Opera House

I don't believe that this statement

"...it became the Opera House, no doubt in tribute to Boston's Opera House..." is correct. In 1978 Sarah Caldwell's struggling Opera Company of Boston was performing in the Orpheum, squeezed in between rock concerts. In the fall of 1978 or maybe early 1979, I think, they got access to the "Savoy" which I think Sack Cinemas had closed by then. I believe they intended to make it their home and thus the renaming to The Opera House. I worked on productions that first season in the theater. They were in there for few seasons. I'm not sure if the failing of the Opera company or the need for major renovations or both resulted in the theater being abandoned.

I've heard that it is in really bad shape now.

When I visited Boston in March 2000 the Opera House seemed to be under renovation with temporary lights in the foyer and workmen inside. I was told that it had been acquired for theatre use with long running touring shows in mind - such as Phantom of the Opera and Lion King (this was from the manager of the Colonial!). It seems a beautiful building so I hope this true.

Restoration of this theater has been delayed for several years by NIMBY philistine neighbors who live in ugly condominium towers behind the theater. They don't want to lose access to the (worthless, narrow) street that separates the theater from their buildings.

During the time that it was the Sack Savoy Theater, it was divided into two screens. This division was undone when it became the Opera House.

There was originally a corridor leading to a second entrance on Tremont Street, but this was demolished about 10 years ago to make way for condominiums.

For the last three years I have been retained as a consultant to pursue the public permits for the restoration of the Opera House. Contrary to what some think the theater is in remarkable condition. It is a Thomas Lamb design and in the context of the period in which it was constructed, it was one of the most expensive Lamb theaters to have been built.

The Boston preservation community are staunch supporters of this project.

The theater, in part, was built on the foundation of a 1854 theater called the Boston Theater and when the present theater wads opened on October 29, 1928 the CEO of the owning corporation was none other than Mr. Joseph Kennedy the father of the late president and the current Senator from Massachusetts.

Any questions, or groups that may wish to tour please reach out to me.

Yes, the RKO Keith Memorial became the Opera House during Sarah Caldwell's time there with her opera company. In the fifties, however, I spent a lot of time in that theater watching my favorite movies. That is a treasure that Boston cannot afford to lose. The city has lost too many already including its sister, the RKO Boston, which had Cinerama movies before becoming a porn house and then being demolished. And of course we have to controversial demolition of the actual Opera House on Huntington Avenue in the fifties. Thank god the Wang family saved the Metropolitan.

Re the Memorial Theatre Boston.
Taken over by the ClearChannel group for conversion into a live theatre, it is slated for reopening in May 2004 with the Disney production of "The Lion King"
I visited the theatre in Dec 2001 before the renovations were started, and was amazed that the theatre was so structerally sound and completly unaltered,apart from some superficial water damage to the plaster. The WOW factor in the theatre is superb.
Will be a great asset to Boston when it reopens.
regards Andy

I would like to see the BF Keith name be used after the restoration. Naming rights of historic theatres should include the historic name. A compromise could be made such as the case in Chicago with the "Ford Center Oriental" and in New York with the "Cadillac Winter Garden". Brucec

When Sack Theatres took over and re-named it the Savoy,all they did was effectivly drop the firewall and build a small theatre in the backstage area, never touching the main house. They put in a large screen and curtain in front of the arch.

When The RKO Keith's Memorial Theatre was a single screen movie theatre it seated 2907 people.

"The Lion King" reopens this house in July, 2004 (not May).

Until then, the status should be "Restoring", not "Closed".

AS OF TODAY`S DATE, IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA, WALK DOWN MASON ST. AT THE THEATRE`S REAR,THEY ARE REPLACING THE ENTIRE BACKSTAGE TO THE REAR OF THE FIREWALL JUST LIKE THEY DID TO THE METROPOLITAN(WANG)ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO. MASON ST. STARTS AT THE NEW LOEWS BOSTON COMMON COMPLEX ON AVERY ST.

Clear Channel Communications is restoring the building you can read the pdf here:
http://www.nationaltrust.org/about_the_trust/newsletters/nero/nero-0204.pdf

The problem is now one has to buy a ticket and endure the Lion King in order to see this theater. And while every night I lie awake worrying if Michael Eisner is going to lose his job or not I don't believe it should be neccessary to buy $100 dollar tickets for a show one avoids in New York in order to see an historic landmark. Free the New Amsterdam!

Boston Ballet's Nutcracker will move into this theater in the late fall of 2006.

Oops, I meant late fall of *2005*. Anyway, there will be plenty of other shows in this theater besides the Lion King. Hopefully we'll get some opera, too.

Have they decided which name they are going to use for this theatre? I hope the BF Keith name is used such as BF Keith Opera House or BF Keith Memorial Opera House or whatever name is going to be used if clear channel sells the naming rights.I hope an electrical Vertical and canopy are retored to this theatre. Please don't put a boring marquee like was done on the Wang. Remember the fun starts on the sidewalk. I know the theatre is going to be gorgeous after the restoration. Im very happy to see the Clear Channel is going to host The Nutcracker Ballet since the Wang is going with the Radio City Spectacular. I think the BF Keith Opera House will be more suitable for broadway shows and the Wang can concentrate on concerts and other programming.brucec

The Lion King ads refer to this venue as the "Opera House".

It's now open and it is still called the "Opera House".

