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Historic American Theater Revived in Boston
The Opera House Saved and Restored to Its Lavish 1928 Glory Reopens July 16,
2004 With Disney's The Lion King
BOSTON, July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- After more than a decade of neglect
and deterioration, Boston's Opera House will open its doors once again,
welcoming audiences to experience the original glory of this 1928 architectural
jewel. On July 16, 2004, Boston's Mayor, Thomas M. Menino, will be joined by
David Anderson, President of Theatre Management, Clear Channel Entertainment
and Tony McLean, President of Broadway in Boston/Clear Channel Entertainment
for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially reopen The Opera House. After
completion of a lengthy $38 million restoration, this "palace for the people"
will reopen with the inaugural performance of the Tony(R) Award-winning musical
Disney's THE LION KING. The Opera House restoration represents a major
milestone for Broadway in Boston/Clear Channel Entertainment as well as the
Boston Redevelopment Authority, whose plans to revitalize the downtown Ladder
District are truly coming to fruition.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040712/NYM178 )
The Lion King will be the first live production at The Opera House since
December 1990. Designed in 1928 by preeminent architect Thomas White Lamb, The
Opera House was constructed as a memorial to B.F. Keith, the "father of
vaudeville," by his business partner Edward Franklin Albee (grandfather of
playwright Edward Albee). Designed in the ornate Beaux Arts style, with
Baroque and Renaissance elements, this lavish 2,600 seat theater opened as a
vaudeville house, but by 1929, had converted to a movie house. Refurbished and
renamed the Savoy in the 1960's, the theater continued to operate as a movie
house until 1978, when The Opera Company of Boston acquired the theater for
their artistic home, keeping the theater lit until 1990. Left derelict for
more then a decade, the theater's lavish decorations began to decay; the
ceiling plaster began raining down on the seats, with water damage destroying
ornate frescoes and tapestries.
On November 12, 2002, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino presented Clear Channel
Entertainment with a building permit to formally begin the restoration of this
long dormant theater. For the past two years, a crew of over 150 workers has
been painstakingly restoring the entire theater, overseen by David Anderson and
architect Gary Martinez of Martinez & Johnson / Architecture. Workers, artisans
and historical consultants, under the direction of Suffolk Construction,
labored tenuously to preserve the opulence of Lamb's original building and stay
true to his design, considered to be a hallmark in theater architecture when
originally constructed. Work on the 2,600 seat venue included 30,000 hours
devoted to restoring plasterwork alone, refurbishment of 352 original light
fixtures, and the expansion of the stage in order to accommodate modern,
large-scale productions. Original wall fabrics, carpets and glazes were
re-created and murals were painstakingly cleaned and restored. Throughout the
process, the primary challenge was to honor Lamb's original design, while
augmenting the theater with state-of-the-art technology systems that would
allow it to meet the demands of a modern performing arts complex.
Listed on the 1995, National Trust for Historic Preservation's "11 Most
Endangered Historic Places," the completion of The Opera House represents Clear
Channel Entertainment's second involvement in the restoration of a landmark
theater in 2004, following the February reopening of the Hippodrome Theatre at
the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center in Baltimore. As part of Clear
Channel Entertainment's continued effort to restore and preserve historic
theaters nationwide, they are currently exploring opportunities to rescue other
endangered theaters around the country. Other restored or historic theaters
that Clear Channel Entertainment owns and operates (either solely or through
joint ventures) include the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in New York
City; The Cadillac Palace Theater, Shubert Theater and Ford Center for the
Performing Arts Oriental in Chicago; Saenger Theatre in New Orleans; Colonial
Theatre and Wilbur Theatre in Boston; Merriam Theatre in Philadelphia; Canon
Theatre in Toronto; Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.; and Palace Theatre in
Louisville
The Opera House promises to quickly establish its place as a venue for the very
best that Boston's Theater District has to offer. After Disney's THE LION KING
ends its much-anticipated run at The Opera House, the theater will
appropriately host the return engagement of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM
OF THE OPERA beginning in March 2005. A newly formed relationship between
Broadway in Boston/Clear Channel Entertainment and the Boston Ballet will bring
THE NUTCRACKER to The Opera House beginning in 2005. A mix of old world
opulence and modern day technology, The Opera House will host a broad range of
local, regional and national programming. For further information concerning
The Opera House and its productions please visit
http://www.broadwayinboston.com/.
Clear Channel Entertainment, a leading producer and marketer of live
entertainment events, is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications (NYSE:
CCU), a global leader in the away-from-home advertising industry. Clear Channel
Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books approximately
130 live entertainment venues, including nearly 100 in North America and more
than 30 in Europe. In 2003, 69 million people attended approximately 32,000
events promoted and/or produced by the company, including live music events;
Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows;
museum exhibitions, and specialized sports and motor sports events. In
addition, the company's independently operated athlete representation business,
SFX, provides management, marketing and financial consulting services to many
of the world's top professional athletes. Clear Channel Entertainment also
provides marketing services through LIVE Channel, a company dedicated to
creating and executing live events for companies seeking brand promotion. Clear
Channel Entertainment operates throughout North America, Europe, and Australia.
More information may be found by visiting http://www.cc.com/ and
http://www.clearchannel.com/.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040712/NYM178
DATASOURCE: Clear Channel Entertainment
CONTACT: Michael Hartman or Wayne Wolfe, +1-212-398-1800, both for Clear
Channel Entertainment
Web site: http://www.clearchannel.com/
http://www.cc.com/
http://www.broadwayinboston.com/