Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – An upcoming fall dinner theatre production entitled “A Time to Remember” has the Presque Isle Community Players hoping it’s just that – an event that will either have older audience members reflecting back on years gone by or the younger generation recalling fondly for years to come.
Photo courtesy of Jim Derosier
Debbie Lamont, Elaine Moody and Nadine Strelka rehearse “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” one of several numbers the Presque Isle Players will be performing at Slope’s.
The production is being referred to as a “magical USO musical journey back through World War II. This is the Players first production of the 2008-2009 season, with shows slated for Oct. 3 and 4, and again Oct. 10 and 11, at Slopes in Presque Isle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. each evening, with dinner served at 7 p.m. The performance gets under way at 8 p.m. each day. Dinner will feature baked haddock in lemon butter, roasted stuffed chicken with gravy, vegetables, garlic mashed potatoes, tossed garden salad, strawberry shortcake, coffee and tea.
“You’ll be reunited with the music that owes much of its popularity to the many performances at the more than 3,000 USOs in operation at the height of the war. Enjoy classics such as “When the Lights Go on Again,” “White Cliffs of Dover,” “I’ll Be Seeing You,” “Oh, How I hate to Get Up in the Morning,” “Stouthearted Men,” “This is the Army, Mr. Jones,” “Sentimental Journey,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “You’ll Never Know” and many more,” said Gary Bowden, event promoter, of Bowden Advertising and Design.
Tickets are $22 per person and are available at Goin’ Postal, located at 26 North St., Presque Isle. Tickets can also be picked up at the information desk at the Aroostook Centre Mall.
“Credit cards are accepted only at Goin’ Postal,” said Bowden.
“Jim Derosier, president of the PI Players, and “A Time To Remember” co-director, Margaret Cyr, promise an unforgettable evening,” said Bowden.
“These are the songs that sent our greatest generation off to war, kept their morale high and brought them home again,” said Derosier. “We have so much to learn from their experiences, and these timeless songs ensure that they will never be forgotten.”
Derosier has been involved with such productions for over a decade, in various capacities.
“I have been involved as a performer with the Players for over 15 years and have been involved with the set or lights or both since the beginning. I have directed the last three dinner theatres that the Players have produced,” he said.
The Players came about as the result of public interest.
“The Players were first started because many participants of local theatre really didn’t have an outlet to perform since the college was no longer doing ‘community theatre,’ so the organization was formed to provide an outlet for people in the area to participate in an activity that they all loved – singing and acting,” said Derosier.
It was suggested and decided that dinner theatre was a good match for participants’ interests.
“There was no other venue like it in the area and people wanted a place to go, have a meal, relax and to be entertained. We have done stage productions in the past in the form of comedies. In the last two years, the Players have done Broadway musicals because of the absence of musical in the area of community participation,” he said. “But musicals are much more expensive and much more time-intensive than our normal dinner theatre productions.”
Response has been overwhelming over the last two years to both types of productions, according to Derosier.
“There certainly is an interest in central Aroostook for both mediums,” Derosier said.
The Players have performed at different locations throughout the years. Because of time, physical requirements and availability, Slopes was chosen for this year’s production.
“Slopes fit the bill. They have been wonderful to work with and we are looking forward to another successful and entertaining evening for our audiences,” said Derosier.
Cast members vary in age, said Derosier, from participants in their 20s to those in their 70s.
“Thy hail from all over central Aroostook County. Although the organization was originally founded by Presque Isle citizens, the Players now welcome interested singers and actors from all over. The PICP is in name only,” said Derosier.
Over the years, the organization has been “blessed with musicians and singers from other communities who have become a strong part of our group and who also serve as members of our board,” Derosier said.
The decision to do a USO/WWII-themed show this year was made by the directors, with help of the members at large.
“This type of show was done back in the early ‘90s and was a big hit with our audiences. With all the discussion about the war (Iraq) and the fact that we are losing veterans from WWII, we thought it might be appropriate to respectfully recall ‘A Time To Remember,’” said Derosier.
