As the Sheldon Opera House, the Hamilton is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. E.B. Sheldon was the Mgr. The seating is given as 1,000 (probably rounded up).The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide and the stage was 30 feeet deep. The theatre was on the first floor. The local newspaper was the Hamilton Republican, a weekly. Hotels for show folk were the Hotel Moxwell and the Pock House. Railroad was the New York, Ontario and Western. The 1897 population of Hamilton was 2,000.
I have a program for the old Boston Opera House on Huntington Ave. for the week of December 24, 1951. The attraction on stage was a touring production of the great musical of the 1920s “The Student Prince” by Sigmund Romberg. Near the back of the program is an ad for the Brattle Theatre Company, Harvard Sq.,Cambridge. “Two Comedies for the Holidays!”— “A Phoenix Too Frequent” by Christopher Fry and “The Long Christmas Dinner” by Thornton Wilder. The plays were on stage thru New Year’s Eve. I don’t know if these were 2 full-length plays presented on alternate nights, or if they were 2 short plays presented on the same program.
A friend attended the Open House last Saturday at the Victory and was very impressed with the theater’s interior. He noted that there is a steep, high rear section at the back of the balcony and wonders if that is the reason why the roof is elevated at the rear of the building.
I saw Paul Newman on stage in “Picnic”, a new play by William Inge on pre-B'Way tryout at the Plymouth Theatre in Boston. This was in February, 1953. The play was directed by Josh Logan and featured Ralph Meeker, Janice Rule, Eileen Heckart, Kim Stanley, and Peggy Conklin. It had real scenary, not the stylized stuff today, designed and lit by Jo Mielziner. We sat in the first balcony, and the house was full. Newman was a fine actor; he would have been about 28 years old at the time. In those days there were touring shows and pre-Bway tryouts booked solid from Sept. to May every season. Not the slim pickings of today. The Plymouth later became the Gary movie theatre and was demolished circa-1980. Paul Newman was also a generous philanthropist.
Every time a theater gets flooded out, that’s all we hear about here in CT is the organ. What about the rest of the building? Flood water does tremendous and expensive damage to a structure.
palermo- you can try the Theatre Historical Society; they have a huge archive in IL. Their website is historictheatres.org; their e-mail address is there. It’s fairly easy to find exterior photos, but interior photos and floor plans are much more difficult. They charge a fee for copies of their stuff.
I have heard on the gossip grapevine that at least one party has expressed interest in taking over the Wolly and restoring it as a perf. arts center. I don’t know how accurate or well-founded that news is.
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 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.
Cinemas which carry the Met Opera simulcasts here in the Boston area don’t even have to advertise it – they get their patronage from opera fans who go to the Met’s website for the schedule. I know people who have attended several of these performances at the Regal Fenway in Boston and the Showcase Randolph; they pay $22 for tickets and have been very pleased. Each time that they attend, the auditorium has been full.
The Theatre Historical Society listing for the Olympia in New Bedford, compiled by CT and THS member Barry Goodkin, states that the house opened on April 2, 1916 and was designed by Wm. Mowll of Mowll & Rand architects. It had at least 2300 seats.
The Theatre Historical Society of America’s theatres list, compiled by CT and THS member Barry Goodkin, says that the Empire was designed by J. S. McIntyre and opened Sept. 11, 1922.
The Theatre Historical Society listing for the Capitol in New Bedford, compiled by member Barry Goodkin, states that it opened on Nov. 29, 1920, designed by Labrode & Pullard, with 1000 seats.
The Theatre Historical Society of America has some info about Athol theaters compiled by long-time member the late Brother Andrew Corsini. He wrote that the York Theatre was opened on Sept. 12, 1930, designed by Albert J. Smith, with 1200 seats. There was also a Capitol Th. in Athol, designed by Mowl & Rand, and opened in Feb. 1930 with 1225 seats. The Lyric Theatre was originally the Academy of Music,had 750 seats and was open from 1907 to 1933. The Athol Opera House, later the Athol Theatre, had 676 seats and was open from 1897 to 1929.
The attraction posted on the marquee of the McVickers in the old photo posted above by Lost is “The Bostonians”. It was a popular touring company in the 1890s and early 1900s which specialized in operettas and operas.
I agree- the letters-in-circles which say “Circle” on the right side of Lost Memory’s photo of Sept 15 look identical to the same letters on the 2 marquees in MGM’s photo of April 1941 when the Circle was new.
The Keith’s Theatre (later the Civic) opened on Jan. 27, 1908 with 1,355 seats and was designed by Albert E. Westover, according to info at Theatre Historical Society of America
As the Sheldon Opera House, the Hamilton is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. E.B. Sheldon was the Mgr. The seating is given as 1,000 (probably rounded up).The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide and the stage was 30 feeet deep. The theatre was on the first floor. The local newspaper was the Hamilton Republican, a weekly. Hotels for show folk were the Hotel Moxwell and the Pock House. Railroad was the New York, Ontario and Western. The 1897 population of Hamilton was 2,000.
