s shows will feature the talents of physical comedians Brent and Mia McCoy of Vermont, Rick Adam of Buckfield and The Maine Hysterical Society of Portland. Also performing will be Matt and Jason Tardy, Amanda Houtari, Casey Turner, Miclon and the Early Evening Show Orchestra.
“The Early Evening Shows” are part of Oddfellow’s final season, which will feature a hand-picked selection of the theater’s most requested performances. It will conclude on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 30-31, with three farewell shows. For more information on the final shows, visit www.oddfellow.com.
Tickets to the final “The Early Evening Shows,” both at 7:30 p.m., are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for children 12 and younger. Call 336-3306.
After the final performances at Oddfellow, Miclon and crew will embark on an “Early Evening Show” tour throughout Maine, with plans to take the show across the country. The show started minimal touring two years ago with performances at the Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield and Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris, as well as for corporate groups throughout Maine.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.