Reopening of Theater Saves Gem
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Radio City Music Hall is one of the most beautiful theaters in the city, and its Christmas show is always a huge tourist attraction. Many New Yorkers remember when it used to be a great bargain as well. Besides the tremendous live production, for one low price you could also watch a first run feature film. I always would try to catch the 11 a.m. show, which cost only $4. That, needless to say, was a long, long time ago.
Now, tickets for the Christmas show range in price from $39 for non-peak, third-mezzanine seats to $129 for VIP tickets. Not too bad if you want to go by yourself or with only one child, but pretty steep for a larger family outing. Fortunately, I can afford to take my small grandchildren to a Christmas spectacular show closer to home in a more intimate but just as beautiful theater.
The St. George Theatre, only a three-minute walk from the Staten Island ferry terminal, was designed by architect Eugene deRosa and built 75 years ago as part of the Fabian theater chain. This palace, very popular in the 1930s and ’40s, has been restored by a nonprofit foundation operated by a family. Rosemary Cappozalo, better known as Mrs. Rosemary, and daughters Doreen Cugno, Luanne Sorrentino, and Rosemary Hillers reopened the 2,800-seat Staten Island landmark and will be offering live entertainment with dinner theater options.
Last week, the comedians Howie Mandel and John Mendoza entertained a good-sized crowd, with many of those attending expressing delight at having such quality diversions so close to home. Dana Whitford, a Stapleton resident, said: “I had a wonderful time, and I must admit I was surprised to see something like this in Staten Island. This theater is much more upscale and similar to what Manhattan offers, yet it’s quite affordable.”
The upcoming schedule will delight parents of small children who dread lugging them into Manhattan for holiday shows. On December 14 and 15 the Blues Clues National Tour is coming, and the Christmas Spectacular runs December 18 through 22. Blues Clues tickets start at $18. Tickets for the Christmas show start at only $15 – with half-price for children under 12.
Next year’s schedule is packed with musicals and other family fare. Although the theater is primarily for live performances, there has been great demand for a monthly classic film evening, and the operators of the St. George Theatre are giving it consideration.
I went there recently to see a musical, “Ellis Island,” performed by the American Family Theatre, a national touring group based in Philadelphia. The singing was Broadway-caliber, but the real star of the show was the theater itself. To see this fully restored theater is to take a trip back in time, to when movie theaters were as glamorous as the stars on the screen.
Today’s young moviegoers probably think of theaters as just plain cineplexes: square rooms bereft of decor or ornamentation. But old-timers, myself included, were used to Art Deco theaters with intricate ceilings of ornate molding and artwork.
Remember the Roxy? The RKO on 86th Street had a grand piano on the lower level; even theaters like the Liberty and the Harris on West 42nd Street were originally rather grand structures, before they turned into seedy havens for trench coat flashers.
There’s only one other theater on Staten Island with any historical relevance. That’s the Paramount, on Bay Street. I was told that Mary Pickford once attended a premiere there, though that’s hard to verify.
In 1980, the premiere of the movie “He Knows You’re Alone” was held there, at a time when the theater was being used as a nightclub.
The building has since been sold to a businessman, who plans to demolish it and build high-rise apartments. Sigh!
Local film buffs with dreams of buying the Paramount and turning it into another Thalia, where they could enjoy the best of foreign and independent film, have mounted a Save the Paramount Theatre movement. The area is rapidly becoming gentrified and could support such a venue, but I fear it isn’t happening in time to save this gem.
Still, one must be grateful when a treasure like the St. George can be rescued. The murals, stained glass, chandeliers, mosaic tiles, and pink marble staircase are remnants of a time when the word “class” went hand-in-hand with “theatre.”
Efforts like this restoration should be rewarded.
See www.stgeorgetheatre.com for details of next Saturday’s black-tie 75th-anniversary gala, or call (718) 442-2900.