Shea's Performing Arts Center
Encyclopedia
Shea's Performing Arts Center is a theater for touring Broadway musicals and special events in Buffalo
, New York
. Originally called Shea's Buffalo, it was opened in 1926 to show silent movies
. It took one year to build the entire theatre. Shea's boasts one of the few theater organs in the US that is still in operation in the theater it was designed for.
of Chicago
. Modeled in a combination of Spanish and French Baroque and Rococo styles, the theatre was designed to resemble opera houses and palaces of Europe of the 16th and 17th centuries. Originally the seating accommodated nearly 4,000 people, but several hundred seats were removed in the 1930s to make more comfortable accommodations in the orchestra area. The interior was designed by world renowned designer/artist Louis Comfort Tiffany
with most of the elements still in place today. Many of the furnishings and fixtures were supplied by Marshall Field
in Chicago, and included immense Czechoslovakia
n crystal chandeliers of the finest quality. The interior contained over 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) of seating. The cost of construction and outfitting of the theater in 1926 was just over $1,900,000. This was at a time when a new house could be purchased for $3,000 and a new Model A Ford was $1,000. The theater opened January 16, 1926 with the film King of Main Street, starring Adolphe Menjou
. When Michael Shea retired in 1930, Shea's interests were headed by V. R. McFaul, who owned and managed several dozen Shea's Theaters in the metro Buffalo area until his death in 1955. Loew's Theatres
took over the chain's interests in 1948, upon the Deregulation of the Movie and Theater Industry adjudicated by the Supreme Court
.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975.
The theatre had a not-so-unusual history of falling into some disrepair in the 1960s and 1970s when downtown Buffalo was in decline. It was operated at that time by Loew's Corporation as primarily a showcase for "Blacksploitation" films such as the "Super Fly" series. The theatre was owned at that time by Leon Lawrence Sidell, who was failing to pay his taxes.
A small group of folks, led by Curt Mangel, and including Ben Hiltz, Steve LaManna, Dan Harter and 9 others known as the original "Friends of the Buffalo" theatre began doing work on the organ, and Mr. Mangel became the engineer of the building. Mr. Mangel actually lived in the building, in the upper floors of the dressing rooms for almost a year, while working on various engineering needs of theatre, and for Loew's Corporation.
When it became apparent that the theatre would default to the city on back taxes owed by Leon Lawrence Sidell, Loew's was preparing to leave and strip the theatre of its contents. The Friends went through the theatre and inventoried every item. In landmark court decision, a judge blocked Loew's from removing the contents, including chandeliers, furniture, organ and projection equipment. The claim was that Loew's owned these items, and legal counter argument stated that the items were an integral part of the theatre. The judge actually toured the theatre, including the organ chambers, and ruled for the Friends and the City of Buffalo.
The building, which could be considered a very high profile political football, came under the watchful eye of then Comptroller George O'Connell, for whom the theatre was later surnamed. Under his watch, and the Friends, the theatre was able to keep its utilities running, and repair began.The Friends of the Buffalo were then given operating privileges of the building and undertook massive restoration through government grants and developed a performance series in the late 70's.
Broadway Theatre manager and producer Robert B. D'Angelo was brought in as CEO in the late 1970's. In his short span at the helm he booked multi-week engagements of several major broadway national tours including Annie
and Les Miserables
, helping to reestablish Buffalo as an important stop on the Broadway tour circuit.
A Grand Re-Opening was mounted to a sold-out audience in the late 1970s with Cab Calloway
and George Burns
. Calloway had performed at the theatre at its original opening week in 1926 and Burns had performed there in the late 1940s.
The volunteer Friends of the Buffalo group was replaced by a professional management team. The Friends continued to enlarge its volunteer base, which worked on various restoration projects, including the Wurlitzer
Organ.
Later, political appointees were ushered into running the theatre which continues to the present day.
The theatre is a hugely successful performance center, having undergone a large expansion of its stage facilities to accommodate larger touring productions.
" was a custom design built by the Wurlitzer Company and was one of only 5 in the world that had tonal finishing, provided directly from the Wurlitzer factory, after it had been installed in the theater. The organ was used as a demonstrator by the Wurlitzer Factory, in nearby North Tonawanda, whenever a visiting customer wanted to hear an example of a 4 manual (keyboard) organ installed in a theater. {The demonstrator for a 3 manual (keyboard) organ was the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, NY.}
Built originally to provide silent film accompaniment, like many of the thousands of instruments like it, fell into disrepair, rarely being heard in the 1940s, and 1950's. It was put back into somewhat playable condition for the 1964 convention of the American Theatre Organ Enthusiasts, (now the American Theatre Organ Society or ATOS) for a series of memorable concerts. On or around that time, a valuable set of Brass Trumpets, special pipework of a theatre organ, was stolen.
