Miguel R.
Yelp
This review will be unusual due to the fact that I did not watch a flick in this venue but I did see its hidden doors and lights, the ones that lie behind its curtains. And like the many stories that web together to form my life, it begins with my curiosity to learn.
My friend Conrad and I were walking and we past a group of people gathering right outside the theatre. I gathered the necessary courage to ask if this was a tour and if we can join? (To be honest, I did not need to cast a spell to summon the courage needed to ask, it kinda always exist within me--- the courage to learn). I was told by a woman with a clipboard (yes one of those) that I could not join because there was a fee associated with the tour. I get it, I did not pay for the privilege to learn so I could not have a proverbial seat on this walking tour. Conrad and I started to walk again, and then I realized I did not have the information I needed, to know if I would want to pay for this tour at a later date. So Conrad and I wait patiently for the woman with the clipboard to finish a conversation. She felt me waiting, but she ignored me, at least that is what I felt, and most people say to trust the story that one's gut paints.
As I continued to walk, one of the ladies in the tour told the clipboard holder that they had friends that had paid for the tour and had not come. I was welcomed to their tickets, if that was ok? I did not let the clipboard lady answer, I stepped immediately into the moment and said yes that would work. The lady with the clipboard turned around with a face that conveyed surprise, annoyance, and wow this guy really does not understand that I hold the clipboard. Yet, she agreed to let me walk in the tour.
I know, some people might think, I was brazen and uncouth for joining a tour I did not pay for or plan to attend, But to those I say---- I have been in museums and pre-ordered a tour and people around just joined. I share this to spotlight that when others gather others will wonder-- why? And I know that curiosity is rumored to kill cats but curiosity also tends to teach old dogs new tricks, and I for one rather be a dog than a cat, and if one day my curiosity kills me, I will rely on my eight other lives to continue to learn. In a more straightforward way-- this was a tour of a an old theatre, not one that held the secrets of the Vatican, the clipboard lady would be wise to remember that people are not bum rushing her for a spot on this tour. And the tour guy continued explaining that I would have to sign some stuff after the tour, which continued to make me feel like me joining because I saw them gathering was kind of like a faux-pa that should shame me into not attending. So I finally ask--- is it ok if we join because if not we can leave? And then the lady who offered us the tickets said, "no it is okay." I honestly cannot empathize with the workers and their gatekeeping, perhaps I should have said please, and may I, at some point, but again I was joining a tour where others were absent, and where others did not pound a door to get in, so really these two can chill and remember learning sometimes comes first, even for those who did not pay.
The first stop in the theatre tour, was to view its outside, with all its ornate carvings. My favorite one was the faces of drama and comedy, the foundation for all scripted productions, and in a way the spirit of the Joker and Batman.
When we stepped in, I learned that later that night they were going to show Carrie. I saw an actor or a patron who bought in to the spooky cheer, in a prom dressed covered in blood. The lobby had spiderwebs in the right places. I was in old Hollywood, in modern Halloween. Case in point, I saw a picture (which I clipped) of a ballerina or other type of dancer covered in webs. It communicated the passage of time, from the 1900's till today, and from centuries ago, because all treasures left behind untouched get covered in webs.
We also saw where stars of yesteryears got prepared for their moment under the spotlight. The tour guide use a flashlight to point to the rooms that no longer had doors. I think I saw a ghost of a flapper, going into the room, all the while roaring in heels. When we got to the sitting areas, I was in mild awe. The chandeliers above were auspicious, and merited their own zip codes, not because they were huge in size, but huge in glamour. I gotta figure that back in the day when theaters did not have IMAX or 3D, big chandeliers had to be a significant pull factor. I also bought some Reese's cups, in the movie theatre. I wonder if candy and popcorn was sold in the 1900's when movies were getting traction?
We also saw the mechanisms that are touched and pull to turn on lights. The guy who was there telling us about it, was in his early 80s and talked about how he traveled the world doing the same type of work. I, of course, really like the purple lights and I wondered if they were purple on purpose to honor the eve?
