Orpheum Marks 80 Years
Launches Season with Anniversary Gala
With the start of the Orpheum theater's new season at the end of this month, the landmark venue will celebrate eighty years of showbiz on the corner of Beale and Main.
On Nov. 19, 1928, the $1.6 million theater -- double the cost of the original budget -- opened its doors to the public with a mix of vaudeville routines like the Five Bracks and their trampoline act.
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Eight decades later, the Orpheum is where Memphis goes to see touring Broadway productions. This season, which features first run hits such as "Wicked," "Avenue Q" and "The Color Purple" among the productions, has been called a dream season by president Pat Halloran.
Saturday night, the theater kicks off the year's celebration with a musical gala. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra will take the stage for the first time since the 1984 restoration.
The concert of Broadway show tunes stars Nat Chandler from “The Phantom of the Opera,” Rosena Hill of “The Color Purple,” Norm Lewis from “The Little Mermaid,” and Teri Dale Hansen from Robert Goulet’s “Camelot.”
They will perform songs from every major musical that has been seen on the Orpheum stage, from "Mamma Mia!" to "South Pacific."
Premium ticket holders are invited to The Peabody Hotel for post-show cocktails, desserts and entertainment by the Memphis Knights Big Band.
The show starts 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $40-$250. Call 525-3000 or visit orpheum-memphis.com.
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