A very big organ.
The Robert Morton Theater organ in the New Orleans Saenger theater is one of the great theater organs in the world; it was the prototype for the "Wonder Morton" organs and is the most important surving example of that company's work. I tend to get a little manic around pipe organs of any type, but theater organs are my favorite and last Saturday night, I got to see and hear this amazing instrument! You can listen to some recordings of this organ here.
The Saenger Theater opened in 1927 and was considered the flagship of the Saenger Theater chain, which included 150 theaters at the time. It was definitely the grandest theater in the South, built at a cost of $2.5 million, nearly $25 million in today's dollars. New Orleans is fortunate to still have all three of its landmark theaters; in addition to the Saenger, which is now mostly used for Broadway touring productions, there are the Loew's State (1926) and the Orpheum (1924), which was built for vaudeville and now is the home of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
In order to celebrate the theater's 75th year, they ran a series of classic movies this last weekend, with a 75 cent admission price: Some Like It Hot, The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind. As many time as I have seen The Wizard Of Oz, I had never seen it in a theater on a big screen, so that's the one we decided to see.
Robert and I got there early so we had time to look around. We entered through the lobby, which once featured 4 huge crystal chandeliers which were said to have come from the Chateau Pierrefonds in France. Only one remains; you can see it in the upper section of the pic above. While we were in the lobby, I caught Robert looking up Marilyn's dress!
Theater historians refer to the Saenger as an "atmospheric" theater, which means that the theater gives the illusion of being out doors. There are building facades on the side walls of the theater with ornate balconies and the ceiling is done up to look like the night sky with stars and moving clouds. Every single inch of the theater is guilded, decorated and lush.
The second floor lobby.
Statues along the "roof line" at the third level.
Another one of the many statues.
Robert striking a pose in an empty niche...
The Theater.
We finally settled down into our seats just as the organ concert began and while the guy playing it wasn't the most accomplished artist, it was still a thrill to hear it and as the organ sank slowly down into the pit at the end of the performance, the near capacity crowd of around 3,000 people applauded and cheered. The house lights dimmed and the movie began, and so did the magic. Seeing "Oz" on a big screen was a treat; the print was near pristine and the colors were dazzling, but the real magic came from being in a classic theater with a huge crowd of people. I had totally forgotten what it was like, the shared experience of enjoyment of a film. The audience covered a wide spectrum from lil' kids seeing the film for the first time to older folks who had seen it in a first run theater, and you could feel the joy; everyone was having a really good time! The laughter at the Cowardly Lion, the hissing at the Wicked Witch, the cheering when something good happened; the sound of people reacting to what was on the screen came at you in waves and it was truly wonderful! I don't think I've ever enjoyed a film so much in a theater before; seeing a film at a modern cineplex just doesn't compare.
This series of films was a test run to see if there was enough interest, and it looks like there was, so I'm looking forward to seeing some more classic films there. (Although I doubt they'll keep the 75 cent admission...).
I'd really love to see Sunset Boulevard in that theater and be one of those wonderful people out there in the dark.
durlx
The Robert Morton Theater organ in the New Orleans Saenger theater is one of the great theater organs in the world; it was the prototype for the "Wonder Morton" organs and is the most important surving example of that company's work. I tend to get a little manic around pipe organs of any type, but theater organs are my favorite and last Saturday night, I got to see and hear this amazing instrument! You can listen to some recordings of this organ here.
The Saenger Theater opened in 1927 and was considered the flagship of the Saenger Theater chain, which included 150 theaters at the time. It was definitely the grandest theater in the South, built at a cost of $2.5 million, nearly $25 million in today's dollars. New Orleans is fortunate to still have all three of its landmark theaters; in addition to the Saenger, which is now mostly used for Broadway touring productions, there are the Loew's State (1926) and the Orpheum (1924), which was built for vaudeville and now is the home of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
In order to celebrate the theater's 75th year, they ran a series of classic movies this last weekend, with a 75 cent admission price: Some Like It Hot, The Wizard of Oz and Gone With The Wind. As many time as I have seen The Wizard Of Oz, I had never seen it in a theater on a big screen, so that's the one we decided to see.
Robert and I got there early so we had time to look around. We entered through the lobby, which once featured 4 huge crystal chandeliers which were said to have come from the Chateau Pierrefonds in France. Only one remains; you can see it in the upper section of the pic above. While we were in the lobby, I caught Robert looking up Marilyn's dress!
Theater historians refer to the Saenger as an "atmospheric" theater, which means that the theater gives the illusion of being out doors. There are building facades on the side walls of the theater with ornate balconies and the ceiling is done up to look like the night sky with stars and moving clouds. Every single inch of the theater is guilded, decorated and lush.
The second floor lobby.
Statues along the "roof line" at the third level.
Another one of the many statues.
Robert striking a pose in an empty niche...
The Theater.
We finally settled down into our seats just as the organ concert began and while the guy playing it wasn't the most accomplished artist, it was still a thrill to hear it and as the organ sank slowly down into the pit at the end of the performance, the near capacity crowd of around 3,000 people applauded and cheered. The house lights dimmed and the movie began, and so did the magic. Seeing "Oz" on a big screen was a treat; the print was near pristine and the colors were dazzling, but the real magic came from being in a classic theater with a huge crowd of people. I had totally forgotten what it was like, the shared experience of enjoyment of a film. The audience covered a wide spectrum from lil' kids seeing the film for the first time to older folks who had seen it in a first run theater, and you could feel the joy; everyone was having a really good time! The laughter at the Cowardly Lion, the hissing at the Wicked Witch, the cheering when something good happened; the sound of people reacting to what was on the screen came at you in waves and it was truly wonderful! I don't think I've ever enjoyed a film so much in a theater before; seeing a film at a modern cineplex just doesn't compare.
This series of films was a test run to see if there was enough interest, and it looks like there was, so I'm looking forward to seeing some more classic films there. (Although I doubt they'll keep the 75 cent admission...).
I'd really love to see Sunset Boulevard in that theater and be one of those wonderful people out there in the dark.
durlx
posted by durlx at 7/01/2002 11:34:00 AM
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