It then sat virtually silent again until the late 1970s, when it was made playable again by the Friends of the Buffalo for the Grand Re-opening of the theatre.
In late 1970s the Wurlitzer underwent a huge restoration, provided by monetary grants from various arts organizations, including complete replacement of the relay (switching) system that controlled the organ, as well as restoration of windchests, missing pipe replacements, wiring and organ console work.
The revitalized organ was premiered to the public with a sold-out concert by noted theatre organist Lyn Larsen. Since that time it has been used for solo concerts, silent films and background music prior to and after events in the theatre.
In 2006, to commemorate the theater's 80th birthday, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
under the direction of conductor JoAnn Falletta
played a concert there with Anthony Neuman playing the organ. Highlights of the program included Camille Saint-Saëns
"Organ" Symphony 3 in C minor, selections from The Phantom of the Opera
, Bach
's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, and Louis Vierne
's Carillon de Westminster.
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Originally called Shea's Buffalo, it was opened in 1926 to show silent movies
Silent Movies
Silent Movies are 13 solo guitar compositions by Marc Ribot released September 28, 2010 on Pi Recordings.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "For those interested in one of the more compelling and quietly provocative and graceful guitar records of 2010,...
. It took one year to build the entire theatre. Shea's boasts one of the few theater organs in the US that is still in operation in the theater it was designed for.
History
Shea's Buffalo, flagship of the theater chain, was designed by the noted firm of Rapp and RappRapp and Rapp
The architectural firm Rapp and Rapp was active in Chicago, Illinois during the early 20th century. The brothers Cornelius W. Rapp and George Leslie Rapp of Carbondale, Illinois were the named partners and 1899 alumnus of the University of Illinois School of Architecture...
of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Modeled in a combination of Spanish and French Baroque and Rococo styles, the theatre was designed to resemble opera houses and palaces of Europe of the 16th and 17th centuries. Originally the seating accommodated nearly 4,000 people, but several hundred seats were removed in the 1930s to make more comfortable accommodations in the orchestra area. The interior was designed by world renowned designer/artist Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
with most of the elements still in place today. Many of the furnishings and fixtures were supplied by Marshall Field
Marshall Field
Marshall Field was founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores.-Life and career:...
in Chicago, and included immense Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n crystal chandeliers of the finest quality. The interior contained over 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) of seating. The cost of construction and outfitting of the theater in 1926 was just over $1,900,000. This was at a time when a new house could be purchased for $3,000 and a new Model A Ford was $1,000. The theater opened January 16, 1926 with the film King of Main Street, starring Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
. When Michael Shea retired in 1930, Shea's interests were headed by V. R. McFaul, who owned and managed several dozen Shea's Theaters in the metro Buffalo area until his death in 1955. Loew's Theatres
Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Loews Theatres, aka Loews Incorporated , founded in 1904 by Marcus Loew and Brantford Schwartz, was the oldest theater chain operating in North America until it merged with AMC Theatres on January 26, 2006. From 1924 until 1959, it was also the parent company of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. The...
took over the chain's interests in 1948, upon the Deregulation of the Movie and Theater Industry adjudicated by the Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1975.
The theatre had a not-so-unusual history of falling into some disrepair in the 1960s and 1970s when downtown Buffalo was in decline. It was operated at that time by Loew's Corporation as primarily a showcase for "Blacksploitation" films such as the "Super Fly" series. The theatre was owned at that time by Leon Lawrence Sidell, who was failing to pay his taxes.
A small group of folks, led by Curt Mangel, and including Ben Hiltz, Steve LaManna, Dan Harter and 9 others known as the original "Friends of the Buffalo" theatre began doing work on the organ, and Mr. Mangel became the engineer of the building. Mr. Mangel actually lived in the building, in the upper floors of the dressing rooms for almost a year, while working on various engineering needs of theatre, and for Loew's Corporation.
When it became apparent that the theatre would default to the city on back taxes owed by Leon Lawrence Sidell, Loew's was preparing to leave and strip the theatre of its contents. The Friends went through the theatre and inventoried every item. In landmark court decision, a judge blocked Loew's from removing the contents, including chandeliers, furniture, organ and projection equipment. The claim was that Loew's owned these items, and legal counter argument stated that the items were an integral part of the theatre. The judge actually toured the theatre, including the organ chambers, and ruled for the Friends and the City of Buffalo.
The building, which could be considered a very high profile political football, came under the watchful eye of then Comptroller George O'Connell, for whom the theatre was later surnamed. Under his watch, and the Friends, the theatre was able to keep its utilities running, and repair began.The Friends of the Buffalo were then given operating privileges of the building and undertook massive restoration through government grants and developed a performance series in the late 70's.
