Historic American Theater Revived in Boston
13 July 2004 - 6:10AM
PR Newswire (US)
Historic American Theater Revived in Boston The Opera House Saved
and Restored to Its Lavish 1928 Glory Reopens July 16, 2004 With
Disney's The Lion King BOSTON, July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
After more than a decade of neglect and deterioration, Boston's
Opera House will open its doors once again, welcoming audiences to
experience the original glory of this 1928 architectural jewel. On
July 16, 2004, Boston's Mayor, Thomas M. Menino, will be joined by
David Anderson, President of Theatre Management, Clear Channel
Entertainment and Tony McLean, President of Broadway in
Boston/Clear Channel Entertainment for the ribbon-cutting ceremony
to officially reopen The Opera House. After completion of a lengthy
$38 million restoration, this "palace for the people" will reopen
with the inaugural performance of the Tony(R) Award-winning musical
Disney's THE LION KING. The Opera House restoration represents a
major milestone for Broadway in Boston/Clear Channel Entertainment
as well as the Boston Redevelopment Authority, whose plans to
revitalize the downtown Ladder District are truly coming to
fruition. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040712/NYM178 ) The Lion King
will be the first live production at The Opera House since December
1990. Designed in 1928 by preeminent architect Thomas White Lamb,
The Opera House was constructed as a memorial to B.F. Keith, the
"father of vaudeville," by his business partner Edward Franklin
Albee (grandfather of playwright Edward Albee). Designed in the
ornate Beaux Arts style, with Baroque and Renaissance elements,
this lavish 2,600 seat theater opened as a vaudeville house, but by
1929, had converted to a movie house. Refurbished and renamed the
Savoy in the 1960's, the theater continued to operate as a movie
house until 1978, when The Opera Company of Boston acquired the
theater for their artistic home, keeping the theater lit until
1990. Left derelict for more then a decade, the theater's lavish
decorations began to decay; the ceiling plaster began raining down
on the seats, with water damage destroying ornate frescoes and
tapestries. On November 12, 2002, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino
presented Clear Channel Entertainment with a building permit to
formally begin the restoration of this long dormant theater. For
the past two years, a crew of over 150 workers has been
painstakingly restoring the entire theater, overseen by David
Anderson and architect Gary Martinez of Martinez & Johnson /
Architecture. Workers, artisans and historical consultants, under
the direction of Suffolk Construction, labored tenuously to
preserve the opulence of Lamb's original building and stay true to
his design, considered to be a hallmark in theater architecture
when originally constructed. Work on the 2,600 seat venue included
30,000 hours devoted to restoring plasterwork alone, refurbishment
of 352 original light fixtures, and the expansion of the stage in
order to accommodate modern, large-scale productions. Original wall
fabrics, carpets and glazes were re-created and murals were
painstakingly cleaned and restored. Throughout the process, the
primary challenge was to honor Lamb's original design, while
augmenting the theater with state-of-the-art technology systems
that would allow it to meet the demands of a modern performing arts
complex. Listed on the 1995, National Trust for Historic
Preservation's "11 Most Endangered Historic Places," the completion
of The Opera House represents Clear Channel Entertainment's second
involvement in the restoration of a landmark theater in 2004,
following the February reopening of the Hippodrome Theatre at the
France-Merrick Performing Arts Center in Baltimore. As part of
Clear Channel Entertainment's continued effort to restore and
preserve historic theaters nationwide, they are currently exploring
opportunities to rescue other endangered theaters around the
country. Other restored or historic theaters that Clear Channel
Entertainment owns and operates (either solely or through joint
ventures) include the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in New
York City; The Cadillac Palace Theater, Shubert Theater and Ford
Center for the Performing Arts Oriental in Chicago; Saenger Theatre
in New Orleans; Colonial Theatre and Wilbur Theatre in Boston;
Merriam Theatre in Philadelphia; Canon Theatre in Toronto; Warner
Theatre in Washington, D.C.; and Palace Theatre in Louisville The
Opera House promises to quickly establish its place as a venue for
the very best that Boston's Theater District has to offer. After
Disney's THE LION KING ends its much-anticipated run at The Opera
House, the theater will appropriately host the return engagement of
Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA beginning in March
2005. A newly formed relationship between Broadway in Boston/Clear
Channel Entertainment and the Boston Ballet will bring THE
NUTCRACKER to The Opera House beginning in 2005. A mix of old world
opulence and modern day technology, The Opera House will host a
broad range of local, regional and national programming. For
further information concerning The Opera House and its productions
please visit http://www.broadwayinboston.com/. Clear Channel
Entertainment, a leading producer and marketer of live
entertainment events, is a subsidiary of Clear Channel
Communications (NYSE: CCU), a global leader in the away-from-home
advertising industry. Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns,
operates and/or exclusively books approximately 130 live
entertainment venues, including nearly 100 in North America and
more than 30 in Europe. In 2003, 69 million people attended
approximately 32,000 events promoted and/or produced by the
company, including live music events; Broadway, West End and
touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; museum
exhibitions, and specialized sports and motor sports events. In
addition, the company's independently operated athlete
representation business, SFX, provides management, marketing and
financial consulting services to many of the world's top
professional athletes. Clear Channel Entertainment also provides
marketing services through LIVE Channel, a company dedicated to
creating and executing live events for companies seeking brand
promotion. Clear Channel Entertainment operates throughout North
America, Europe, and Australia. More information may be found by
visiting http://www.cc.com/ and http://www.clearchannel.com/.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040712/NYM178 DATASOURCE:
Clear Channel Entertainment CONTACT: Michael Hartman or Wayne
Wolfe, +1-212-398-1800, both for Clear Channel Entertainment Web
site: http://www.clearchannel.com/ http://www.cc.com/
http://www.broadwayinboston.com/
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