More information on the Opera House's opening two weeks ago can be read here:
http://www.broadwayinboston.com/html/new/index_news.html

I've been going to this noble theatre since the late 1950s and have visited it under the name of R.K.O Keith's, Savoy, and Opera House. Its emergence from long-dormancy arouses ovations. Everything about the place excites us with its class-act beauty.

yes my grandfather lived and worked in Boston in the early 1900's/ He was born in 1898 or 99 we are not sure. He was born in Napoli Italy . He also perfomed in Boston during the vaudville era. I have 2 photographs from then and was wondering where i could go to find out if they were actually taken on the b.f.keith memorial stage(now the Opera House)or somewhere else in old Boston(Scolly Square Theatre).The sign he is infront of on stage reads: RED HOT ALL HOT.THERE ARE 2 MEN ONDSTAGE MY GRANDFATHER AND ANOTHE MAN IN bLACK FACE. No one in our family is alive to tell us the history of the photo. thank you Jan Walsh

It would be nice if somebody could update the photo on this theatre since it has been restored.brucec

I have a booklet called "Boston Theatre District: A Walking Tour", published by the Boston Preservation Alliance in 1993. It says:

Designed by Thomas Lamb, the Keith Memorial Theatre (later the Savoy and, most recently, the Opera House) was constructed in 1928 in the Mediterranen Baroque/Beaux-Arts tradition. The 26-foot-wide by 96-foot-high, high-relief façade on Washington Street is of glazed white terra cotta. The theatre extends 307 feet through the block to a rear entrance on Mason Street. The original bronze ticket booth, bronze poster display cases, and ceiling chandelier and wall sconces are intact. The sumptuous interior combines elements of the European Baroque and English "Adam" styles, with a color scheme of white, red, and gold.

The building has experiencd only minor alterations and is in relatively good condition throughout. The stair landing on the second floor is referred to as Memorial Hall because it was originally the location of the bust of B.F. Keith, theatre developer and impresario.

Dedicated to Benjamin Franklin Keith (1846-1914), the founder of vaudeville, the theatre was planned by his successors as a lavish tribute to his memory. During the 1890's Keith established a chain of popularly priced theatres, which by his death numbered 400. He is baried in the Newton Centre Cemtery, his grave fittingly marked by an enormous Corinthian column.

The Keith Memorial was buit on the foundation of the 1854 Boston Theatre, a grand theatre/opera house with a seating capacity of 3140.

The Boston Globe Sunday magazine published this article about the Opera House's restoration last spring.

When it was still the Savoy, back in May 1967, a crowd of 15,000 people gathered for a free promotional showing of Casino Royale -- scheduled for 4 am! Obviously that number of people could not fit into even this theatre, and a riot ensued.

Some notes on the Opera House (Aka RKO Keith Memorial, aka Savoy)
It got renamed Savoy by Ben Sack when in the late 60s the D'Oyly Carte Company came to Boston to perform Gilbert & Sullivan; they were originally set to use the old University Theater (later the Harvard Square), which was deemed unfit for their productions at the time.
According to Douglas Tucci, in an article titled 'The Boston Rialto'
the terra cotta entrance on Washington st. served as entrance to 3 theaters, the Opera House, the Bijou, and an older 'B.F. Keith' theater, the auditorium of which apparently ran along Mason st. The Bijou was a small second floor theater whose main attraction was a waterfall enclosed in a glass staircase. All 3 could be accessed from the main corridor that runs from Washington to Mason st. The older 'B.F. Keith was demolished years ago. All 3 could also be accessed from Tremont st by a passageway that originally went in a tunnel under Mason st., but in my lifetime, was only a passageway through some buildings, so you had to come outdoors again, cross Mason st. and enter the current corridor. Someone told me about 15 years ago that part of the glass waterfall stair was still there, under carpeting, at the rear of a shoe store fronting on Washington st., but I doubt that it would still be there now, with all the construction, redevelopment stuff going on.

My memory of the Sack Savoy days is that it was a shortcut from Washington St to the Commons. You could cut through the theatre via a very long corridor lined with movie posters of current and coming attractions then cross a very narrow & smelly alley/street and then continue along another corridor and even more posters till you ended up across the street from Boston Commons.
I was a poster collector and would take the route just to see what was new.

From a Boston Globe article published on June 27, 2004:

Fred McLennan, an expert on Boston theaters who was a projectionist at the Keith and later the Savoy, credits the late Ben Sack, who took over many of the downtown theaters, with saving the Savoy. "They were actually boarding it up when he bought it in 1965," McLennan says.

(This article also says that the Savoy was split into two theatres in 1971.)

From a Boston Globe article published on June 5, 1995:

Sarah Caldwell's Opera Company of Boston bought the Savoy in 1978 and renamed it. Caldwell and company produced 12 seasons in the hall, some of them spectacular.

But the Opera Company's finances have historically been a shambles, and its lack of money for maintenance showed in the beautiful building, which deteriorated throughout the 1980s.

Caldwell's company produced its last local opera, "The Balcony," at the Opera House in 1990. The last performance, by Yanni, took place in May 1991. The following year, the building was seriously vandalized. Boston Edison shut off the utilities, and the building became so decrepit it came close to being condemned.

From today's Boston Globe:

Citizens Bank is nearing a deal to put its name on the newly renovated Opera House in downtown Boston, according to people briefed on the talks.

The negotiations are not complete, but are expected to wrap up soon. The deal, if reached, would give Citizens a new and prominent platform in the arts and entertainment community to rival the presence of major competitors, such as Bank of America Corp. and TD Banknorth Inc.
...
No details about either the possible price or the proposed new name for the Opera House were available yesterday.

I don't see the point of this, since the Opera House is fully restored and fully booked. It doesn't need this money. If Citizens wants to put its name on a venue and generate goodwill in the community, how about contributing to restoration of the Modern or Paramount or RKO Boston instead?

According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the RKO Keith Memorial closed on June 13, 1965, at which point Ben Sack bought it and reopened it as the Savoy.

Some of the expanded stagehouse and loading docks for the Opera House appear to occupy part of the space where two earlier theatres once stood: the Bijou (later briefly called the Intown) and the first BF Keith's Theatre (later called Lyric, Normandie and Laffmovie among other names.).

The Bijou closed in the 1940s as a result of stricter fire laws enacted after the Cocoanut Grove nightclub disaster; its fire exits had led to the two adjoining theatres rather than to the outdoors.

The first BF Keith Theatre, by then called the Laffmovie, was demolished in the early 1950s by the neighboring Boston Herald-Traveler newspaper, which wanted to expand its operations.

