Music Hall in Portsmouth

posted by MPol on June 17, 2009 at 7:40 am

PORTSMOUTH, NH — This year, as part of their Summerfilms program, the Music Hall up in Portsmouth, NH recently screened the great, venerable golden-oldie-but-goody movie/musical classic, “West Side Story”.

Just a little over an hour north of Boston, Portsmouth, NH is a quaint, picturesque old city with many interresting-looking old buildings and many mom-and pop businesses. However, while the Music Hall doesn’t look like much from the outside, it’s clear from the moment that one enters inside, that it’s a beautiful, real old-fashioned-looking theatre.

There is a beautiful and cavernous-looking waiting lounge, and the restrooms are also coolly cavernous-looking also. Upstairs is a real old fashioned big-screen theatre (the largest screen north of Boston), with a dark-red velvet curtain covering the screen, somewhat old-fashioned-looking chairs, and a real old-fashioned concession stand that sells popcorn, soda, and all the works.

Best of all, there was a wonderful print of West Side Story, and, while the 900-seat theatre didn’t sell out, there was a good crowd. Many people, including myself, had driven there from out of state for the WSS screening. It was, as one of the people who worked at the theatre pointed out, like the movie theatre/experience that we’d all had as kids while growing up.

Theaters in this post

• Music Hall