The Music Hall Summer Historical Tour

Hear the story of the 1878 theater, designated an 'American Treasure'  by the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Learn about its award-winning renovations and restorations, celebrated patrons and performers. The fun-for-all-ages behind-the-scenes summer historical tour of the 1878 'majestic Music Hall' (The NY Times), begins today! Every other Wednesday from June through September, you'll have the opportunity for this enthralling 75 minute tour. Tour includes visits to the backstage area where 1901 Vaudeville era 'technology' is still in use, the antique front of house dating to 1878, and the enchanting lobby renovated with great flair in 2008. Arranged and guided by Music Hall Historian Zhana Morris, also the theater’s production manager, the historical tour paints a full picture of the history of the treasured theater, including the tales of sailors who rigged the theater in the late 19th Century, its flashy and famous owners, and stars across three centuries. Its performers have ranged from Mark Twain to Wynton Marsalis and David Crosby; Vaudeville acts with animals to RENT the musical and violinist Joshua Bell.  Visitors will see the passage of time through the building’s award-winning restorations and renovations which have brought back details dating back to 1878 and 1901, the hall’s periods of architectural significance. First stop is the Beaux Arts lobby, a 2,600 sq. ft space, including the box office, lower lobby, restrooms, elevator and coat check, which reflects the Beaux Arts beauty of the theater above and showcases the theater’s history in a bold and theatrical way while offering striking 21st century amenities. Since the Lobby opened in September 2008, it has be compared to the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the design of ships that once filled Portsmouth’s harbor, the lushness of  turn-of-the-century Colorado gold rush hotels, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The tour continues into the theater’s auditorium and up to its magnificent horseshoe balcony.  There the main attractions are the restored decorative paintings on the ceiling dome and the proscenium arch adorned with cherubs  – award-winning restorations unveiled to the public in September 2007 and 2006. The extraordinary decorative artistry had been covered over and forgotten for decades, the work of original owners of The Music Hall and artisans from 1878 to 1901.  Visitors gain insight into the paintings’ history and their one-of-a-kind discovery in Winter 2007 – a find architectural conservators called 'so dramatic, it takes your breath away.' Finally, visitors are invited backstage to view antique riggings still operating today. Merging a colorful past and present, the tour provides tour-goers with unique perspectives on yesterday, today, and the future of the oldest operating theater in northern New England.    

Cost: $7.50/$5 members
Phone: 436-2400
Website: www.themusichall.org