Penobscot Theatre offering a mature ‘Jack and Jill’ next

BANGOR – Penobscot Theatre Company-Maine Shakespeare Festival continues its season with “Jack and Jill: A Modern Romance” directed by Chris Dolman. The play runs Oct. 2-13 at the Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St.

A pay-what-you-wish performance is scheduled at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, and half-price performances are offered at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 2-3. Opening night is 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4.

The play by Jan Martin contains mature themes and situations and is not recommended for those under age 17.

Far from the Mother Goose world of the children who went up the hill to fetch a pail of water, Jane Martin’s Jack and Jill have grown into neurotic adults traveling the slippery slope of a modern relationship.

Jack is a self-professed nice guy who cooks and cleans and believes wholeheartedly in love, while Jill is a self-obsessed feminist who says she is not beautiful and love can’t exist.

“Jack and Jill: A Modern Romance” is the winner of the 1997 American Theatre Critics Award for best new play.

A unique feature of “Jack and Jill: A Modern Romance” will be the seating arrangement in the Bangor Opera House. The 300-seat theater will be transformed into an intimate, theater-in-the round.

“I felt the show really needed to be in the round,” said producing artistic director Mark Torres. “In order to fully appreciate Jack and Jill’s journey, the audience needs to walk alongside them and be in close proximity.

“You won’t see a cluttered stage or elaborate costumes – the idea is to keep the audience focused on the characters,” Torres said. “I hope that by the end of the show the audience will feel that they’ve gotten to know these two people and can empathize with their struggle to keep it together. This show is all about storytelling, not unlike the simple nursery rhyme upon which the title is based.”

For ticket information, call 942-3333.