Tag: Orpheum Theatre

This Week At The Cinema: Americana At The Orpheum

Post author By Chris McCoy
Post date July 3, 2018

It’s July 4th week, and the place to be is Memphis’ grande dame of theaters, The Orpheum.

Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum battle aliens in Independence Day.

Tonight, the greatest of the Clinton-era disaster schlockfests, Independence Day, is your warmup for the 4th. With a circa-1996 state of the art special effects that still pretty much hold up and a complete howler of a script that never held up, its best assets are a high-dollar cast led by Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum in their respective primes. Here’s the famous scene with President Bill Pullman rallying the troops.

This Week At The Cinema: Americana At The Orpheum

Speaking of speeches, on Friday, July 6th, The Orpheum celebrates America with one of the great speechifying movies of all time. Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is the film that made Jimmy Stewart a star in 1939. It’s the classic tale of a small town Boy Scout leader who, almost by accident, ends up being appointed to a vacant Senate seat by an indecisive governor. Senator Jefferson Smith stands up for the little guy with a filibuster for the ages. Nowadays, all Senators have to do to gum up the works is announce they’re going to filibuster, but I think it would be a better world all around if they had to actually get up and emulate Jimmy Stewart for days on end.

This Week At The Cinema: Americana At The Orpheum (2)

Tickets to both screenings are available on the Orpheum Theatre website.

Tags Orpheum Theatre

Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Kicks Off Orpheum Summer Movie Series

Post author By Chris McCoy
Post date June 2, 2017

That beloved Memphis institution, the Orpheum Summer Movie Series, kicks off its 2017 season this Friday with the classic musical from 1971, Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.

Following the death last August of Willie Wonka star Gene Wilder, this screening promises to be extra emotional. The movie did not do well on its initial release, but became a favorite during the VHS era, The wild production design and upbeat songs hold up, but it’s Wilder’s mercurial performance, which ranges from jolly to downright frightening, that elevates the film to classic status.

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Kicks Off Orpheum Summer Movie Series (2)

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Kicks Off Orpheum Summer Movie Series

In the twenty first century, Wilder’s Wonka got the ultimate tribute—it inspired a meme.

Doors open at 7 PM for the show. There will be a Wonka trivia contest, drink specials, and a performance on the Orpheum’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ. You can see the full schedule for the Orpheum Summer Movie series on their website.

Tags Gene Wilder, Orpheum Theatre, Summer Movie Series, Willie Wonka

Intermission Impossible Theater

Star Trek in Concert?

Post author By Chris Davis
Post date January 7, 2016

Yes, Star Trek in concert. And I’m not talking about Spock Rock either.

On January 29 Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage is coming to the Orpheum Theater. Fans can see their favorite characters from the past 50-years of film and TV shows projected on the big screen while a live orchestra plays selections from the iconic soundtrack.

Star Trek in Concert?

Tags Orpheum Theatre, Star Trek, Ultimate Voyage

Intermission Impossible Theater

Memphis Actor/Author Phil Darius Wallace’s One-Man-Play “Self Made Man” Ends Its Off-Broadway Run This Week

Post author By Chris Davis
Post date December 12, 2014

Phil Darius Wallace in ‘Self Made Man.’

Sunday, Dec. 14, Memphis actor/author Phil Darius Wallace finishes his first Off-Broadway run. A revised version of Wallace’s Self Made Man: The Frederick Douglass Story, received its world premiere at the ArcLight Theatre in November.

Self Made Man, produced and directed by Melania Levitsky, expands greatly on Starry Road to Freedom, a one-man-show Wallace developed in Memphis, and performed numerous times for Shelby County school students. The new version tells the story of Douglass’ journey out of slavery and explores the personal evolution of the abolitionist leader as he encountered men such as William Lloyd Garrison and Abraham Lincoln.

Intermission Impossible: You’ve been doing these one man shows for such a long time. It’s good to see that you’re getting some real attention.

Phil Darius Wallace: It’s been a phenomenal experience, and it all kind of started at The Orpheum.

You’ve been playing this character for years, but Self Made Man isn’t the same show as Starry Road to Freedom, is it?