Broadway Theatre manager and producer Robert B. D'Angelo was brought in as CEO in the late 1970's. In his short span at the helm he booked multi-week engagements of several major broadway national tours including Annie
Annie
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
and Les Miserables
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
, helping to reestablish Buffalo as an important stop on the Broadway tour circuit.
A Grand Re-Opening was mounted to a sold-out audience in the late 1970s with Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
and George Burns
George Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
. Calloway had performed at the theatre at its original opening week in 1926 and Burns had performed there in the late 1940s.
The volunteer Friends of the Buffalo group was replaced by a professional management team. The Friends continued to enlarge its volunteer base, which worked on various restoration projects, including the Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
Organ.
Later, political appointees were ushered into running the theatre which continues to the present day.
The theatre is a hugely successful performance center, having undergone a large expansion of its stage facilities to accommodate larger touring productions.
Organ
The theater's "Mighty WurlitzerWurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
" was a custom design built by the Wurlitzer Company and was one of only 5 in the world that had tonal finishing, provided directly from the Wurlitzer factory, after it had been installed in the theater. The organ was used as a demonstrator by the Wurlitzer Factory, in nearby North Tonawanda, whenever a visiting customer wanted to hear an example of a 4 manual (keyboard) organ installed in a theater. {The demonstrator for a 3 manual (keyboard) organ was the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, NY.}
Built originally to provide silent film accompaniment, like many of the thousands of instruments like it, fell into disrepair, rarely being heard in the 1940s, and 1950's. It was put back into somewhat playable condition for the 1964 convention of the American Theatre Organ Enthusiasts, (now the American Theatre Organ Society or ATOS) for a series of memorable concerts. On or around that time, a valuable set of Brass Trumpets, special pipework of a theatre organ, was stolen.
It then sat virtually silent again until the late 1970s, when it was made playable again by the Friends of the Buffalo for the Grand Re-opening of the theatre.
In late 1970s the Wurlitzer underwent a huge restoration, provided by monetary grants from various arts organizations, including complete replacement of the relay (switching) system that controlled the organ, as well as restoration of windchests, missing pipe replacements, wiring and organ console work.
The revitalized organ was premiered to the public with a sold-out concert by noted theatre organist Lyn Larsen. Since that time it has been used for solo concerts, silent films and background music prior to and after events in the theatre.
In 2006, to commemorate the theater's 80th birthday, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Its regular concert season features gala concerts, classics programming of core repertoire, Pops...
under the direction of conductor JoAnn Falletta
JoAnn Falletta
JoAnn Falletta is an American classical musician and orchestral conductor.Falletta was educated at the Mannes College of Music and The Juilliard School in New York City...
played a concert there with Anthony Neuman playing the organ. Highlights of the program included Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
"Organ" Symphony 3 in C minor, selections from The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
, Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, and Louis Vierne
Louis Vierne
Louis Victor Jules Vierne was a French organist and composer.-Life:Louis Vierne was born in Poitiers, Vienne, nearly blind due to congenital cataracts, but at an early age was discovered to have an unusual gift for music. Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French...
's Carillon de Westminster.
M&T Bank Broadway Series
2010-2011- Mary Poppins (musical)Mary Poppins (musical)Mary Poppins is a Walt Disney Theatrical musical based on the similarly titled series of children's books by P. L. Travers and the Disney 1964 film. The West End production opened in December 2004 and received two Olivier Awards, one for Best Actress in a Musical and the other for Best Theatre...
October 14-31, 2010 - DreamgirlsDreamgirlsDreamgirls is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio...
December 14-19, 2010 - Shrek the Musical February 22-27,2011
- Young Frankenstein (musical)Young Frankenstein (musical)Young Frankenstein, officially known as The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein, is a musical with a book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan and music and lyrics by Brooks. It is based on the 1974 comedy film of the same name written by Brooks and Gene Wilder and directed by Brooks, who has...
March 22-27, 2011 - Wicked (musical)Wicked (musical)Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
April 27-May 22, 2011 - West Side StoryWest Side StoryWest Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
June 7-12, 2011
See also
- North Park TheatreNorth Park TheatreThe North Park Theatre is a historical single screen movie theatre in Buffalo, New York. It has functioned as a cinema since it opened in 1920....
- Riviera Theatre
- Ghostlight TheatreGhostlight TheatreGhostlight Theatre is a theater company located in North Tonawanda, New York. The building was originally a Methodist Church, known as Deutsche Vereinigte Evangelische Friedens Gemeinde of North Tonawanda.-History:Construction started in 1889 to serve as a Methodist church for the German...