Julianne Glatz, writing for the Illinois Times and using the Route 66 Drive-In in Springfield as a focus, notes that drive-in theaters seems to have halted a long decline in popularity. But in the last decade, drive-ins have been making a comeback. Some old drive-ins have reopened, others have expanded and new ones are popping … Continue reading Drive-in theaters stage a small comeback
Category: Theaters
Reviving downtown Los Angeles — for real
Los Angeles Downtown News has published a comprehensive article about efforts to revitalize downtown Los Angeles, which includes the original western terminus of Route 66. Unlike previous efforts to boost downtown, Councilman Jose Huizar and the 10-year Bringing Back Broadway initiative seem to actually be making some headway. Among the initiatives quests is to establish a … Continue reading Reviving downtown Los Angeles — for real
Tower Theater again is aglow
The neon lights of the historic Tower Theater on Route 66 in Oklahoma City burned Friday night for the first time in decades. John Murphey of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program was there, and here are some excerpts of notes from the event: Approximately 200 people gathered in a parking lot across the street … Continue reading Tower Theater again is aglow
Notes from the road
The neon sign of the historic Tower Theater in Oklahoma City will be relighted during a ceremony Friday evening. The theater, at 425 NW 23rd St. in Oklahoma City, will see its restored neon blazing away again at 6:30 p.m. that day after decades in the dark. Here's more about the theater, according to records … Continue reading Notes from the road
“Route 66” on stage
Hey, look what's happening behind the Cheddar Curtain. The Milwaukee Repertory Theater has included the Roger Bean musical "Route 66" as part of its 2010-2011 season. Here's a taste of what it's like: The production runs until April 25. You can buy tickets here.
The power of dedicated volunteers
This story in the Tulsa World does a good job in explaining how a bunch of volunteers helped return the historic Coleman Theatre in Miami, Okla., to its original grandeur. Barbara Smith, the executive director, once told me that the theater was very close to meeting the wrecking during the 1980s. The theater was eventually … Continue reading The power of dedicated volunteers
“Route 66” musical hits the road
Springer Theatricals is taking its "Route 66" musical on the road this winter and spring, including two towns on the Mother Road next month. Here's the play's premise, according to BroadwayWorld.com: In this musical comedy, a gang of rowdy Chicago service station attendants (played by Brian C. Gray, Dylan R. Hauck, Reid Robinson and Casey … Continue reading “Route 66” musical hits the road
The phantom musician
This is the restored Mighty Wurlitzer organ that you can hear when you tour the historic Coleman Theatre Beautiful in Miami, Okla. The medley of songs from "The Phantom of the Opera" musical comes from an electronic player-recording of a local musician when she performed it. The last part of this video is taken in … Continue reading The phantom musician
Notes from the road
If you're traveling the Mother Road this week, you may have to make other plans for the midsection. As this map from the National Weather Service shows, the Route 66 corridor is under a winter storm warning all the way from about Springfield, Mo., to Gallup, N.M. -- much of it freezing rain. Authorities closed … Continue reading Notes from the road
Route 66 documentary to be screened at Coleman Theatre
"Bones of the Old Road," a documentary about exploring obscure alignments of Route 66, will be screened at the historic Coleman Theatre in Miami, Okla., at 7 p.m. Nov. 24. The film's hosts, Route 66 researchers Jim Ross and Jerry McClanahan, along with "Bones of the Old Road" camera operator, producer and editor Kathy Anderson, … Continue reading Route 66 documentary to be screened at Coleman Theatre