April/Mid-May 2022 Magazine

NOW MAGAZINE • APRIL/MID-MAY 2022

The Music Hall Presents

DAN BROWN’S WILD SYMPHONY BENEFIT CONCERT 4/2

Hilarity

KEVIN NEALON 4/16

Intimately Yours

DIONNE WARWICK 4/29*

Writers on a New England Stage

AMOR TOWLES 5/10

*ON THE COVER

SEASON SPONSORS

ON SALE NOW

Be the first to know about Just Announced shows!

Sign up for enews at TheMusicHall.org

THE OGUNQUIT PLAYHOUSE AT THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS ELF Holiday 2022 - schedule coming soon!

THE MUSICAL

Back by popular demand! Elf The Musical is the hilarious tale of Buddy, an orphan child who thinks he’s one of Santa’s elves. It’s a modern-day Christmas classic for the whole family.

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT Members can take an additional 10% off their tickets to the first week of the show. Promotion runs through July 31. Don’t be a cotton-headed ninnymuggins—get your tickets early.

• 10% discount for Friend level (save up to $9.90/ticket) • 20% discount for Advocate-Patron (save up to $19.80/ticket) • 30% discount for Backer-Stakeholder (save up to $29.70/ticket) PRESENTING HOLIDAY SPONSOR:

INTIMATELY YOURS

HILARITY

BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN

PIFF THE MAGIC DRAGON AND PUDDLES PITY PARTY

Thu., June 9 • 7:30pm Historic Theater

Tue., May 17 • 7pm Historic Theater

Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman create energetic transatlantic folk music.

Two viral sensations and “losers” from America’s Got Talent band together for a hilarious double bill, the Piff and Puddles Misery Loves Company Tour.

FILL THE HALL

Sun., June 26 • 9am-3pm • Historic Theater Our annual collaboration with Gather to fill every seat in the Historic Theater with bags of food for the Meals 4 Kids program, which feeds 700 Seacoast children each week throughout the summer.

HILARITY PAULA

POUNDSTONE

Sat., October 1 • 8pm • Historic Theater

INTIMATELY YOURS COLBIE

Paula Poundstone is known for her smart, observational humor, and a spontaneous wit that has become the stuff of legend.

The two-time Grammy Award-winning singersongwriter returns to The Music Hall!

RESCHEDULED

RENTAL PARTNERS

INTIMATELY YOURS

SELT PRESENTS WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL

NATALIE MACMASTER & DONNELL LEAHY Sun., February 26, 2023 • 4pm • Historic Theater

Fri., April 22 • 7pm • Historic Theater

TEDxPORTSMOUTH: HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

Fri., May 20 • 8am • Historic Theater

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

MAGAZINE

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DESIGN

Monte Bohanan

Mary Beth Johnson

John Page

Sara Turner

Dan Brown

Wesley Lovell

Tina Sawtelle

Brittany Wason

THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS

CAILLAT

Wed., October 19 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater

Kaitlyn Huwe

CURATOR’S CORNER A SparkleJollyTwinkleJingley Announcement!

TINA SAWTELLE, Executive Director

Every May, The Music Hall team celebrates you, our members, whose

While the snow is melting to make way for spring bulbs and blooms, I encourage you to hold on to that winter wonder feeling for just a moment longer...because the Ogunquit Playhouse at The Music Hall holiday production is returning this December with the jolly and joyful Elf The Musical! That's right! Everyone's favorite elf and all of his friends are back for this hilarious musical. Don't miss the stunning dance (and ice skating!)

Credit: Chris Keeley Photography

Thank You to Our Members!

numbers, whimsical sets, and catchy songs—after all, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!

support and generosity anchor the success of our organization in the Seacoast community. You are the reason we are able to welcome artists and musicians, scholars and authors, comedians and actors to the stage week after week. Simply put—we do what we do because of you. We love seeing you at sold-out shows, hearing

The other big news is our smaller venue (formerly known as The Loft) has a new name: The Music

your thoughts at our members-

Hall Lounge! This name better reflects the open and comfortable seating arrangements and the

only Book Club, and catching up at

exciting vibe of the renovated space. Read more about The Lounge and check out the latest layout

Director’s Club events throughout the

rendering on page 15. Stay tuned for updates on TheMusicHall.org/Lounge2022.

year. We are grateful for your steadfast commitment and passion, and we

HERE & NOW

thank you for supporting us.

