ShowS at the MuSic hall loft are on Sale now!
Popovich Comedy Pet Theatre
Sunday, a pril 10 2pm & 7pm
– Jay lEnO, THE TOniGHT SHOW
Popovich Comedy Pet Theatre Sunday, April 10 • 2pm & 7pm • Tickets: $25, $17
it’s the world-famous pet circus on stage at The music Hall! Former moscow Circus star Greg popovich and his entourage of furry fourlegged performers bring their family-oriented blend of unique physical comedy, juggling, balancing skills and the extraordinary talents of the 26 performing pets – 16 cats and 10 dogs – all which have been rescued from animal shelters. Watch for special guest performers – ferrets, white rats, and trained doves. Bring the family!
Russian National Ballet: Swan Lake
20th Annual Kitchen Tour: Portsmouth, NH
Rebirth Brass Band
Wildcard Movie: Kings of Pastry
SPONSORS: Dos Amigos Burritos; Me & Ollie’s; Port City Veterinary Referral Hospital; Treehouse Toys; WERZ
Stew and the Negro Problem
Jennifer Egan
Super Secret Project
An American Treasure for the Arts
RUSSIAN NATIONAL BALLET: SWAN LAKE
Sunday, April 3 • 4pm • Tickets: $50-$20
SPONSOR:
REBIRTH BRASS BAND
Friday, April 8 • 8pm • Tickets: $32, $20
extraordinary cinema
if it’s Spring, it’s time for ballet at The music Hall! The russian national Ballet was founded in moscow during the late 1980s, a transitional period when many ballet institutions were exercising new-found creative freedom by starting vibrant new dance companies dedicated not only to the timeless tradition of classical russian Ballet, but to invigorating this tradition. Composed by Tchaikovsky and premiered in 1877, this popular ballet is the story of a princess turned into a swan by a sorcerer’s curse. Friday, April 15 • 8pm • Tickets: $30, $23
t’s a new Orleans funk brass band party at The music Hall! The nine-piece band features trumpets, trombones and saxophone backed by bass and snare drums. Best known for combining traditional new Orleans brass band music with funk, soul and hiphop, the band was discovered at the 1982 new Orleans Jazz + Heritage Festival. When they appeared on our stage in a Celebrate new Orleans performance, they nearly stole the show! don’t miss this!
"Rebirth can be precise whenever it wants to, but it’s more like a party than a machine.” – NEW YORK TIMES
SPONSORS: The 106 Kitchen & Bar; iOS Business Centers
50 years of funny: sketch comedy and improvisation delighting audiences for half a century. Taking its name from a.J. liebling’s tongue in cheek reference to Chicago, The Second City has grown to be the most famous brand in live comedy with a to-die-for roster of alumni from Tina Fey to alan arkin. Hilarious, spontaneous, topical and insightful – don’t miss this return engagement!
“A temple of satire”– N EW
KIDS RULE!: L EGEND O f THE G UARDIANS: T HE OWLS O f G A'H OOLE
PG • 95mi NS US 4/17 @2pm One show only!
Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) makes his animation debut with this fantasy family adventure based on the beloved books by Kathryn Lasky. Young owl Soren is enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga' Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owl kind from the evil Pure Ones.
“The animation itself is startlingly beautiful, as is the ancient owl world it imagines." - LA TIMES
POETRY
NOT RaT ed • 139mi N SOUTH KOR ea 4/23 4/27 daily @ 7pm 2pm matinee 4/24 discussion follows 4/26 show
A 60-something woman, faced with a crippling medical diagnosis and the discovery of a heinous family crime, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class. Lee Chang-dong's follow-up to his acclaimed Secret Sunshine is a masterful study of the subtle empowerment – and moral compass – of an older woman. Winner of Best Screenplay at Cannes. In Korean with subtitles.
“a tour de force of emotional complexity.” – NEW YORK TIMES
BARNEY'S VERSION
RaT ed R 134mi N • C a N 4/29 5/5 daily @ 7pm • 2pm matinee 5/1 • discussion follows 5/3 show
Take a ride through the life and memories of Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti), a hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, foulmouthed 65-year old hockey fanatic and television producer, as he reflects on his life's successes and (numerous) gaffes and failures as the final chapters of his own existence come sharply into focus. With Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver and Rosamund Pike.
“A master acting class, courtesy of Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman.” – RICHARD ROEPER
STEW ANd ThE NEGRO PROBLEM Saturday, April 16 • 8pm broadcast; 9:30pm late-night set • Tickets: $25; $22
Jackie Gleason meets Kurt Weill meets Burt Bacharach. Stew and partner Heidi rodewald present rock theater tracing their careers from dive-rock clubs to the Great White Way. Best known for their Broadway musical, Passing Strange. See Spike lee's film version april 7!
“a fascinating and hilarious stage show” – S EATTLE ExAMINER
ENJOY GOURMET FOOD & COCKTAILS AT EACH SEAT
“modern and sleek” – Jeanne McCartin, Portsmouth Herald “Heaven” – Rachel Forrest, Portsmouth Herald
If you like Intimately Yours, you'll love Live @ the Loft! Whether you come to the broadcast or the late-night set, you're going to have the time of your life!
