Wang Theatre

For several decades before the Wang Center organization acquired it, the theater was called the "Music Hall" and was part of the Sack Cinema chain. It sometimes showed movies and sometimes presented rock concerts.

The Wang organization now also owns the Shubert Theatre, across the street. The Shubert has always been used exclusively for live performance.

The Metropolitan was acquired by the Sack chain and reopened in 1962 as the Music Hall with "Boys Night Out" with James Garner and Kim Novak. I don't think the site was seriously considered as a roadshow theatre due to it's enormous size, but when "Cleopatra" was opening in June 1963, Sack decided that the anticipated business for the anxiously awaited film would justify a reserved seat policy in so large a theatre. The film wasn't able to sustain itself in the slump following John Kennedy's assassination and in late No. was moved over to the smaller Gary Theatre, where it lasted until Jan. 1964. It was during the "Cleopatra" run that I first was taken to this astonishing theatre. The only other roadshow attraction to play there was "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" in 1965. Other than that the theatre enjoyed some of the most successful film engagements of that era including "Goldfinger", "Thunderball", "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and many others. In July, 1966, some friends and I attended the world premiere of "Torn Curtain" which Hitchcock scheduled for 9AM on a Wednesday morning. Hitchcock was there to cut a 50 layer cake for his 50th film (not surprisingly, Newman and Andrews did not attend). By the late 60's rock concerts started up there and it was a perfect venue to see great rock acts before the era of stadium rock. Some of the great concerts I attended there were Jefferson Airplane (a few times), Neil Young (an all acoustic set in 1970), Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, Linda Ronstadt and more. By the time it became the Wang Center I had left town.

As a single screen movie theatre the old Metropolitan Theatre seated 4100 people.

Subsequent to the restoration, the Wang still seats more than 3,600. It is probable that the Wang, rather than the Palace in Waterbury, CT, is the largest capacity historic theatre in New England. The decorative restoration of both theatres was conducted by Conrad Schmitt Studios, Inc.

I had been taken to this theater to see Disney's Cinderella when I was 5 or 6. Even at that age, I was in awe of the staircase, all the fancy 'stuff', and the size. The little boys room was like an English pub. Years later, when Ben Sack opened it, I went to see 'Jumbo' w/ Doris day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, etc.
At that time in 1962 Sack was bringing nostalgia back to the theater, had installed huge bright red velvet curtains, and the movies were preceded by 'Louie Wier at the Mighty Wurlitzer'-the huge pipe organ rose on an elevator from the pit, an ancient Louie played things like the 'Skaters Waltz' with a spotlight on him, then sank back into the pit. All that heaven camp in 1962. He used to have Italian tenors occasionally perform between films also.
When I went on a tour of the renovated Wang Center a few years ago, the guide didn't know what happen to the organ, but knew and showed me the 1926 air-conditioning system still being used.

The Wang is larger than the Waterbary Palace.I think when listing seating they should use original seating and then show current seating. Seating is always reduced when renovation or restoration occurs to allow for more leg room. Many theatres have expanded the lobbies into the back of the Auditorium such as the Oriental in Chicago. Original capacity of the Oriental was 3200 after renovation seating was reduced to aroung 2200.I propose the Wang restore its Vertical and canopy and its name. Possibly Wang's Metropolitan. The current marquee is very boring. Radio City has a wonderful marquee as does the Fox Atlanta, Fox Detroit, Pantagees Hollywood,Paramount Oakland,Fox-Oakland,Portland Portland, Paramount Seattle, Chicago Chicago,Wiltern Los Angeles, Orpheum LA,State Minneapolis, Rialto Juliet,Castro San Francisco,etc....I feel a restored theatre that traces its roots back to the 1920's is not complete unless it has a proper vertical and canopy marquee. It doesn't have to be the origianl marquee in its history but at sometime in its history of 1920's,1930's,1940's and 1950's. Some theatres actually improved on there marquees. Neon is a must. The Great White Way didn't get its name from plastic and some of the boring marquees that I see today.

I saw "It's a Mad...Mad World" here in 1965 or so when it was the Music Hall. I remember the projection booth was on the first floor, and they cut out some of the decorative mouldings under the balcony to make way for the projector beam. About five years as the Wang Center, I saw the restored Vertigo there at a wide screen festivel. I visited the booth (now above the balcony) to see the 70mm projectors which used reels rather than platters.

'American Theatres of Today' Vol 1 (published in 1927) credits the following as architects of the Metropolitan Theatre;- Blackall, Clapp & Whittemore; C. Howard Crane, Kenneth Franzheim, George Nelson Meserve, Associated architects.

The Film Daily Yearbook 1941 gives a seating capacity of 4,330, by 1950 it was listed as 4,100 seats in the F.D.Y.

An extended sequence in "The Witches of Eastwick" was shot at the Wang. The palatial lobby was used for one of the interiors of the house of Jack Nicholson's character (a.k.a. the Devil).

Erik--fascinating info on the use of the Wang lobby for Eastwick. It's a huge space.

The Wang's classic film schedule is here. The films are free and are shown on occasional Monday evenings.

Scheduled for January through April 2005: My Fair Lady, A Streetcar Named Desire, Shakespeare in Love, Dirty Dancing, and A Night At The Opera.

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

The Wang Center, originally the Metropolitan and built in 1925, combines a 14-story Renaissance Revival office building of granite and cast stone, with an auditorium seating 4225 people. C.H. Blackall was the architect. The interior is characterized by a series of vestibules and lobbies, highly decorated in marble, bronze, ornate gilding, and painted friezes.

The initial developer of the Metropolitan was Boston movie mogul Nathan Gordon. The cost was over $8,000,000. The theatre employed a corps de ballet, a 100-voice chorus, and a 55-piece orchestra. There was also a 3100-pipe organ. Along with the stage shows, the musicians and dancers presented tableaux, ballet, and operatic moments. Admission cost 35 to 75 cents. To amuse people waiting to be seated, there were musicians playing in the Grand Lobby, paintings by area artists hung on the walls, and ping pong and billiards downstairs. After the show, couples danced in the Grand Lounge, and in 1932 a small Art Deco restaurant called the Platinum Salon opened in the lounge area.

