Goodspeed Opera House
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The wedding cake Goodspeed Opera House (6 Main St., East Haddam, 860/873-8668, www.goodspeed.org, show times vary, box office: 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Mon.–Sat.; 10 a.m.2 p.m. Sun., $45–56.50) is known as one of the country’s premier venues for new musicals, drawing theater critics from New York City and Boston to the openings of top shows (seven of which have gone on to win Tonys on Broadway).
The Goodspeed Opera House was originally built by shipping magnate William Goodspeed in 1876. Gradually, however, the building fell into misuse, serving as a barracks for soldiers in World War I and then as a general store.
The building was restored to its former opulence in 1959. Docents now give backstage tours in the afternoons, regaling visitors with stories of what really happened in the dressing rooms of actors throughout the decades.
© Michael Blanding and Alexandra Hall from Moon New England, 2nd Edition
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