After a year-long delay of its original opening date, Nitehawk is finally ready to debut its new location inside Park Slope’s restored Pavilion Theater, across from Prospect Park.
A Facebook post on Nitehawk’s page revealed that the theater will hosts its grand opening on Wednesday, December 19, a date that PR reps for the company confirmed with Curbed. The official opening will be preceded by an invitation-only press preview on Tuesday, December 18.
Last November, Nitehawk founder Matthew Viragh told Curbed during a construction tour that various historic elements of the original theater had been discovered during the renovation phase. These included marble stairs underneath the carpeting, an exposed balcony, and ceiling panels.
Nighthawk wanted to preserve as many of these elements as possible and went back to the drawing board to incorporate them into the new multiplex, resulting in delays to its 2017, and later, its early 2018 anticipated opening dates.
Excerpt from a New York Times review March 31, 1966:
“Twentieth Century-Fox opened [The Murder Game] yesterday at the Lyric Theater on 42d Street. At this showcase yesterday, where a boisterous mob had piled in to see "Our Man Flint,” topping the double bill, the first twenty minutes of the little picture were inaudible. Suddenly, though, you could have heard a pin drop. Why? Well, there’s this guy who suddenly catches on to a plot by his pretty young wife and a blackmailing handyman to do him in. For money, of course…"
People demand refunds after utterly ‘sloppy’ performance of ‘The Wiz’
Thomas Novelly, Louisville Courier Journal Published 2:15 p.m. ET Dec. 4, 2018
Dorothy forgot her lines, the Cowardly Lion looked more like a bear and the magical land of Oz was displayed on a laptop projector.
A subpar performance of “The Wiz” put on by a concert promotion agency this past weekend at the Brown Theatre has caused dozens of Louisville customers to call and demand refunds, according to an employee at the Kentucky Center For the Performing Arts.
“The Wiz” is an adaptation of the classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” starring an all-black cast.
Island Entertainment KC, of Kansas City, Missouri, put on two shows Dec. 1 at the Brown Theatre. Tickets cost between $35 to $65.
Several people were distraught over the performance and wanted their money back, an employee of the Kentucky Center told the Courier Journal. The person declined to give a name because the employee is not authorized to speak publicly.
“The whole thing is weird,” the employee said. “Some people didn’t stay more than nine minutes through the show. There was a woman who was so distraught she walked out and spent the entire time talking to the ticket sales people as the show was going on.”
Helen Barnett, who spent $65 for seats, said she was a fan of “The Wiz” because of its all-black cast. But she described the show as “janky.”
“It was terrible. Dorothy was wearing a Walmart dress. They forgot their dialogues … at one point Dorothy said she wanted to go back to Texas!” (In “The Wiz,” Dorothy is from Harlem while Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” is from Kansas.)
Actually, the “dynamic architectural projection-mapped media on the ceiling of Radio City Music Hall” looked pretty good, and in a way brought the show from the stage all the way to the third mezzanine more than once during the proceedings.
However, the wretched 3-D Santa ride was abysmal, looking fake and dated, and worst of all, each section of the three-panel screen had different coloring/brightness and the seams were plainly visible. It’s time to overhaul or eliminate this particular number.
Never mind, I found the information in the article posted above, to wit:
Let’s not forget that the original motion-picture house, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was dubbed the State Theater during its construction — that name is still visible in stone above the marquee — but opened in 1926 as the Carlton Theatre, and was rebranded yet again as the Monmouth Arts Center, the name given upon reopening after a three-year shutdown in the 1970s.
“New 42nd Street found successful new uses for all seven of the block’s other theaters, but efforts to get the lights back on at the Times Square have fallen frustratingly short.”
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Text:
After a year-long delay of its original opening date, Nitehawk is finally ready to debut its new location inside Park Slope’s restored Pavilion Theater, across from Prospect Park.
A Facebook post on Nitehawk’s page revealed that the theater will hosts its grand opening on Wednesday, December 19, a date that PR reps for the company confirmed with Curbed. The official opening will be preceded by an invitation-only press preview on Tuesday, December 18.
Last November, Nitehawk founder Matthew Viragh told Curbed during a construction tour that various historic elements of the original theater had been discovered during the renovation phase. These included marble stairs underneath the carpeting, an exposed balcony, and ceiling panels.