No, Starry Road to Freedom journey started back in 2001. The National Civil Rights Museum helped me put it together. That show was a 40-minute show designed for schools. Over time I did different versions of that show. I did an extended version at the old Hattiloo Theatre in 2006 that was for a public audience. and then around 2009 in 2008 I was invited to perform at Northeastern [University]. And they wanted me to do a speech by Frederick Douglass called “Self Made Man.” It’s an inspirational speech and exposed a whole new side of who Frederick Douglass was. So I started to have a great desire to get my show reproduced. I had a tough time in 2011 and 2012 as an actor, and I wanted to see what would happen if I went back to the National Civil Rights Museum to see if they would be interested in reproducing it. But [NCRM Director of Education] Barbara Andrews, who has been very supportive of me through the years, just happened to be on vacation. So I’m driving down Main and I see the Orpheum over on my left. And I think, Let me give Alice [Roberts] a call, maybe she’ll help. She’s not going to answer the phone, but let me try anyway. One ring, Alice picks up. And that started this journey. Asked if she’d be interested in helping me, and she said she would because they’re interested in producing their own shows. It was a perfect fit. The Orpheum got behind it and did a run there for about 6000 students. 1,500 a day. And then Melania Levitsky, a founder of Nikita Productions and a friend of mine, flew in to see the show. She enjoyed the show, and we talked and then a few months after that I got a call from her saying she wants to produce the show in New York. And that started a brand new journey.

Did you build off the original Starry Road script or did you start all over from scratch.

Not quite from scratch. I’d say about 85% of the material is new. 15% is excerpts from the old show, Starry Road to Freedom. In Starry Road I played only about 5 characters. In this one I play 14. We go beyond Frederick Douglass’ life as a slave. Starry Road ends once he’s free. This one goes beyond that to his encounter with William Lloyd garrison, John Brown, and President Lincoln. I also played around with the idea that he was longing to know who his father was. There are also other elements. Douglass read Shakespeare deeply and he quoted Shakespeare in his speeches. So, in the show, I thought it would be interesting to have Shakespeare fall out of the mouths of some of these characters, based on where they stood in history, and that seems to have
worked very well.

Memphis Actor/Author Phil Darius Wallace’s One-Man-Play ‘Self Made Man’ Ends Its Off-Broadway Run This Week

Tell me a little bit about working at the ArcLight Theatre

The ArcLight theatre is a very intimate. It’s only 99 seats and that gives me an opportunity to interact a lot with the audience. The set is minimal but really cool, and the costumes are phenomenal. And I get a chance to wear a wig.

You’ve never really worn the Frederick Douglass wig.

I haven’t been able to do it in all these years. And the wig is great. The producers have been great. It’s a great team and a dream come true.

Good audiences?

We’ve had one sell out day. Most of the run has been a lot of half and ¾-full houses. Last Tuesday and Wednesday were kind of small. But for the most part it’s been good. And we’re anticipating that the final week will be pretty large. It’s my first time performing here, so you wonder if you’re going going to walk out and find nobody’s there. But then the people start coming in.

Has publicity been good?

A publicist for the show had me on Here & Now which is a locally produced show for ABC in New York. And we’ve had a lot of radio interviews, which is how people have been hearing about it. And posters and flyers.

Of course the great thing about performing in New York is it’s a savvy audience, and you get a chance to show your stuff to other folks in the industry. Has this opportunity made any new opportunities?

I was fortunate enough to sign with a television and film agent here. You know, I have three kids, an 11-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 5-year old and, as an actor, I have to find a lot of work other than just theater. So I think there will be some back and forth between New York and Memphis. I have so much appreciation for Morgan Fox and Craig brewer, both of which have been able to work with. And Tennessee Shakespeare, Voices of the South, Playhouse, Playback Memphis, the Hattiloo Theatre, and all the groups I’ve been able to work with over time. But I am literally trying to take care of my wife and children. I have an agent and have already been in front of people who have seen the show and who want me to come back for pilot season.

Like you say, this all started with the Orpheum. Will you be involved in any way when they open the new education building?

I’m not sure how I’m going to be connected, but I do know we’re going to try to bring this new version of the show back to the Orpheum in 2015 or 2016. Alice has been a wonderful supporter and I’m so thankful they trusted me to take their resources to build this show.

