Reviews of Spirit of Newfoundland Productions (Dance School)

yu chen

I have gone to see the Spirit of Newfoundland Dinner shows since they started them 20 years ago or so. I think that I have seen almost all of them, and some I have seen twice - ABBA being one. They are now in the stately Shriners' building, and a great venue. A bit cramped, one could feel at first, but that adds to the atmosphere once the show gets cracking. Peter Halley, Shelly Neville, and Sheila Williams always put off a great show. When they are together with Boomer Stamp on drums and Sandy Morris on guitar, from the WGB days, it makes for a performance that is on par or better than anything I have seen in London, or NY. The music, humour and local content are world class. I write this time because along with the great performance, as usual, I had the poached cod. It was fresh from the water (never frozen - and I know!!) and simply some of the best cod - perfectly prepared, that I have ever had. Also, the salad which preceded it was superb. The rum cake is a great dessert too. The bar staff are great, the house wine list is very good, service is efficient and friendly, and I get a chance to belt out the Ode to Newfoundland after every show!

Keli Schmidt

As has already been noted here, the shows are intended for locals. We saw "Where Once They Stood". As to our specific experience, we spoke with someone at the venue the day of and were told the show would feature traditional Newfoundland music, which it did not - all the songs in the show were pretty standard show tunes. Nary a fiddle in sight! At the end, when we were dying to get out of there but couldn't since we were packed in like sardines, they tacked on a really lame sing-a-long and then spent another 15 minutes talking about guests' birthdays and anniversaries. The food was lousy. We spent two weeks on the island and this was the worst fish we had (it was presented and tasted like a dinner served at a budget-conscious wedding). The humour was very lowest-common-denominator, lots of tacky sex jokes (at one point one of the female performers pushed a front-row guest's head in to her breasts which was extremely inappropriate). This was a very expensive boring evening. One minute it was tasteless sex jokes, and then at other times it felt like being at church.

Tom Nurse

"Duets" a fantastic show with an extremely talented cast. The show was preceded by a well prepared and served dinner.

Geoff Aylward

Spirit of Newfoundland is one of the most dynamic fun ways to combine a meal and live theatre experience in St. John's. Exceptionally good comedic timing with great laughs and audience interaction. Meals never disappoint. A long evening but you lose track of time the shows are so good. It is not uncommon for people to see the same show more than once - its that good.

Lawn Lord

The play was super funny and I had a great time with it. Drink service was good and so was the food. I think if I were to give the place 5 stars I would need the place to have some bigger tables for the smaller groups.

Abisaac Saraga

What an amazing fun cast and crew at the Spirit of NewfoundLAND (we were told emphasis on LAND). The show Skeets, Snobs and Peppermint Nobs was so fun and as someone from outside of Newfoundland was a great to hear some of the great folk music, and learn a little about the local culture and definitely the local humour. The cast was so witty and on its feet definitely improving with the mixed local and visitors. It was great and I recommend anyone local or visiting to catch a show and support the cast and production. And yes, they will screech you in.

Maggie Brown-Bury

The food is excellent, and the show is hilarious. What more could you want?

Natasha Somerton

For a dinner theatre the seating arrangement is terrible; I was back on and had to move my chair next to our neighbor table where I was constantly in the way of everyone. The chairs were so uncomfortable, and having to sit for 3 hours, it was more dreadful than enjoyable. The food wasn't great, maybe I would say it was okay, but I would not eat it again. Overall I am not a fan, and I would never choose to come here.

Sean Tavenor

Best theater experiance I have seen

Cecilee

Havent laughed this hard in a long time! Wonderful meal and even better show

Dee B

Amazing atmosphere, amazing food, amazing entertainment!!!

Jon Poulin

We heard great things about this production and we're really excited to see it. We went to Skeet Snobs and Peppermint Nobs. Doors open at 6pm, food starts around 7pm but it takes up to an hour for the appetizer and main dish to arrive. Show starts around 8:15pm. Food was alright. They should not serve food and reduced the ticket price. We are not locals and I think this show is for the locals only. At the start of the show they asked where everyone was from and half the room was from west coast the other from east coast and Newfoundland. Well during the show only these locals were laughing as the jokes went over the rest of our heads. To compound the problem further it was very difficult to understand the singers. The band was too loud and the singers muffled. We left at the intermission.

