Buckle up as music, puppets, slapstick, and general rootin’ tootin’ times all smash together to bring you “Tumacho,” by Ethan Lipton, directed by Jake Cote, a delirious Western comedy unlike anything you have seen before.

In a small town in the Old West, the mayor can’t keep his people from running away or dying at the hands of the local outlaw. And just when things can’t get any worse, an omen predicts that a demon ghost might soon return to possess one of the town’s few remaining people, and then to ravage the rest. Which tyrant will be more awful, the demon or the outlaw? And assuming the mayor can’t save the day – for it seems he can’t do much – will Catalina, the town vagrant, be the one who steps up? “Tumacho” considers hope in the face of evil, the community struggle to act, and demon cuisine, all in a deadpan ode to comedies of yore.

“An impeccably inane horse opera by Ethan Lipton, …”Tumacho” is the platonic theatrical version of the artfully anarchic, shrewdly mindless comedies we wait for every summer to hit movie theaters, often in vain. In other words, there’s no need to hold out for the rebooted “Ghostbusters” for as long as “Tumacho” is in town.”
CRITICS’ PICK!!, wrote Ben Brantley of The New York Times.

“Sometimes a play bursts through a pair of saloon doors and demands your attention. “Tumacho” sauntered on up to me and said ‘This is a play for you!. Thankfully Mad Horse Theatre Company felt the same way I did. What more could you want from a show? Comedy, music, puppets, cowboys, demons, prophecy, great hats, parades, halitosis, more puppets, like a bunch of different types of puppets. I love this show, and every single person who has joined us along for the ride can’t help but fall in love with it too. It’s silly, its over the top, and its just a damn good time. Are you Tumacho?” said director Jake Cote.

The cast includes company members Marie Stewart Harmon, Mark Rubin, and Allison McCall.  Guest artists include: Juliet Moniz, Sam Rapaport, Jared Mongeau, Dalton Slade Kimball, and Daniel Cuff. The production team includes company members, Jake Cote (director), Stacey Koloski (props/puppets design), Savannah Irish (production manager), and Joseph Bearor (poster design). Guest artists include Sabrina Gallego (musical director), Jenn London (stage manager), Hope Riordan (assistant stage manager), Scott Leland (sound design), Connor Perry (set design), Shaughnessey Gower (costume design), Ashley McBreairty (lighting design), Adam Corriveau (puppet support) and Sophie Urey (dramaturgy).

Ethan Lipton is a Brooklyn-based playwright, songwriter and singer. His plays include “Tumacho,” “Red-Handed Otter,” “Luther,” “Goodbye April Hello May,” “100 Aspects of the Moon” and “Meat.” He wrote the book and songs for the musicals “No Place to Go” (Obie Award) and “The Outer Space” (Lortel nomination). He is the 2023 Kleban Prize winner for most promising librettist and a 2023 Creative Capital Grantee for “We Are Your Robots.” He’s been a Guggenheim Fellow and an Alpert Prize Fellow at MacDowell. His band, Ethan Lipton & his Orchestra, has released four studio albums and toured extensively in the U.S. and Europe.

Showtimes are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 5 p.m. with the Sunday, May 5, show at 2 p.m. There is no show on Sunday, April 14; a show has been added on Wednesday, April 24. No cost reservations can be made at madhorse.com.

The entire season of Mad Horse productions are Pay-What-You-Decide. That means every production, every performance, every person pays what you decide. Here’s how it works:
Make a no-cost reservation.
Come see the show.
Make a payment as you leave the theater.
We want to remove the financial barrier of seeing theater – particularly new theater work and open the doors to anyone interested in attending a show.
Support the arts in Maine: Consider donating to Mad Horse Theatre Company and our virtual programming by visiting madhorse.com/contribute.

Mad Horse Theatre Company
is located at 24 Mosher St., South Portland. To connect with Mad Horse Theatre Company visit our website at madhorse.com or visit us on Facebook at Mad Horse Theatre Company, follow us on Instagram and Twitter @madhorsetheatre, or send an email to madhorseboxoffice@gmail.com. For more information, call 207-747-4148 or visit madhorse.com.

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