Yes, the Orpheum is still showing first-run movies on State Street. :) But unlike the late, lamented University Square, they won’t cook you a cheeseburger and provide a table at your seat in the auditorium …
I grew up a few miles from the Lewis & Clark, and when my family or friends saw movies it was usually there. I’m sure I saw 500 movies there… And of course, even in its single-screen era it was never a fabulous movie palace, but it was so much better than any cinema I’ve seen built after the 1970s.
Mostly, what made the Lewis & Clark terrific was the ownership, management, and staff that kept the place spotless, the seats comfy and clean, the projection sharp, the service friendly, and the popcorn hot and yummy, right up until the day SRO sold it to Cineplex Odeon (or as we called it, Cineplex Odious). The broken chairs, unfocused presentation, and odd odors started within a few months of that switch, and within a year or so of the sale I gave up and started driving miles out of my way to see movies elsewhere.
My sincere thanks to Allet’s father (the 1960s manager) and projectionist Mike Bridgham for their good work. It was appreciated, and at the risk of sounding really old, it was a level of giving-a-damn that’s rarely seen any more.
The Eastgate is an utterly mundane multiplex on the edge of Madison’s east-side mall. Yes, as Mr Nelson posted, the auditoriums are named after old-time movie theaters — the Bijou room, the Rialto room, etc. — but beyond these nameplates every auditorium is the same, and they might as well be numbered 1-16.
In May 2008, Marcus announced that the Eastgate would be razed within the next two years, and replaced by another multiplex to be built a few blocks to the north. It’s a little surprising, as the place only seems to be perhaps ten years old and structurally sound, but I can’t imagine that anyone will really mourn the passing of the Eastgate. Like most modern theaters, it’s not a cinema treasure, just a big box where popcorn is sold and movies are projected.
The Orpheum is a beautiful palace on State Street, in pretty good condition. The huge vertical ‘Orpheum’ sign either doesn’t light any more, or the power is too expensive to click it on at night, as it’s always dark, but the main marquee hovering over the sidewalk can’t be missed.
The theater is closed Mondays, but screens modern art movies Tuesday-Sunday, with weekend matinees.
The staff is friendly, and patrons are allowed full access to the two balcony entrances, both leading to the same swooping seating section. In recent shows I’ve attended, almost all the house lights have been dark during the film, which gives the balcony an eerie “suspended in space” feeling.
The restrooms are huge, and down a long flight of stairs to the basement.
The theater also hosts concerts, which must pay the bills, because even on Friday night movies at the Orpheum I’ve never seen more than a few dozen other customers.
The lobby has been converted to a full service restaurant and bar. Dinner is a little pricey for us, in the $10 range, but they serve breakfast on Saturday mornings, and you can get a good omelet with hash browns for $7.
The theater’s second screen is in a separate space connected by a long narrow hallway. It’s charm-free, but serviceable.
This is an adequate modern multiplex, efficient but soulless, run by the Marcus chain. Just another maze of movies and overpriced popcorn topped with imitation butter. Your film is playing, slightly out of focus, in the seventh sticky shoebox down the left hallway…
Yes, the Orpheum is still showing first-run movies on State Street. :) But unlike the late, lamented University Square, they won’t cook you a cheeseburger and provide a table at your seat in the auditorium …
I grew up a few miles from the Lewis & Clark, and when my family or friends saw movies it was usually there. I’m sure I saw 500 movies there… And of course, even in its single-screen era it was never a fabulous movie palace, but it was so much better than any cinema I’ve seen built after the 1970s.
Mostly, what made the Lewis & Clark terrific was the ownership, management, and staff that kept the place spotless, the seats comfy and clean, the projection sharp, the service friendly, and the popcorn hot and yummy, right up until the day SRO sold it to Cineplex Odeon (or as we called it, Cineplex Odious). The broken chairs, unfocused presentation, and odd odors started within a few months of that switch, and within a year or so of the sale I gave up and started driving miles out of my way to see movies elsewhere.
My sincere thanks to Allet’s father (the 1960s manager) and projectionist Mike Bridgham for their good work. It was appreciated, and at the risk of sounding really old, it was a level of giving-a-damn that’s rarely seen any more.
The Eastgate is an utterly mundane multiplex on the edge of Madison’s east-side mall. Yes, as Mr Nelson posted, the auditoriums are named after old-time movie theaters — the Bijou room, the Rialto room, etc. — but beyond these nameplates every auditorium is the same, and they might as well be numbered 1-16.
In May 2008, Marcus announced that the Eastgate would be razed within the next two years, and replaced by another multiplex to be built a few blocks to the north. It’s a little surprising, as the place only seems to be perhaps ten years old and structurally sound, but I can’t imagine that anyone will really mourn the passing of the Eastgate. Like most modern theaters, it’s not a cinema treasure, just a big box where popcorn is sold and movies are projected.
The Orpheum is a beautiful palace on State Street, in pretty good condition. The huge vertical ‘Orpheum’ sign either doesn’t light any more, or the power is too expensive to click it on at night, as it’s always dark, but the main marquee hovering over the sidewalk can’t be missed.
The theater is closed Mondays, but screens modern art movies Tuesday-Sunday, with weekend matinees.
The staff is friendly, and patrons are allowed full access to the two balcony entrances, both leading to the same swooping seating section. In recent shows I’ve attended, almost all the house lights have been dark during the film, which gives the balcony an eerie “suspended in space” feeling.
The restrooms are huge, and down a long flight of stairs to the basement.
The theater also hosts concerts, which must pay the bills, because even on Friday night movies at the Orpheum I’ve never seen more than a few dozen other customers.
The lobby has been converted to a full service restaurant and bar. Dinner is a little pricey for us, in the $10 range, but they serve breakfast on Saturday mornings, and you can get a good omelet with hash browns for $7.
The theater’s second screen is in a separate space connected by a long narrow hallway. It’s charm-free, but serviceable.
This is an adequate modern multiplex, efficient but soulless, run by the Marcus chain. Just another maze of movies and overpriced popcorn topped with imitation butter. Your film is playing, slightly out of focus, in the seventh sticky shoebox down the left hallway…