Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
On February 2nd, something pretty cool happened. My boss, Peter Slack, became the new owner of Pitman's Broadway Theater. Like Peter, the first movie I ever saw in a movie theater was at The Broadway.
I was very young, but I vaguely remember the experience. My Aunt Jacque and Uncle Mark took me to see The Muppet Movie. (My mom says my sister Lauren went, too, but I don't remember that part). What I remember is thinking how big the theater was. And the balconies. My child's brain probably expected, or wished, to see Waldorf and Statler there–the original grumpy old men.
Over the last 5 years, I have rediscovered this theater. To be honest, it is musty and even a little moldy. The old seats are a bit uncomfortable. It is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. There were also other problems–and Peter will be very busy with restoration efforts. But none of that really seemed to bother me. Most of the time.
I've been sitting here for a few minutes trying to put down in words why the problems listed above didn't bother me. The history of the theater? It is kinda cool to think that decades ago some one was sitting in my seat watching a vaudeville show and then, decades later, I'm watching Johnny Depp impersonate Keith Richards in Pirates of the Caribbean. Maybe that's not something a lot of other people think about, but I've always found those sort of odd connections interesting. Before showtime, I'd often think about the people who had met there, the people who had been inspired by some event at the theater, and other ways Pitman's Broadway affected human lives.
I am also impressed by the architecture. It's just really beautiful. I appreciate the big, (usually clean) screens and high-quality surround sound systems at today's multiplexes, but they can sometimes feel "cold." They aren't particularly unique. There are a lot of reasons for that. Some understandable and some just lame. Theaters from the era The Broadway was built just have more character. Filmmaking is an art form—even shows we see for pure entertainment, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, involve some kind of artistic expression (consider when Will confronts Jack at the jail. Although it is Jack who is imprisoned, it is Will we always see with the bars in front of his face, not Jack. That's an artist's touch.) When I'm at The Broadway Theater, I like that I'm sitting in a work of art while watching another kind of art displayed before me.
And then there is the pipe organ. The 3/8 Kimball is the theater's original organ. The Broadway theater is one of the few to still have it's original organ–and it works. The South Jersey Theater Organ Society fully restored the organ and helps with the maintenance. It sounds awesome. On Halloween 2003 and 2004 I saw an original print of The Phantom of the Opera (the silent version) with Lon Chaney at the theater. Volunteers from the SJTOS played during the show. Those were two of the best Halloween experiences of my life! I was so sad that I didn't get to see The Phantom again this past Halloween. I hope Peter restarts this tradition. The sound of that organ during the show was just so incredible. OK. Being in an old, dusty and moldy building, and sitting up in the balcony all by my self added to the experience. But, truly, the pipe organ was the best part.
I love movies. I love the technology that makes, distributes and displays them. I love the stories they tell. I love that they can entertain and educate. I love the art and the craft. I am fascinated by the new worlds each movie creates. I am fascinated by the chemical process that can put the image of a man on a piece of material. A great actor, Jimmy Stewart, died nearly 10 years ago at the age of 79 years. But I just saw him as a young man in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
A good movie can hold "all of us under its spell...its probably magic." And some other schmaltzy stuff where I was going to incorporated more lyrics from The Rainbow Connection. Sorry. It just wasn't working.
Anyway, all this love for the art and craft and enjoyment of movies started for me at Pitman's Broadway Theater with Jim Henson's The Muppet Movie. For that, the theater (and the Muppets) will always be very special to me.
When I heard that the theater had closed, I was worried about the future of the theater. I wished that some one who respects the theater and is concerned about the future of the community surronding the theater would buy it. Despite working for him for 3 years, I don't know a lot about Peter Slack. However, based on what I do know, I'm pretty sure that my wish has come true.
So, pay attention to this web site. As soon as Peter is able to get the theater open again, I'll post about it and encourage everyone to go see a show there.
