Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1479836
90 BILL HANNEY When Bill Hanney reopened the North Shore Music Theatre in 2010, after saving it from bankruptcy and foreclosure, the response he got from North Shore residents was overwhelming. And it still is. "People are so happy that this theater got saved. You would think I invented all the cures for cancer," he says. "It's a beloved landmark for entertainment in the area." It's also a local icon, from its annual productions of A Christmas Carol to producing the world premiere of the musical Memphis in 2003, which went on to win four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Hanney, who also owns the Theatre by the Sea in Rhode Island, was looking for another theater to buy when he heard on the radio that the North Shore Music Theatre was in foreclosure. He went on to stage its first season with new his ownership in June 2010 to the delight of local audiences for whom going to the North Shore Music Theatre is a cherished tradition. "They love this theater, they love entertainment of this quality on the North Shore. You have to go into Boston—for a lot more money, a lot more hassle, a lot more everything—to get this kind of quality that they have in their backyard." Since then, he says they've stepped up the productions, pointing to shows like Sunset Boulevard, which created Norma Desmond's mansion and a 14-foot classic car that drove on stage, and this season's upcoming Kinky Boots, which runs October 25–November 6. The North Shore Music Theatre's iconic "theater in the round" also presents an exciting challenge to Hanney. "When you do something in the round, you don't get to hide behind scenery and beautiful, amazing drops," he says. "What you get to do is concentrate on the story and the people that tell the story, and that's really raw, terrific theater." WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU TO BE A LEADER? I think leading is important. You need a leader. When it comes down to it, all the opinions are floated and one person has to make a decision . . . and it always should be the one that has the most to lose, either in a job position or, in my case, in an owner position. One thing I've always learned [is that] it's the team that surrounds you. I always say when I do my opening night speeches to my audience, I've got to have you give a big round of applause to my team because they make me look good. WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU? Success to me, it just means we're still there and people are loving the shows. Success is putting out something—doing anything—that you are proud of and hopefully that does well. Success is, really, do the right thing, no matter what it is. It means you're doing the best you can for what you're doing. TODD ROGERS BERBERIAN Lots of people describe their style as "classic with a twist," but Todd Rogers Berberian calls his "a twist with some classic." On the day he spoke to Northshore magazine, he was wearing khakis adorned with patches and paint, a terrycloth shirt, Yohji Yamamoto Y-3 sneakers, and some "awesome" tinted lenses in—of course—a pair of Todd Rogers Eyewear frames. Surely that fun and fabulous style is a big part of why people love the Andover-based Todd Rogers Eyewear, and its eponymous eyeglasses line, which includes collections like Todd Rogers Essential (classic designs); Whim (that twist we were talking about); and Jackson Rogers (a kids' eyewear collection named after Berberian's oldest son). After spending years honing his craft as an optician, Berberian launched Todd Rogers Eyewear in 2009 with frames of his own design that emphasize amazing style, great materials, and a perfect fit. The business's brick and mortar shop in Andover is a full-service optometry practice and optical shop offering Todd Rogers Eyewear products as well as vision exams, contact lenses, and prescription glasses. "It's about quality, fashion, and function all rolled into one. So a Todd Rogers frame is not only a good-looking frame; it's also a very good quality frame," he says. WHAT MAKES YOU PROUD DAY TO DAY? Daily, we have we have people from the Merrimack Valley or the North Shore as well as beyond who have heard about us and have these amazing stories about how their son or daughter couldn't see well and they went to all these places; came here for an exam and we fit them properly with the appropriate lenses and frames; and they've never seen as well. And we have a lot of people that come from all over the state, and New Hampshire, too, and say, 'I have this wild prescription, and no one's been able to get it right. We've heard that you can do that.' And we really send people out of the office really happy and saying, 'Wow, I've never seen so well.' That really makes me proud. WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? I have an entrepreneurial kind of brain and also an attitude that anything is possible. I have a frame line where I don't come from a designer background, really. And I just really feel that everything is possible, or anything is possible. And my motivation is myself and my kids. I just want to create a better life for all involved. [When I] think of the one thing that would motivate me, I think it's just my constant thirst for what I can do. What can be done. PHOTOGRAPHS, LEFT TO RIGHT BY SARAH JORDAN MCCAFFERY, BY JOEL BENJAMIN