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Arts & Culture > Providence's Majestic Theater
 

Providence's Majestic Theater



In the early 1900's, Alton C. Emery and his brother Burton wanted to build the biggest and most lavish theater in Providence, RI. They leased an entire block in the downtown area, demolished the existing frame structure, and commissioned the architectural firm of William Walker and Son. On April 9, 1917, the Majestic opened to the public.

It was a beautiful theater of white terra cotta with pale green accents on the exterior with glass and ironwork canopies above the five entrances and huge windows that drew in enough sunlight to illuminate the four-story-high lobby. Inside, a large elliptical opening extended from the street level to the mezzanine and was domed by leaded glass in a variety of brilliant colors. Also inside were French influenced columns and arches and the window casings and cornices were covered with molded terra cotta tiles in a grapevine pattern.



The theater, with it's tremendously large stage, opened as a vaudeville house. Show business was booming in downtown Providence with the Opera House, the Albee Stock Company, three vaudeville houses, one burlesque palace, and the opening of eight new theaters by 1919, and the Majestic enjoyed it's success with continuous sold-out shows.



After World War I, musical productions abounded at the Majestic with casts of over 70 and starred such well known performers as Willie and Eugene Howard, Peggy Wood and Charlotte Greenwood. Two outstanding things occurred during this time that are documented in theater history. The first was the musical production of "Chu Chin Chow", including elephants and all, which was the largest musical production ever to play Providence. The second was the Majestic's famous "living curtain", made up of bare-breasted chorines arranged as ornaments. Local authorities classified them as "theatrical art" because they remained immobile as statues. (In contrast, the nude performers on stage were called "shimmy shakers".)

The burlesque theater eventually became a prominent musical revue theater and then, it became a prominent movie house. The era of silent movies had arrived and, soon after, talkies. In 1926, Vitaphone, an early type of long-playing record synchronized with film and amplified by a giant speaker was introduced and it found an exclusive home at the Majestic. If anyone wanted to see and "really hear" the talkies, they stood in lines to get into the Majestic.



The great Majestic Theater lost it's popularity during the late 40's as television was becoming more popular, and then the audiences had all but completely abandoned the Majestic when suburban malls offered moviegoers multi-screen cinemas. But, In 1970, the Trinity Square Repertory Company decided to move to the Majestic, which had since become the Lederer Theater. The Company had it's roots in Providence's Trinity United Methodist Church and it was ready to expand and to have a home of it's own. Trinity Rep, as it is more commonly called, moved into the theater in 1973 after major renovations were made. Although the facade remained mostly unchanged, much of the interior was gutted and most of the original artistic touches were destroyed. Only some of the original artistic beauty is evident. However, two theaters, as well as offices, production shops, and rehearsal halls were created in the historic building, which is now wheelchair accessibleandoffers an Assistive Listening System for the hearing-impaired.

Although it is now known as The Lederer Theater, The Majestic Theater building is a registered national landmark and continues to be Trinity Rep's home. In the six decades since its doors opened, the Majestic had come full circle. Those early years, when Walter Hampden played "Cyrano de Bergerac," when Pavlova danced, when John Barrymore performed "Peter Ibbetson," when Al Jolson sang in "Sinbad," were now (and are still) being celebrated anew with the opening of every production by Trinity Repertory Company.



posted on Dec 12, 2009 6:23 AM ()

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