I also have heard that the Stoughton Cinema building was sold within recent weeks.
MPol- are you confusing the old Allston Th. with the Allston Cinemas on Harvard Ave.? (that was the one which became a Bollywood house).
I have a program for the old Boston Opera House on Huntington Ave. for the week of December 24, 1951. The attraction on stage was a touring production of the great musical of the 1920s “The Student Prince” by Sigmund Romberg. Near the back of the program is an ad for the Brattle Theatre Company, Harvard Sq.,Cambridge. “Two Comedies for the Holidays!”— “A Phoenix Too Frequent” by Christopher Fry and “The Long Christmas Dinner” by Thornton Wilder. The plays were on stage thru New Year’s Eve. I don’t know if these were 2 full-length plays presented on alternate nights, or if they were 2 short plays presented on the same program.
A friend attended the Open House last Saturday at the Victory and was very impressed with the theater’s interior. He noted that there is a steep, high rear section at the back of the balcony and wonders if that is the reason why the roof is elevated at the rear of the building.
I saw Paul Newman on stage in “Picnic”, a new play by William Inge on pre-B'Way tryout at the Plymouth Theatre in Boston. This was in February, 1953. The play was directed by Josh Logan and featured Ralph Meeker, Janice Rule, Eileen Heckart, Kim Stanley, and Peggy Conklin. It had real scenary, not the stylized stuff today, designed and lit by Jo Mielziner. We sat in the first balcony, and the house was full. Newman was a fine actor; he would have been about 28 years old at the time. In those days there were touring shows and pre-Bway tryouts booked solid from Sept. to May every season. Not the slim pickings of today. The Plymouth later became the Gary movie theatre and was demolished circa-1980. Paul Newman was also a generous philanthropist.
Every time a theater gets flooded out, that’s all we hear about here in CT is the organ. What about the rest of the building? Flood water does tremendous and expensive damage to a structure.
palermo- you can try the Theatre Historical Society; they have a huge archive in IL. Their website is historictheatres.org; their e-mail address is there. It’s fairly easy to find exterior photos, but interior photos and floor plans are much more difficult. They charge a fee for copies of their stuff.
Does anyone know how this theater was affected by the recent hurricane which roared thru Galveston?
I have heard on the gossip grapevine that at least one party has expressed interest in taking over the Wolly and restoring it as a perf. arts center. I don’t know how accurate or well-founded that news is.
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 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.
Cinemas which carry the Met Opera simulcasts here in the Boston area don’t even have to advertise it – they get their patronage from opera fans who go to the Met’s website for the schedule. I know people who have attended several of these performances at the Regal Fenway in Boston and the Showcase Randolph; they pay $22 for tickets and have been very pleased. Each time that they attend, the auditorium has been full.
No, I don’t know. It was a little “indie” the entire time that I knew it until it closed and then became a “Pussycat”.
The Theatre Historical Society listing for the Olympia in New Bedford, compiled by CT and THS member Barry Goodkin, states that the house opened on April 2, 1916 and was designed by Wm. Mowll of Mowll & Rand architects. It had at least 2300 seats.
The Theatre Historical Society of America’s theatres list, compiled by CT and THS member Barry Goodkin, says that the Empire was designed by J. S. McIntyre and opened Sept. 11, 1922.
The Theatre Historical Society listing for the Capitol in New Bedford, compiled by member Barry Goodkin, states that it opened on Nov. 29, 1920, designed by Labrode & Pullard, with 1000 seats.
The Theatre Historical Society lists the opening date of the Fields Corner Theatre as April 28, 1924.
The Theatre Historical Society of America has some info about Athol theaters compiled by long-time member the late Brother Andrew Corsini. He wrote that the York Theatre was opened on Sept. 12, 1930, designed by Albert J. Smith, with 1200 seats. There was also a Capitol Th. in Athol, designed by Mowl & Rand, and opened in Feb. 1930 with 1225 seats. The Lyric Theatre was originally the Academy of Music,had 750 seats and was open from 1907 to 1933. The Athol Opera House, later the Athol Theatre, had 676 seats and was open from 1897 to 1929.
The Theatre Historical Society lists the opening date of the Flynn in Burlington as Nov. 26, 1930; designed by Mowll and Rand.
The THSA lists the opening date of the Latchis in Brattleboro as Sept. 22, 1938, 1200 seats.
The attraction posted on the marquee of the McVickers in the old photo posted above by Lost is “The Bostonians”. It was a popular touring company in the 1890s and early 1900s which specialized in operettas and operas.
I agree- the letters-in-circles which say “Circle” on the right side of Lost Memory’s photo of Sept 15 look identical to the same letters on the 2 marquees in MGM’s photo of April 1941 when the Circle was new.
The Keith’s Theatre (later the Civic) opened on Jan. 27, 1908 with 1,355 seats and was designed by Albert E. Westover, according to info at Theatre Historical Society of America
The Strand opened in February 1923 with 626 seats and was designed by Joseph Dondis, according to info from the Theatre Historical Society of America.