BANGOR – There are few tasks more difficult for a performer to execute than holding a stage solo. To be up there under the lights all by yourself – it’s a staggering responsibility. It demands a combination of presence and willpower that requires massive effort to generate and even more effort to maintain. To do this for even a few minutes is an incredible and admirable feat.

Now imagine doing it for an entire show.

That’s what Brianne Beck is doing in “Tell Me on a Sunday,” the latest production from Penobscot Theatre Company. Directed and choreographed by Dominick Varney, this show – with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black – is a one-woman tour de force, a story of ambition and disappointment, both personal and professional. The show runs through January 23 at the Bangor Opera House.

This one-act show is a non-stop musical experience, with Beck vocally carrying the story forward with the help of a three-piece band (one that includes musical director David Madore on keyboards). It’s a story both sweet and sad, one told beautifully through song.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Like so many other young women, Mariah Larocque had dreams of being crowned Miss America. And as this year’s Miss Maine, she was ready to seize the opportunity.

Unfortunately, the pandemic had other ideas.

Larocque tested positive for COVID while preparing for the festivities at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, leading her to withdraw from the Miss America pageant – the 100th in the organization’s lengthy history. It brought an abrupt end to her campaign for the crown.

But as it would turn out, there would be something of a silver lining – Larocque would not wind up ending her Miss America experience empty-handed.

In a celebration of their affection for Larocque – as well as in a moving show of solidarity – Larocque’s fellow contestants named her Miss Congeniality in a unanimous vote.