Visit TheMusicHall.org/Blog for the full interview!

Family Fun with Dan Brown's Wild Symphony!

On Saturday, April 2, bestselling author Dan Brown and The Music Hall’s resident orchestra, the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra (PSO), will join forces to present Brown’s first-ever children’s book, Wild Symphony. PSO’s musical director John Page connected with Dan Brown for this exclusive interview ahead of the benefit event (full interview on our blog!).

Photo Credit: David J. Murray/ClearEyePhoto.com

JOHN PAGE: What can people expect to see on stage from the performance?

Not a Member Yet?

DAN BROWN: Animals, music, playful

Hall’s success, and we would love for

poetry and colorful illustrations—plenty

you to join us. If you are not a member

of fun awaits! The Portsmouth Symphony

or you let your membership lapse,

Orchestra will perform the music of Wild

now is a perfect time to join (or rejoin)

Symphony—a series of short pieces that

the family. Not only do you receive

each depict a different animal—and I

our eternal gratitude for becoming a

will read the accompanying poems with

member, but also there are other great

them on stage. I hope to see this show

benefits to being a part of this fantastic

as a way to share my own love of music

group. You can learn more about our

and reading, and also help ignite the

membership levels and the associated

imaginations of children in the audience.

benefits by visiting us online or calling

JP: Tell us a bit more about the benefit aspect to this performance and why you are supporting The Music Hall and Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra?

Membership is vital to The Music

our Ticket and Member Services team.

As we look toward the future, we

DB: The pandemic has impacted not only arts and culture but also education. The chance to

invite you to join today and be an

share Wild Symphony here in my own community feels like a wonderful opportunity to get back

active part of The Music Hall’s next

to the wonderful joy of art, culture, and learning. I have close ties to The Music Hall and count

exhilarating chapter.

myself very lucky to live in a town that attracts such world-class entertainment. And of course, the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra is a fantastic organization, and I’m very excited to hear them play Wild Symphony.

JOIN OR UPGRADE TODAY! TheMusicHall.org/Membership TheMusicHall.org

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ON STAGE THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS MEDIA PARTNER:

THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS DAN

BROWN’S WILD SYMPHONY BENEFIT CONCERT

Sat., April 2 • 2pm • Historic Theater

Dan Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author, has a new credential on his already-singular resume: composer of the orchestral music from Wild Symphony, his new illustrated children’s book. The book features twenty-one musical portraits drawn from the animal kingdom. From the joyous rhythms of “Bouncing Kangaroo” to the mysterious melodies of “Wondrous Whale” to the hair-raising harmonies of “Brilliant Bat,” Wild Symphony is a very wild symphony indeed.

The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra will join Dan Brown on our stage to perform this classical debut for the young at heart. Proceeds benefit Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra and The Music Hall.

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ON STAGE INTIMATELY YOURS SERIES SPONSORS:

H A M P T O N F O R D

H Y U N D A I

INTIMATELY YOURS STRAIGHT

NO CHASER

Mon., April 4 • 8pm • Historic Theater

Straight No Chaser is the real deal, the captivating sound of nine unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music, having built a reputation as an unforgettable live act.

EVENING SPONSORS:

AC Hotel Marriott; BANKW Staffing, LLC; Leone, McDonnell and Roberts, PA

THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS NEW

HAMPSHIRE THEATRE PROJECT’S 6TH ANNUAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL

Fri., April 8 • 8pm • Historic Theater

New Hampshire Theatre Project’s 6th Annual Storytelling Festival will once again take place at The Music Hall. Featured performers include Anne Jennison, Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti, and Megan Wells. Music will be provided by Ben Baldwin and Kent Allyn. This year’s Festival will focus on traditions and lessons from the past, woven around NHTP’s season theme of Are We There Yet? TheMusicHall.org

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ON STAGE THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS MEDIA PARTNER:

INTIMATELY YOURS SERIES SPONSORS: H A M P T O N F O R D

H Y U N D A I

THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS

RANDY ARMSTRONG AND VOLKER NAHRMANN: BEYOND BORDERS

Sat., April 9 • 8pm • Historic Theater Fusion pioneers Randy Armstrong and Volker Nahrmann bring their electrifying blend of jazz and world music traditions to The Music Hall for a captivating evening of global music.

