Show Boat

Hop aboard the Cotton Blossom as it sails down the Mississippi and onto the North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) main stage when one of the most critically acclaimed musicals of all time, Show Boat, docks from September 23 to October 12.

With book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Jerome Kern, Show Boat is based on a best-selling 1926 novel by Edna Ferber about life on the Mississippi River. The story, which spans almost 50 years, starts in the 1890s and follows the lives and loves of the troupe that works aboard the Cotton Blossom, one of the many American riverboats that featured traveling shows. The Cotton Blossom is where dashing men and beautiful women go to be entertained, forget their troubles and fall in love, but under the surface there’s a darker side of gambling, racial tension and heartache. The unforgettable score includes "Only Make Believe," "Ol’ Man River," and "Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man."