For interviews, please contact:
Kathleen Soldati - ksoldati@themusichall.org
Or Chris Curtis - ccurtis@themusichall.org
For images, http://gallery.me.com/musichallnh/100371
The Music Hall Presents
March On Screen
Screen Classic: Last Picture Show
KidsRULE!: Kung Fu Panda
Wildcard: Shorts in Ports:
An Evening of Award-winning Short
Films
(from guest curator, Chase Bailey of Left Bank Films)
Oscar Buzz!
A Single Man, Precious, The Last Station
Met@The Music Hall: Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet
Founders Lobby Lounge open Fri/Sat 5:30-midnight
Portsmouth, New Hampshire…Can you hear the buzzing of Spring, yet? Perhaps it’s
just Oscar buzz in the air! On Screen @ The Music Hall in March comes in like a
lion with two fantastic films, each with no shortage of such buzz. A “careerdefining” performance from Colin Firth starts us off in A Single Man, followed by the
six-Oscar-nominated film, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire. Then it’s
Terry Gilliam’s latest in what is being called a “return to form” for the Time Bandits
and Brazil director- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, a film which also bears the
final performance of the late, great Heath Ledger. March 18 brings the monthly
Wildcard - this time around called Shorts in Ports and featuring six award-winning
short films, brought to The Music Hall screen by guest curator Chase Bailey of
Portsmouth’s Left Bank Films. The KidsRULE! Movie matinee is Kung Fu Panda on
March 20, followed that evening by North Face, the German mountain-climbing
film. The March Screen Classic is the two-Oscar-winning, The Last Picture Show, by
Oscar-nominated director Peter Bogdanovich with one of the earliest screen
performances by Jeff Bridges (Oscar-nominee this year for Crazy Heart). March is
closed out by the 2009 Telluride by the Sea favorite, The Last Station, sporting brilliant,
Oscar-nominated performances by Christopher Plummer as Leo Tolstoy and Helen
Mirren as Tolstoy’s wife, Sofya, also with James McAvoy and Paul Giamatti.
Film Coordinator Chris Curtis says, “If you’re not already a-buzz for the Academy
Awards on Sunday March 7th, or even if you’d simply rather watch great films
rather than see an awards program about them, spend March watching movies at
The Music Hall as we put Winter to bed and await the buzz of Spring!”
March ‘10 Film at The Music Hall
(Films in bold. All films at 7pm unless otherwise noted)
1 A Single Man
2 A Single Man (followed by Show & Tell)
3 A Single Man
4 A Single Man
5 no film- John Hiatt, 8pm
6 Precious
7 PSO, 3pm; Precious, 7pm
8 Precious
9 Precious (followed by Show & Tell)
10 Precious
11 Precious
12 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
13 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, 2pm; Rob Bartlett Comedy, 8pm
14 no film- Solas, 7:30pm
15 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
16 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (followed by Show & Tell)
17 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
18 Wildcard: Shorts in Ports. (An evening of award-winning short films)
19 no film- Art Garfunkel, 8pm
20 kidsRULE! Movie: Kung Fu Panda, 2pm; North Face
21 North Face
22 North Face
23 North Face
24 Screen Classic: The Last Picture Show
25 no film- Tao, 7:30pm
26 The Last Station
27 Met HD- Hamlet, 1pm; no evening film
28 no film- Moscow Festival Ballet, 3pm
29 The Last Station
30 The Last Station, 7:30
31 no film- Jodi Picoult, 7:30pm
(April) 1 no film- Toshi Regan and Bassekou Kouyate
A Single Man
R, 99mins, US, 2009
Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis. The story of a
British college professor (Colin Firth) who is struggling to find meaning to his life
after the death of his long time partner. A romantic tale of love interrupted, the
isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately the
importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life. Also stars Julianne Moore. 3
Golden Globe nominations.
“Wrenching, ravishing, exquisite, sensual...” ~ NPR
“Luminous and treasurable…” ~Variety
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5gDj4wtFDY
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
R, 110mins, US, 2009
Nominated for 6 Oscars. A vibrant, honest and resoundingly hopeful film about the
human capacity to grow and overcome. Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of
Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American
girl born into a life no one would want. She’s pregnant for the second time by her
absent father; at home, she must wait on her mother (Mo’Nique), an angry woman
who abuses her emotionally and physically. Also stars Paula Patton, Mariah Carey,
Sherri Shepherd and Lenny Kravitz.