INTIMATELY YOURS CLUB

FT. JOHN MEDESKI

D'ELF

WITH SPECIAL GUEST: VAPORS OF MORPHINE Sun., April 10 • 7:30pm Historic Theater

Moroccan trance influences combine with a wide spectrum of styles, including jazz, hip hop, electronica, avant garde, prog-rock, and dub, in Club d’Elf’s music.

EVENING SPONSOR: oHive

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ON STAGE INTIMATELY YOURS SERIES SPONSORS:

H A M P T O N F O R D

THE MUSIC HALL PRESENTS MEDIA PARTNER:

H Y U N D A I

INTIMATELY YOURS

AN EVENING WITH COWBOY JUNKIES Tue., April 12 • 7:30pm • Historic Theater

Cowboy Junkies pull the rich tradition of country, folk, and blues from the earth, and make it their own by running it through an achingly heartbeat-paced psychedelia.

EVENING SPONSORS: Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co; Office Resources, Inc.

INTIMATELY YOURS TODD

SNIDER

Wed., April 13 • 7pm • Historic Theater Touring behind his latest release, First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder, Snider is a storyteller who works in a similar creative soil to John Prine and Shel Silverstein.

TheMusicHall.org

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ON STAGE

HILARITY SERIES SPONSORS:

HILARITY KEVIN

NEALON

Sat., April 16 • 8pm • Historic Theater Best known for his time on SNL and for his role on Weeds, Kevin Nealon sets himself apart from other comedic performers with his unique sense of humor, dry wit, and likable demeanor.

EVENING SPONSORS:

The Friendly Toast; Prime Buchholz & Associates, Inc.

HILARITY HARI

KONDABOLU AT 3S ARTSPACE

Sat., April 23 • 8pm • 3S Artspace Hari Kondabolu is a Brooklyn-based comedian, writer, and podcaster. The NY Times called him “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today” and his 2018 Netflix special Warn Your Relatives was named on many “Best of” lists, including Time, Paste Magazine, Cosmopolitan, E! Online, and Mashable.

About 3S Artspace

Through the unique lens of contemporary arts experiences, 3S Artspace invites divergent perspectives and encourages lively discourse centered around issues of today. Located at 319 Vaughan Street, a short walk from The Music Hall.

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ON STAGE INTIMATELY YOURS SERIES SPONSORS:

H A M P T O N F O R D

H Y U N D A I

INTIMATELY YOURS

NEKO CASE

Thu., April 28 • 7:30pm Historic Theater Bending decades of pop music into new shapes, New England-based singersongwriter Neko Case wields her voice like a kiss and her metaphors like a baseball bat.

INTIMATELY YOURS

DIONNE WARWICK

Fri., April 29 • 8pm • Historic Theater Dionne Warwick is a six-time Grammy Award-winning music legend who has recorded more than 75 charted hit songs and sold over 100 million records.

EVENING SPONSORS: Leone, McDonnell and Roberts, PA; Piscataqua Savings Bank; Whole Life Health Care

TheMusicHall.org

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ON STAGE

INTIMATELY YOURS SERIES SPONSORS:

H A M P T O N F O R D

H Y U N D A I

HILARITY SERIES SPONSORS:

INTIMATELY YOURS

AN EVENING WITH ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO

Sat., April 30 • 8pm • Historic Theater Four-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the greatest artists in international music today, a creative force delivering high-energy, rousing live performances around the globe.

EVENING SPONSOR: Petersen Engineering

HILARITY JIMMY

TINGLE LIVE!

Sat., May 7 • 8pm • Historic Theater Jimmy Tingle weaves the good, the bad, and the ugly of the pandemic with the humor, hope, and humanity the world so desperately needs in 2022.

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ON STAGE SCHOOL DAYS SERIES SPONSOR:

SCHOOL DAYS SERIES PSO

GENEROUS SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: D.F. Richard; Demoulas Foundation; The Fabulous Find; The French Foundation

WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN:

PRESENTING SPONSOR:

MEDIA PARTNER:

SERIES SPONSOR:

PRESENTS DAN BROWN’S WILD SYMPHONY

Tue., May 10 • 10am & 12:30pm • Historic Theater

Meet Maestro Mouse and learn about the symphony orchestra! The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra presents an abbreviated version of Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony, a whimsical adventure for children about the orchestra and its musical instruments. Animated episodes from the book will be projected on the screen during the performance and excerpts from the book will be read during the concert.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL DAYS SERIES Top-caliber affordable (only $7!) shows that entertain children from 80 Seacoast Pre-K to Middle School groups, homeschoolers, and families. Any group is welcome.

