A scene in North Shore Music Theatre's production of "The Full Monty" required an actor to sit in a car on the round stage.

While the stage itself could not support a full-sized vehicle, a large section of the front end of a Chevy Spectrum was used during the show.

So, how do you get even half a car onto a round stage minus the wing space of traditional proscenium theatres without detracting from the performance?

The on-stage feat was made possible by technology.

With the almost-magical effects of lighting that direct the focus of the audience and the aid of a huge lift beneath the stage that rises up through the floor's center, actors, props and scenery make their appearance as subtly or dramatically as the production warrants.

The lift has a weight capacity of 4,000 pounds and is controlled by computers. It's the newest update to the theater in the round since a fire gutted the inside of the then 50-year old performance site last year.

"After the fire, we replaced the old lift, which was about 15 years old," said Mike Moore, director of production and operations at the theater. "And we replaced it with a faster one that travels at a greater distance and speed and lifts twice as much," he said.

Being able to use a larger section of the car lent a better effect to the production, he said of "The Full Monty" show.

After moving two other shows to the Schubert Theatre in Boston while repairs continued at the Beverly theater, "The Full Monty" and the traditional Christmas presentation of "A Christmas Carol" were the first shows to play at the renovated theater in the round.

In addition to wider, more comfortable chairs staggered for better viewing and some more handicapped space, the theatre looks much as it did before the fire.

But behind the scenes, updates in technology have made life much easier for producers and staff.

The lift, probably the most crucial piece of equipment in the theatre, controls movement of the floor which — together with colorful costumes, actors and props — supports the central focus of the show.

The mechanical operation of the floor was once controlled by stage workers who pushed buttons to control its opening, direction and speed.

Today, with software programmed for every cue, the new lift has taken on a life of its own, with stage workers maintaining and overseeing its functions.

Sound and lighting are equally important in any musical theatre and the Beverly theatre is second to none in its state-of-the-art equipment.

The award-winning theatre was designed for sound, and is renowned for its acoustics, showcasing concerts and shows with celebrity greats such as Carol Channing, Chita Rivera, Ginger Rogers and Rosemary Clooney, to name just a few.

"Our sound is better than Boston," Moore said of other theatres that don't have the vast sound systems to accommodate the challenges each musical production presents.

"We do 280 performances a year. We've made the investment in equipment," he said.

Moore noted that in the last 10 to15 years, electronics have improved sound systems.

Electronically controlled sound boards make "teching" a show easier, he said.

Every sound effect, totaling about 100 in any show, is programmed into a sound sampler, taking only minutes to record during rehearsals rather than hours of taping and splicing as once done.

Today, voice-overs, a clap of thunder or a keyboard accompaniment can be cued electronically in an instant from the sound sampler.

Lighting, once controlled only manually is also computerized using "intelligent" lights. When cued electronically, the lights literally crawl along cables— changing color, focus and intensity on command.

Moore said the lights are timed precisely and are on target every time.

"If a light shines down in a spot on the stage and the actor is not there, it's the actor who's wrong, not the light," he said with a smile.

Moore said every musical production at the round stage presents new challenges. But each show has been a success.

With no wing space to hide props and scenery, actors and props emerge effectively and often dramatically from trap doors, the hole in the floor, retractable poles or pulleys.

Productions such as "Beauty and the Beast," "Cats," "West Side Story" and "The Full Monty" have all been box office hits.

The 2006 season is slated to include "Damn Yankees," "Ain't Misbehavin," "Cinderella," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Hairspray" and "Singin' in the Rain."

Moore is not the least bit rattled about the challenges these productions are bound to present — including the rain required to replicate the famed dancing sequence actor Gene Kelly made so memorable in the original 1952 movie version of "Singin' in the Rain."

"Rain?" he asks with deadpan seriousness, "Rain's easy. We've done that before," he said, without revealing how the special effect will be accomplished.

The new season opens April 25. Tickets are now on sale.