More from this booklet:

By the 1940's costs were mounting and big name headliners became increasingly necessary to draw crowds. The Big Bands, including Duke Ellington, the Dorsey Brothers, Benny Goodman, and Gene Krupa, played here. Bob Hope, Al Jolson, and Dorothy Lamour performed at war bond drives. After world War II attendance declined due to the impact of TV. Stage shows were abandoned for a while, but after the Boston Opera House was destroyed in the late 1950's, the theatre became attractive to large touring productions. Rechristened the Music Hall in 1962, the theatre hosted such groups as the Bolshoi Ballet, the Boston Ballet, and the Metropolitan Opera. However, stage depth and production facilities were inadequate, and many touring shows were forced to bypass the Boston audience.

In 1974 the Boston Redevelopment Authority identified the Music Hall as a theatre with potential to serve the city and suggested to the owners, the New England Medical Center Hospital, that a non-profit group by established to lease and renovate the facility. Metroplitan Center, Inc. was incorporated in 1976. In 1983 the roof was seriously damaged, and the theatre was about to be demolished. A plea went out to the community to save the theatre, and Dr. An Wang of computer fame answered the plea with a gift of $4,000,000. The theatre was renamed in his honor. The building is in the National Register of Historic Places.

Just a note: When I went on the tour of the 'reburbished' Wang, the guide pointed out that the marble is not real but an Italian process called (I think) Scagliola; they press real marble dust into wet plaster. He said the workers were very secretive about how it was done and worked behind shrouds.
Also, I don't hink the projectionj booths were ever on the ground floor-that was the Boston Cinerama theater. I remember as a kid sneaking up to the very top of the balcony; some Cinemascope thing was playing, and the 70-foot screen looked the size of an airmail stamp. There were, and still are, two brass-doored elevators to take people up to the top of the balcony. I never got to ride in them as a kid, since they were the old kind that required an elevator operator.

Boris - I'm pretty sure I recall seeing the booth on the first floor around 1965; I think it was a screening of "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. They cut a chunk of the decorative mouldings out from under the balcony to allow projection clearance. About five years ago, during a screening of the restored "Vertigo" in 70mm VistaVision, I visited the current booth which is once again on the upper level.

Does anyone know when Sack Theatres stopped regularly showing movies here?

During the mid-to-late 1970s, I remember it only as a venue for concerts and other live performances.

I believe that this theater showed movies as late as 1978 under the Sack's "Music Hall" name. I would have to check old newspapers, but I am pretty sure the movie "Grease" played here on first release. I could be wrong, though.

The Cinema 57 played "Grease" on an exclusive basis in June 1978 for at least several weeks before expanding to the suburbs. I don't believe that "Grease" played the Music Hall as a first run, although I wouldn't be surprised if it was shown at some point as part of the Wang series.

For the record, it's probably worth clarifying that the Music Hall was renamed The Metropolitan Center in the 1970s, then (as noted in a previous post) renamed The Wang Center following Dr. Wang's donation in the mid-1980s.

A shame that the Wang isn't viable as a film house, because it is far from ideal as a venue for live theater. While the large seating capacity---more than twice the size of a typical Broadway house---means a high gross potential, the acoustics and sightlines are mediocre and charging near-Broadway prices for the rear orchestra and mezzanine makes little sense due to the considerable distance from the stage (bring binoculars).

Right, that was the second time around for the Metropolitan name.

Technically, I think it's now called the "Wang Theatre" rather than the "Wang Center", because the latter is now the name of the umbrella organization that operates both this venue and the Shubert across the street.

But most people I know still call this theatre the "Wang Center".

Perhaps I am confusing my Travolta... could it have been "Saturday Night Fever" that played the Music Hall?

Looking through the Boston Globe and Herald archives, I see that the theatre officially changed over from Sack Theatres' Music Hall to the Metropolitan Center on July 7, 1980.

The last show to be presented by Sack was a seven-week live production of the musical "Fiddler on the Roof", starring Herschel Bernardi.

Ron--Where do you access the Globe archives? On-line?

If you have a library card in Massachusetts, you can get to them here:

http://www.mmrls.org/homeaccess.html

Go to "NewsBank" after entering your library card number.

Ron--Thanks for the archive reference. Much appreciated.

Sacks policy for movies at The Music Hall could be very odd. For awhile it was the james Bond house and other big attractions. But you could also find things like an obscure blaxploitation western called 'Thomasina & Bushrod' playing.

Odd story I heard about the place was that the boxoffice had a pneumatic tube connection to the managers office which was used to send cash to be counted. One of the capsules broke in transit and so loose bills kept showing up for weeks afterward when a capsule was sent.

Some interior photos and restoration information are available at http://www.conradschmitt.com/CaseStudies/wang.asp

According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the last show as the Metropolitan was on May 31, 1962. Ben Sack reopened it as the Music Hall in June, 1962.

The theatre was originally intended to be named Capitol rather than Metropolitan. Over the years it moved from the M&P chain to ATC to New England Theatres, and finally to Sack.

Here's a 1959 photo of what was then the Metropolitan Theatre. The photo is described here.

The theatre's marquee says "MET" and advertises "John Paul Jones". Next door at the Wilbur Theatre, a live stage, is "A New Comedy" called "Golden Fleecing".

A picture postcard of the Metropolitan, described here. It was made some time between 1925 and 1930.

A 1930 night photo, described here, showing the Majestic's marquee and the Metropolitan's vertical sign.

A 1947 photo, described here. You can't see the marquee or the entrance, but you can see the vertical sign.

Something noteworthy about this place when it was known as the Music Hall was that it was the venue selected for the 1977 world premiere of "A Bridge Too Far." (The Boston area engagements were held elsewhere.) Also, in 1971, a special 70mm print was struck specifically for the Music Hall engagement of the X-rated 3-D film "The Stewardesses."

Recent color photos of this theatre can be found on the site: "America's Stunning Theatres" by photographer and stagehand Noah Kern at: http://www.pbase.com/affablebeef/theatres Comments and information may be left there without registration; such can be public view or only to Mr. Kern. Scroll down the page to find the name, and then click on the sample image above it to be taken to the page of photos of it.

According to Donald C. King's new book The Theatres of Boston: A Stage and Screen History, the Metropolitan opened on October 17, 1925, with 4407 seats.