[information compiled from several sources in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library, including Douglas Shand-Tucci's unpublished 1968 draft manuscript The Puritan Muse and Donald C. King's Historical Survey of the Theatres of Boston, published in the Third Quarter 1974 issue of the Theatre Historical Society's magazine Marquee.]

From the Bostonian Society Library, here's a 1943 photo of the theatre, along with the accompanying description.

In this photo, the theatre is called RKO Keith's, and its marquee advertises Ginger Rogers in "Tender Comrade". Just beyond the Keith's is the Modern Theatre, advertising a double-feature of Ida Lupino in "In Our Time" and Joel McCrea in "Buffalo Bill". Across the street is the R.H. White department store (later demolished and replaced by a parking lot).

A banner hanging over the street advertises "COMING IN PERSON / TARS AND SPARS / VICTOR MATURE / CAST OF 50 / RKO BOSTON JUNE 1". You cannot see the RKO Boston theatre in this photo, because it is behind and to the right of the camera position.

A winter 1934 nighttime photo of this part of Washington Street, showing the Normandie, Bijou, RKO Keith's, and Modern theatres all lit. The photo is described here.

A 1950 photo (described here), showing part of the RKO Keith's vertical sign, marquee, and entrance on Tremont Street. The marquee advertises a premiere of Walt Disney's "Cinderella".

This entrance no longer exists, having been demolished in the 1980s to make way for condominiums.

The "Opera House" sign on top of the marquee has been covered over. This makes me wonder if a renaming is imminent. (See my March 19 post above.)

Today's Boston Globe reports:

Bank to rename theater
Opera House pact to enhance Citizens' image

Citizens Bank has signed a deal to rename Boston's Opera House.

The bank has agreed to a seven-year pact involving the Washington Street landmark, which is expected to be called The Citizens Bank Theatre. The accord will give Citizens broad reach across Boston's theater scene, including mentions in all advertising for Broadway in Boston shows, tickets, and the ability to sponsor community events.
...
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Clear Channel Entertainment, the division of media giant Clear Channel Communications Inc. that owns the Opera House, first approached Citizens and other Massachusetts companies in December 2003, asking for about $8.5 million over 10 years. At the time, no companies agreed. The deal is likely to be at a lower price because it spans seven years, not 10, and because the bank did not accept Clear Channel's first pitch in 2003.

Smyth said the bank plans to use the sponsorship to host customers and to give away tickets to community groups. It is planning a special event for nonprofits, which will include an open house, performances and theater classes. The bank also plans to sponsor a concierge booth to loan theater guests opera glasses.

At every performance, Citizens plans to pick two guests at random to receive free tickets and drink coupons. Down the road, it wants to create an exhibit of the theater's history.
...
As the theater's name changes, Clear Channel will switch its advertisements for shows and fix some theater posters to reflect the new name, said Drew Murphy, the president of Broadway in Boston. He said much of the money raised from the naming rights sale will go to restoring the theater.

A picture postcard of the RKO Keith's and the 'New Adams House Restaurant' next door. Sorry, I don't know the date, but the marquee advertises the movie State Fair with Jeanne Crain, which was released in 1945.

Since this image comes from the Google cache of an auction site, I don't know how long it will stay around. Here's a another copy of it.

The Adams House Restaurant at 533 Washington St. lingered into the late 1980s, but was eventually replaced by a nightclub called the Hub Club. The current occupant is another nightclub called Felt.

The Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey has an extensive online record of this theatre. It contains 31 black-and-white photos, 9 pages of blueprints, three pages of photo captions, and a 63-page report on the theatre's history and architecture.

The former 163 Tremont Street entrance predated this theatre. It was built in 1897 as an entrance to the first BF Keith's Theatre, and included a stairway and tunnel under Mason Street. Unfortunately, its elaborate detail had been either removed or covered over by the time Sack Theatres took over. Few people mourned it when it was demolished in the mid-1980s.

Some picture postcards of that entrance, when it was still grand:

1905 picture postcard, described here. Keith's entrance is the green, arched building near the left side.

Another picture postcard, from 1908, described here.

Keith's by Night, described here.

Keith's Theatre at Night postcard, described here.

The 'Opera House' sign is back, but now in white-on-black letters that match the 'Phantom of the Opera' logo in style. Maybe they're going to wait until June, when Phantom's run is scheduled to end, before renaming the theatre.

A 1945 photo of the RKO Keith's and the Paramount. The photo is described here. It looks like someone is part way through repainting the Paramount's vertical sign.

Sandwiched between the RKO Keith's and the Paramount is another marquee. You can just barely see the words "New Normandie" on top of it. This is actually the first B. F. Keith's Theatre, which by 1945 was no longer part of the RKO-Keith circuit and had been renamed several times.

Here's the same scene, but taken from the opposite direction. Photo is described here.

Clear Channel has announced plans to spin off its live-entertainment division. I don't know what effect, if any, this will have on the Opera House.

Has Arthur Fiedler or John Williams ever conducted in this venue?

I very much doubt it. I believe that Sarah Caldwell's Opera Company of Boston is the only organization ever to present any form of classical music here.

From 1983 to 1986, I was a member of the Opera Company of Boston [beginning as an intern and ending up as their production stage manager and occasional onstage actor] and I have such fond memories of working at the Opera House.

Although it was somewhat run down at that time, and replacement parts for everything from the seats to the heating system were hard to come by, it was still very elegant and a fascinating place to explore.

The lobby, fashioned after the Paris Opera, was beautiful and was used for a series of lunchtime and holiday concerts, as well as the company's 25th anniversary dinner. [A kitchen was tucked under the grand staircase.]

A nursery, whose mirrored walls concealed closets for toys and other supplies, floated above the theater's entry hall. This was one of the remnants of the services the theatre offered in its day as a movie palace.

Our offices were located in a five-story attachment to the back of the theatre. Some of the rooms had full baths, which implied they could double as overnight accommodations for visiting artists.

Under the stage, off of the dingy orchestra "green room," was a tiled room with a large rectangular tub in the center. The room, which was a mess, appeared to be a slop room and was filled with discarded buckets of paint. I asked our tech director one day what the room originally was for and he replied, "It was the seal room." "The seal room...?" I repeated. "What was that?"