WRITERS ON A NEW ENGLAND STAGE AMOR Tue., May 10 • 7pm • Historic Theater

TOWLES

Join us in person as the bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction returns with a propulsive novel set in 1950s America—now a #1 New York Times bestseller!

TheMusicHall.org

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CINEMA

Schedule subject to change.

Check TheMusicHall.org for updates.

MET AT THE MUSIC HALL SERIES SPONSOR: RiverWoods Exeter

THE MET AT THE MUSIC HALL

EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA

Sun., April 3 • 12pm

Wed., April 6 • 7pm

DON CARLOS (VERDI)

For the first time in company history, the Met presents the original five-act French version of Verdi’s epic opera of doomed love among royalty, set against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition.

Filmed live at the Barbican in London, this major new 5-star production of the classic musical comedy features an all-star cast led by renowned Broadway royalty Sutton Foster.

NATIONAL THEATRE OF LONDON HD BROADCAST

EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA

THE BOOK OF DUST Thu., April 7 7pm •

Eighteen years after his groundbreaking production of His Dark Materials at the National Theatre, director Nicholas Hytner returns to Phillip Pullman’s parallel universe. Recorded live from London’s Bridge Theatre.

EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA

THE TORCH

Sat., April 23 • 7pm Guitar icon Buddy Guy reflects on his legacy and the blues lessons he received from legends Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf.

Fri., April 15 • 7pm A young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, and starring Jamie Dornan, Caitríona Balfe, and Judi Dench.

EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA

PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION: THE PURPLE RAIN TOUR Wed., May 4 • 7pm & Thu., May 5 • 7pm

Widely regarded as one of Prince’s finest shows, the iconic two-hour concert includes cinema-exclusive content.

EXTRAORDINARY CINEMA

Sat., May 7 • 12:55pm

Sun., May 8 • 3pm

Tenor Yonghoon Lee is the bold prince determined to win Turandot’s love, alongside soprano Ermonela Jaho as the devoted servant Liù and legendary bass Ferruccio Furlanetto as the blind king Timur.

603.436.2400

BELFAST

THE MET AT THE MUSIC HALL

TURANDOT (PUCCINI)

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ANYTHING GOES

SABRINA (1954)

A Mother’s Day special, hosted by Jeannie MacDonald! Starring Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, and William Holden.

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Engaging with Authors, with Thanks to Our Sponsors Music is in our name, but The Music Hall is your place for a diverse array of experiences. Fans of the written word, for example, flock to The Music Hall for literary exposure and inspiration. We welcome bestselling authors from around the globe through our celebrated Writers on a New England Stage series, which we host in partnership with New Hampshire Public Radio and with the support of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Piscataqua Landscaping & Tree Service. Noted scientists and thought-leaders grace our stages for stimulating Innovation + Leadership events, thanks to our sponsors Atlantic Orthopaedics NHPR'S Peter Biello interviews Erik Larson, February 2022 Credit: Sydney Bilodeau Photography | SydneyBPhoto.com

& Sports Medicine and Bangor Savings Bank. Our Book Club gathers at Portwalk Place on a monthly

basis to chew through award-winning works under the leadership of a skilled moderator and with the support of sponsor Sheehan Phinney.

We love books. We love authors. And as we mentioned in the Membership article, we love you, our members. We encourage you to join us at an upcoming literary event, participate in an insightful Q&A with an author, or attend our Book Club. Check our calendar to plan your schedule for this spring and beyond!

UPCOMING MEMBER EVENTS BOOK CLUB

Portwalk Place, Portsmouth

THE SPARROW

by Mary Doria Russell moderated by Dana Clinton Mon., 4/11 • 6pm

POINT OF GRAVES

by J. Dennis Robinson moderated by Ashleigh Tucker Pollock & J. Dennis Robinson Mon., 5/9 • 6pm

THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY

by Amor Towles Mon., 6/13 • 6pm

For more info, contact Wesley Lovell at WLovell@themusichall.org BOOK CLUB SPONSOR: Sheehan Phinney

PORTWALK PLACE

Make Portwalk Place part of your next Portsmouth experience!

TheMusicHall.org

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proud supporters of the Music hall

bringing the arts home...

The ArTs Are The Answer to vibrant and prosperous communities where we treasure our heritage, celebrate our diversity and nurture our ingenuity.