"The Metropolitan presented a first-run film, symphony orchestra overture and ballet, followed by vaudeville. It booked famous stars like Amos and Andy, Kate Smith, and Rudy Vallee, whose acts were not completely absorbed by the house's vastness and grandeur. Such huge auditoriums hastened the demise of vaudeville, whose very intimacy had been its greatest attraction."

In February 1938, the Metropolitan droped its stage shows. Ben Sack took it over and renamed it the Music Hall on July 13, 1962. During Sack's operation, the Music Hall presented occasional road stage productions, opera, and ballet, as well as movies.

The THEATRES OF BOSTON mentioned above this post, can be obtained at a discount through the Theatre Historical Society via the link on the front page of their web site: www.historictheatres.org for a limited time, so don't delay!

What is the current seating capacity of the Wang?. I can't believe a theatre seating over 4000 seats was reduced to 2900 which is listed on this site. Smaller theatres list more seats than the Wang.brucec

Here’s a Playbill for “Lizpatra” at the Wang Center, aka Music Hall, in July ’63.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/musichallcleo-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/MusicHallCleo-2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/MusicHallCleo-3.jpg

Though my NYC origins should have dictated that I’d see the film at Manhattan’s Rivoli Theater, the elevated price scale and the difficulty of getting reserved seats there prompted me and a friend to see it in Boston. As a college student at the time, I had a network of undergrad pals in Bean Town, so we used our contacts there to get tickets and crash-out overnight. It proved surprisingly easy: if I remember correctly, we bought the tickets on the day of performance (the Rivoli required a wait of several weeks). The size of the theater no doubt allowed for the availability of seats even in the cheap sections at peak times.

I remember that the film’s presentation was superb—grander and more impressive than it would have been at the smaller Rivoli. The orchestral overture thundered through the huge house, and as the lights dimmed, the sweeping curtains parted majestically on the Fox logo. Splendid. Though the film was laughable, right down to Hermes Pan’s crowd-scene choreography, we enjoyed it immensely, even as we began to nod off around midnight with almost an hour of the nonsense left to go.

The ads in this program are a thrill in themselves. I thought you’d especially like the one of features at other Sack theaters. But my favorite notice comes on the title page with the “Thirsty Pilgrim” at the Statler Hilton, “serving light lunches for men only.” Boston famously offered such places at the time, from the sublime Locke-Ober to ridiculous street-corner bars. For each one, so many hungry women. When my aunt had lived in the area a decade or so earlier, many (all?) local taverns allowed women to enter only when accompanied by men. On family visits, I remember playing with my cousin outside drinking spots while my grandfather escorted my mom and her sister inside for a highball or two. Fathers debauching daughters! Children left to their own devices! And all in the name of propriety! But who could complain when the Music Hall was showing “Cleopatra.”

I just noticed that the ad for the "Hungry Pilgrim" at the Statler Hilton implies that the restaurant served an After Theater supper up until noon the next day. Now, we all know that "Cleopatra" is egregiously over-long and that patrons would have been famished after it; but did restaurants discover that the After Theater crowd would keep arriving until the following day's lunch hour? All those hungry women no doubt created a niche market, too.

Great Stuff, Bill! I have a couple of old Playbills for Camelot at the Saxon and Sound of Music at the Gary - the old ads are funny as well in these. The Statler is now the Park Plaza Hotel.

WHDH radio 85 (really 850) no longer exists. The frequency now belongs to WEEI Sports Radio, home of the Red Sox. No idea if Jess Cain is still living.

I think that Jess Cain is still among us-- in addition to his radio work, he was also an occasional actor in local productions. As for the old Metropolitan, one aspect of it that I liked was that if you went into the theatre when it opened about 9AM on a sunny morning, the huge inner foyer was flooded with sunlight coming from the windows on the south wall. Outside of that wall there is a fine decorated facade which nobody ever sees because it's now out of the way. The alley there was formerly Hollis Street, which ran down to Washington. Diagonally across from that facade when the Met was new was the Hollis St. Theatre, one of Boston's legit houses. There were no buildings across from the east wall of the Met, or few buildings, so that you could get a good look at it, unlike today. And there was a narrow street which ran in back of the stage and alonside the north wall of the Wilbur Theatre. In other words, the Met's rear stage wall was even with the north sidewall of the Wilbur, so you can see that the Met stage was not very deep. I saw the Metropolitan Opera on tour from NY at the Met in April 1958. Their scenary was in tents and trailers outside the theatre. The opera was there because the old Boston Opera House on Huntington Ave had been demolished in Jan-Feb. 1958. I went there during the summer of 1962 after it had been renamed Music Hall by Ben Sack, and the show was an excercise in 1929-era nostalgia, with the organ operating and a mini-revue on stage in addition to the movie. The organ was removed to a private collector sometime in the 1970s, I believe. The house seats about 3600 today. The ring of loges around the orchestra floor is not original and were installed during the 1990-era renovations.

Sadly, I must report that the Wang Center has discontinued its Motion Picture Mondays film series. I confirmed this with a phone call to the theatre this morning.

No movie has been shown here since last spring. I think the last one was "Dirty Dancing" in April.

Boston still has some old movie palaces operating ... but it no longer has any movies showing in them.

Time to take "Movies" off the Function: listing at the top of this page.

When the Wang began its Monday night movie classics series, I believe that they referred to their screen as "the largest in New England". A rather ominous note was sounded during the 2005 movie season when they dropped admissions and made the showings free.

This 1928 map shows the Metropolitan Theatre near the top right corner. West is at the top of this map.

The METROPOLITAN BLDG. is on Tremont Street, at the corner of Hollis Street, just south of the Wilbur Theatre. The METROPOLITAN THEATRE is just behind (east of) this building.

And now a question, for Ron Salters or anyone else:

This 1928 map shows a large building labelled 'Lafayette Theatre', on the east side of Tremont Street just south of Broadway, two blocks from the Wang (Metropolitan) Theatre. It is near the top left corner of the map.

I've never heard of this theatre, and have found no references to it in various histories of movie or stage theatres in Boston. Any information on it would be appreciated.