He led me to the stage's pin rail. At one end was a bricked up opening. It had originally housed a small elevator, which lifted the animal acts from the basement "seal room" to the stage. [I told you the place was fascinating!]

My first production for the company took place during a very cold Boston winter and marked Eva Marton’s first American performances in Puccini’s “Turandot.” There was no onstage heating and numerous small openings in the stage house roof. For rehearsals we scattered a few small space heaters about the stage on extension cords. It was mostly a psychological gesture. It was only through Ms. Marton’s good graces and that of the other leads and company chorus that we managed to make it through to a spectacular opening night.

But the most wonderful aspect of the theatre, to us, was its perfect acoustics and clear sightlines. That made suffering all the house's mechanical problems worthwhile...for the singers, the company members, and our audiences alike.

Restoration of the theatre at that time was not a financial option for the Opera Company of Boston. There were occasions when Sarah Caldwell would take a drive and return with a check from a Board member just to forestall Boston Edison from terminating service!

A year or two after I left, the Opera Company shuttered and the theatre went dark. There it stood for many years alongside the old Paramount Theatre, both decaying away. It filled me with sadness just to think about that.

I am so happy now that Clear Channel has saved the Opera House in time and beautifully returned it to use as a theatre.

-- EJC

Donald C. King's new book The Theatres of Boston: A Stage and Screen History has an extensive description of this theatre, with many photos.

It opened on October 29, 1928. Opening policy was "vaudeville at 2:15 and 8:15 P.M., photoplay at 1, 4, 7, and 10 o'clock, continuous shows Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays." In May 1929 it dropped the feature films and played only vaudeville; I don't know how long this policy lasted. In September 1933, it dropped vaudeville in favor of first-run double-feature films.

On October 7, 1953, the first CinemaScope feature, The Robe, opened here, on a screen 51 feet wide and 20 feet high.

Ben Sack bought it in June 1965 and reopened it as the Savoy Theatre on August 3, 1965. In September 1971, Sack built a wall within the proscenium arch and turned the stage into the Savoy 2 and the dressing rooms into apartments, temporarily ending the theatre's use for live shows.

The Opera Company of Boston bought the Savoy from Sack for $885,000 on October 19, 1978 and burned the mortgage the following August.

From today's Boston Globe:

Mayor fighting effort to rename Opera House

Mayor Thomas M. Menino is quietly blocking plans to stamp the corporate logo of Citizens Bank on Boston's historic Opera House.

Four months after the bank and Clear Channel Entertainment announced plans to rename the newly reopened Washington Street landmark, it remains the Opera House -- a name the theater is likely to keep, in one way or another, as long as the mayor has any say in the matter.

Citizens reportedly paid Clear Channel less than $4 million for the seven-year naming rights agreement. Soon after the April 1 announcement of the deal, the bank expected to unfurl banners and to launch a series of promotions touting the showplace as the Citizens Bank Theatre.

But shortly after the deal was announced, Menino and his point man in the Opera House project, Boston Redevelopment Authority executive director Harry Collings, expressed their displeasure to Citizens and Clear Channel.

City officials and bank and Clear Channel executives have been meeting on and off since, trying to come to some resolution, Collings said. Compromises have been floated -- calling the theater the Citizens Opera House, for instance -- and sunk.

''The mayor feels that the Opera House is a very significant landmark, and that we need to do everything possible to protect this historic building," Collings said yesterday. ''The city and the BRA have worked for years with the preservation community and the arts community to save and restore these three crown jewels -- the Opera House, the Paramount, and the Modern Theater.

''The Opera House on its own is a very strong Boston identity and brand," Collings said.

Menino spent seven years maneuvering and cutting deals to pave the way for Clear Channel to purchase and begin refurbishing the decaying Opera House in 2002. When the theater reopened, following a $37 million restoration last summer, the mayor cut the ribbon and led the first official tour.

''The Opera House would be falling down right now" if it weren't for Boston's mayor, Clear Channel Theatrical president David Anderson said before the opening ceremony last July. ''We owe him. We will help him however we can."

But Menino was not consulted about the Citizens/Clear Channel plans, and the notoriously thin-skinned chief executive was said to have been infuriated. The fact the mayor and his staff learned about the naming rights deal only when they were invited to a press announcement added insult to a sense of injury.

A Citizens spokeswoman declined comment yesterday on the dispute. Anderson of Clear Channel was traveling and could not be reached for comment.

Asked how changing the name of a theater could harm it, Collings said that the Opera House bears a singular Boston identity and brand.

''People may say the Opera House used to be the Keith or the Savoy," Collings said. But artists who used the theater and the disparate interests who struggled to save it have always referred to the building as the Opera House. ''It's always going to be the Opera House."

Drew Murphy, recently named president of Clear Channel Entertainment/Broadway in Boston, said yesterday the company is still working with Citizens, its bank, and the mayor's office to resolve the dispute.

I personally think the "Opera House" name is silly - it wasn't built or designed as an opera house (for example, the way Boston's late REAL Opera House on Huntington Ave. was). It was built as the B. F. Keith's Memorial - and was known as RKO Keith's for the majority of it's existence.

I love how Menino cares so much about a NAME and yet had no qualms about letting a great theater like the Gaiety/Publix fall to the wrecking ball.

The original agreement to save this theatre included a stipulation that Sarah Caldwell's Opera Company of Boston be granted the right to continue staging operas here for several weeks each year. However, the company doesn't exist anymore, and Sarah Caldwell is quite old now.

I believe that this is currently called Boston Opera House, not just Opera House.

No, it has never had the word "Boston" in its name.

It's official: The Opera House will not be renamed 'Citizens Bank Theatre'. From Steve Bailey's column in today's Globe:

------------
This spring, Citizens Financial signed a deal with Clear Channel Entertainment to rename Boston's Opera House ''The Citizens Bank Theatre." But then Tom Menino, who worked hard on the renovation, let it be known he was not happy about seeing the name disappear. Citizens got the message and pulled out.