(Alright. So I had a little fun again with the weblinks. In my defense, some of them are pretty informative.)
I was very young, but I vaguely remember the experience. My Aunt Jacque and Uncle Mark took me to see The Muppet Movie. (My mom says my sister Lauren went, too, but I don't remember that part). What I remember is thinking how big the theater was. And the balconies. My child's brain probably expected, or wished, to see Waldorf and Statler there–the original grumpy old men.
Over the last 5 years, I have rediscovered this theater. To be honest, it is musty and even a little moldy. The old seats are a bit uncomfortable. It is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. There were also other problems–and Peter will be very busy with restoration efforts. But none of that really seemed to bother me. Most of the time.
I've been sitting here for a few minutes trying to put down in words why the problems listed above didn't bother me. The history of the theater? It is kinda cool to think that decades ago some one was sitting in my seat watching a vaudeville show and then, decades later, I'm watching Johnny Depp impersonate Keith Richards in Pirates of the Caribbean. Maybe that's not something a lot of other people think about, but I've always found those sort of odd connections interesting. Before showtime, I'd often think about the people who had met there, the people who had been inspired by some event at the theater, and other ways Pitman's Broadway affected human lives.
I am also impressed by the architecture. It's just really beautiful. I appreciate the big, (usually clean) screens and high-quality surround sound systems at today's multiplexes, but they can sometimes feel "cold." They aren't particularly unique. There are a lot of reasons for that. Some understandable and some just lame. Theaters from the era The Broadway was built just have more character. Filmmaking is an art form—even shows we see for pure entertainment, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, involve some kind of artistic expression (consider when Will confronts Jack at the jail. Although it is Jack who is imprisoned, it is Will we always see with the bars in front of his face, not Jack. That's an artist's touch.) When I'm at The Broadway Theater, I like that I'm sitting in a work of art while watching another kind of art displayed before me.
And then there is the pipe organ. The 3/8 Kimball is the theater's original organ. The Broadway theater is one of the few to still have it's original organ–and it works. The South Jersey Theater Organ Society fully restored the organ and helps with the maintenance. It sounds awesome. On Halloween 2003 and 2004 I saw an original print of The Phantom of the Opera (the silent version) with Lon Chaney at the theater. Volunteers from the SJTOS played during the show. Those were two of the best Halloween experiences of my life! I was so sad that I didn't get to see The Phantom again this past Halloween. I hope Peter restarts this tradition. The sound of that organ during the show was just so incredible. OK. Being in an old, dusty and moldy building, and sitting up in the balcony all by my self added to the experience. But, truly, the pipe organ was the best part.
I love movies. I love the technology that makes, distributes and displays them. I love the stories they tell. I love that they can entertain and educate. I love the art and the craft. I am fascinated by the new worlds each movie creates. I am fascinated by the chemical process that can put the image of a man on a piece of material. A great actor, Jimmy Stewart, died nearly 10 years ago at the age of 79 years. But I just saw him as a young man in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
A good movie can hold "all of us under its spell...its probably magic." And some other schmaltzy stuff where I was going to incorporated more lyrics from The Rainbow Connection. Sorry. It just wasn't working.
Anyway, all this love for the art and craft and enjoyment of movies started for me at Pitman's Broadway Theater with Jim Henson's The Muppet Movie. For that, the theater (and the Muppets) will always be very special to me.
When I heard that the theater had closed, I was worried about the future of the theater. I wished that some one who respects the theater and is concerned about the future of the community surronding the theater would buy it. Despite working for him for 3 years, I don't know a lot about Peter Slack. However, based on what I do know, I'm pretty sure that my wish has come true.
So, pay attention to this web site. As soon as Peter is able to get the theater open again, I'll post about it and encourage everyone to go see a show there.
(Alright. So I had a little fun again with the weblinks. In my defense, some of them are pretty informative.)
posted by jenni @ 2/14/2006 07:56:00 PM
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