I have no information about the Lafayette Theatre. I never heard of it before. It is not listed in my 1921 and 1895 lists of Boston theatres; nor is it mentioned in J. Paul Chavanne's essay on the theatres of the South End. It is not mentioned in the text of Donald King's 2005 book "The Theatres of Boston"; however, in Appendex 1 at the rear of the book he writes "1908 - Idle Hour Theatre. Tremont Street, near Castle Square Theatre. Short-lived motion picture house". Possibly this was a little cinema which later was renamed the Lafayette.

I doubt it, since the 'Lafayette Theatre' shown on this map is quite a large structure, taking up half of a city block.

Also shown on the same 1928 map is the 'Arlington Theatre', at the corner of Arlington, Chandler, and Tremont streets. It was previously called the Castle Square Theatre. I have not added it to CinemaTreasures because I don't know if it ever showed movies. The Boston Athenaeum says it was razed in 1932.

I agree that it seems that the Castle Square/ Arlington Theatre was a live house which never presented movies. It was demolished around 1932. Another theatre to the south of the Wang was the Hollis Street Theatre, also a live house. As for the mysterious Lafayette Theatre, just because it seems like a large structure on the map doesn't mean it really was a big theatre. Why not see if you can find it in old City Directories, other old maps, and in old newspaper ads. The people who could give us a quick answer about it are, alas, all deceased.

We have, at the Somerville Theatre, a newspaper article noting that Busby Berkeley was leaving the Arlington Theatre on Arlington street for the Somerville Players, and mentioning his successful presentation of musical comdies at the Arlington.

The South End must have been an interesting place to live with all these theaters, whether live or motion picture. If your home was in these neighborhoods, you had much within walking distance. I'd give anything to go back to that era in a time machine.

Yes, Tom N, if you lived in the South End and didn't care for what was playing at the Met (Wang), Wilbur, Shubert, or Hollis, you could head for the Castle Square/ Arlington, the National, Columbia, Apollo, Cobb, Grand Opera House, Hub, Puritan, and even our mysterious Lafayette. Have I left any out??

What and where was the Hub? Was it only a live stage or did it also show movies?

The Hub Theatre was at the southeast corner of Washington and Dover streets. It was a rectangular building with the short end on Washington and the long left side on Dover Street. It originally was a market, Williams market. Then a hall was installed upstairs, which eventually became a theatre, then later the entire building was adapted as a theatre. Names were Williams, Hooley's, Novelty, Windsor, Grand Museum, Grand Theatre and Hub Theatre. It reopened as the Hub Theatre on August 17, 1903, under managment of Stair and Wilbur. Early movies were shown there when it was still the Grand, according to Joe Cifre. He claims that the Grand was the first regular theatre in Boston to offer a show consisting 100% of films. I have seen photos where, if you know where to look, at least part of the Hub Th. can be seen - recent books by Arcadia Publ., maybe their South End book and/or their Orange Line book. (The Orange Line and the Dover el station were right in front of the Hub.)

RE: Hub Theatre info above-- I should point out that Dover Street is now East Berkeley St., renamed about 30 years ago. Much of the information above is from the Donald King book. In a list of Boston theatres taken from an 1895 city directory, the house is called the Grand Museum, at Wash. & Dover streets. It does not appear in my 1921 list or in the 1927 Film Daily yearbook. In the late-1930s, the name "Hub" was applied to the Park Th. downtown after it was vacated by the Minsky Burlesque company. After about a year, the name was changed to Trans Lux. The old Grand/ Hub Theatre is not to be confused with the big Grand Opera House, also on Washington Street. There's no question that when the Metropolitan (Wang) opened in 1925, there were many other theatres within a 20-minute walk of it.

The Grand Museum and Grand Opera House are both on this 1895 map, on the east side of Washington Street just south of Dover Street.

The corresponding 1928 map no longer shows a theatre at the Grand Museum site, but still shows the Grand Opera House a few buildings to the south.

If anyone can definitively demonstrate that either of these theatres ever showed movies, I'll be happy to add them to CinemaTreasures. (Ditto for the Castle Square/Arlington, Hollis Street, Colonial, Wilbur, and Shubert.)

The Grand Opera House was famous for its wrestling matches during its final years. (No competition for the Met/Wang there !) I believe it was razed in the 1930s. I don't know if it ever showed movies. One day in the 1960s I was walking south on Washington St., east side, from the Dover St. el station when I came upon brass letters spelling out "Grand Opera House" imbedded in the sidewalk. It was a large vacant lot. I think that there were road-show movies from time to time at the Colonial, and travel movies at Symphony Hall (I remember ads for those in the 1950s); in recent years they have presented classic silient films at Symphony Hall. To determine which of these houses showed movies would require research thru old newspaper ads.

When I played Boston with a show in the early 80's, we played the Wilbur, which isn't featured here (I guess it never played films), which is just next door to the Wang.

The stagehands I worked with told me a funny story about a guy who was an opera enthusiast, and every season when the Metropolitan Opera played Boston at the (then) Metropolitan, he would show up and mingle with the very large crew of stagehands, and work setting up the show. This must have been the 60's or 70's or earlier. He did this for years, and because the crew was so large, no one ever questioned him. Finally one day the guys were all hanging out talking and someone mentioned what they were planning to do with their paycheck. "Paycheck?' said the guy. "Paycheck?? You guys get paid for this?"

I don't know whether this story is true or just a tall tale, but my friends called this guy the "phantom of the opera", because it turned out he was on nobody's radar screen. He had been working backstage at the Met tour for years, but no one (employer, etc.) knew he was there.

That's a funny story, GWaterman! The Metropolitan Opera tours came to the Met/Wang every year in the spring, after the old Boston Opera House near Symphony Hall was demolished in early-1958. The original stage at the Met/Wang was very shallow, so it was a real challenge for them. Their scenary was outside in tents and trailers and it was chaotic around the back of the theatre while they were there. I don't doubt that someone could have pulled off what you describe. After the Wang's big new stage was added circa-1979, the problem was over - but now the Met Opera doesn't tour anymore. As for the adjacent Wilbur Theatre, it doesn't have a Page in Cinema Treasures because it apparently has never presented movies.

The theatre has been known for some time (10 years, maybe) now as the Wang Theatre. That name is used in ads and posters. The old name, Wang Center for the Perf. Arts, is now the organization which runs the Wang Theatre and the Shubert across the street. This fact was brought out (above) in a posting made several years ago. I was reminded of this upon receipt of the latest issue of Marquee Magazine, published by the THSA. There is a full page profile of the theatre headed by "Wang Center of the Performing Arts" in big letters. Even they couldn't get the name right !

