Morristown continues to come alive as a cultural and artistic center with renovations and expansions at the Community Theatre located on South Street. The theatre has a new life with comfortable seatings in beautiful plum and gold leaf tones. The acoustics are a treat, with no dead spots. Improvements and expansions will continue with a $4 million face lift that will begin in April.
Rendering of the theatre renovations.
The work, the second phase in the theater's redevelopment, is expected to take a year to complete. Bud Mayo, president, of the South Street Theater Company says "It is more a matter of making the experience of visiting the theater more appealling for the audience as well as the performers." The project includes adding a 3,000 square foot glass and limestone third floor with a verandah overlooking the Vail Manion, which will be transformed into a 101-room hotel. The third floor will increase the height of the 40-foot structure by about 15 feet. The new floor will be used for receptions, seminars and rehearsals.
This theatre has a rich and interesting history and has been transformed to the fairy tale princess it is today after many years of members of Morristown's community volunteering their time and energies to save this historic landmark on South and Pine.
John T. Cunningham, noted author and Morris County historian wrote "Miracle on South Street" which captures the history and transformation of this theatre from start to the beauty it is today. He vividly remembers the opening of the original Community Theatre and recalls the excitement when Gone with the Wind appeared on the theatre screen. It opened in 1937 by the Walter Reade showing Nothing Sacred, starring Carole Lombard and Fredric March and was dubbed "America's most beautiful theatre." Its four sparkling white Corinthian pillars were Greco-Roman-cum-Southern mansion, complementing the architecture of the neighboring Vail Mansion, St. Peters church and Morristown Library. In the early days the Daily Record and Star Ledger newspapers noted "The Community Theatre was gorgeous. To a young teenager, the ladies' room was so beautiful that "it made me think I was in New York".
The Community Theatre showed movies and during the late 1940's experimented with "big band" concerts. During the 1950's movies in large theatres saw a decline with the introduction of television. In the 1970s it appeared that the Community Theatre, falling into disrepair, would not be far from a wrecking ball. But, in 1994, Ukraine native Alexander Slobodyanik, a Morristown resident and world-renowned pianist, sensed that the Community Theatre was a Sleeping Beauty. He and his wife Laryssa Krupa hoped to stage a Festival of the Arts at some Morris County location. They sought advice from their Russian friend, Valery Gergiev, musical director and conductor of St. Petersburg's famed Kirov Orchestra. Gergiev visited the Community Theatre in February of 1994. Linda Smith (now a trustee and Producing Director of the South Street Theater Company, and her husband Don Smith, pro bono advertising agency for the Community Theater, recall when Gergiev visited the Community Theatre that February morning. "The smell was horrible. Long icicles hung down from holes in the roof where melting snow had leaked into the buillding...." Gergiev mounted to the stage floor, stood for a moment until certain that no extraneous noise met his ears. He clapped his hand and snapped his fingers loudly. The test was over. The Russian smiled, turned to Alexander and Laryssa and spoke five precise words that linger in memory" The Kirov will play here!" The appearance was set for September 29, 1994.
Between Don and Linda Smith, Morristown attorney John Dangler, a project team was assembled. The volunteers brought their own paintbrushes and scrapers, and professional carpenters, plumbers and other technicians walked in off the street and offered to work without pay. By mid-summer, 300 volunteer workers were on the job and by September 29, the superhuman effort had made the theater more than presentable. Opening night fulfilled nearly every dream. The audience settled to hear the opening number listed in the program, the prelude to Act I of Wagner's opera. Instead, the orchestra's percussion section erupted in a long drum roll, followed by the opening chords of The Star Spangled Banner. In 1994 the South Street Theater Company was formed by John Dangler and Linda Smith. Volunteer operations sustained the theatres existence and improved programming in 1995-1999.
In October of 1999, the Community Theatre celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Kirov concert. Since the summer of 1999, said Don Jay Smith, chairman of the Board of Trustees of South Street Theatre Co., they have spent $3.5 million on improvements. They are grateful for the donations made by the Capital Campaign contributors and see a bright future for this Morristown gem. To acquire a copy of Mr. Cunningham's Book, entitled "Miracle on South Street", inquire at the theatre.
Order tickets by phone at the Community Theatre at 973/539-8008. Treat yourself and your loved ones to some of the theater events listed in our calendar. Or visit their website.