Ever wanted to be on the radio live with some of the hippest, coolest singer-songwriters with music wizard Bob Lord as your host, well you can! Watch as Live@the Loft brings incredible concerts to Portsmouth, with you in the room, in the know, and everyone else listening to the broadcast. Brought to you by The Music Hall and NHPR. More of a night owl? Get a ticket to the 9:30 show and then hang out with the artists after. SeRieS SPoNSoR:
BUffALO TOM
Saturday April 2 • 8pm broadcast; 9:30pm late-night set
Tickets: Table seats $22; Fixed seats $18
With pummeling rock and aching ballads, this band masters sharp and poignant songwriting on its eighth Cd, Skins
“An alternative rock treasure – distinctly Boston." – BOSTON PHOENI x
Wednesday, April 13 • 7pm eVeNiNG SPONSOR: Sandy domina, Olde Port Properties
JENNI f ER EGAN
Monday, May 16 • 7pm
package: $29, $26 (members), includes reserved seat, A Visit from the Goon Squad (trade paperback $14.95), bar beverage, author presentation, Q+a, and book signing meet-and-greet.
The bestselling author of The Keep presents her latest novel, A Visit From the Goon Squad, winner of the national Book Critics Circle award – an honor just announced!
fRAZEY fORD
Saturday, April 9 • 8pm broadcast; 9:30pm late-night set
Tickets: Table seats $22; Fixed seats $18
This rising star, Vancouver singer songwriter, infuses americana with soul and gospel on her debut solo Cd, Obadiah
“folk Music’s New Queen" – THE DAILY BEAST
PATTY LARKIN
Saturday, April 23 • 8pm broadcast; 9:30pm late-night set
Tickets Table seats $22; Fixed seats $18
inventive guitar wizardry, uncompromising vocals and lyrics. patty is touring behind her latest Cd, 25
“a drop-dead brilliant performer" – PERFORMING SONGWRITER
eVeNiNG SPONSOR: Barbara Henry
black belts!" – Chris Curtis, Film & Outreach Coordinator
The music Hall in the Seacoast Community
Spotlight on Rental Partners in the Music Hall Loft
by KATHLEEN SOLDATI, Director of Marketing
Editor’s note: This spring we’ll be working with three organizations, The Mount Washington Observatory, Portsmouth Music and Arts Academy (PMAC), and Harbor Light Stage. I’ve asked their leadership to sit in a roundtable to discuss what attracts them to The Music Hall Loft.
Doug Nelson, board member at The Music Hall and The Mt. Washington Observatory
You got this partnership rolling, what was it that made you think this would be great fit to open our Rental Partner program at The Loft?
Doug: Both The Music Hall and the Mt. Washington Observatory are iconic regional institutions with friends and supporters in a wide geographic area. The synergies of the two organizations seem like a natural fit to me; I am very excited about the Seacoast premiere of the PBS documentary Brush & Pen, Artists & Writers in the White Mountains, a project which honors the creative genius of those artists and writers who came to New Hampshire to celebrate our natural environment. The Loft is the perfect place to present this event.
Scot Henley, Executive Director, Mt. Washington Observatory
Scot, this is going to be a new type of event for your organization in Portsmouth – combining a reception at the Banks Gallery and a presentation in The Loft.
What is it about Portsmouth that makes this ideal and how does partnering with The Music Hall help?
Scot: With such easy access to the White Mountains, the Seacoast region is full of people who hike, ski, and paddle “up north.” The nonprofit Mount Washington Observatory enjoys tremendous support from members and donors in the greater Portsmouth area, and we hope to boost our presence in the Seacoast over the next few years.
Russ Grazier, Executive Director, PMAC
Russ, we’ve collaborated with you over the years –what do you think the Music Hall Loft will bring to your organization and the community?
Russ: The opening of the Music Hall Loft will further enrich an already vibrant history of collaboration between The Music Hall and PMAC. Together, we have been able to inspire the youth of the Seacoast with unique educational workshops that introduce music students to many of the world's top performers. Having access to this new educational facility and performance space creates unique opportunities to provide community youth with interactive clinics, workshops with guest artists who are visiting Portsmouth to perform on The Music Hall stage. The Music Hall Loft also provides a chance for PMAC students to go behind the scenes of a working theater to learn about production and the creative economy, opening doors to future careers in the entertainment industry. We’re looking forward to many magical collaborations in the new space!
Kent Stephens, Founding and Artistic Director, Harbor Light Stage
While many of our staff have worked with you and you’ve participated in other things here, this our first collaboration. How does The Music Hall Loft’s downtown Congress Street location spark your plans and imagination?
Kent: We immediately saw in the Loft a space that would have a dynamic relationship with the downtown life of Portsmouth. We love its transparency, accessibility, and its hip style that will attract new audiences who may not be regular theater goers. We picked Love Song for a lot of reasons (first and foremost because it is a stunningly beautiful and very funny play!), but prominent among those was a "Loft" script: edgy but warm; something that grabs you by the collar, only to hurtle you into joy; brain food that you can laugh and cry over while splitting the Artist's Chocolate box.
How do you think the off-Broadway experience you are offering at Harbor Light Stage will work in the Loft?
Kent: Love Song is an American play that met with great acclaim from London critics, but has yet to have a major New York City production. As we often do with our ongoing reading series, we're introducing a script that's going places, that will give the audience bragging rights – and for that reason will work perfectly with the Loft, which is all about encouraging audiences to try something new and different.
Denise Poirier and Blair Hundertmark in Harbor Light Stage's SHOOTING STAR, directed by Kent Stephens
Mt. Washington Observatory
Guitarist Bryan Bergeron Killough performing at PMAC's Jazz Night.