Yep. To make things totally clear, the theatre had these names in sequence:

Metropolitan Theatre (its original name)
Music Hall (under Sack Theatres ownership)
Metropolitan Center for the Performing Arts (first name under new non-profit ownership)
Wang Center for the Performing Arts (after Wang gave money to the non-profit)
Wang Theatre (after the Wang Center organization took over the Shubert too)

Today's Boston Globe reports that the Wang Center as an organization will today be renamed the Citibank Center for the Performing Arts. But the Wang Theatre will keep its current name.

On the other hand, today's Boston Herald says the theatre will be renamed to Citibank Theatre. I guess we'll find out this afternoon which paper has the story right.

The edition of the Boston Herald which I have states that Citigroup beat out several other bidders for the renaming rights and that the Wang Center for the Performing Arts will be renamed Citibank Center for the Performance Arts, a slight twist on the name. The article does not mention if the Wang Theatre itself will be renamed. I suspect that the Wang name will not be changed, as per the Globe article mentioned above.

The online version of the Herald article says this in the third paragraph: "That will include renaming The Wang Theater as the Citibank Theater and underwriting performances." I haven't seen the print version yet. The online article also misspells the name of the Shubert Theatre.

This is a recent exterior photo of the Wang Theater.

Here's the official press release. It says "The new official name for the center will be announced at a later date," which is kind of lame. It also says "The Wang Theatre will retain its name", but makes no such promise for the Shubert.

The Boston Herald of Nov. 10th states that Citibank "currently has no plans to change the name of either the Wang or Shubert theatres. The official name of the arts center will be announced at a later date."

This is not exactly the most deft public relations I've ever seen. Both Citibank and the Wang Center could have waited until all the details were in place before making a big public announcement.

Re- the name change issue. Local TV news on Nov. 30th showed the front of the theatre. The upper marquee still read "Wang Theatre", but the name on the large, lower, marquee had been changed to "Citi Wang".

Wow, that just really... doesn't work.

Looks like the new name is actually Citi Performing Arts Center. The theatres are still called the Wang and the Shubert.

Is Citibank already reneging on its promise not to change the name of the Wang Theatre? Check out this photo.

It will be interesting to see how the theatre name appears in newspaper ads and posters during the next several weeks. The "CitiWang" name was on the lower marquee as of Nov. 30th but now they have wrapped blue plastic with the new name around the top of the upper marquee. And I don't associate the bright blue color with the staid Wang Theatre ! Ugh !

In today's Boston Globe, two ads for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular already call it the 'Citi Wang Theatre'. An ad for Pilobolus still refers to 'The Shubert Theatre' and 'The Wang Center'.

Anyone who thinks that a corporation bought these theatres 'for the public good' is simply naive; the only good a corporation or conglomerate can envision is its own. Granted, I am glad that they chose these theatres as the vehicle of their advertising themselves -- if that means the maintenance of the theatres continues. But make no mistake about it: the purpose was the enhancement of their public image which is thought to translate to greater dividends to stockholders, and higher salaries to the officers. CitiBank will get its 'pound of flesh' out of these buildings in every way they can, and any statements to the contrary are strictly 'for public consumption' = a standard lie.

To my knowledge, Citicorp did not actually 'buy' the theatres.

CitiBank only paid for "naming rights" for a specific number of years. The 2 theatres are run by a non-profit corporation which needed the money. I don't know what the current ownership facts are, but some years back the Wang Theatre was owned by the New England Medical Center, while the Shubert was owned by the Shubert Organization in NY and leased to the performing arts center.

I'll try to come up with a new Description, as the current one is now out of date and reads a bit awkwardly.

Theater naming rights aren't usually sold to corporations but rather are LEASED for a term of years, like 5 or 7, etc. So, they not only didn't buy the theaters, they probably didn't even buy the naming rights forever either.

This theater has always been mind-boggling with its beauty. I always thought of it as Boston's equivalent to New York's Radio City Music Hall. I fondly remember being there on the day of the 1966 film premiere of "Torn Curtain," with the famous director in attendance, even though the audience seemed to be hoping that Julie Andrews would temporarily depart from her sombre character and break into a spirited rendition of "My Favorite Things." Years later, after its restoration, I saw an opera here on the big stage. Boston can be proud of its theater history.

There are some snobs who look down on motion pictures and conveniently forget that these great movie palaces were originally financed by the genre of cinema and the Hollywood system. They were part of an industry based on profit, not run as non-profit organizations dependent on grants and tax relief. Hollywood gave us national treasures apart from the films themselves, and the Wang Center is just one of them.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980

Metropolitan Theatre *** (added 1980 - Building - #80000445)
Also known as Music Hall
252-272 Tremont St., Boston
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architect, builder, or engineer: Blackall,Clapp & Whittemore, Multiple
Architectural Style: Renaissance
Area of Significance: Performing Arts, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Business, Specialty Store, Theater
Current Function: Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture
Current Sub-function: Professional, Specialty Store, Theater

The seating capacity should be changed to 3,600.

Yes, it now has slightly over 3,600 seats; when it originally opened, the Met was reputed to have a total of 4,407 seats.

How did they lose 800 seats? Did they replace smaller seats with larger ones, or move the rows further apart?

Both ! New theatre seats today are wider and bigger than old ones, and often are set at a greater "pitch" between rows. In 1990, I attended a LHAT luncheon in the foyer of the Wang, and at that time, the main floor was being rebuilt. All seats had been removed and the floor was being reconstructed. I believe that's when they added the ring of loges around the perimeter of the orchestra floor. (The old Met had a ring of mezzanine loges but not a corresponding ring of loges down below). One variable they have today in seating is that they can add 2 or 3 rows of extra seats down front in the orchestra pit. I don't know if the 3,600-plus total includes those extra seats.

This theatre has an ugly marquee I think its time to do neon and restore the marquee. The fun starts on the sidewalk and until a proper marquee is restored to this theatre, the restoration is not complete. Charge an extra dollar per ticket for the restoration of the marquee.brucec

"Citi Wang" is an ugly name for this theatre, and I hope the CinemaTreasures folks never change the name on this page.

