The theater scene is buzzing this week. At least four shows are playing in the Portland area, including “To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday,” which opens Thursday and runs only through the weekend at USM in Gorham.

Also opening Thursday, appropriate for Valentine’s Day, is “Prelude to a Kiss” by Good Theater at the St. Lawrence in Portland.

Continuing are “Fully Committed” starring Dustin Tucker at Portland Stage, and “The Pillowman” by Mad Horse at the studio theater at Portland Stage.

“Fully Committed” closes on Sunday. Tucker is getting a standing-O every night. It’s a one-man show, and Tucker plays somewhere around 35 characters. His main character is a reservation clerk at a haughty NYC restaurant. All the other characters are those he interacts with over the course of the day.

Writing in Monday’s PPH, Steve Feeney gave “The Pillowman” by Mad Horse a solid review. One of the most-talked about plays in America, “The Pillowman” is dark and funny, exactly the kind of show for Mad Horse.

Good Theater’s “Prelude to a Kiss” is the Portland premiere for the Tony- and Pulitzer-nominated show. It premiered in California in 1988, and moved off-Broadway in 1990 before opening on Broadway starring Timothy Hutton and Mary-Louise Parker. It ran for 440 performances on Broadway, garnered a Tony nomination for best play, and was a Pulitzer finalist for drama.

Bob Fish directs the Good Theater production, which stars Brian Chamberlain, Tess Van Horn and Chris Horton.

And speaking of Good Theater, I caught “Marvelous! The Judy Garland Song Book” on Saturday night. A tribute to Garland and her remarkable voice, the show is a perfect vehicle for Maine-based singer Kelly Caufield. More than once, I felt that Caufield was as good a singer as I’ve seen on a Portland stage in a long, long time.

“Marvelous!” is closed now, but will be back. The show is designed to travel, and it almost certainly will resurface soon. When it does, go.

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