Marlene Sherman

Always a great meal and a wonderful time. Cast are so talented and hilarious.

Chris Whalen

And awesome place for a dinner and great show!

Stephen Chislett

Great rum cake and performances. Appetizer and main course were okay, and the venue was a little cramped. Otherwise very nice. Ideal for a special date night or event

Peter Francis

amazing performance. food was ok, not great

Victoria Ryan

Absolutely incredible shows with such talented musicians. A must see when in St. John's!

Emma Poulin

Don't bother if you're not a local. We saw skeets, snobs and peppermint knobs. Performers and musicians were excellent, but we just couldn't get into it and left at intermission. For starters we're not local (from Western Canada and Australia) so we didn't understand a lot of the references. We expected it to be more of a showcase of culture and history, rather than an inside joke affair. Secondly the audio was off balance. I think the instruments were too loud compared to the mics. When all 4 performers sang together we couldn't understand what they were saying, especially when the audience was also clapping along. I really enjoy music and was disappointed I couldn't hear all the lyrics. Overall we were really disappointed that we paid $180 pretty much just for 2 average dinners.

Cindy Caissie

Very nice building with lots on history and great interpreters but screech in was not nearly as fun as other venues ( great for people that are shy or looking for kid friendly environment though)

Kevin Brown

Phenomenal show!

Clements_900

One of the longest running Dinner and show, that's for a reason!

Adam Templeton

Fantastic place! lot of laughs and great food!

Dave Hannon

Best show in town. Unbeatable!

Lewis Winsor

Great time.

Debcar Jackson

Moved to Newfoundland to explore Canada, sight seeing has been great however Covid-19 delayed our being able to experience the talents of the people. As restrictions start to lift we are now able to take in the entertainment of which Spirit of Newfoundland was one of the 1st. ABBA dinner show was great, the food, service, people and an entertaining show made for wonderful night out. So much so we booked another event, Duets.

Steph Etheridge

Good food, great entertainment

richard heurter

Where to go to become a honerary newfi for kidds

Anita Lahey

Awesome show ,stuffed pork was delicious

Sharon Simpson

Wonderfully entertaining evening and the performers were top notch

Michael Walter

Great location for intimate shows. The way the room is set up makes it easy to see a show and never feel like you have a bad seat. There is a bar that serves liqour as well. Architecture in the building is interesting as well.

Allison Holwell

Food at dinner theatre just OK. Talent is excellent. Have been to the dinner theatre several times. Parking can also be an issue if you do not get there early enough. The rum cake is awesome.

Dubu and more

That was great. Breathe taking singers.

Elizabeth Ivany

The show was amazing. A lot of laughs, and lots of nostalgic memories with some old songs. The soup with pastry was out of this world.

Karen MacEwan

Housed in a historical building, Spirit of Newfoundland entertains their patrons with humor & emotion. The meal was as superb as the performance!

Holly Bodger

Got screeched in at The Screech Room and it was awesome!

Kimberly Yetman Dawson

Great talent and food was fab. Wow!

Marc Beaupre

Amazing food with top notch entertainment. Highly recommend!

Robin Hawker

Loved every minute of "Stand By Your Nan"! Talented actors with show-stopping voices and endless energy. Our whole family was in stitches thanks to the brilliant comedy and improv, most notably by co-producer Keith Powers. The dinner was a bit overpriced and unremarkable but worth it for the calibre of the show.

Dennis Peters

Great entertainment, great food.

Lisa Lehr

Fantastic show!

Ramona Kelland

Love this place! Always take in a show when I'm home on summer vacation!

Choqueux Élodie

(Translated) Take a look for the building, inside: local grocery (few products), bar and dinner show. The staff is super friendly. (Original) Allez jeter un coup d'œil pour le bâtiment, à l'intérieur : épicerie locale ( peu de produits ), bar et souper spectacle. Le personnel est super sympathique.

Charline Myers

You will love the show... you'll want more. Nice atmosphere and good food.

Lisa Muise

Delicious meal and a wonderful show.

Donna Pike

Food was excellent and so was the entertainment! We missed Peter and Shelley but Kara and her partner, along with the band, were great!!