Does anyone know what the original neon sign looked like? I recall from my extreme youth seeing the marquee for Ben Hur on this building, and it wasn't all that neoney, IIRC. I don't think it was the original marquee either. Lots of times, marquees used little light bulbs instead of neon. Now that it's a performing arts center, I'm not sure either would be all that appropriate. In a forced choice, I'd go for little light bulbs, I guess.

The Met's marquee in the 1950s was a typical movie theatre marquee of the times, only slightly larger. I can't recall if it had much neon on it. There was a lot of light underneath it, on the soffit. I think Ben Sack in 1962 either installed a new marquee, or rebuilt the old one. Today, the organization which runs the theatre has money problems, so adding a new marquee with lots of neon on it would probably be a very low priority for them.

The Wang is a major theatre in the US. Small towns around the US have better marquee's than the current Wang. Only the Cutler Majestic and the Paramount have decent marquees in Boston's theatre district. The Paramount in Oakland has a fabulous vertical from the 1930's and is a Performing Arts Center. Vertical marquees have been restored to Chicago,s theatre district.When you restore Boston's premiere theatre money should have been set aside for the front of the house.brucec

Ok, here are some recent photos (not mine, but beautiful photos) of a truly Grand Lobby!
2007 photo of Grand Lobby!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teaganita/2127789099/
Lobby columns & ceiling:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teaganita/2128566616/
ceiling
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teaganita/2127789157/

actually, this is a set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teaganita/sets/72157603516816254/

The Wang has a tough year ahead. It has just lost two major tenants. Boston Ballet has moved to the Opera House for the next 30 years, and the Celebrity Series has not scheduled any events there for 2008-2009. That means no Alvin Ailey at the Wang next year.

What will the Wang do to fill all of these open dates?

It all boils down to "Product" (attractions). There seems to be less and less of it in recent years. So our downtown theaters sit vacant and dark much of the time.

The Wang will fill its schedule with more profitable shows such as "White Christmas","Radio City Christmas Specacular". Ever since the Opera House was restored most Broadway shows moved from the Wang to the Opera House so the Wang could no longer afford some of its not for profit shows and switched to more commercial product to replace the Broadway shows that were lost to the Opera House.brucec

There was a movie show at the Wang last night - the new comedy film "Get Smart" was shown one day prior to its general release. The showing was a benefit for a medical charity.

The Metropolitan first opened on October 16th, 1925, and was the largest and most sumptuous Paramount-Publix theatre up to that time. News coverage and advertising can be found in issues of the Boston Globe from that period. I would be happy to send copies to anyone contacting me privately at Warrengwhiz@nyc.rr.com

Does anyone remember when the Wurlitzer was removed from the theatre?
Supposedly, John Kiley and Ashley Miller (aka Kenneth Lane) recorded on it in the late 50's. Here's a nice photo of the console:
http://www.emcatos.com/PipeOrganPops_Satellite/waynesorgantours/shanklinmusichall/toj%20article/shanklinmusichall%20excerpt%202000%200900-1000%20toj%20v042%20i005%20(ga).pdf

This is a response to Jim Rankin's comment of December 8th, 2006...

Why are you so bitter about Corporate Support of a Movie Palace? All across the country people beg for money to support the operation and restoration of historic movie palaces. When a corporation steps up to the plate and provides the needed funds we should applaud and encourage them and not not make ridiculous statements about corporations donating money in order to enrich their reputations. That's pretty obvious that that is their primary purpose and SO WHAT! So many palaces around the country are crumbling waiting for the funding that could restore and or maintain operations. I wish there were many more corporations like Citibank that chose to express their corporate philanthropy through the restoration or funding of our historic movie palaces.

Ask anyone in Chicago if they would turn away Corporate funding from, let's say United Airlines (a hometown corporation), for a restoration of the Uptown Theater which has been sitting decaying for over 30 years. Would Philadelphians turn down corporate money to fund saving the Boyd? Of course not!

We need more, much more, corporate involvement even if it means they change the name of the theater (and it doesn't have to mean that). It's a small price to pay to have an operating movie palace!

Jim Rankin is now deceased, but sorely missed by members of his beloved Theatre Historical Society of America and friends that he made at Cinema Treasures.

Thank you for letting me know Warren. I sincerely appreciate it. I know that he was a valued friend of CT and The Theatre Historical Society of America, but I was not aware of his passing. May he rest in peace.

To exwhiteway- the organ at the Wang was still there and playable during the Sack Music Hall days in the 1960s. I believe it was removed sometime in the 1970s (It was definitely gone by 1983). And to LuisV - I agree with your comments 100 % !

Corporate support for restoring and reopening an old movie palace is great.

Corporate "support' for an already fully functional theatre is something else, especially when the theatre's programming and management has fallen into decline right after the "support" arrived. Which is the case here.

I think the Wang is also a victim of being too large for many shows that used to play there - now they find that the B.F. Keith Memorial/Opera House is more conducive to such touring shows.

I personally would love to see this theater throw its hat into the ring with the occasional movie run (beyond their occasional special screening) - given the piss-poor presentations at the Boston Common and Fenway theaters, what a treat it would be to see "The Dark Knight" or "Wall-E" booked into the Wang for a month - they could easily charge a higher ticket price too. I know I would pay $12-14 to see a film there rather than the other two downtown options. Given the nature of the film business, this scenario would be tough, but it is still something I think would give audiences something to remind people why the movies, versus DVD and so forth, are special.

I think using the Wang as a first-run movie palace is a great idea, and I would certainly support it, but unfortunately it's not going to happen. The movie chains actually aren't in the business of showing movies. They're in the food business. That's why they're all hot about installing bars and restaurants in the cinemas. Most of the staff is trained in food preparation and handling, not film, and movies are used to get patrons in to buy food. On-screen advertising has become an important source of revenue too. But since the studios can negotiate to keep up to 100% of the admission price during the first week of a movie's release, (although it's usually somewhere between 70%-90%), it wouldn't make sense for either AMC or Regal to do it, especially since the food selection would be sparse at the Wang and the rental fee, I image, would be high. Also I get the feeling the Wang people don't want the great unwashed masses trudging through their theater, since it's been years since they've had a film festival there. So although I too wish it would happen, it's not going to.

