John W. Engman Theater

I can now go to Broadway, without actually having to go to Broadway. This was my first trip to this theater and clearly will not be my last, especially since we bought a subscription for next season’s show. The theater is 45 minutes form my house, by car and I do not have to deal with subways, trains, parking lots and traffic. They also have valet parking to make your life just a bit easier too
We walked into the entrance and were immediately greeted with a smile and offer for help. The box office personnel were terrific answering questions (when do I pick up tickets, how early should I get here, and even, Can I get some quarters for the meter.)
The overall décor of the waiting lobby was wonderful and included a very well stock bar with very nice folks manning it. The theater was restored with the original artwork on the walls and very comfortable seating, with ample leg room. It is obvious that during the remodeling project, they were concerned about their patron’s comfort and it shows. (The seating to me is the MOST IMPORTATANT PART as if you’re not going to be comfortable in your chair, everything else is meaningless.) Our site lines were perfect and the volume, quality of the music along with the properly wired performers was nothing short of perfect.
We saw «Thoroughly Modern Mille.» In a word… OUTSTANDING. The singing, and dancing was absolutely five star… The young lady who played Mille, Tessa Grady and Trevor Gradon played by Tim Rogan were amazing… They reminded me of Sutton Foster and Marc Kudisch, who I saw in these roles on Broadway. I could not believe that I was in Northport, not on West 48^th. The quality of the entire cast was fantastic. I can go person by person, role by role, but at this point, you’ll know what I am going to say. This group was ‘out of site’ incredible.
As a long time theater goer and coming from a musical background, I may be overly critical of what I see and hear, not a problem here though. The musicians did an outstanding job on the score written by Jeanine Tesoro and lyrics by Dick Scanlan. There is so much great talent out there, and clearly, the John W. Engman theater knows how to put together the right people. So much so, that I really can’t wait for our next performance.
Make sure you patronize local theater, some of you will be surprised at what you see and hear, and you’ll also be supporting the local arts. If we don’t know one will.

Great shows!!! I have seen «Memphis» «The Little Mermaid» and «Frosty The Snowman» they are very great for kids and adults the actors are very friendly!!!

Have to say this is one of the best, most stunning theaters on Long Island. Broadway caliber performances for a fraction of the cost of a Broadway show. And, I’ve been looking at Broadway talent for quite sometime. In fact, some Broadway actors have appeared on the Engeman stage. I seriously can’t recommend this theatre enough. I appreciate the friendly, helpful staff also.
Parking could be a hassle which is truly the only drawback; it’s on a very busy main street. There is complimentary valet. However, only 3 – 5 people work the valet podium at a time, so it may be a while for your car. If it’s warm weather, park at the marina and stroll down to the theatre. Otherwise plan to get there early; they have a beautiful, fully stocked bar.

How wonderful to be able to see Broadway quality shows in a beautiful theater on the North Shore of Long Island. The quality of performers makes the shows fantastic. I’ve been a season ticket holder and each show met or exceeded my expectations.
The décor of the theater is beautiful. The lobby and bar are very appealing and there is a piano player playing before the show. Drinks are pricey but the ambiance is wonderful.
Once you enter the theater, the décor is beautifully refurbished, the seats are very comfortable with enough leg room and the sound system is excellent!
All this and valet parking too. Patronize your local theater. The actors come from NYC as do the musicians and are fabulous! During the summer the theater is used by a children’s theater group that is also wonderful!

This theater is very nice! We just saw 12 Angry Men. it was a great show. Cost was about $ 55 per ticket. The actors were great. I saw a couple of plays here and both were great. I like the seating in this theater. whatever seat you get you most likely will be happy. I really like the bar area and the bartenders make good drinks. Its also a clean theater. Its great to have drinks before the show or at intermission. they also have some snacks. usual chocolate.peanuts etc. If you don’t feel like heading to NYC to see a play definitely pick this theater to see a show. you won’t be disappointed!

Absolutely beautiful theater showing a very enjoyable production of Nunsense. What a wonderful place! I’ll be back.