Nighthawk wanted to preserve as many of these elements as possible and went back to the drawing board to incorporate them into the new multiplex, resulting in delays to its 2017, and later, its early 2018 anticipated opening dates.
Really, made its debut, not his…
Excerpt from a New York Times review March 31, 1966:
“Twentieth Century-Fox opened [The Murder Game] yesterday at the Lyric Theater on 42d Street. At this showcase yesterday, where a boisterous mob had piled in to see "Our Man Flint,” topping the double bill, the first twenty minutes of the little picture were inaudible. Suddenly, though, you could have heard a pin drop. Why? Well, there’s this guy who suddenly catches on to a plot by his pretty young wife and a blackmailing handyman to do him in. For money, of course…"
I can’t get the link to open; can you add the photo to this page, please.
Thanks for those excellent photos, HomecrestGuy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a semi-wraparound marquee before — it’s beautiful.
Still an auto repair shop… current photo posted
Two advertisements added to photo section
Three nice photos from the theater’s website added.
Trouble at the Brown:
People demand refunds after utterly ‘sloppy’ performance of ‘The Wiz’ Thomas Novelly, Louisville Courier Journal Published 2:15 p.m. ET Dec. 4, 2018
Dorothy forgot her lines, the Cowardly Lion looked more like a bear and the magical land of Oz was displayed on a laptop projector.
A subpar performance of “The Wiz” put on by a concert promotion agency this past weekend at the Brown Theatre has caused dozens of Louisville customers to call and demand refunds, according to an employee at the Kentucky Center For the Performing Arts.
“The Wiz” is an adaptation of the classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” starring an all-black cast.
Island Entertainment KC, of Kansas City, Missouri, put on two shows Dec. 1 at the Brown Theatre. Tickets cost between $35 to $65.
Several people were distraught over the performance and wanted their money back, an employee of the Kentucky Center told the Courier Journal. The person declined to give a name because the employee is not authorized to speak publicly.
“The whole thing is weird,” the employee said. “Some people didn’t stay more than nine minutes through the show. There was a woman who was so distraught she walked out and spent the entire time talking to the ticket sales people as the show was going on.”
Helen Barnett, who spent $65 for seats, said she was a fan of “The Wiz” because of its all-black cast. But she described the show as “janky.”
“It was terrible. Dorothy was wearing a Walmart dress. They forgot their dialogues … at one point Dorothy said she wanted to go back to Texas!” (In “The Wiz,” Dorothy is from Harlem while Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” is from Kansas.)
Full story at link
Recent photos added
I notice pre-famous Neil Simon’s name is in tiny letters in the credits.
What kind of stuff is in the dumpsters
1941 tax photo added
Interior pics from the Motion Picture Herald added in photos
Two new photos added
You have the power to remove your own duplicate posts…
Actually, the “dynamic architectural projection-mapped media on the ceiling of Radio City Music Hall” looked pretty good, and in a way brought the show from the stage all the way to the third mezzanine more than once during the proceedings.
However, the wretched 3-D Santa ride was abysmal, looking fake and dated, and worst of all, each section of the three-panel screen had different coloring/brightness and the seams were plainly visible. It’s time to overhaul or eliminate this particular number.
10 Days in a Nudist Camp is currently available for viewing on Amazon Prime Video.
Navinst, grow a pair and go. But please don’t report back here…
The Liberty is not on the north side of 42nd Street, which is the view shown here.
Never mind, I found the information in the article posted above, to wit:
Let’s not forget that the original motion-picture house, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was dubbed the State Theater during its construction — that name is still visible in stone above the marquee — but opened in 1926 as the Carlton Theatre, and was rebranded yet again as the Monmouth Arts Center, the name given upon reopening after a three-year shutdown in the 1970s.
The name State appears on the front of the building, near the top. Was this house ever called the State?
I saw a movie here this weekend, in cinema 9, and the theater was big and clean, the sound was just right, and the image was bright and clear.
Although one sentence is still very relevant:
“New 42nd Street found successful new uses for all seven of the block’s other theaters, but efforts to get the lights back on at the Times Square have fallen frustratingly short.”