HISTORIC TOURS 

The behind-the-scenes tour of the historic Music Hall, designated an American Treasure by the U.S. Senate, will run on the first Wednesday of each month. The historic tour includes visits to the backstage area, the antique front of the house dating back to 1878, and the enchanting lobby renovated in 2008. (Details below)

Arranged and guided by Music Hall Historian Zhana Morris, also the theater’s production manager, the tour paints a full picture of the history of the hall. It includes tales of sailors who rigged the theater in the late 19^th Century, its flashy and famous owners, and its stars across three centuries. Performers range from Mark Twain to Wynton Marsalis and David Crosb. There were acts ranging vaudeville with elephants to violinist Joshua Bell.  Visitors will see the passage of time through the building’s award-winning restorations and renovations revealing  details dating back to 1878.  

From November through June, tours will run on the first Wednesday of every month, from 5:30-6:45pm.  First stop is the Beaux Arts lobby called “jaw-dropping” and a “a one-of-a-kind surprise” by the media.  The 2,600 sq. ft space, including the box office, lower lobby, restrooms, elevator and coat check, reflects the Beaux Arts beauty of the theater above and showcases the theater’s history in a bold and theatrical way while offering striking 21^stcentury amenities. Since the Lobby opened in September 2008, it has be compared to the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, to the design of ships that once filled Portsmouth’s harbor, to to lush gold rush hotels, and even to 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. 

 “The artists who come here today are amazed,” Morris says, “first, at how beautiful the theater is and, second, how we operate simultaneously in the old world and the new world in terms of technology and architecture.  When they see the packed audiences and hear the acoustically perfect sound that comes with our 1878 design, they are even more aware of what a gem The Music Hall is, the ‘beating cultural heart of the New Hampshire Seacoast region.’ Our guest book is full of quotes worthy of framing, from my perspective. All of them encourage us to keep up with our work restoring the theater.”

Historical Tours of The Music Hall will be held the first Wednesday of the each month from 5:30-6:45pm on November 3 and December 1, 2010; and January 5, February 2, March 2, April 6, May 4, and June 1, 2010.  Tour tickets are $6 ($5 member) and can be purchased on the day of the tour at 28 Chestnut Street, in advance online, or through the box office at 603-436-2400.  Box office hours are noon-6:00pm Monday through Saturday.