I just wanted to give a few remembrances of movies I saw at the Metropolitan-Music Hall-Wang Center/Theater.

I remember first going there with my mother, probably in the mid-'60s for a Disney film. I think the first show was at 9am and that was the bargain matinee, with the rest of the shows being full price.

My next experience was in 1974 when Columbia Pictures rented out the Met for a full day of free films to celebrate the studio's 50th anniversary. I remember showing up there after the films had started, and there was no one at the door or in the lobby. I just walked in and took a seat. The theater was about one-third full with people going in and out at times. I saw Funny Girl, The Professionals, Bridge Over the River Kwai and Doctor Strangelove. It was incredible! Great films, and the chance to see them on a giant screen!

I can't imagine anything like this being done this way today. When I saw Star Wars at the Charles in 1977, there were only about 100 people standing in line before the doors opened. Three years later for Empire, there was a line snaking down the mall about an hour before the movie. By 1982 for E.T., there was at least 1200 people in line and a four-hour wait! These days, people are willing to camp out weeks ahead of time for certain movies or events.

Columbia held a similar film festival at the Music Hall in 1982 for its 60th anniversary, but I was tied up at the time, and I think they might have charged admission. It was basically the same movies being shown.

I believe in 1991 the Wang started a Monday night film series to recapture its movie history. I remember seeing the Wizard of Oz there with a large gay audience that picked up on innuendos in the movie I had never imagined before. And on February 22, 1991 (a Friday night) it squeezed in a special showing of Ben-Hur with Charlton Heston sitting in the audience. He was only two rows behind my girlfriend and me and he stayed for the entire film, although the 70mm print was a blown up, cropped version of the original Cinemascope film.

And the film series even made U.S. history on April 29, 1991 when Citizen Kane, on its 50th anniversary tour, sold out all 3,600 seats for a record-breaking $18,000 single-showing take.

Unfortunately, by the time of Citizen Kane, the film series was getting so popular that it was difficult getting good seats. Subscribers to the entire series got seats in the orchestra, while the balcony was general seating.

For the Wizard of Oz, we were in the first row of the balcony, which was OK, but for Citizen Kane, we were about 1/3 back and the sightlines were positively awful. The screen was so low you had to peer down to see it, and you were basically staring at the head of the person in front of you. I had to crane my neck over to see between the heads in front of me, with the heads in front of them blocking my bottom view of the screen, while the person in back of me complained I was blocking his view. I know this was built as a movie palace, but I would say because the Wang is so huge that from 2/3 of the balcony the screen looks smaller than a 19" TV set at home.

I think the film series lasted about 10 years in the winter months, and then Monster.com did a series with free admission. Fortunately, because of the number of films being shot in Boston, and some Boston actors and directors climbing up the ranks of Hollywood, the Wang will be used from time to time for future film premieres. But it's a shame the theater doesn't host more cinematic events.

I agree with your last sentences, danpetitpas. I had a Friend of the Film Series Membership at the Wang for afew years, but when they gave up their annual Classic Film Series, I allowed my membership to lapse. I remember seeing the film "Ciao America", "To Sir With Love", 'Ben-Hur", and, last but not least, my alltime favorite movie, "West Side Story", at least three times at the Wang. How I miss their Classic Film Series. I wish they'd bring them back. I think there was some sort of ominous thing taking place when they began showing really junky-soounding classic films, too.

As I recall, Ben Sack guaranteed 20th Century Fox $200,000 to obtain "Cleopatra" for the Music Hall, a fortune of money in those days. In advertising the film, a big deal was made over the fact that all seats were in the orchestra; but Sack and his manager A. Alan Friedberg - who later ousted Sack from his own company - notoriously sold "strip tickets" in the balcony on weekends when demand was high. These tickets were very unlikely reported in the ticket manifest that went to Fox, helping Sack get a quicker return on his "guarantee."

The last time I went to the Wang Theatre, back in the winter of 2003, they were still showing the Monday Night Classic Film series, but they were showing them for free, instead of the usual five dollars that they'd previously charged. West Side Story was showing that night, and when my friend who was accompanying me arrived, we secured our seats in the theatre and went downstairs, where the movie theatre served up some great evening snacks and desserts as a pre-theatre reception. It was a sweet night, and my friend and I both had a wonderful time.

Ahhhhhh, nostalgia comes creeping in....mmmm.

I recently found among my stuff a program for the Music Hall from 1962. It's for the Week beginning Thursday, Sept. 13, 1962. The program has 4 pages (a single 8" x 11" sheet folded in half). It says: Ben Sack's MUSIC HALL, Showplace of New England. The program: 1. Music Hall Grand Organ, Louis Weir presents "Music Hall Medley".
2. Music Hall preview of coming attractions.
3. Music Hall Orchestra conducted by Joe Holicker
4. "Manhatten USA" Produced by Buddy Thomas; Settings and Lighting by Major Theatre; Costumes by Madame Bertha, Bill Drew
A. "Central Park" Bob Warren and the Music Hall Girls
B. "Autumn in New York" Bob Warren and Les Dames
C. "Mambo" The Music Hall Girls and Les Dames
D. "La Vie Paris" Under Paris Skies, Leslie Post and Bob Warren
E. White and Gold Ballet Music Hall Girls and Les Dames, and the Star of our show: Denise Darcell Finale - Entire Cast
Movie: "The Interns" with Cliff Robertson, Suzy Parker, Buddy Ebsen and Tully Savalas.
Coming Next: "Boccaccio '70" w/ Sophia Loren, etc. directed by DeSica, Fellini and Visconti, produced by Carlo Ponti.
Coming Soon: Sol Hurok presents "The Bolshoi Ballet" on stage; Also coming: ABC's Nationally Famous Television Show "Queen for a Day" starring Jack Bailey, live on stage.

The ang doesn't seem to be doing to well these days. Every other major local performing-arts organization has long since announced their 2008-09 calendar and starting selling subscriptions. Not the Wang. When I walked up to their box office a couple of weeks ago, they still had no information available about the upcoming season.

There are some '08-'09 attractions posted on the citicenter.org website, mostly the final season at the Wang Th. for the Boston Ballet, plus a few other things; but virtually nothing for the Shubert Th. (although their resident opera company will be back). Times are tough on that block of Tremont St.-- I read somewhere just recently that a number of the music concert attractions at the Wilbur Th. (next to Wang) have cancelled.