''To change it to Citizens Bank Theatre didn't make a lot of sense to me," said Menino, who cost Clear Channel a reported $4 million in a seven-year naming rights deal.

Citizens declined to comment. Clear Channel didn't return my call about future plans to sell the naming rights.

Does projection equipment still exist in this theatre? Is there a 70mmm screen there?

The Opera House does indeed sit on the site of the old Boston Theatre (1854-1925), a big legit house with over 3000 seats, 3 balconies and a huge stage. The Opera House entrance facade on Washington Street is in the exact location of the Boston Theatre's entrance. After about 1908, the Boston was run by the Keith organization. Next to the Boston's north wall on Mason Street was a firehouse, which later closed. When Ed Albee decided to build the Keith Memorial Theatre, he acquired the firehouse and demolished both it and the Boston Theatre. This provided a larger site which means that the Opera House is wider than the Boston Theatre was. I first went to this theatre in the late-1940s with older brother and his friends. The main floor was full so we had to sit in the balcony. As we started up the grand staircase, I noted with glee that some wit had placed two pieces of popcorn in the eyes of the B.F. Keith bust on the stair landing making it appear that he had two cat eyes or lion eyes. (Well, he was a lion of show business!) This big heavy bronze bust was removed for safekeeping in the mid-1970s and was stored at the Teele Sq. Theatre in Somerville. Now, it's back in place where it belongs.

The entrance on Tremont Street was located right next to the south wall of Tremont on the Common. It was constructed in the mid-1890s for the original Keith's Theatre which had opened in 1894. I don't know if it was an adaptation of an existing building, or if it was new construction. It was very ornate in appearance. I don't know what was located in the upper floors. One went in, purchased a ticket, and then went downstairs into a tunnel under Mason Street and then up into the north side of the Keith's Theatre. The entire structure including the tunnel was beautifully decorated. When the Keith Memorial was built, this entrance on Tremont Street was adapted for it. At some point the tunnel ceased to be used, and one had to go outside and cross Mason Street on the surface. Sometime in the mid-1940s, the structure was "modernized" inside and out. The tunnel staircase was covered over. I used this entrance many times. There was a boxoffice there- you bought a ticket, then went out the rear door and crossed Mason St. to enter the rear of the Keith Memorial arcade. The two doors on Mason street were not opposite one another- you walked a diagonal in a northeasterly direction. But at night, both doors were brightly lit, in contrast to the general darkness of Mason St. You could not get lost ! You then walked east down the arcade and turned left to enter the Grand Foyer and have your ticket taken. The arcade and Tremont St. entrance continued in use right into the Opera Company of Boston era. However, there was no longer a box office in the structure. I last used it on April 11, 1984 to leave after a performance of "Madame Butterly". A large number of other audience members also exited through it. The original stage door of the KM was on Mason Street, just north of the arcade entrance. But the Opera Company did not use it; instead they created a new stage entrance in the west end of the arcade itself. The old tunnel was still there in the 1980s: You could access the east end of the tunnel from the basement under the arcade and stage.It was still fancily decorated, but pitch-dark. I went into it for a few yards during an open house at the theatre around 1978 and again in 1983. In March 1987, the Tremont St. lobby was demolished. I went by the site and noted that heaps of bricks had been pushed into the west end of the tunnel. I don't know what happened to the east end of the tunnel when the Opera House stage was reconstructed in 2004. In 2003, I was astonished to see that the Tremont Street lobby building had been recreated on the original site. Although not fancey like the 1895 original, it has a theatrical look. Someone told me that it is possible that the developers for that site were required to recreate the entrance, even though the Opera House no longer has access for audience members from Mason St. Does anyone know anything about why that structure was built ?

There are 2 photos taken inside the tunnel under Mason Street in 1970 on page 147 of the new book "Theatres" by Craig Morrison. When Savoy II, the 2nd screen of the Sack Savoy, was created on the stage of the theatre, it was accessed from the west end of the arcade. It's possible that the Opera Company of Boston used this access doorway for their new stage entrance for performers, musicians and technicians. At about the time that the Savoy II opened, I heard that the old KM dressing rooms, which were at the rear of the south end of the stage, were converted into tiny studio rental apartments. I don't know if this actually happened, or if it was only a plan.

In the early to mid 70s when it was the Savoy Theatre, the Sack Theatre Executive Offices were housed on the second floor. The only access was via a small elevator located in the mirrored wall across from the main box office. As a former employee, I have a couple memories: 1. Jerry Lewis was performing in town and came to see a showing of King Kong (the 1976 remake) 2. Through the generosity of the maintenance crew, I got a tour of the building including the catwalk in the space between the roof of the building and the dropped dome ceiling. As I recall, there was a hole right in the center of the dome that you could look through and see the seats far below. Also the basement was like the backdrop for Phantom of the Opera - old brick arches and tunnels and I think there was even an open canal - but maybe I've embellished the memory a bit.

This 1895 map shows part of downtown Boston. West is at the top of the map.

Near the top left of the map, take a look at the block bounded by Washington, West, Mason, and Avery Streets. In this block you will see the "BOSTON THEATRE", which was torn down in order to build the Keith Memorial Theatre (now called Opera House).

To the left of the Boston Theatre are KEITH'S NEW THEATRE, and just barely visible, the Bijou (labelled "BIJOU OPERA HOUSE" on the map).

This 1928 map shows at least 11 downtown Boston theatres. West is at the top of this map.

The very large B.F. KEITH MEMORIAL THEATRE is on the west side of Washington Street, just south of West Street. As you can see, it had (and still has) only a narrow entrance on Washington Street. Most of its street frontage is on the back alley, Mason Street.

Just south of the Keith Memorial is the theatre it replaced, KEITH'S THEATRE, along with the BIJOU DREAM, which was also part of the Keith circuit.

This map was published the same year that the Keith Memorial opened, and the old Keith's closed (at least under that name).

This postcard shows the theatre as it might have appeared in 1945, with the Adams House Restaurant next to it.

