North Shore Music Theatre's Backstage Bistro Review

Enjoyable evening with DWTS champions, the professional dancers and American Idol singers. It was a fun night. Tony and Karina we're very good hosts. Love watching them dance.

Amazing venue not a bad seat in the house, always a great show !!

Great performance of Dr Jeckle and Mr Hyde.
The actors took full advantage of the round, rotating stage.
Live orchestra and minimal set props worked well with this production.
There don't seem to be any bad seats in the round theater.

Great shows. Exiting parking lot after shows can be slow.

Great show tonight. Freaky Friday was fun entertainment.

Entertainment was great. Saw Jersey Boys. Froze even with a sweater on.

Honestly, I was somewhat disappointed by the performance of cinderella. I understand it was a non profit company geared towards children, but the acting/singing was so so. Also no water bubblers inside? Water was only available for purchase

Unique theater in shape, has lots of high quality shows. Has free parking.

I enjoyed beauty and the beast will be back for other shows

I wanted to buy popcorn and people in line were eating out of them while in line. Bathrooms were tiny and dirty.

We're very fortunate to have NSMT on the North Shore. Their show selections & productions are top shelf! Who needs NY or LV? We have it here!

Saw the Bodyguard. Show wasn't bad at all but unfortunately for my husband who needed to leave his seat just as it started was detatined outside of the theater for 25 minutes. Was upset. Missed most of the first half. They ought to say something to warn people so they can be aware. Also, getting out of the parking lot was a complete nightmare. Don't think I'll be going again any time soon. Sorry.

We attended the performance of The Bodyguard, Fri evening....loved it !!!

This theater is a staple of Beverly and one of the few cultural spots in the town. My favorites were a Christmas Carol and Hamlet. It is a totally different experience watching a show at this theater because of the stage in the center and seating all around. The acoustics, special effects and costumes are excellent!

We come here often,same shows as in Boston but at half the price,added bonus is the parking is free.

Amazing production! The theater's size circular design and rotating stage allows for a more a more intimate experience. Not a bad seat in the house. A must visit!

My husband and I recently went to see La Cage Aux Folles and enjoyed every bit of the show! My husband had never been there or to any theatre in -the- round, and he was immensely impressed!! Now he wants to go back for more shows. He never realized how professional the actors would be. I tried to tell him this on many occasions, but I guess he had to see for himself. Now that we are back here to stay, after living in Florida for 6 years, we will certainly be regular customers!!

Love love love to see shows here. Not a bad seat and quality for sure. 42nd Street was one in my top 5 shows I have seen. I've only been in Boston, Salem and Beverly. Not New York City yet. Only the Opera.

Friendly atmosphere great food, always a wonderful experience. Look forward to each visit.

Great theater. High quality performance for great price.

Saw Anything goes in June 2014. Lovely theater with a great show and great cast. Very slick performance. Loved every minute of it.

Love the intimate feeling of the theater in the round.

Love this theater. Have never seen a bad show here. Its like having Broadway right down the street!

I've been to a number of shows here over the years, including a Christmas Carol and Voices of Hope. The round stage gives a unique and memorable theater experience. I feel much more immersed in the action.

The production quality and acting are much better than one might expect from regional theater. The performers are great singers, dancers and actors.

The parking is less than ideal, but it is free. They have decent concessions available before the show and during Intermission.

All the performances at the North Shore Theater are amazingly excellent you don't want to missed a show. Grab your tickets and be prepared to be entertained.

Small venue hall and a great.place to enjoy your entertainment. Saw Englebert here.

The shows and productions are always top notch! Love going to Nsmt. Always go early and visit the Backstage Bar. Can't wait for the next show!

Highly professional Musicals and Entertainment. My son got engaged on Stage last December to his fiancee.

Great place to see a show! We usually see a couple a shows a year and there is not a bad seat in the house. If you get there early enough they have a decent Bar and Grill. My Wife and I had burgers and beers and it was ok. The Christmas Carol is a really good show. There is usually 1 day during the week where you can stay after the show and the actors/actresses will answer questions.

Highest quality shows. Outstandingly operated. The lobby should be expanded.

Always quality shows. Getting out of the lot is a bear. Arrive early and pay the $10 for VIP to get a head start, or buy snacks to eat while you sit in the crowd!

We had terrific seats! Saw the Jersey Boys! A great performance with good actors. Very well done!

Positively fantastic venue .
Not a bad seat in the house.

The the plays my only issue is some of the staff that seat you are not friendly

Theater in the round is just a special place. Not a bad seat in the place.

Just saw "Peter Pan." Productions here are always first rate. Great talent. Great production values. Great facility.

Loved it!! Saw Jekyll and Hyde the musical. Best performance ever!!! 5 stars all the way!!

Dear Mr. Hanney,

I went to see the musical, "Beauty & the Beast" with my parents and three children under 12. I must sadly admit that I was very disappointed in the production that advertised to be kid-friendly & family friendly but in reality was not. In addition, I was in utter disbelief with a couple of scenes like the "Be Our Guest" number where the napkin girls do the "Can-Can" without any petticoats, then proceed to flip their skirts wide open thereby showing the audience their vivid red underwear front and back...essentially 'mooning' the audience which included a large number of small children. I had to cover my children's eyes!!

