Winni Players set sail for ‘The Great Winnipesaukee Steamboat Race’

Following a sold-out show aboard The M/S Mount Washington in 2025, the Winni Players are once again taking to the waves of Lake Winnipesaukee to present a locally-themed musical. This year’s production, "The Great Winnipesaukee Steamboat Race and Musical Talent Contest," like last year’s "Mutiny on the Mount," is a musical with special meaning to the Lakes Region community. Performances will be held Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 23-25, and Sept. 30-Oct. 2.

"The Great Winnipesaukee Steamboat Race and Musical Talent Contest" was first performed in Laconia, in 1978, by The Streetcar Company, with playwright Robert Kinerk himself taking on the role of the villain. It became a tradition revived many times over the years, last performed in 2006. Now, 20 years later, this production by the Winni Players, the community theater branch of the Winnipesaukee Playhouse in Meredith, marks something new: after nearly 50 years, the show is finally being performed aboard a boat on the very lake that inspired it.

“While performing on The Mount last year, we were approached by several community theater performers who had been involved in the Streetcar Company’s productions of 'Steamboat' over the years, telling us that it would be another great musical to perform on the ship. Like 'Mutiny,' it is a really silly, zany show full of references to and about the lake. We were grateful to get the blessing of the author and the Streetcar Company to revive this Lakes Region tradition in this really special way. We are lucky that many members of our cast have longstanding ties to the show and its many iterations over the years, bringing a real sense of Lakes Region history to the performance,” said Lesley Pankhurst, patron and company services director at the Playhouse.

The musical melodrama is about two rival ship captains vying for a lucrative mail contract to deliver to the islands of Winnipesaukee.

“Prepare yourselves for a wild ride packed with kidnapping, secret identities, whirlwind romance, and seriously infectious tunes,” said Director Rick Morten.

All performances of "The Great Winnipesaukee Steamboat Race and Musical Talent Contest" also include a cruise onboard The M/S Mount Washington, and an optional dinner package. Performances will be followed by a Q-and-A with the cast.

For tickets, visit cruisenh.com.