12 Places to See Live Summer Theatre in New Hampshire

I had a bit of a flashback recently, as my young daughter woke up one Saturday morning. It was a beautiful, summer Saturday. We had the whole day in front of us. Let's go to the Hampton Playhouse!

This was problematic, as the Playhouse shut down in 1999 and was demolished soon after. Still, I thought, wouldn't it be great to have that to do each weekend?

It’s where my dad used to take me to see plays on Saturday morning when I was a kid. It’s the first place I ever saw Grease (especially poignant now). It’s also where I saw someone who was famous…but had no idea how famous he’d go on to be.

To me, he was just one of many stars during the 1980s heyday of broadcast television comedies. He wasn't even the biggest star on his show.

Still, I recognized him when he passed out candy to us after one of those weekend shows (and when he helped direct traffic in that dusty, dirt parking lot that seems like was just there yesterday). But then, he got "Arrested."

And quite famous.

Before he was starring in films such as Horrible Bosses, or shows like Ozark or Arrested Development, I knew him as David Hogan on The Hogan Family.

This was back when you could just drive down to the Hampton Playhouse, and for a small price and some dust on your Dad’s Jeep, grab a few pieces of candy from Jason Bateman.

While all that exists of the Playhouse are memories, there are still several options if you'd like to take in a show in the Granite State.