Patricia Parsons

Absolutely top notch talent and u learned a few things too. Getting out of Ottawa from time to time opens my mind. Great experience and the food and location for this production were perfectly suitable

Valerie Reid

The menu and meal was great and the show is absolutely incredible! So much talent presented... through song, acting... comedy. The performance is truly one of a kind.

cortana

Had a great time at the show! Staff and performers were all excellent!

dave s

Great show!Excellent performances by all!!

Miriam MacLeod (Mimi)

Food is always good. We enjoyed the show about Alcock and Brown. Fundraiser for Bridges to hope. Spirit of NL give a lot to the community. Shows are always broadly entertaining. Maybe a bit long and could have used one final edit.

Gerald Stone

Awesome show !! Great food, fantastic atmosphere . A show everyone needs to see!

bobbi barnes

Great entertainment, food and drinks !

Satin Laser Spa

Great entertainment and food. A must see!

charlene Okeefe

Always enjoy this place. A great night out with some great entertainment

Max Pohl

We stopped into this building just on a whim and discovered a world of culture and progress! Friendly, fun, informative!

Ralph Clarke

Had an absolutely amazing time very talented people

Johnathan Warren

Absolutely excellent show and food.

Brad Gray

Good food and a fantastic show!

KC NB

If I could give this 10 stars I would!

Lana Porter

Absolutely fantastic dinner and show.

richard bartlett

Always funny

Bonnie Woodford

Excellent show one of the Best and of course the meal was delicious...It was amazing!!!

b Jamesb

Great show

Sherry Locke

Wonderful service, great food ,awesome show

Jessica K

Agree with some of the other comments: mostly for locals. Talent was great, but food was very mediocre.

Tammy Norman

Top notch entertainment! My face hurt from laughing ????. Good food as well. A must see whenever you are in NL!

Brian Burke

Show was enjoyable, quite funny.and meal was good as well

Rose Jasmin

Excellent food and awesome show. We saw ABBA, very entertaining. What a tallented cast.

Ina Martin

Fantastic night, highly recommend. Bravo ????

Philip King

Awesome show. Great meal.

William Ralph Taylor

A great evening and when we get back to NL we will be back.

Rick Eddy

Meal, service, organization and entertainment were all excellent. Regrettably the original date we had booked for got changed and we could not stay for the entire performance but we will definitely book again for future shows.

R McK

Loved it! Very talented cast...made for an enjoyable evening and the supper was good quality as well! Thank you! (Warning- When 'Dolly Parton' starts her jiggling, you best not be in the front row as I was! Danger, DANGER, Will Robinson!! ;) )

Maryann Ryan

It was amazing so entertaining. Food was great but the entertainment was absolutely fabulous! Never fails to impress.

Kim Pretty19

We have had our Christmas party here for the past 4 years. We so look forward to it. Always a great time!

Dwayne Chaulk

It was great and would recommend everyone to go watch and have a great meal. I really enjoyed the evening and will definitely go again next year, can't wait!

Pamela Ezekiel

It was a great night

Shirley Boland

Had a great time here. The food was good, the entertainment was amazing! The place is beautiful.

Fran Mowbray

Saw Alcock and Brown. So well done, informative, funny and entertaining. I highly reccomend it.

YJC

Awesome as usual. Incredible night has by all.

Peter Morgan

Enjoyed the show. Location was a little rustic, but in a historic way, so nice. Vegetarian meal was a major disappointment. I would expect any decent caterer to do better and felt really bad for my dinner companion.

Kelly Price

Fantastic!!

Gord Mallard

Had an awesome time good was great and the show was very entertaining

Bruce Sheppard

What a fantastic show and delicious meal! Great talent. I would give it a five star for sure!!!!

Ken Ryan

Excellent shows.

Angela Barnes

Always amazing shows and food

Jane Nimmock

Fantastic!!

Amy Fleming

The show and food was amazing!!

Ronald Johnson

Excellent people , beautiful space.

Jennifer

I had an awesome time! Food was great and the show was hilarious! I had so much fun tonight!

Loretta Nash

The show was flawless...it was funny. Great entertainment

Roy Douglas

Delicious meal, super service and great entertainment. You can't go wrong visiting here.

John Koloda

Great ambiance and super hosts!

Colin Cox

Amazingly funny, for 3 hours you kinda forget where you are, your worries and problems and just laugh and have a great time. Good food, but it's the entertainment that will make you want to come back for more.

Douglas Porter

Live stage show and a meal