Tags ArcLight Theatre, Frederick Douglass, Off Broadway, Orpheum Theatre, Phil Darius Wallace

Intermission Impossible Theater

The National Civil Rights Museum Brings “Black Angels Over Tuskegee” to The Orpheum

Post author By Chris Davis
Post date August 29, 2014

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The National Civil Rights Museum is bringing Layon Gray’s play Black Angels Over Tuskegee to The Orpheum Tuesday, September 16. Black Angels tells the story of WWII heroes, the Tuskegee Airmen, and their contributions, sacrifices, and struggles against prejudice.

Details, here.

Tags National Civil Rights Museum, Orpheum Theatre, Tuskegee Airmen

Intermission Impossible Theater

Eddie Izzard Explains Why You Should See His Show at the Orpheum Instead of Staying Home to Watch “Game of Thrones”

Post author By Chris Davis
Post date May 20, 2014

Did you know Eddie Izzard gave his first American performance in an Overton Square parking lot that has since been developed and is now the deck for Bosco’s Squared?

It’s true and you can read all about his act in my Q&A with Izzard in this week’s issue of the Memphis Flyer. Meanwhile, enjoy this tidbit that didn’t make it into the final draft.

Memphis Flyer: I sometimes do an annoying thing where I ask readers to submit questions and I’d like to ask you one reader-submitted question if I may. This one is from Ned Canty the General Director of Opera Memphis. He wants to know what he can tell his wife to convince her to go see your show at the Orpheum Sunday night instead of staying home to watch Game of Thrones.

Eddie Izzard: One, I’m sure he’s the kind of person who has recording equipment, don’t you think? So he can always record Game of Thrones— which is fantastic, really beautiful stuff. He and his wife can do both. But if you come and see me I would like to compete with Game of Thrones for intelligence. And there’s also much more fighting and blood in my show than there is in Game of Thrones. The difference is I’ve got this whole Pythonesque Holy Grail thing going through mine.

Borrowed from the blog Ice and Fire or Death.

Borrowed from the blog Ice and Fire or Death.

So there you have it straight from the comic’s mouth. Eddie Izzard’s Force Majeure: Come for the intelligence, stick around for the bloodshed.

If you’re looking for ticket information here’s your CLICK.

Tags Boscos Squared, Eddie Izzard, Game of Thrones, Orpheum Theatre

News The Fly-By

Artistic Expansion

Post author By Louis Goggans
Post date February 20, 2014

The historic Orpheum Theatre will soon break ground on a multimillion-dollar educational facility that Orpheum CEO Pat Halloran is calling “the Juilliard of the South.”

The Orpheum filed a $10.2 million permit for its planned Centre for Performing Arts and Education, a two-story, 39,000 square-foot facility. Construction for the building is slated to begin in late March. It will be located at 225 S. Main, adjacent to the Orpheum in a parking lot formally owned by Memphis Light, Gas, and Water.

“It’s going to be beautiful,” said Halloran. “A very fresh, contemporary building that just welcomes people by its design. It’s going to be all glass on the front with a big open arms entrance for people to come in and either participate in a meeting that’s going on in the theater or go to a class upstairs where they’re going to learn more about entertainment.”

An artist’s rendering of the new Orpheum Centre for the Performing Arts & Education

Another $4.5 million is needed to satisfy the funding requirement for the project. Halloran said he’s confident the remaining balance will be raised during the construction period.

The center would primarily target kids and young adults from ages 5 to 25 and offer more than 20 programs, including musical theater workshops taught by Broadway professionals, career assistance and training for aspiring arts professionals, technical training in sound and lighting, and training in arts, nonprofit, and business management.

There will be a theater in the facility with a state-of-the-art stage and a 356-seat auditorium, a rehearsal hall where actors can prepare for plays that will debut at the Orpheum, and an audio/video classroom.

The Orpheum’s administration has been planning the center since 2011, when it began contemplating ways to provide more space for its performing arts programs, which serve more than 70,000 people annually.