“You will come out the other side of it a markedly enriched filmgoer.” ~ Chicago
Tribune
“Leaves you moved like no film in years and then lifts you up in ways you don't see
coming…the movie has a spirit that soars.” ~Rolling Stone
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5FYahzVU44
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
PG13, 123mins, UK, 2009
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present
day. It tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary ‘Imaginarium’, a
travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to
choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Directed by Terry Gilliam
more in the style of his earlier, Time Bandits and Brazil and featuring Heath Ledger in
his final work for the screen. Also stars Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Colin
Farrell, Tom Waits and Jude Law.
“Its wit and pageantry, boosted by Heath Ledger's final performance, render it
irresistible.” ~ USA Today
“A gratifying return to form for Gilliam.” ~Washington Post
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFxqw0jbC2Y
Wildcard: Shorts in Ports. (An evening of award-winning short films)NR, 90
mins
The Music Hall is pleased to present a 'Shorts in Ports' Wildcard Movie Night
featuring six award winning short films, guest curated by local filmmaker Chase
Bailey of Left Bank Films. Each of these films is a star in its genre, winning awards,
as well as accolades in festivals around the country. This is a rare chance not only to
see all six fantastic films in one night, but to talk to many of their directors during the
Q&A and get the story behind the films.
"We are excited to bring to you this opportunity to see all of these amazing films,
together, that you might not otherwise be able to see." – Chase Bailey
KidsRULE! Movie: Kung Fu Panda
PG, 92mins, US, 2008
Jack Black is the voice of Po the Panda, a lowly waiter who is a kung fu fanatic but
whose shape doesn't exactly lend itself to fighting. In fact, it appears that he is the
laziest of all the animals in ancient China. That's a problem because enemies are at
the gates, and all hopes have been pinned on a prophesy naming Po as the "Chosen
One" to save the day. Some martial arts masters are going to need black belts in
patience if they are going to turn this slacker panda into a kung fu fighter before it's
too late.
" The animation is dazzling…lovingly detailed." ~The New York Post
“Infectious and inspiring.” ~Washington Post
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1uJ7OExp60
North Face
NR, 126mins, GE, 2009
A handful of men set aside their differences to conquer one of Europe's tallest
mountains in this period drama inspired by a true story. In 1936, Nazi Germany is
looking to shore up its reputation in the eyes of the world, and after a pair of German
climbers died in an effort to climb the north face of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps, the
state is looking to find another group who can succeed where the earlier team failed.
In German with subtitles.
“It is impossible not to put yourself in the boots of the mountaineers clinging to a
sheer, icy rock face.” ~New York Times
“See this movie on a big screen, where the sense of harsh physical vastness…is
palpable.” ~Boston Globe
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM3e4i2KBD0
The Last Picture Show (Screen Classic)
R, 118mins, US, 1971
Nominated for eight Oscars and winner of two, director Peter Bogdanovich (Mask,
Paper Moon) brings Larry McMurtry's bittersweet novel of life in a sleepy Texas
town in the early 1950s to the big screen. Featuring Jeff Bridges in one of his earliest
film roles along with Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Ben Johnson and Ellen
Burstyn, the film masterfully explores issues of love, loneliness, innocence lost, and
disillusionment. Shot in haunting black-and-white by cinematographer Robert
Surtees (The Graduate).
“The film has an unadorned honesty…is above all an evocation of mood.” ~ Roger
Ebert
“The best films, like the best books, tell how it is to be human under certain
circumstances.” ~Variety
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI9zuGdocT4&feature=related
The Last Station
R, 112mins, GE, 2009
Fact and fiction converge in this drama based on Jay Parini's novel about Leo
Tolstoy. The Last Station focuses on the marriage between Tolstoy (Christopher
Plummer) and his wife Sofya (Helen Mirren) in its final years. James McAvoy stars
as a young man who works for the couple, while Paul Giamatti plays an advisor to
the writer who fights with Sofya over Tolstoy’s estate. Plummer and Mirren received
Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.
