If the lights are on at the Carousel Music Theater in Boothbay Harbor, chances are Hal Mansfield will be there in person or spirit. On July 21, Mansfield took in a performance of “Hooray USO,” which marked his 1,000th show as a paying customer at the popular theater, an unofficial record. 

Mansfield, a year-round resident of Boothbay, was first introduced to the local theater by an uncle who brought him to the now defunct Boothbay Playhouse on Route 27 in 1951. The playhouse was then owned by James Wilmot and Franklyn Lenthal, a prominent actor, director and producer who possessed one of the the largest collections of theater memorabilia in the world before his death in 2001. 

“They were always so kind and greeted you with a smile,” said Mansfield. “I never forgot that.”

As a youth, Mansfield would make the trip from his native Massachusetts to a summer home his family owned in Boothbay Harbor. He remembers seeing the lights at the Boothbay Playhouse on the way into town.

“It was always such a thrill,” he said.

In particular, he remembers a performance of “And Then There Were None,” a play based on an Agatha Christie novel.

“Being a little kid, it was the neatest thing I’d ever seen,” said Mansfield.

His love of theater was put on the back burner while he was in the military and then college. 

“I started going to the theater again in 1977,” he said. “After seeing a performance it was a game changer.”

On average, Mansfield attends 25-30 performances a year and brings family and friends whenever possible. He becomes a familiar face for cast members who are often young and without near by relatives.

“Hal becomes like a family member,” said Carousel actor Ricky Marchese. “He supports us wholeheartedly through the summer.”

Along with taking in a slew of shows, Mansfield also has been known to donate  gift certificates to ice cream shops, mini golf, and even bake apple pies for cast and crew.

In addition to the Carousel, he is a longtime supporter of the Boothbay Opera House and the Brunswick-based Maine State Music Theatre. With 1,000 shows under his belt, it doesn’t ever get old, said Mansfield.

“I’ll see as many shows as I can,” he said. “Maybe 1,000 more.”

 His loyalty  translates onto the stage and can help keep the production afloat.

 “Sometimes when a show isn’t going well it helps to have Hal in the audience,” said Marchese. “He’s just a great presence.”