Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center — Attraction in Lady Lake

The "Sharon" as it is known. This is 1000 plus seat theater. Acoustics are wonderful. The seats have good cushions, legroom and come with a cup holder - that you do not see elsewhere. But I am told, beware of obstructed view seats, you do not want them. They have seating on the ground floor, in the balcony (mezzanine) as well as theater boxes. As far as accessibility for the handicapped, the entire - very pleasant- staff seems ready to help with that. The background ... originally this was a church. Then it was converted and added on to. As you enter the lobby you can see the cathedral ceilings, stained glass and other remnants. Now it is a plush, welcoming theater lobby with two bars, seating area in the middle, plenty of space to move about, a small gift shop and a grand piano. This theater is named for the wife and mother of 'The Villages' original owner and developer, Harold Schwartz. Her name, Sharon L Morse. Her three children then became the owners. And they continued her legacy as a patron of the arts with this venue and other smaller venues about 'The Villages'. The 'Sharon' is also the home of The Village's Philharmonic Orchestra. Others .... the parking can be tricky so plan ahead, the restrooms are clean as is the entire venue and again, it is handicapped accessible and has an elevator.. But do not come late, you will not be allowed entrance once the performance has begun, as in any...

I love The Sharon, It’s Beautiful but Intimate. But this review is more for the personnel. The other night, while waiting for a show to begin, a few of us met up at Blondies, a new little place just outside the Theater. a couple of us needed to use some facilities. So I asked one of the ushers outside the Theater if their restrooms were open. She shot back with just a little irk in her voice, Saying The Sharon’s facilities were not for the “ Public”. . Ok, Understandable… But do you think she might have said, There were restrooms around the corner of the Theater building, That John Q. public can use? “ Blondies “is an all outdoor bar. It may or may not have an affiliation with the Theater. , What it doesn’t have is a bathroom. So it would seem They, and workers at the theater could point out where the restrooms are. Everyone to include the less than friendly, somewhat snooty, usher of the Premier Live Performance Theater, to direct customers to outside bathrooms, Instead of inferring We were “ less than”. I am A Public, person that does frequent the Sharon. Hope that usher gets some retraining now that...

I enjoyed attending church services in this building with my parents (who absolutely loved the church & services) from 2008 until it was closed to be remodeled into it's current form. It was quite distressing to the family when the church closed. Yesterday was my first visit to The Sharon since the remodel. I was pleasantly surprised to see the basic structure of the former sanctuary was basically intact, transformed into a large lobby. I attended a screening of Singin' in the Rain at 4:30 PM. The lights were already down, so I didn't get a good look at the theater seating areas & it seemed like the movie screen kind of obscured what the stage looks like for the live performances, so I can't share my impression of that. As far as the seating area goes, I found the steps a bit challenging to navigate & my seat felt a bit small. My overall impression is an A- for the effort and a B- for the execution. If/when I return it might be for a live event and perhaps I will find things...