The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester celebrated its 10th year of operation after having been purchased by entrepreneur Peter Shapiro with Sept. 23 being proclaimed as The Capitol Theatre Day by the municipality. The evening”™s concert featured the group The National and Indigo Sparke.
Before the performances, Port Chester Mayor Luis Marino and Village Trustees Phil Dorazio and John Allan went on-stage and presented a proclamation to Shapiro and the theater”™s general manager Bruce Wheeler declaring Sept. 23 as The Capitol Theatre Day in Port Chester.
Shapiro said, “The Capitol Theatre is a true one of a kind, as a rock palace like this just can”™t be built new. We need more of the energy that these venues create, especially in the times we are in. The magic that The Cap emits is something that lifts both musicians and fans.”
Among the performers gracing The Capitol Theatre”™s stage this season are ZZ Top, Steve Vai, Jeff Beck, Rick Springfield, Lindsey Buckingham and nine nights with Grateful Dead co-founder Phil Lesh.
The theater was designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb and opened in 1926. Originally intended for movies and vaudeville, it was built with a seating capacity of 2,000. The William Fox and Skouras theater chains were among the operators, with Skouras closing it in 1966 according to information from the organization Cinema Treasures. It then was operated as a venue for rock concerts until 1971. Local real estate property manager Marvin Ravikoff subsequently bought the theater and operated it for a time as a venue for plays, concerts, and special events.
The biggest names in music ranging from The Rolling Stones to David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Chuck Berry, Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan have performed at The Capitol Theatre. It even was used for a public demonstration of a process that converted ordinary motion pictures into 3D.
In partnership with the family of Jerry Garcia, the late Grateful Dead guitarist and singer, the theater named its ”˜lobby bar”™ Garcia”™s and operates it as a separate rock club. Garcia considered The Capitol Theatre to be one of his favorite venues.