I hope that's not true, as I have tickets to the Old 97's at the Wilbur on October 5!

The new Corporate sponsor should restore its marquee to reflect the interior of this theatre. This is the missing link in the restoration of this theatre. Both the Wang and the Opera House have terrible marquees and the Paramount has the best marquee in the theatre district.bruce

I have heard that the upper marquee at the Wang, which is really sort of a short, wide vertical sign, has been converted to one of those electronic animated signs. And that there is a similar sign on the Shubert across the street. Anyone know for sure?

The attendance record at the Metropolitan was broken in the early fifties when Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis were booked live on stage for a week. The shows were continuous every day and featured Les Brown & his Orchestra, Helen O'Connell and Gene Sheldon. The crowds were almost uncontrollable. I was assigned backstage, and discovered that there is a secret door leading from the dressing rooms directly into the downstairs Mens' Lounge. This is how Martin & Lewis escaped the mobs at the Stage Door. They simply mingled with the patrons walking out of the Lounge and out into the street. They called it "Hide In Plain Sight". I wonder if it still exists at The Wang?

I remember when Martin & Lewis played the Met. It was around 1952-53; I was in Quincy H.S. at the time and some students skipped school and went to see them. The stage house at the Met then has since been replaced by a new and much larger stage house. The stage door and the loading door were at stage-left originally. I have been told a couple of times that it is still possible to go from the lobby to back stage by way of a passageway in the basement which leads from the lounges at the lower level to the basement under the stage.

Thanks for the info Ron; Nice to hear that the old secret passage is still there. I live on the West coast these days; and have never been back to visit the new Wang Center.

Further to the comments above by Chet Dowling regarding a passageway in the Wang basement leading from backstage to the front of the house. I looked at a floorplan of the basement printed in the 1927 book "American Theatres of Today" which is about to be reprinted by the Theatre Historical Society of America. There were doorways and a short set of steps in the basement on either side of the base of the orchestra pit. If you went out the door on the east side (stage-left) it was pretty much a straight shot out to the lower lobby. If you went out the door on the west side (stage-right) you would need a guide to lead you thru the maze! But you would end up near the men's room.

I walked within a block of the Wang yesterday afternoon and it does indeed have one of those colorful, ever-changing electronic cartoon -type marquees. There is one also on the Shubert across the street. They are both large rectangular devices attached perpendicular to the building facade.

How I miss their Monday Night Motion Picture Series!

The Wurlitzer (4 manual 26 rank)that was in the Metropolitan was removed in the early 70s, it was purchased by a group from Portand Oregon who operated a theatre organ-equipped pizza parlor there, the "Organ Grinder". The Boston Met console was added to their existing organ, the core of which came from the Portland Oriental theatre (3-13 Wurlitzer), as did select ranks of pipes, the remaining pipes were sold off piecemeal, breaking up the original organ. After the restaurant closed in 1996 the 44 rank colossus was sold to a Chicago interest who broke it up for parts, the console is now back in the Boston area controlling a fine instrument at the Shanklin conference center, adjacent to the Shanklin Corporation's plant.
http://www.emcatos.com/PipeOrganPops_Satellite/waynesorgantours/shanklinmusichall/

The Music Hall/Metropolitan Theatre is one of the qualifying buildings for the Piano Row District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Here is the narrative description from the nomination form:

Music Hall/Metropolitan Theatre


Architect: Chief Designers: Blackall, Clapp and Kenneth Franzheim, G. Nelson Meser
Builder: Olympia Construction Co.


Irregularly-shaped Renaissance Revival "palazzo skyscraper" with symetrical, 11-bay Tremont facade. Two-story colonnade of engaged fluted Greek Ionic columns at level 2-3. Shaft of building organized by rising piers, recessed spandrals and paired metal window units, with ornament concentrated at level 4 and 5. Building terminated by two-story colonnade of engaged Corinthian pilasters at level 12 and 13, plus denti cornice and roof cresting of palmettes and theatre masks.

The Music Hall/Metropolitan is highly significant as the largest theatre in Boston history and one of the largest in the country, as the best example of the sumptuous "movie palace" of the roaring twenties and as the last of Clarence Blackall's 14 Boston theatres.

The theatre reputedly cost 8.5m, seats 4200-4400, and is housed in a large office building, first to be constructed in Boston under a new height limit of 14 stories. Architect Clarence Blackall (1857-1942), one of the leading U.S. theatre architects and designer of the Colonial, Wilbur, Modern and Pilgrim/Olympia. The interior, modeled after Garnier's Paris Opera and decorated in the Louis XIV style, was appropriately advertised as "the public castle" with "a thousand and one wonders" including the grand lobby with four tiers of prominades, spacious lounges, marble doorways, rose jasper pillers, tow 1800-lb. gold plated chandeliers, bronze details by the Gorham Company, and $10,000 in gems decorating the central mural painting by Edmund Philo Kellog.

The entertainment was equally extravagant. The Met offered a combination of films and stage show, which might feature its resident ballet corps, 100-voice chorus, 55-piece orchestra and two console organ, all for 35 cents or 75 cents on weekend evenings. Resident producer John Murray Anderson arranged his own stage shows, headlined over the years with stars such as Rudy Vallee, Al Jolson, Burns and Allen, Jack Benny and Bob Hope. A seating board and cadre of 40 well-mannered, costumed ushers made sure that no seat remained empty long. Waiting patrons could arrange for bridge parties, lounge in comfortable chairs with the latest magazines, prominade to the music of two lobby orchestras, play ping pong, or visit the chic art deco restaurant which opened in 1932.

Since the destruction of the Boston Opera House in 1958, the Metropolitan has been used for performances by the Royal Ballet, Metropolitan Opera Company, Bolshoi, Kirov and Stuttgart Opera. Has been "Music Hall" leased by Sach Theatres since 1962.

http://www.archive.org/stream/midtownculturald1987bost#page/n191/mode/2up

I have heard that there was a screening room in the Met with some 90 seats in it for showing new movies to "the trade". It was located upstairs somewhere at the front of the house. The space is still there, but the mini-cinema is long gone.