BEVERLY – Bill Hanney understood how long-time subscribers felt after the North Shore Music Theatre closed suddenly in June 2009.So even after he announced in March 2010 he would be reopening the theater, he wasn?t shocked when there wasn?t an immediate stampede to the box office in his first year as owner of the theater.?They were testing us last year. First there was the announcement,” he said. “Then we actually opened the theater and put on a show. They wanted to know ?is the show any good?? And then they might have bought tickets for a single show to see for themselves.”Hanney said things started to change after he announced the 2011 schedule. Single-ticket sales have been strong and the number of subscribers – the lifeblood of any theater – is already up 22 percent from last year.Hanney was buoyed by the success of NSMT?s production last month of “My Fair Lady,” which sold out several shows and played to about 85 percent capacity at a time of year thst is usually much slower.?It was an expensive way to open the season but the right way to open the season,” Hanney said.Hanney and new Artistic Director Arianna Knapp are very optimistic about the rest of the season, which includes the reimagined and redesigned production of Disney?s “Tarzan” from July 12-24This is Knapp?s third stint in Beverly. She first served NSMT as the company manager and later worked as associate producer under former executive producer Jon Kimbell, helping to develop new works.?The most important job I have is providing musical theater the audience is looking for,” she said. “It?s knowing what they want to see and what we do best.”Knapp said NSMT differs from other theaters she?s programmed for. “This is North Shore Music Theatre, and the artistic vision isn?t the same as, say Berkeley Rep or Arena Stage.”Before returning to this area, Knapp was a producer for the Los Angeles-based production company SenovvA, and worked on the Green Day musical “American Idiot,” “Bring it On” and “[title of show].” She was an associate producer for “American Idiot” on Broadway, and is the video and projection supervisor for the new musical “Bring it On.”The musical “Tarzan” was written by Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, based on both the 1999 Disney film and the original Edgar Rice Burroughs story “Tarzan of the Apes.”?Tarzan” tells the tale of a shipwreck that leaves an infant boy orphaned on the shores of West Africa. The helpless baby is adopted and raised by the mate of the leader of a tribe of gorillas who is grieving the loss of her baby. As he grows and matures, the boy yearns for acceptance from his ape father and to discover the reason for his uniqueness. Eventually he encounters his first human – Jane Porter, a curious young explorer – and all of their worlds are transformed.When it came to finding the right actor to play Tarzan, Hanney auditioned hundreds of actors before coming up with Brian Justin Crum, a veteran of Broadway?s “Wicked,” “Next to Normal” and “Grease.”?We had to hold additional auditions,” Hanney said. “He has to be so many different things – an actor, singer, dancer, someone who can handle the swinging involved, and look the part at the same time.”Jane is played by Andrea Goss, a member of the final cast of Broadway?s “Rent.”Knapp said the Oscar and Grammy Award-Winning music written by Phil Collins has been reorchestrated for this production.Hanney said Disney is eyeing the revised production that NSMT will debut as a model for future productions or perhaps a return to Broadway.Because of the family-oriented production, the theater will offer 50 percent off tickets for those 12 and under at evening shows for “Tarzan.”Hanney said he is constantly uplifted by the theatergoers who stop and thank him for bringing the theater back.?I thought it was a good business decision and I still think it is, but even if it wasn?t, at least it was a good thing to do,” he said.For more information on tickets and North Shore Music Theatre?s schedule, g