Furthermore, the tavern scene was decorated with flags two of which were obvious political and/or religious statements. Why must you polemicize at a children s show: does everything need to be politicized? It s a never-ending bombardment of statements that puts people like myself off. There are times that adults want to enjoy a simple fairy-tale with their children, especially when the political statements have no bearing on the story itself. On a side note as a critique of the set design, one of the flags looked like the Flag of Scotland why didn t you have a French flag in the tavern considering the fairy-tale is set in France?

Penultimately, my family and I did not appreciate nor understand the liberties that were taken in scenes of the musical that weren t even in the 1991 Disney Animation of Beauty & The Beast. In the town, Gaston tells the townspeople his intention to marry Belle, and the three blonde-haired Mesdemoiselles exclaimed their disappointments. However, he assures them that they will continue their licentious liaisons together despite his marital status changing in the use of a double entendre. Another scene at the castle includes Lumiere and Babette arguing about each other s various failed relationships and naming past lovers. Was any of this asinine brouhaha necessary? Impressionable children are present! Finally, why did you decide to dumb down the Beast s intelligence? In the 1991 version and the 2017 version, Belle & Beast connect, kindred spirits, on their love of books, while the antagonist Gaston is an imbecilic foil showing the stark contrast. Why would you knowingly diminish one of the Beast s greatest character strengths, thus re-writing the love story?

In conclusion, North Shore Music Theatre has lost my business. I was planning on signing up for my own yearly membership but I ve decided against it. My parents have a yearly membership but will not be renewing their membership due to this intentional and controversial debacle.

Sincerely,

Cecilia Hale
**************
Updated on August 8, 2017: I sent Bill Hanney my review and this is what he said, "It s a Disney show get real and see you later."~Bill Hanney

I have heard from the grapevine that Mr. Hanney is unpleasant and very cumbersome to deal with as a person and as an owner, especially when it comes to constructive criticism or anything that goes against his Machiavellian agenda. Bill Hanney's mantra is his way or the highway, which causes an insalubrious environs for his employees, staff, and patrons. It's apparent to me that he's flippant and uncouth when it comes to a parent's concern. All Bill cares about is making money. I would have appreciated a modicum of decorum and civility when he had responded to my e-mail with a formal response considering the time I took to address him but instead I receive a churlish and grammatically fragmented detritus which he was so kind enough to carbon copy his serfs i.e. subordinates. I'm looking forward to passing along Bill's e-mail to my parents' friends who are also supporters of North Shore Music Theatre at the moment and see what their thoughts are on the matter. Yes, it is a Disney show, so why does he have the need to overtly debauch, sexualize, and politicize a classic and tarnish a supposed kid friendly brand like Disney, Inc?

This place is nice but if you don't pay 10$ for parking or your not Handicap, then ur parking all the way down the hill. There was one rude older lady but over all the play was awesome!

Absolutely enjoyed our annual tradition of seeing the Christmas Carol!

I love the NSMT. I've seen a lot of wonderful plays and musical acts. I'm looking forward to next season!

Just leaving Music Man. It is great. Many talented actors & craftspeople put this show together.

Place is unbelievable! Very well run and great performances

Love their children shows. $12 per ticket. Great for school field trips.

Great show (Jersey Boys), and great location with no really bad seats, easy parking, and great sound....

just saw dream girls. show was at 2:00 pm. doors did not open till 2:00 pm. then told by management that the girl playing effie was out sick and her under study would be taking her place. show started at 2:30 pm and unfortunately the under study did not know the part and had to read it. the musical was performed like a concert. it looked like a rehearsal rather than a musical. i have been a subscriber for 3 years and even though the music was very good it was very disappointing. i'm sure the audience was not given the whole truth about what went wrong.

The plays I've seen of always been fantastic, I highly recommend checking out a show!

My mother in law, my daughter, and I have been going here the past 3-4 years every summer!!!! Such a beautiful atmosphere and fun for family gatherings. Makes unforgettable memories

Great venue, theater in the round. Level of talent for shows and production quality is excellent. Leave time for exiting the parking lot, it takes a while. It would be aswesome if they would have a traffic officer at the exit to speed things along.

The play we saw DR. Jeckle and Mr Hyde, was entertaining. I didn't fall asleep. Singing was good.

The real issue was the bathroom wait. At intermission the men's room wait was 30 mins.
The wait at the bar was long also.
If the 2 wait issues get fixed a 4 or 5 star rating would be given.

A Christmas Carol, added performance for students, saw it today. Absolutely incredible! Worked there many years ago and saw it dozens of times. Gave this gift to myself this year because I wanted to see David Coffee one more time. Still as brilliant as ever! The students were enthralled, and so well behaved. Got to pick out my own seat in handicapped section, and a great seat it was! Great and wonderful cast. Everything is always wonderful at the NSMT!

This is a great theater with really really good performances. Top notch music singing dancing and acting in every show that we've seen there. It's a very unique experience being "theatre in the round" - the stage is a circle in the audience it's all around them. There's not a bad seat in the house.

Wonderful musicals and productions. Almost every seat is a good seat and offers a much more intimate experience than proscenium theatre.

Dancing and singing is excellent! NSMT really knows how to use theatre in the round as an advantage. I loved how they rotated the center.