Boxoffice-June.1991

THEATRE PROFILE
City Cinemas' Village East:
A Marriage of Past and Present
The present; An East Village artistic-eye view of the Village
East
WHAT
By Fern Siegel
HAPPENS WHEN 3 high-powered
exhibition company spies
a Yiddish landmark? For residents
of New York's East Village, the
best of both worlds. City Cinemas of
Manhattan stylishly revamped the 45-
year-old Yiddish Arts Theatre into a seven
screen multi-plex, providing the
neighborhood with its first commercial
theatre since the demise of the legendary
St. Marks Cinema. At the same time,
City Cinemas restored the architectural
majesty of the famed "Jewish Rialto" to
its former 1926 glory.
"V^'e were very careful to work within
the guidelines issued by the Landmarks
Commission," explains Ralph Donnelly,
executive vice president of City Cinemas.
"The theatre has a great history
and both the company and our architects,
Averitt Associates, considered the
project a labor of love." In fact, the estimated
$8 million construction took
nearly two years to complete, utilizing
archival photos to recapture the splendor
of a bygone age.
Why select an area noted mainly for
ofF-off Broadway theaters, ethnic restaurants
and second-hand shops? "Our
studies clearly showed this to be the
growth area for the city," Donnelly says,
"what the Upper V^est Side was 15 years
ago," Anyone doubting his optimism
should consider the boxoffice
receipts
the week of February 22, when the Village
East (Second Avenue & 12th
Street) debuted: "Scenes From A Mall"
netted $46,000, Andy Warhol's "Superstar"
$11,000, "The Field" $73,000, "Mr.
and Mrs. Bridge" $85,000, and "The
Sleazy Uncle," an Italian import, earned
a cool $6,000.
To secure a strong and eclectic client
base, City Cinemas' new seven-plex features
first nm, independent and foreign
films. But the biggest draw to the Village
East may be its venerable history and
lavish architectural detail. These
theatres are singular sensations— literally
carved out of every conceivable nook
and cranny in the building. "It was a
puzzle to keep the main auditorium
intact," admits architect John Averitt,
"but I think we've done justice to the
original structure while re-establishing
the excitement that was once associated
with going to the cinema."
Believe it. Not many 500 seat movie
auditoriums are topped by a 40-foot
dome boasting a giant Star of David and
sumptuous chandelier. The pink, azure
and gold ceiling sports an ornate Moorish
design. The old boxes and the original
proscenium arches remain, both repainted
and draped with heavy burgundy-colored
curtains. There is a 200 seat
theatre below-ground in the orchestra
pit, where Eastern European musicians
once played for the greats of the Yiddish
stage. Two more 200 seat theatres are
tucked into the backstage and flyspace
areas. In addition, a 175 seater was built
out of space that doubled as storage
rooms, and an intimate 75 seat theatre
was constructed in the vault beneath
the sidewalk.
A custom designed, diagonally patterned
carpet—resplendent in gold,
blue, red and grey—is evident throughout
the entire complex. And, in the lobby
of the theatre, City Cinemas has
mounted a wall display of memorabilia
salvaged from the Yiddish Arts
Theatre.
"Our theatres are different because
they have class," grins Herb Millman,
vice president of theatre operations.
"After all, they used to be called 'movie
palaces.' As a kid the glamour associated
with the cinema made a deep and
lasting impression on me." Today, City
Cinema employees don tuxedos and,
after 6:00 p.m., are required to wear
white gloves. "Going to the movies was
a real event and we hope to recreate
that here,"
In fact, the Village East seven-plex
has parlayed a massive restoration effort
into a state-of-the art projection,
sound and computerized ticketing movie
emporium. The boxoffice ticketing
system allows the public to purchase
(amtmued p 18)
16 Boxoffice