Fox Theatre: Drama begins before the curtain rises
Published: Mar 31, 2009
Walking into the Fabulous Fox Theatre is a dramatic experience, even before a performance begins.
Built in the late 1920s to resemble the exotic interior of a Moorish temple and lovingly restored to Old World grandeur, the Fox brings a visitor to another era. Faux balconies overlook the stag, overhung by an enormous striped Bedouin canopy. Stars twinkle overhead in a sky of clouds that float across an ultramarine blue sky that magically fades from daylight to twilight.
Even visiting the ornate Men’s and Ladies’ Lounges (aka restrooms) is an experience, with gilt-edged mirrors, intricately carved faux Egyptian chairs, painted plaster and plush carpeting.
Inside this opulence, nearly nearly three-quarters of a million patrons enjoy top-tier performances at the Fox, from old-fashioned movie sing-alongs, Broadway plays and ballet, to Grammy-winning musicians and comedy shows. Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Beverly Sills and Travis Tritt have performed on the Fox's stage.
Visit the Fox website for a schedule of upcoming performances. The Fox hosts the Atlanta Ballet, the Broadway across America Series, the Delta International Series of musical performances and Theatre of the Stars, regional musical theatre productions.
Film fans of all ages will delight in watching a contemporary or classic movie in the landmark Fox Theatre. Munch on some of the 4.5 tons of popcorn the Fox sells each year while enjoying an old-fashioned sing-along. An organist plays the Mighty Moller , a 4000-pipe theatrical organ known affectionately as "Mighty Mo," while patrons follow along with overhead slides projecting the lyrics to 1930s-era songs.
The Fox is a National Historic Landmark, llisted on the National Register of Historic Places and is a must-see for those who love architecture and old buildings. The Fox is also a Georgia Museum Building and the Fox offers tours of the building around their show schedule.
The independent, non-profit civic auditorium has spent more than $20 million in restoration, and maintains its own in-house Restoration Staff of skilled artisans. The Egyptian Ballroom and Grand Salon, decorated to suggest “the opulent splendor of the Egyptian Pharaohs,” are available for corporate events, weddings and such.
The Fox Theatre was one of the first buildings in the country to be air conditioned: it had AC before the White House did!
Like most things theatrical, much of the Fox is pretend. The massive Bedouin canopy is made of plaster and steel rods, serving as decoration as well as a kind of megaphone to project sound to the back of the house. The sky is a vaulted ceiling painted blue, stars are 11-watt bulbs shining through four-inch crystals, giving them that starry twinkle. A special projector makes the clouds drift.
But the oohs and aahs the theatre draws from its visitors are nothing but genuine.
- by Diane Loupe, Atlanta Reporter for HelloMetro
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