“Helen Mirren is a lusty, roaring wonder (as) the long-suffering wife of Tolstoy
(Christopher Plummer in peak form).” ~ Rolling Stone
“A lovely version of literary history, with the accent on young love that emerges
unbidden, and old love that endures.” ~Wall Street Journal
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTh-vQho7UU
Met@The Music Hall: Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet
Saturday, March 27, 2010, 1:00 PM
The works of Shakespeare have inspired more operatic adaptations than any other
writer’s. Simon Keenlyside and Natalie Dessay bring their extraordinary acting and
singing skills to two of the Bard’s most unforgettable characters in this new
production of Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet. For the role of Ophelia, the French
composer created an extended mad scene that is among the greatest in opera. Valet
Service available for this event.
About Extraordinary Cinema
Great films. Enormous screen. Unrivaled ambiance. Knowledgeable Curator. Postfilm discussions. An experience unlike anything else on the Seacoast. Featuring a
new title every week between September and May; SummerFilm; the monthly onenight-only Wildcard Movies; Screen Classics; KidsRULE! Movies and the celebrated
Telluride by the Sea each fall.
Wildcard Movie Sponsors
BayRing Communications; Cocked Hat Ventures, LLC; Homewood Suites by
Hilton in Portsmouth, NH; New Hampshire Public Radio; Hawthorn Publications
KidsRULE! Movie Sponsors
Series Sponsors: BayRing Communications; Ocean Properties Ltd.; Seacoast
Rotary Club; Seacoast Media Group/Portsmouth Herald
Evening Sponsors: Calvert Investments; Harbour Women’s Health; Robert’s Maine
Grill; WERZ
About Show & Tell
Professional film enthusiast Paul Goodwin puts the “talk” in talkies, encouraging
audiences to speak their minds and hear all about the movies, their backgrounds, and
even trivia and the latest gossip about the stars. Free to the public and held in our
stately auditorium immediately after the end credits roll. Complimentary popcorn,
tea and coffee courtesy of Carpe Diem. Paul will be hosting Show & Tell after the
screenings of A Single Man, March 2; Precious, March 9 and The Imaginarium of
Doctor Parnassus, March 16.
Met @ The Music Hall Series Sponsors
Avery Insurance
New Hampshire Public Television
The Senior Times
Classical 99.5 Boston
2009-2010 Season Sponsors
Liberty Mutual
Martin's Point Health Care
Tickets for Extraordinary Cinema are $8.50 and can be purchased at the box office
(28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, New Hampshire), by phone at 603.436.2400, or online
at www.themusichall.org
Tickets for Met@The Music Hall
Tickets are $27.50 per show, 18 & under: $15. Tickets can be purchased at The
Music Hall box office (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth), on the phone at 603.436.2400,
or online at www.themusichall.org
About The Music Hall: An American Treasure for the Arts
The Music Hall is a nonprofit performing arts center that entertains 100,000 patrons,
including 20,000 school children, annually with acclaimed film, music, theater, and
dance performances. Its historic 900-seat theater, built in 1878, is the oldest in New
Hampshire and designated an “American Treasure” by the U.S. Senate in the Save
America’s Treasures Program administered by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation and the National Park Service. Living out its mission to be an active
and vital arts center for the enrichment of the Seacoast community, The Music Hall
presents diverse and relevant programming, including its signature series and
innovative community outreach programs, and hosts numerous community
fundraisers and celebrations for the benefit of more than 40 local nonprofits. A
cultural anchor in a thriving Seacoast economy, The Music Hall and its patrons
contribute $5.5 million annually to the local economy through show and visitor
related spending. The Music Hall is a 501c3 tax exempt, fiscally responsible
nonprofit organization, managed by a volunteer Board of Trustees and a professional
staff. The historic hall is located in Portsmouth, the seaport city recently named a
“Distinctive Destination” for 2008 by National Trust for Historic Preservation and
one of the “20 Best Towns in America” by Outside magazine (July 2008). For more
information about The Music Hall and its schedule of events, visit
www.themusichall.org.
Plan Your Visit!
Convenient parking. Charming accommodations. Eclectic shopping. Diverse dining.
All in Portsmouth www.themusichall.org/aboutus/plan_your_visit.asp
Kathleen Soldati
Director of Marketing
The Music Hall
104 Congress Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-433-3100 ext 12
ksoldati@themusichall.org
Music, Theatre, Dance, Cinema
almost every night of the year!