Sarah Caldwell, founder and director of the Opera Company of Boston, died last Thursday night at 82.

Caldwell was a great cultural force. I saw her conduct many times both at the Opera House and the Orpheum.

I visited this place in order to shoot photos around '91. It commanded great respect even in marginal shape. It must be unbelievable now.

On page 236 of the bio "Fred Stone" by Armond Fields (McFarland, 2002) there is a description of a ceremony which took place on August 25, 1927 at the foundation of the Keith Memorial Theatre. This was 14 months before the theatre opened. The description does not describe exactly where along the foundation site the ceremony took place. It was led by Malcolm Nichols, mayor of Boston. Other speakers included Henry Chesterfield of the National Vaudeville Association, noted show folk George M. Cohan, Julia Arthur and Raymond Hitchcock, followed by Ed Albee himself. Old vaudevillian and musical comedy star Fred Stone then spoke briefly. He handed a trowel to his daughter, actress Dorothy Stone, who then sealed a memorial stone and plaque. The ceremony was concluded by the Boston Meister Singers choir. Fred Stone performed many times at the old Keith's Theatre (Normandie); he played 5 weeks at the old Boston Theatre in "The Wizard of Oz" (he originated the role of the Scarecrow) in Oct. 1904. He played the Old Howard in 1896, and many times at the Colonial in various musicals. He ended his long career playing small character parts in RKO movies in the 1930s. Some of those movies undoubtedly screened at the Keith Memorial/Opera House, as well as the RKO Boston.

I don't know if you have seen this photo before, but this website has a 1960's interior view. Click on the photo to expand it.

One of my pleasant memories of this great cinema was seeing the 1968 re-release of "West Side Story" in its original 70mm widescreen format. The lobby was magnificent and I liked the long passageway that connected to the Boston Common. I saw a number of other films here and I think this was my second favorite theater in Boston after the Music Hall (now the Wang Center). It is good to know the old Savoy has been saved.

Two photos from 2000 when it was just beginning it's revival here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/424348987/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/424348986/

Just got to visit the Opera House for the first time since the restoration, and it is quite stunning. Although the basic layout of the auditorium is virtually identical to many of Thomas Lab's other "adamesque" theatres, the ornamentation is another matter. Since this was built as a memorial to Benjamin Franklin (B.F.) keith, Lamb was told money was no object and to indulge himself, and he packed the walls and ceilings with the most elaborate and finely detailed ornamentation in any of his theatres. It was interesting to see the original color scheme - not flashy but fairly restrained - shades of ivory and beige, with generous application of gold leaf on the ornamentation, all expertly antiqued - looks quite like I remembered 20 years ago, except much cleaner and in pristine shape. The large blank panels between the ornamentation and columns is covered with luxurious red damask, and the ornamentation is just as elaborate at the very back of the balcony as on the proscenium. Even the balcony stairways have the damask and fine plasterwork. The main lobby and entrance library are both sights to behold - both very elaborate, and an impressive lobby ceiling with even more generous applications of gold leaf. At the top of the grand staircase, other staircases wind around a "podium" outdent forming the front of the oval landing appearing there. The podium area sticks out and would make a great place to address the crowd milling below (I couldn't take the position of honor since the space was taken with a temporray concession table for the musical). At the back wall of the oval was the giant bust of B. F. Keith back in its place of honor. The foyer at mezzanine level (serving the "dress circle seats" has an elaborately carved multi-bay ceiling with several impressive seiling domes. The theater is carpeted throughout with the original carpet of black with gold designs. The seats were nicely covered with black and red patterned velvet, and the original chair ends at the aisles were restored. Lots of crystal chandeliers throughout the lobbies and auditorium. Accoustics were excellent and so was the amplification system - heard the entire musical clearly without having my ears hurt.

Took a peek outside afterwards - the new stage house is huge, even has a nice pattern to the concrete back wall. The NIMBY apartment dwellers got to keep their segment of Mason Street open, although it is more of a walkway than a street. (See my comments at the Bijou, and Paramount pages for what I saw of those venues) The old Tremont Street entrance and corridor of course is all gone, demolished when the new tower was built on Tremont Street. But the new arcade walkway built into that building has a replica of the old facade on the back of the building as well as the front. Inside the arcade looks all modern (but nice modern, much more attractive than the old entrance in its final form). The arcade that ran the length of the Opera House on the southside is all closed up beyond the back of the large Washington Street lobby. Just see the closed doors back there as I turn right to enter the inner lobby. No idea what is there now.

Interestingly, the report on file that the Library of Congress indicates that there was an internal entrance to the Bijou Theatre off of the men's 2nd floor lounge (whose window looks out down onto the main entrance lobby) and in fact that the restoration of that space left a restored staircase leading to a blank wall (beyind which was the bijou theatre). I forgot to look for that staircase when I was up there but it would certainly be an interesting curio!

Overall, it was great to see the place again and to see it so well restored.

A Wurlitzer theater organ opus 1910 style 250 special was installed in Keith's Memorial Theater on 7/20/1928.

Here is a recent photo of the Opera House.

Cool Opera House photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkaplan/424817574/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishhermit/180689134/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/metheny/100544995/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeyh/299619346/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimming/sets/268128/

I plan to visit Boston this Spring and found this theatre while surfing CT. After reading about its history I am pleased that the name is now Boston Opera House! And could someone tell me more about the former Boston Gaiety/Publix that met the infamous wrecking ball as it was mentioned on this theatre link.

The name is just Opera House, not Boston Opera House (which was a different theatre demolished in 1958).

For the Gaiety/Publix, see this page. The apartment development that it was demolished for has yet to happen; it is currently a vacant lot.

Ron: Thanks. And could you possibly tell me about the lavish brownstones along Commonwealth Avenue as my former junior college, Chamberlayne Junior College and dormitory was at 128 and immediate area/numbers. According to the internet a beautiful home is at 128 and on the market at $11K. I tried googling my alma mater and it goes to a college site in Newton Center MA. http://www.mountida.edu/

That I can't help you with. Looks like your college merged with another. Maybe the Mount Ida folks could tell you more.