“This building isn’t just going to serve kids who want to be the next soap-opera star or opera singer. We’re also going to be teaching people how to be videographers and edit video and record music in our audio studio,” Halloran said. “It’s not just limited to the performing arts. We’re going to be teaching kids how to prepare for college. We’re going to have seminars and classes for adults on weight control, tax preparation, travel direction, [and how to] become social media users if they aren’t familiar with Facebook, Google, and all those [websites]. It’s an educational experience.”

Halloran said the Orpheum has managed to generate funding for the facility through contributions from foundations, corporations, and individual donations, as well as from the theatre’s annual auction. He said they’re continuing to search for funding.

“We’re not leaving any rocks unturned. We’re making appeals to people all over the community. We still have to raise $4.5 million, but we’re going to do that,” Halloran said. “This is going to be one of those projects that people are going to talk about for the next 100 years.”

Construction for the center is scheduled to be complete in April 2015.

Tags Orpheum Theatre, Pat Halloran

Special Sections

The Grand Opera House

Post author By Vance Lauderdale
Post date May 19, 2009

You think times are bad now? In the late 1880s, Memphis was struggling to recover from a series of yellow-fever epidemics that had almost taken our city off the map. In these uncertain times, a group of 25 businessmen managed to raise $60,000 to build what they would call “a temple to Thespis that no city in America would be ashamed of owning.”

I’m proud to say that records indicate the Lauderdales contributed $10 towards this worthy cause. Our generosity knows no bounds!

The Grand Opera House opened on the southwest corner of Main and Beale on September 22, 1890. The Memphis Avalanche (one of the best-named newspapers of all time) called the premiere “the most brilliant theatrical and social success in the history of Memphis.” Don’t mince words, Avalanche reporter! The stunning building, constructed of Bedford limestone from Indiana, soon attracted some of the biggest stars of the American stage. Sarah Bernhardt, Lillian Russell, W.C. Fields, John Philip Sousa, and countless others performed at the Grand.

Tags Grand Opera House, Memphis Avalanche, Orpheum Theatre

News The Fly-By

“Dammit, Janet”

Post author By Rachel Stinson
Post date July 19, 2007

Beneath a crystal chandelier, a young woman stands in stiletto heels. Fishnet stockings crisscross her legs, garter belt supporting the hose. A black corset cinches her waist into an hourglass silhouette.

A man wears a similar outfit nearby.

At the Orpheum theater’s recent screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show — part of its summer movie series — the cult classic is alive all around me.

According to Kate Hackett, executive assistant to Orpheum president and CEO Pat Halloran, the screening and costume contest “give people a good reason to get together and have a fun time.”

And, she adds, “People can get their ‘freak’ on!”

During the costume contest, 30 men and 30 women mimic Rocky Horror characters, and they don’t hold back. The charismatic emcee of the competition, last year’s male winner, bears a striking resemblance to the film’s main character, Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

Kat Sacco is dressed as Magenta, wearing a white bow around her neck, black fishnets, and sexy shoes.

“I’m absolutely in love with this movie because it’s so open-minded,” Sacco says. “I like dressing up, but I’m too old for Halloween.”

Among the males competing is a heavyset young man in a corset and heels, a red-and-black boa snaking around his neck. The contestants have few — if any — inhibitions. That statement proves especially true for a middle-aged woman who teases the crowd with glimpses under her bathrobe.

“My name is Dazzle, in case my kids don’t want everyone to know my real name,” she tells the audience.

During the movie, crowd members who have purchased prop bags wear party hats that resemble dunce caps and throw rice and toilet paper. Most of the audience has memorized the script and shout particular phrases at the appropriate times. With each appearance of the character Janet, for instance, a chorus of “Slut!” rings out from the audience. I know I’m in the company of true Rocky Horror fans when people leap from their seats to dance “The Time Warp.”

But my favorite moment isn’t watching the audience dance or sing or even hold the Flyer over their heads while Brad and Janet run from the rain.

Instead, during the song “There’s a Light,” movie buffs, black-clad goths, middle-aged couples, music enthusiasts, and drag queens extend their lit cell phones, swaying the glowing lights in unison.

Tags film, movie, Orpheum Theatre, Review, Rocky Horror Picture Show