Every year for Christmas my grandmother gives my mother season tickets to the North Shore Music Theater (NSMT) in Beverly. A season consists of six shows spread throughout the year leading up the culminating show – A Christmas Carol – in December. My mother gets two tickets to each of these six shows and very generously offers to bring each member of our family to a show of our choosing. This year’s lineup consists of: The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, La Cage, Cats, Miss Saigon and A Christmas Carol.
Since I was a little girl The Wizard of Oz has been my most favorite story and movie. Something about it has just always drawn me in. I never miss an opportunity to watch it on TV, I’ve read the book more times than I can count, I have figurines and Christmas ornaments of the various characters and I’ve seen Wicked on stage. However, I am not (despite the way that description sounds) obsessed. You won't find a room or a shrine in my house dedicated to The Wiz because I think I'd be divorce! I have never had the opportunity to see the original story played out live until this year. My mother, knowing how much I love The Wizard of Oz, offered me first dibs on the tickets (much to my little sister, Hannah’s, dismay). It was definitely a catch-22 for me, as Miss Saigon is also one of my favorite Broadway shows.
Ever since I can remember (and up until my grandfather’s passing) my family would travel to my grandmother’s home in Connecticut for Thanksgiving. The Friday after while the men spent their day drinking beer and watching football, my grandmother, mother, Sarah and I (Hannah was too young for many years) would board the Greyhound bus in Hartford and head into NYC for the day to see a Broadway show. We would stand in line at the TKTS Booth in Times Square, no matter the weather, to see a show. Over the years we were able to see everything from Grease to Annie to A Chorus Line. Nothing was off-limits. Sometimes we saw shows we didn’t think we wanted to and ended up absolutely loving them. That was the case for me with Miss Saigon. I had never heard the story before but was intrigued at the plot.
There is really nothing I love more than getting completely and utterly lost in a story. When the lights go down and the curtain goes up, it’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. In a way a movie never could, you are instantly transported to wherever the show takes you. You become immersed in the characters and their experiences so when the curtain falls one last time and the actors take their bow, a strange sadness comes over you, like you’ve lost a part of you.
I can remember sitting in the audience at the close of Miss Saigon in tears (seriously), not only because the story itself is so beautiful and moving, but the acting and the set were incredible. It was, by far, one of the best shows I could remember seeing and still is to this day.
When my mother presented me the opportunity to snag my tickets for this year’s show in Beverly I admit for just one moment I was torn. On the one hand, I’ve seen The Wizard of Oz more times than I can count and have only seen Miss Saigon the one time; on the other hand, I was being presented with an opportunity to see my favorite story come alive. It was a chance I couldn’t turn down. And I’m so glad I didn’t.
NSMT opened in 1955 with its first production, Kiss Me Kate. Over the years the theater has seen its share of excitement and disappointment. Since its inception NSMT has received numerous awards, including Boston’s own version of the Tony – The Elliot Norton Award. In 2005 there was a serious fire within the building and NSMT struggled to recoup their losses. In the summer of 2009 after years of failed fundraising attempts the theater closed for good and was put up for auction. In February of the following year, Bill Hanney, a local business man and resident approached the lien holder with a deal to buy and reopen the theater. To everyone’s amazement and excitement the offer was accepted and that very summer NSMT announced their grand reopening and was back in business. Since then patron-ship has only grown and people are swarming back to the theater!
But I digress! J
NSMT’s production of The Wizard of Oz was fantastic! One of the best things about it was they didn’t stray from the original script and score. It was witty and creative, charming and delightful. Mixed in with the nostalgia NSMT throws a few curve balls with singing trees in the Dark Forest, a background trio of hysterical crows for the Scarecrow and even a reference to the Lion King! David Coffee played the role of Professor Marvel, the Gatekeeper and Oz himself – and while he was spectacular it was a bit difficult for us loyal NSMT-ers to see him in any other light than Ebenezer Scrooge. Lance Roberts was a perfect choice for the Cowardly Lion – his mixture of comedy and sincerity to the script were just what the story needed. He brought new life to this lion we all love so much. Not to be forgotten – Danielle Bowen blew my mind as Dorothy. She was believable as a naïve Kansas girl, but her voice was magical. She didn’t over sing as some Broadway stars tend to do, and her delivery was impeccable.
The show was so well done and people are spreading the word so intently that NSMT has extended the show for another week due to the increasing demand for tickets! If you haven’t seen it yet (or weren’t planning to) please, please buy your tickets! This is one performance you don’t want to miss!
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