Penobscot Theatre’s 51st season will feature ‘Rocky Horror’

The Penobscot Theatre Co. has announced the lineup for its upcoming season.

The 51st season will feature a combination of stories both familiar and new to the Bangor stage.

The lineup was announced Tuesday morning.

“Birthday Candles” (Sept. 19-Oct. 6, 2024) tells the story of Ernestine Ashworth who yearns for a better life, but finds her dreams and aspirations transformed by an ever-changing world. It’s a story the Penobscot Theatre says explores the “impossible, heartbreaking, joyful wonder” of life.

Last season, the Penobscot Theatre revived a holiday classic after a more than decade-long absence. See the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge from cold-hearted miser to generous spirit in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” (Nov. 29-Dec. 22, 2024). “With music, dance, Dickensian charm and theatrical spectacle, this holiday treat will delight the entire family and warm the heart of us all,” the Penobscot Theatre said.

In this adaptation of a Hitchcock classic, the suspense will “have you on the edge of your seat” as things go awry when a jealous husband hatches a plot to get rid of wife, frame his rival and set himself up for life in “Dial M for Murder” (Jan. 30-Feb. 23, 2025).

“Matinicus: A Lighthouse Play” (March 20-April 6, 2025) tells the story of bright and independent 13-year-old Abbie, whose courage and resolve will be tested when her father moves the family to Matinicus Rock to tend the lighthouse in 1853. It’s inspired by the story of Maine folk hero Abigail Burgess .

In its Maine premiere, “Mother Russia” (May 1-18, 2025) follows two Russian comrades who find themselves in dead-end jobs, mistakenly caught in a love triangle and pursued by the KGB during the rise of capitalism in the spring of 1992. “As the situation tumbles out of control, they are soon left completely, hilariously dumbfounded by a whole new world full of choices,” the Penobscot Theatre said.

In what’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser this season, the Penobscot Theatre is bringing back the cult-classic “The Rocky Horror Show” (June 12-July 13, 2025) to the stage. Newly engaged Brad and Janet could never imagine what was in store when they found themselves on the doorstep of Dr. Frank-N-Furter.