Seeing A Show At The Historic Thomaston Opera House
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This month, I was invited by Landmark Community Theatre to see their performance of Puffs at the Thomaston Opera House. They offered me two tickets to tickets during their opening weekend. While Thomaston is super far from me since I live in southeastern Connecticut, I was not going to turn down the chance to see a show in a beautiful historic building.
History of the Thomaston Opera House
This gorgeous opera house in the heart of Thomaston, Connecticut was built in 1884. The opera house is actually inside of the town hall structure. The building was closed in 1963 due to fire code violations. After sitting unused, the Thomaston Opera House Commission worked to save the condemned landmark from demolition. In 1968, the building was restored and rededicated.
This beautiful building was built on the site of the town’s oldest cemetery. The cemetery was “moved” (and by moved, they really just moved the headstones). The Opera House is said to be haunted, which I suppose isn’t shocking given that it was built where people were buried. I didn’t notice anything spooky, but haunted spots in Connecticut definitely interest me.
About Landmark Community Theatre
Landmark Community Theatre is a non-profit arts group that is now the heart of the historic Thomaston Opera House. Their mission is to provide opportunities for the community to produce, participate in, and enjoy the performing arts as well as a place to educate the community in theatre in music. They also work to preserve and protect the historic Opera House as a historic landmark and community space.
My Night At The Theatre
I saw Puffs, which is based off of the Harry Potter series. I’m going to be honest, if you don’t know anything about Harry Potter, you will be very lost if you try to see this. Thankfully, I’ve read the books and I’ve seen bits and pieces of the movies.
I say bits and pieces because the movies never really kept my attention. I never watched the movies growing up and I didn’t read the books until I was already halfway through college. I loved the books, but trying to watch the movies right after finishing the series made it hard to enjoy the movies. They left a lot out and I am easily frustrated by things like that.
Before The Show
Before the show, I decided to explore Thomaston a bit. I got to town a couple of hours before the show started so I could photograph the exterior of the building while it was still light out (the show started at 8pm). I wandered the streets with my camera and photographed whatever caught my eye. I liked the old buildings in the area.
Then, my Harry Potter loving cousin arrived in town. We grabbed dinner in town at Milestone Wood Fired Pizza before the show. The place was packed when we got there, and for good reason. The pizza was delicious.
Heading To The Show
After dinner, we headed to the Opera House to catch the show. We got there about an hour before the show was set to start. We grabbed our tickets from the box office and then headed up the stairs to the fifth floor where the entrance to the Opera House is.
The doors weren’t open yet, but thankfully we didn’t have to wait long. I’m really glad we got there early so I could admire the details of the building before it was crowded with people. I was able to snap a handful of photos before there were people everywhere.
Before the show started, there was someone rocking out on the organ in the theater. He was playing the Marr & Colton three-manual, 15-rank theatre pipe organ. My cousin and I were absolutely blown away by it. It was so cool to see the organ in action. You can read more about it here.
Below is a video I took during my visit.
Before the show officially started, my cousin grabbed a butterbeer, which was of course fitting for the Harry Potter series theme of the show. They had both alcoholic and nonalcoholic butterbeers available.
In addition to the butterbeer, they also had regular beer, other non-alcoholic drinks, and snacks like chips and cookies. We didn’t get any snacks, but the baked goods were from a local bakery out of Wallingford, Connecticut. At the concession, they took cash, card, and tap to pay.
The Show
Puffs was absolutely hysterical right from the start. It follows Wayne Hopkins, a wizard who lived in the human world and then was invited to a certain magical wizard school (cough cough Hogwarts), much like a certain someone who conquered evil (cough cough, Harry Potter, cough cough). You will see Harry throughout, but they very much poke fun at him in a playful way. Oh, and Ron and Hermoine were literally just mops (it took me a while to figure this out lol).
You’ll follow the Puff House (cough cough, the Hufflepuffs) as they go through school the same seven years that Harry Potter went to school. Cedric seems to be the head of the gang, and his character is a lot of fun throughout. But, if you know anything about the series, you know exactly what happens to poor Cedric. The play very much follows the events that happen throughout the book, just from a completely different viewpoint.
Since I don’t want to spoil the entire show for you, I’ll just leave it at the story follows a group of misfits who don’t feature the Chosen One, but who’s story still matters. The play has a ton of hilarious references from both the books and the movies. If you’re not familiar with the series at all, you’ll be very lost, but the humor is strong enough where I think even someone who isn’t familiar could laugh along. My cousin and I were laughing throughout, and we kept turning to look at each other when there was an especially funny part.
If you’re looking for something family-friendly, this show is not it. It’s riddled with swears and innuendos. As an adult who can be really immature, I was dying laughing throughout. This show was unhinged in the best way possible.
The cast and crew did an absolutely amazing job putting on this show. It was clear they put a lot of time and effort into it.
If this show sounds interesting, below are the show dates and times:
- February 27th 2026 at 8:00 pm
- February 28th 2026 at 8:00 pm
- March 1st 2026 at 2:00 pm
- March 6th 2026 at 8:00 pm
- March 7th 2026 at 8:00 pm
- March 8th 2026 at 2:00 pm
You can get tickets on Landmark Community Theatre’s website.
Final Thoughts
My cousin and I had a blast going to see a show at the Thomaston Opera House. The cast was so lively and the Thomaston Opera House itself was historic and charming. It was really everything you could want from a historic theater.
This spot is over an hour from where I live, but I’d absolutely go again. While I thought the pizza was delicious, I’d like to try somewhere new for food when I go back.
If you’re interested in seeing show here, be sure to check out the list of Landmark Community Theatre’s upcoming shows!
It sounds like a fun show. I’ve read the books and seen the movies (lots of times). The Thomaston Opera House also looks like a beautiful building, so from architectural viewpoint it’s also interesting.
Hello! What an interesting history of the opera house! I imagine how it looked like years ago through the history. Anyway, it is an unforgettable experience to visit such a place!
What luck! We will be visiting Connecticut in a couple of months and your post just inspired me to visit Thomaston and maybe watch a show as well here. I love the layout inside the opera house. Kenea park and the churches nearby also seem to offer more attractions to check out. Thanks for this lovely post.
The interior of the Opera House looks absolutely beautiful! I wouldn’t mind seeing a show from there myself.
It really is beautiful!
What a fun experience (for adults)! Glad they were able to save an restore this historic opera house.
I’m glad it’s been saved as well!