The Hollywood Playhouse is ushering in its new season with a new look and a new focus that extends beyond the typical theatrical offerings. But the venerable theater is also honoring its history and its mission since 1947 to provide the community with a quality theater.
It wasn’t always easy, with the drama offstage often rivaling that onstage. But in true “the show must go on” fashion, the Hollywood Playhouse has always managed to overcome major obstacles that have included financial difficulties and the threat of eviction from its historic home at 2640 Washington St.
And the Hollywood Playhouse, one of South Florida’s oldest theaters, is intent on surviving the current economic downturn with its characteristic “steadfast determination,” said Alice Pradere, the theater’s executive director. “Our mission in these economic times is to continue to be a local community haven in Hollywood for the arts.”
The new season at the Hollywood Playhouse will kick off in October with Thornton Wilder’s lighthearted classic comedy "The Matchmaker." Following what Pradere called a much-needed hibernation marked by extensive renovations over the past two years, theatergoers will be introduced to a sparkling new playhouse interior. New playhouse owner Israel Valdes spent several thousand dollars restoring the 265-seat facility.
“While taking great pains to preserve the theater’s original character and history, the restoration team revived the luster in every bit of the Hollywood Playhouse so that it shines like the jewel that was birthed in Hollywood over 60 years ago,” Pradere said.
In the rejuvenated lobby, now known as the Sky Light Lounge and Bar, patrons can enjoy a fully stocked bar before, during and after the show in what Pradere describes as an “updated lounge atmosphere that contributes to the glamorous feeling of a complete night out at the theater.”
Photos from original plays from the 1940s, original drawings and playbills are on display in the theater to restore the sense of history, Pradere said.
The landmark playhouse was designed by architect Kenneth Spry, one of the organizers of Hollywood’s Little Theater, an amateur troupe. Formed in 1933, the group disbanded during World War II. The Little Theatre of Hollywood reorganized in 1947 and sought a permanent home. The City of Hollywood donated the land for the theater.
Today, the 18,000-square-foot Hollywood Playhouse is a full-service venue that features one of the largest stages in South Florida, a recording studio, dance studio, design shop, film-editing suites and a closed soundstage with a customizable cyclorama for compositing and filming purposes and for creating virtual sets. Film and video production services are available through an in-house production company, Real Productions.
The diversity of the cultural facility’s program offerings extends beyond its live performance schedule. The Hollywood Playhouse’s new owner is committed to providing outlets for the community to enjoy free resources such as Girl’s Night Out. These networking events offer ladies of all ages the opportunity to mingle in the Sky Light Lounge and Bar, meet sponsors who offer products of interest to women and listen to a panel of speakers selected for their ability to inspire and encourage. Other offerings at the Hollywood Playhouse include Connect Networking events, acting/theater classes, free informational seminars and paid weekend courses conducted by Discovery of Your Potential.
Live theater, of course, is the heart and soul of the Hollywood Playhouse. With the start of its 62nd season, “The Hollywood Playhouse arrives full circle this fall as it reopens its historic doors to the same backyard community it has served for decades,” Pradere said, “and continues the same tradition by consistently bringing forth quality theater entertainment in our local neighborhood.”
The first show of the season, "The Matchmaker," is a fast-paced farce set in 1884 Yonkers, N.Y. Wilder’s story, which was also the basis of the musical Hello, Dolly!, revolves around matchmaking widow Dolly Levi and her penny-pinching client, half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder, with a web of romantic complications involving Vandergelder’s two overworked assistants and an attractive millineress and her assistant.
The show stars Cynthia Calkin as “Dolly” and Michael Bienvenu as “Mr. Vandergelder” and is directed by Herb Ault, 82, a Hollywood resident and retired drama teacher who has been involved with the Hollywood Playhouse in various capacities since the 1950s.
“[Ault] saw the theater through its glory days and then witnessed it fade away into the state of disrepair, and then again beheld the transformation that started in 2007,” Pradere said. “Ault saw the recent completion as the perfect opportunity to bring an old classic back to life on an all-new stage.”
Shows are at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, Oct. 1-30, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays. Tickets are $30 for general admission and $25 for children, seniors and groups.
For more information, call the Hollywood Playhouse Box Office at 954-922-0404 or visit www.hollywoodplayhouse.com.
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I taught Adult Acting there for 5 1/2 years, my supervisor was Delores Miller. In July I met will Alice and I introduced myself to her and we spoke of having me teach there again. I was so looking forward to perhaps starting a class in September, but time has gotten away from us and now perhaps in January. As most local theatre people, I love the Hollywood Playhouse and hope it returns with all the bells and whistles upted to the 21st Century.