Fantastic little theater. I’ve only been for a couple children’s shows, but the experience is excellent. Tickets are reasonable, the cast is accessible after the show and if necessary, snacks are available.
Haven’t seen an adult show yet, but will soon based on my above experiences.
Well worth the drive from Nassau county.

as an engagement present me and my fiancé got tickets to come here. it was nice and well done. of course it’s not broadway but sometimes it’s nice for lowkey and not have to go all the way into the city. it’s just sad the whole village shuts down so early. we wanted to get ice cream after and everything was closed.

Of course it is not Broadway, but the production here are truly top notch. Professional actors, great sets and costumes. Very high overall production values. The place itself is a gorgeous theater. I have seen several shows their and have enjoyed myself immensely.

The John W. Engeman Theater of Northport is what this town needed, a place for citizens from other towns to come and support the local economy. The theater is named after the brother of the current owner who was killed in Iraq, while on military duty, on May 14, 2006. (Read the entire theater history plus John’s biography at the theater site).
The theater has gone through major renovations and now is a place to have a great time before and after the show. A full bar service, named «The Green Room», opens an hour before showtime and stays open after the show with a piano player (a young kid who needs quite a bit of practice but fun to listen to in the background).
Here is my suggestion to you: Come early and go to the bar!!! We really enjoyed the bar and talking to all the other patrons and bartenders. While having a glass of wine, I met the make-​up artist for the stars of the movie «Rolling Stones» and the owner of the bus company that shuttles the actors from Manhattan to Northport on a daily basis.
But be ready to shell out top dollars for a glass of wine… I am not lying to you when I tell you that a glass of red wine costs $ 17.00! Yeap… Amazingly enough, there is plenty of mixed drinks and beer menus on the tables, but the wine list is nowhere to be found… because maybe no one will buy a glass of wine knowing that they cost more than a bottle of wine! $ 34 plus tip for 2 glasses of wine… ridiculous! But they will have mix drinks named after characters of the show playing which cost between $ 8 – 9.00 and beer of tap or bottles cost between $ 5 – 9. Better go with the well-​mixed drinks or a beer…
However, the bartenders are super friendly! They are very chatty, nice and they let you do a little bit of wine tasting if you are undecided on which one to order. In addition, they fill your glass pretty high. But $ 17 for a glass… I can just buy a bottle for less! Since I am so cute, we stay after the show to have another glass and the bartender ‘took care of that bill’… she got a good tip!
As for the theater, there is a great bar-​seat service… a server comes around taking your drink orders and she will deliver them to your seat before showtime (you are welcome to bring your drinks with you inside the theater, glass and all) and this is the best part… you can pre-​order the drinks for the intermission and the server will bring your drinks to your seat!!! Cool!!! They swipe your credit card, keep your tap open and keep ordering…
As for the theater, it is very open, spacey, seats are very comfortable and amazingly, there is plenty of leg room too! Every seat has a glass holder and bottle water fountain available with glasses to take with you. The sound system is fab too and the décor, ambiance and atmosphere of the theater is high quality.
The actors are all from the Broadway pool… the auditions are run in Manhattan and the actors are shuttled on a daily basis from the city to Northport. The acting, singing and production of the show is Broadway quality.
If you stay after the show to have a ‘night cap’ as we did, you get to meet the actors, musicians and production team at the bar on their way to the bus to Manhattan. The only time I don’t bring my camera and it is the time I needed it most! Darn…
Most of the restaurants and bars in town now stay open after the show for anyone who is in the mood for a late night dinner and/​or drinks. Valet parking available for the theater but there is plenty of parking, specially on the Municipal Parking Lot across the street and at the waterfront, which is my ideal parking spot; because then you can walk up to the theater via the nicely kept Main Street, looking at all the store front windows while enjoying the town’s architecture.
I highly recommend this theater for the high production quality, fab sound system, convenience, ambiance, Broadway acting quality, comfort and friendly staff.