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AT A GLANCE

LEGEND: At the Historic Theater | Offsite/Online Schedule subject to change.

Check TheMusicHall.org for updates.

B2W BOX OFFICE AT THE HISTORIC THEATER: 28 Chestnut Street

APRIL 2022

APRIL 2022 CONT...

MAY 2022 CONT...

The Music Hall Presents

Hilarity

Extraordinary Cinema

Saturday, April 2 • 2pm

Saturday, April 16 • 8pm

Sunday, May 8 • 3pm

Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony Benefit Concert

Kevin Nealon

Sabrina (1954)

Met at The Music Hall

Rental Partner

School Days Series

Sunday, April 3 • 12pm

Friday, April 22 • 7pm

Tuesday, May 10 • 10am & 12:30pm

Don Carlos (Verdi)

SELT presents Wild & Scenic Film Festival

PSO presents Dan Brown's Wild Symphony

Intimately Yours

Extraordinary Cinema

Writers on a New England Stage

Monday, April 4 • 8pm

Saturday, April 23 • 7pm

Tuesday, May 10 • 7pm

Straight No Chaser

The Torch

Amor Towles

Extraordinary Cinema

Hilarity

Rental Partner

Wednesday, April 6 • 7pm

Saturday, April 23 • 8pm • 3S Artspace

Wednesday, May 11 • 8pm

Anything Goes

Hari Kondabolu at 3S Artspace

Gordon Lightfoot: 80 Years Strong Tour

National Theatre of London HD Broadcast

Intimately Yours

Hilarity

Thursday, April 7 • 7pm

Thursday, April 28 • 7:30pm

Tuesday, May 17 • 7pm

The Book of Dust

Neko Case

Piff the Magic Dragon and Puddles Pity Party

The Music Hall Presents

Intimately Yours

Rental Partner

Friday, April 8 • 8pm

Friday, April 29 • 8pm

Friday, May 20 • 8am

NHTP’s 6th Annual Storytelling Festival The Music Hall Presents

Randy Armstrong & Volker Nahrmann: Beyond Borders Saturday, April 9 • 8pm

Dionne Warwick

TEDxPortsmouth: Hidden in Plain Sight

Intimately Yours

Met at The Music Hall

Saturday, April 30 • 8pm

Saturday, May 21 • 12:55pm

An Evening with Angélique Kidjo

Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti)

MAY 2022

JUNE 2022

Extraordinary Cinema

Rental Partner

Tuesday, April 12 • 7:30pm

Wednesday, May 4 • 7pm & Thursday, May 5 • 7pm

Sunday, June 5 • 3pm

Intimately Yours

Met at The Music Hall

Bonny Light Horseman

Intimately Yours

Club d'Elf ft. John Medeski

Sunday, April 10 • 7:30pm Intimately Yours

An Evening with Cowboy Junkies Todd Snider

Wednesday, April 13 • 7pm Extraordinary Cinema

Belfast

Friday, April 15 • 7pm

Prince & the Revolution: The Purple Rain Tour

Turandot (Puccini)

Saturday, May 7 • 12:55pm Hilarity

Jimmy Tingle Live!

Saturday, May 7 • 8pm

Ports. Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert Intimately Yours

Thursday, June 9 • 7:30pm Met at The Music Hall

Hamlet (Dean)

Sunday, June 12 • 12:55pm

Fill The Hall

Sunday, June 26 • 9am-3pm

Meet The Music Hall Lounge!

Our smaller venue (formerly known as The Loft) has a new name: The Music Hall Lounge!

This name better reflects the more open, comfortable seating arrangements and the exciting vibe of the renovated space. The Lounge will present musicians, comedians, authors, and panelists in a gorgeous and intimate setting. With construction well underway and the grand reopening scheduled for July, we're eager to share the line-up with you soon. Stay tuned for sneak peeks, the latest construction updates, and new features at TheMusicHall.org/Lounge2022 and on our social media!

TheMusicHall.org

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PUBLISHED EVERY SIX WEEKS BY:

Friends of The Music Hall 28 Chestnut Street Portsmouth, NH 03801

NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 609 MANCHESTER, NH

VOLUME 10, ISSUE 3

UPCOMING SHOWS

KEVIN NEALON April 16

JIMMY TINGLE LIVE! May 7

NEKO CASE APRIL/MID-MAY 2022

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