(by the way, I doubt any Comm. Ave. house is on sale for $11,000! Maybe $11 million?)

Ron: Thanks so much as I will now email Mount Ida.

It was $11 million which amazes me as I recall 128 being where the Chamberlayne Junior College President had his office.

May I share a very warm moment in the Opera House, back in 1983, when Richard Kiley took "Man of La Mancha" on his third and last revival...My wife (Pat) and I where stationed in Newport R.I.. We had just had our only child (then 13 mos. old), and I was in the middle of my Navy career. Actually, I was torn between getting out or staying in and making a go of it. Anyway, things were kind of crazy...the orders to Navy Electronics School that I had been working for, where not coming in. As well, the water pump and alternator on our car had decided to fail, just 76 miles after the warranty expired! And of course it was one of the hardest winters in the great north east! That I should be lying in the snow to fix the car! So, you say? What does this have to do with the Boston Opera House??? Well, one night Patty, Adeline and myself are at the table having dinner...and Patty says to our daughter "Ya think dad needs to perk-up?!?!". The kid just giggled, as her mashed green beans went flying across the room. Before I could respond, Pat got up from the table and went up to our bedroom. When she returned, she told me that she had been trying to think of something to get me out of my "funk"...and continued to explain that before I opened the envelope, that she was just about certain the contents would help. Well, my friends the contents were two tickets, front row-center, for opening night...of Richards LAST Impossible Dream.
Ya see, I had spoken to my best friend (at that time, of four years), many, many times about when my cousin and I went to see Mr. Kiley do his very FIRST Broadway revival (1972) of that great show. Well, Patty and I have been best friends for going on thirty years now. I ended up staying in the Navy and retired in 1990. My second best friend just recently got married (Feb 08), and has heard this story...a number of times, I'm sure.
Point is folks, it was at The Opera House, that opening night when "Aldonza/Dulcinea", along with the rest of the cast...stepped forward on the stage, as "Cervantes" and his side-kick did mount the drawbridge-like staircase to go to their impending trial, as the prisoners sang The Impossible Dream.
Thank You Richard and cast, and thank you Boston Opera House.

Boston Ballet has signed a 30-year lease with the Opera House, starting in 2009. This is very bad news for the Wang Theatre, which has been the ballet's home since 1974.

Its good news for the Wang which can now book in a lucrative Holiday show such as the Radio City Christmas Show and White Christmas and maybe the Grench Who Stole Christmas. When the Opera House was restored it took the Broadway shows away from the Wang because the Opera House is better suited for Broadway shows. The loss of the Broadway shows hurt the Wang so they gave up the non profit Ballet for a show they can make money on. The Opera House picked up the Ballet so its a win win for everyone. The Boston Theatre distict needs better marquees on both the Wang and the Opera House. When Chicago restored there theatre distict they made sure they put marquees on the Palace,Oriental and the new Goodman complex on top of the fabulous Chicago Theatre marquee. The City of Oakland have beautiful Marquees on both the Paramount and the Fox other cities should take a lesson on how to restore not only inside of the theatre but the oustside as well. A restored theatre looks naked without a proper marquee. The Fox in Detroit has a wonderful marquee as well as the Sheas Buffalo,Hollywood Pantagees,Knoxville Tennessee,Seattle Paramount,Atlanta Fox,Erie Warner,Birmingham Alabama,New York Radio City Music Hall and many more.bruce

Fifty years ago today on June 18, 1958 I took an early train up to Boston from Providence ($3.41 round trip fare) to spend the day in the city, with a good deal of book-shopping. But the first thing I did was to see a movie musical program of Oklahoma and Carousel at this theatre. The double bill ran from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M., and I paid 60¢ admission. For books I got The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Walden, Life on the Mississippi, A Streetcar Named Desire, Tobacco Road, The Catcher in the Rye. The six books cost a total of $2.30! I want 1958 again.

Emerson College construction going on in the parcels on the south side of the Opera House has obliterated the Opera House's scenery loading dock at stage-right. It is now impossible to use it. The scene door for the old Keith Memorial was on the rear stage wall on Mason St., but the Opera House's new stage does not have a loading door in that location.

I've been wondering how the Paramount construction is going to accommodate the Opera House's loading needs. Surely this situation is temporary?

It's possible that the Opera House has an easement thru the northwest edge of the new Emerson College building leading to the loading dock and wide enough for a trailer truck to back in there. Some big roadshows travel with 8 or 10 or more trailers. Things could get a little congested back there !

The Opera House is beautifully renovated and is very baroque-looking inside. I had the opportunity to see a production of "NutCracker Suite" in the Opera House, which was a wonderful experience through and through.

In its newspaper and TV ads so far this season, the Opera House has consistently referred to itself as the "Boston Opera House". The original Boston Opera House out on Huntington Avenue (between Symphony Hall and the MFA, 1909-1958) called itself "Boston Opera House" in its newspaper ads (and on the theater's marquee) but it was just plain "Opera House" on many of its printed programs in the 1950s.

From what I've read/heard, pretty much all live performances will be at the Boston Opera House from now on. Good idea, as it's a cool place to see stage shows.

I don't understand -- why will there be no live performances in other theatres?

I think he's referring to the Boston Ballet shows. There's always shows at the Colonial and the Wang. Unfortunately, the Shubert is very under-utilized. There hasn't been a show there in a year, and the next show is scheduled for July 2009!

Just as a side note: When Clear Channel spun off Live Nation in 2005, Live Nation lost interest in doing anything but concerts. Clear Channel had bought the Boyd Theater in Philadelphia and was planning a $31 million restoration for it, just as it had done for the Opera House, so Broadway-style shows could be performed there. Luckily, a developer bought the theater from Live Nation a few months ago and promises to renovate it, while building a hotel over it. But we were very lucky to have had Clear Channel beautifully restore the Opera House.

The Shubert is finally getting a major booking with "Jersey Boys".brucec

Boston Lyric Opera stages its shows at the Shubert. There were several shows this year, and more next spring.

