Olde Towne Hall Theater

DO NOT PAY $15 FOR THIS. Music Man at the Olde Towne Hall Theatre (this theatre was formed in the 70s btw... the extra "e"s don't really seem necessary) was by far the worst musical theater I have ever seen. This was a show simply for moms to see their children in a musical. It was about 70% children, which is definitely not how this show was advertised, however simply having a lot of kids in a show isn't a deal breaker. I'm not hating on the kids, but all I'm saying is all those awards I see these kids winning on Facebook have a lot less grandeur to them now. The real problem was the absolutely horrible directing. None of the actors were in character the entire first half, and when they were, it wasn't exactly right. The actresses, when expressing the right genre of acting, were acting like it was 2017 instead of 1912. The makeup was weird, and one character was just really shiny. The pit was terrible. The show was not all bad! The Mayor was very funny, Marcellus was pretty good, Hill was neutral (though forgot/changed his lines sightly very often), and Marian was charming. The second half was very good because it consisted of me driving home. Something needs to change. I know shows at this theater used to/can be good, but Music Man of 2017 (1991s was pretty good) can NEVER happen again, no matter how much little Jimmy wants to be in a musical. This was sad.

My daughter has participated at OTHT and LOVES IT! The people are very nice and charming, and the theatre is quaint and sticks to a traditional feel. Shows are phenomenal, though the pit is sometimes lacks along with set design. However, the talent completely makes up for it. I have seen numerous shows over the past couple of years and yes I may be biased to my daughter, but I can wholeheartedly say this theatre is truly talented and amazing! I hope they could move into a bigger space, thought I understand trying to keep the "old town hall" in Olde Towne Hall Theatre. All in all an amazing and talented theatre, though I think the people are better performers than the space that they work in!