Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan star in “Mary Queen of Scots.”
Happenings
Time to get the cot out and move in to Lincoln Theater – such a diverse and interesting week ahead.
‘I’m Not Running’
(2 hours, 40 minutes; includes intermission)
National Theatre Live’s “I’m Not Running” is an explosive new play by David Hare, premiering at the National Theatre and broadcast live.
Pauline Gibson has spent her life as a doctor, the inspiring leader of a local health campaign. When she crosses paths with her old boyfriend, a stalwart loyalist in Labor Party politics, she’s faced with an agonizing decision: What’s involved in sacrificing your private life and your piece of mind for something more than a single issue? Does she dare?
Hare was recently described by The Washington Post as “the premier political dramatist writing in English.” His other work includes “Pravda” and “Skylight,” broadcast by National Theatre Live in 2014.
Plays Thursday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m. Tickets: $15 for adults, $13 for Lincoln Theater members, and $5 for youth age 18 and under.
‘Maria by Callas’
(PG; 1 hour, 53 minutes)
Tom Volf’s “Maria by Callas” is the first film to tell the life story of the legendary Greek-American opera singer Maria Callas completely in her own words. Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters, and unpublished memoirs — nearly all of which have never been shown to the public — the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time.
Plays Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m.
‘Mary Queen of Scots’
(R; 1 hour, 52 minutes)
The Academy Award-nominated film “Mary Queen of Scots” explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart (played by Saoirse Ronan). Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie).
Each young queen beholds her “sister” in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth’s sovereignty. Betrayal, rebellion, and conspiracies within each court imperil both thrones — and change the course of history.
Plays Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2 and 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 2 p.m.; and Thursday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m.
‘Blue Planet II: Oceans of Wonder’
(1 hour, 28 minutes)
Join us for the last screening in our Saturday morning series of BBC’s “Blue Planet II.” This extended special of the nature documentary series journeys from the equator to the unexplored depths, meeting the best-loved characters from the series.
Plays Saturday, Feb. 2 at 9:30 a.m. Please note this earlier screening time. This is a free event.
Bizet’s ‘Carmen’
(3 hours, 21 minutes)
The Met Live in HD presents Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.” Mezzo-soprano Clementine Margaine reprises her remarkable portrayal of opera’s ultimate seductress, a triumph in her 2017 debut performances, with impassioned tenors Yonghoon Lee and Roberto Alagna as her lover, Don Jose. Omer Meir Wellber and Louis Langree share conducting duties for Sir Richard Eyre’s powerful production, a Met favorite since its 2009 premiere.
Screens Saturday, Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. Tickets: $25 for adults, $23 for Lincoln Theater members, and $5 for youth age 18 and under.
A pre-opera talk titled “An ‘Exotic’ Opera — Right Next Door” with Dr. Morton Achter will take place at 11:45 a.m. Even though it abuts France, Spain was sufficiently “exotic” for Bizet’s and his audience’s taste. The talk will summarize the exotic elements in “Carmen,” arguably one of the most popular operas ever written, and discuss the work’s reception and history.
‘The Quiet Man’
(1952, G; 129 minutes)
Feb. 1 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth in Maine of John Ford, America’s most celebrated film director. As part of a nine-day statewide celebration, “John Ford | 125 Years,” Lincoln Theater will screen “The Quiet Man,” Ford’s beloved Irish movie starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, for which he won his fourth directing Oscar — a standing record.
Before the screening, Andy O’Brien, editor of The Free Press, will moderate a discussion about Ford and the mass 19th-century immigration of Irish into Maine, particularly Lincoln County — still the largest population of foreign-born persons to settle here. O’Brien will be joined by Michael Connolly and Matthew Jude Barker, two historians on Maine Irish history.
Irish coffee will warm the evening and will be served by King Eider’s Pub. This event will take place Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m.; doors open at 5:30 p.m.
‘The Maltese Falcon’
(1941; 1 hour, 40 minutes)
Spade and Archer is the name of a San Francisco detective agency. That’s for Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) and Miles Archer. The two men are partners, but Sam doesn’t like Miles much. A knockout, who goes by the name of Miss Wonderly, walks into their office, and by that night everything’s changed. Miles is dead. And so is a man named Floyd Thursby.
It seems Miss Wonderly is surrounded by dangerous men. There’s Joel Cairo, who uses gardenia-scented calling cards. There’s Kasper Gutman, with his enormous girth and feigned civility. Her only hope of protection comes from Sam, who is suspected by the police of one or the other murder. More murders are yet to come, and it will all be because of these dangerous men — and their lust for a statuette of a bird: the Maltese Falcon.
Plays Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.
Upcoming films
“Vice” (R) opens Friday, Feb. 8
“Harriet the Spy” (PG; 1996) plays Saturday, Feb. 9
“On the Basis of Sex” (PG-13) opens Friday, Feb. 15
“How to Eat Fried Worms” (PG; 2006) plays Saturday, Feb. 16
“The Favourite” (R) opens Friday, Feb. 22
“Cold War” (R) opens Friday, March 1
Upcoming special events
Exhibition on Screen: “Young Picasso,” Saturday, Feb. 9
San Francisco Ballet: “Romeo and Juliet,” Sunday, Feb. 10
“Van Gogh: Of Wheat Fields and Clouded Skies,” Tuesday, Feb. 12 and Friday, Feb. 15
Talking Art in Maine: Intimate Conversations, featuring Charlie Hewitt, Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.
Finally
Movie tickets prices are $8 and $6. Event ticket prices vary. For more information, go to lcct.org, call the box office at 563-3424, drop by at 2 Theater St. from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, or email info@lcct.org. Like Lincoln Theater on Facebook. Go to lcct.org to sign up for Lincoln Theater’s weekly e-blast.
