I knew I would see a lot of cool things in\\ on our trip through the U.P., but I never thought I'd get to visit an historic theater... but that's just what we did!
Before our trip, my mom had told me about the beautiful Calumet Theatre...
So when we got to town we pulled up in front...
And raced inside to be greeted by one amazing site. The theatre was just spectacular!
Even while we were still at the back of the house, I couldn't help by notice the incredible detailing along the ceiling... all that gorgeous gold leaf!
What makes this theatre especially wonderful is that it's over 100 years old... can you believe it?
It's true- built in 1900 this stage featured some of the biggest names of the time, including John Phillip Sousa, Lillian Russell and Sarah Bernhardt, just to name a few! Calumet was a booming copper town at the turn of the century, boasting a population of over 100,000 people... and the Calumet Theatre was the place to see and be seen!
And if your main purpose at the theatre was to "be seen", then these were the seats you coveted! While the box seats didn't offer the viewer a great shot of the stage, it allowed the audience a great view of the folks seated in the box...
And would you believe that these wicker seats are the original seats of the theatre? I couldn't believe they've stood up so well over the years! Furthermore, the boxes are still in use... can you imagine how many people have sat in this chair? Amazing!
Unfortunately, the history of the theatre hasn't always been illustrious. When motion pictures were invented in the 1920's the the number of stage productions declined, and from the Great Depression through the 1950's the theatre was used almost exclusively to show movies. The theatre underwent restoration through the 1970's and 1980's, and is now returned to the beautiful gem that it once was.
As a musician, I loved seeing such a fantastic performance space! And my family even egged me on enough to jump on stage to sing a note or two... talk about great acoustics!
Nowadays the theatre is used for all sorts of performances- from jazz shows, to classical concerts, to folk bands... isn't that just as it should be?
I hope you're having a great day- thanks for stopping by!