I went to the rear of the Opera House (Mason Street) yesterday. The new Emerson College building is finished on the exterior, and it has a recessed loading dock about one truck-length deep from the street. At the north end of this dock there is a large freight door which is perpendicular to the south side wall of the Opera House. I am guessing that this freight door is for loading sets onto the Opera House stage. If that is true, it means that the Opera House's scene loading door is on someone else's property, an unusual arrangement.

Here is a 1980 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/clxw2x

ken mc's 1980 photo is of the Opera House/Savoy Tremont Street entrance. This was a modernized structure dating back to its service as the Tremont St. entrance for the old B.F. Keith/Normandie Theatre in the mid-1890s. Note that there were 2 screens, the main auditorium and a new screen in the stage-house. This structure was later demolished, and then, curiously, rebuilt a few years ago. It has sat vacant and unused since because the Opera House today does not have any means to allow patrons to enter from Tremont St.

It looks like hell in that 1980 photo. Sarah Caldwell, as I understand it, was respected. But she must not have had much of a budget to work with.

Sarah Caldwell was a talented director, but her company had constant money problems. The Tremont Street entrance, shown in ken mc's photo above, was used by her company to access the theater from the west side. There was no box office there, unlike in movie days, and it was used simply as a way to enter and exit via Mason Street which divided the rear of the structure in the photo and the rear entrance of the Opera House arcade, now gone. She had no funds to fix it up.

Here is a 1938 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/czukg7

ken mc's 1938 photo above is of the Tremont St. entrance as it originally appeared (built in mid-1890s for B.F. Keith's Theatre, later the Normandie). After WW II, the structure was "modernized" so that it looked as it does in ken mc's 1980 photo, posted on 4-21-09.

Hey Ron, why was the rear entrance of the Opera House arcade removed?

Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cd7h7v

to Life's too short- the rear entrance of the Opera House arcade, and the west half of the arcade, were demolished circa-2004 or so at the time the heavy renovations on the Opera House started. They torn down the entire stage house, from the proscenium arch rearward, and this included the west half of the arcade. The new structure today contains exit doors where the arcade entrance on Mason St. was located. The stage door today, for performers and stage hands, is in the approximate location of the original stage door. It's no longer possible for patrons to enter the theater from Mason St. because the stage-right wings and the scenary dock are in the way.

Thanks for answering my question. Sounds like it was probably a necessary sacrifice.

Doesn't the entryway from Washington Street run the length of the building and open onto a parallel street?

Yes, the entrance to the Opera House is on Washington Street (east side) and from the outer lobby there was an "arcade" which ran along the south side of the theater all the way to Mason Street at the rear of the stage (west side). The western half of that arcade was demolished, along with the entire stage house, around 2004. During the movie days, the arcade was kept unlocked, so that pedestrians could use it as a short-cut. Also, it was used by movie patrons who purchased their tickets at the Tremont St. box office, went out the back of the Tremont St. entrance, crossed Mason Street and then entered the west door of the arcade.

According to WBZ-TV Boston local news today, Live Nation has just sold the Opera House to an unnamed party. They will continue to book attractions there.

The Boston Globe and Boston Herald websites both report that Live Nation has sold the Orpheum, the Opera House, and the Paradise Rock Club (in Allston) to the newly organized Boston Opera House Ventures LLC , owned by Don Law and David Mugar. Law is president of Live Nation New England, but his new company will operate separately from Live Nation, according to the Herald.

Don Law is a long-time concert promoter. David Mugar is a philanthropist involved in many community activities. The Orpheum was not sold to them; only its operating contract.

This is a nice photo from May 2009.

1964 Interior photo Grand Staircase in the lobby
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=Theatre+Interiors&catpageindex=4&catpagesize=25&ProductID=28131

The Boston Herald today has an article about the move from the Wang Theatre to the Opera House of the Boston Ballet Company. It says that the orchestra pit at the Opera House has just been rebuilt and enlarged. It can now accomodate up to 60 musicians.

There was a short item on the biz page of the Quincy Patriot Ledger 2 or 3 days ago stating that the sale of the Opera House from Live Nation to its new owners was about to be finalized.

I was reading some of the older posts from earlier this year, and I just wanted to clarify that the corridor or alleyway that ran between Tremont Street and Mason Street and led to the rear of the Opera House is still there. I walk by it every day. You can see a picture of it wedged between two apartment buildings here and the back view here courtesy of Google Street View. It was restored a few years ago as part of the Opera House renovation.

It's actually nothing more than a few steel I-beams holding the facades on and a roof. There is no marquee on it, but you can see where it was, and the glass doors, I believe, are always locked, although they might help in bringing in deliveries from Tremont. The white stone is similar to the white stone used on the facade of the Opera House on Washington St, and they may date to the 1940 renovation.

The city of Boston has a policy of keeping old alleys intact. For example, there's a passageway from Temple Place to Winter Street that probably dates back to when Sam Adams lived there. Or it's also possible that the Opera House owns that slim piece of property. But it's still there preserved.

It's not "preserved", it was demolished and then rebuilt.

to danpetitpas- thanks for posting the links to the 2 photos of the structure on Tremont Street and its rear on Mason Street. Note that it is right next to the south wall of the Tremont-oin-the-Common condo building. It is on the exact footprint of the old 1890s Keith structure which provided a Tremont Street entrance for the old Keith's Theatre (later, Normandie and Laffmovie). I think that it is perhaps slightly narrower than the original. It is not the original in a preserved state, however. The original structure was demolished totally about circa-1990. This new structure was built about 7 or so years ago. I suspect that the developer was required to build it, but it no longer serves any purpose, because patrons cannot get into the Opera House from Mason Street they way they used to. See posts above which discuss the demolition of the arcade alongside the south wall of the Opera House at the time that the major renovations took place in the early 2000's. When the west end of the arcade was demolished, it was replaced by stage space at stage-right. There no longer is a thru doorway for patrons to go out onto Mason Street and then walk thru to Tremont inside the new structure. Or vice-versa.