bigfork summer playhouse

We had the chance to attend this weekend's showing of Neil Simon's "Rumors" and thoroughly enjoyed Bigfork's community theater! Plan on some time to browse the collection of playbook covers, spanning nearly 6 decades. I recommend planning for dinner at one of Bigfork's unique restaurants - it will be time well spent.

This theater cast does an awesome job of performing every time we attend. The theater is small, cozy and comfortable. We experienced a ticket issue and the owner graciously fixed it.

We have good friends that retired to NW Montana (Polson) and soon began going to the Bigfork Playhouse the very next summer. Whenever we visit them in the summer, one of the activities on the "agenda" has always been to take in a performance there. Thus, we have seen four shows in the past nine years.The most recent performance (The Full Monty) we attended was on a sold out Thursday evening. The cast was young (college students and/or relatively recent graduates), enthusiastic (energy to spare), and talented. It was well choreographed. The musicians (only five) put out some mighty fine music.The theater is relatively small (400 seats) in just 13 rows. I'm positive that you can see fine from anywhere. We sat in the front row and could therefore hear perfectly well. I'll assume that the same can be said of the seats further back. Our retired friends? They attend every show every season at least once. If someone visits during the season, they go again.Out in the middle of nowhere? For most of us, yes. But, if you live in this beautiful area of Montana or vacation there (Glacier National Park is only 45 miles away), Bigfork is in you backyard and deserves a visit at least once each season.

If you're not careful you could miss a big part of the Flathead Lake drive charm if you don't drive 'into' the town of Bigfork. A wonderful assortment of art galleries, restaurants, bars, shops AND the Bigfork Summer Playhouse. We make our way down to Whitefish annual for a week's vacation and I always go on line to see if there are any special events occurring. This year we decided to purchase tickets to the Playhouse in Bigfork to see West Side Story. Great experience. A very well run theatre company and facility. Every seat in the theatre itself offers an great view of the stage. The acting and singing were on par with anything you find in a larger centre as was the musical accompaniment. AND, if you can, reserve for dinner at ShowThyme next door. A wonderful dining experience.

The theater itself is great -- I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. The young actors were talented and obviously dedicated to their craft. Buy tickets ahead, though. We barely got in as there were only a few seats left for West Side Story.

This is the third time I've seen a show here (previously say Seussical and 9 to 5). I had never heard of "Thoroughly Modern Millie", and maybe it's better that I hadn't. I didn't expect anything going in, but halfway through, I could no longer sit there with my husband and friends. I'm thankful that all 5 of them were just as offended as I was at intermission, which was when we left. Oh, maybe I should mention. I'm Chinese. Watching two very white actors portraying two Chinese men was unbearable. I did not view any part of this show as funny. The racial stereo types were hurtful, insensitive, and flat out unacceptable. I uncomfortably looked around the theater as the lights came on during intermission. I wasn't surprised that I was the only Asian in the audience. That's not anything new for me when I come to visit my husband's side of the family in Montana. Yes, I understand the context in which the play first came up. It was "acceptable" then, and it's depicting a time and place back in the 1920's. However it's 2014. If you cannot find a couple of Asian actors to portray the two Chinese characters, my suggestion is to PICK ANOTHER PLAY! After getting stared down by a woman who looked at me like I had two heads (just outside the playhouse) to this was just too much.

For a reasonable price we saw The Full Monty. Lots of laughs and very creative staging. Great facility in the middle of town. Easy walking from local restaurants. At the same time, my experience was impacted by the too warm/hot theater. I was so glad when inter mission came so I could go outside for fresh air. It was not unusually warm that evening either. Others were reacting the same. Problems with air conditioning that night?

Fun summer theater production with talented enthusiastic cast in a comfortable, charming, flower-bedecked playhouse.

Went to the Playhouse for a wonderful evening of entertainment and got to have a friendly visit with the players after the performance! Fun Time...

This is my fourth year visiting Big Fork and the Playhouse never disappoints. The theatre itself is beautiful...it was a surprise to find such a sophisticated playhouse in a town that is a few blocks long. The productions are wonderful and professionally executed. Be sure to book tickets well in advance since they sell out.

I think the talent is wonderful. To hear the voices soar is a wonder. The only problem is I think the plays they have chosen and I have seen are very mediocre choices and do not retain their original entertainment as years ago. The Music Man as been done and done! Tarzan is basically for the children. This should not impact on the troupe but unfortunately it does. These tremendously talented artists are diminished by very bad choreography ( as in Tarzan) and plays that have seen better days or movies that should never been made into plays.If sitting in the front row the left side of the stage makes hearing the words impossible. Whether it is because of the music or simply bad acoustics it ruins half the production.This is a jewel but needs to be shined by a jeweler who know what has to be done.

Great musical theatre in NW Montana!? We hadn't heard about this place before strolling through town. Bought tickets to "Tarzan" on a whim...loved it!! Just go to a show and you won't be disappointed.

We are regulars at the playhouse. We have never seen a bad performance. This years treat was Tarzan. I've not seen a production of this before but the story is familiar to all of us. The star playing Tarzan was very talented and his voice was enjoyable to,listen to.The one thing that continues to amaze after all the times I've attend shows there is the quality of the cast and the accompanying band. This place is a jewel in Bigfork. Don't forget to have dinner at Showtyme next door before the show.

It's not Broadway so don't expect it. But appreciate the great young talent starting their journey. Saw West Side Story and it was very good. The two lead actors playing Tony and Maria were just O.K., but the other actors were exceptional and a couple of them could be on Broadway. The parts of Anita, Riff, and Bernardo were Broadway quality. Nice theatre too. Great for a small town near Glacier.

We had the absolute pleasure of going to this theater a couple of weeks ago to celebrate my Mom's 91st birthday. I really wasn't expecting that much from a small town but Wow was I surprised. The show was Thoroughly Modern Millie and the talent was unbelievable for a small town theater. I go to live theater all the time and I would put it in the Broadway in New York category, it was just that good. I understand that they bring in talent from all over the country and several of there past cast members are now performing on broadway. What a delight, I will definitely be back next summer and to think the tickets were only $28.00 each.