The Brook casino in Seabrook opens live events showroom. Restaurants, more still coming.
The Brook casino in Seabrook opens live events showroom. Restaurants, more still coming.
Max Sullivan - Portsmouth Herald
SEABROOK — Seabrook has a brand-new showroom at its local sportsbook and casino as The Brook continued its extensive addition and renovation on its 75-acre property.
Seasons Showroom had its soft opening at The Brook on Sept. 1 with a Jason Aldean tribute band and then hosted a sold-out show with Emmy award-winning actor and comedian Jeremy Piven. The venue seats 300 guests with comfortable couches and booths, high-top tables, a dedicated bar area and multiple VIP sections.
Seasons Showroom will feature regular live music shows at The Brook this fall and winter, including the Aerosmith tribute band Draw the Line on New Year's Eve.
“So far, so good,” said Andre Carrier, CEO of The Brook. He said the Showroom is The Brook’s first foray into live entertainment on a larger scale. The venue will host regular headliner music events, tribute bands and comedians, with Wanted DOA, a Bon Jovi tribute band, slated for Thursday, Nov. 10. Aerosmith tribute band Draw the Line will play New Year’s Eve. The shows are $35 per general admission ticket.
“I don’t want to say this is a toe in the water,” Carrier said, “But I think for us, entertainment as a component, live entertainment as a business, this is our first way to understand that.”
Seasons Showroom is part of The Brook’s multi-million-dollar renovation of its 90,000-square-foot casino. That long-term project recently saw the addition of a new gaming room, as well as a ballroom that overlooks the former greyhound track. The casino also recently added historic horse racing and now touts the largest sportsbook in New England at 20,000 square feet with stadium seating and big-screen televisions.
The Brook working on long-term renovations
The Brook opened in 2019 after the Nevada-based company Eureka Casino Resort purchased the former Seabrook Greyhound Park at 319 New Zealand Road near the ramp to Interstate 95. The track was once used for racing greyhounds, but the state outlawed the racing in 2008. The facility remained open for some gaming but saw dwindling use until it was bought by Eureka.
Seasons Showroom will feature regular live music shows at The Brook this fall and winter, including the Aerosmith tribute band Draw the Line on New Year's Eve.
Carrier, who is also the CEO of Eureka, is working to reinvent the property with The Brook. The Brook already includes hospitality including a large outdoor deck with seating and a giant big-screen television.
Carrier said two new restaurants are in the works, too, one of which will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“There aren’t enough places to have breakfast in the Seacoast,” Carrier said. The menu will feature “a lot of traditional comfort foods,” he said. Regarding the second restaurant, he said it was too soon to release details.
Moving forward
The Brook has been looking for new ways to develop the property, last month proposing 332 new luxury housing units. Variances for the project were rejected by the town Zoning Board after residents expressed concern for the development’s impact on their neighborhood.
Carrier said the property will be developed, but The Brook will be working with residents and town boards to find the best way to build out the property while meeting the community’s needs. He said they put forth a sizeable project and believes it met “Seacoast standards,” but was willing to work with the town on finding the right size and use for the project.
He said The Brook will also consider more than just residential projects as it continues to look at developing the former greyhound track property.
“I think we’re continuing to find a way to live our motto of ‘Live free and play,’” Carrier said.