By Annali Hayward
Hollywood came to New Canaan for a triumphant celebration of cinema, as the iconic town Playhouse took center stage in a glamorous reopening.
Red carpet adorned Elm Street as this epic saga — full of plot twists — finally came to a fruitful conclusion, three years and $8.5 million later.
Attendees began arriving at 5:00 p.m., Thursday June 27th, posing for photos in front of the 101-year old building, with guests of honor glittering under the beloved marquee lights.
CinemaLab, the innovative and somewhat starry team behind the revamp, are now the proud operators of the premises for the next ten years — and they couldn’t contain their excitement.
CEO Luke Parker Bowles was a lively host, while actor and Head of Experience Patrick Wilson (Aquaman, The Phantom of the Opera) thoughtfully reflected on the journey and the Playhouse’s future.
“I will tell you, this doesn’t happen without the town,” said Wilson, recognising the efforts of New Canaan officials in their drive to see the project finished. “There has to be a desire to see beyond just movies.”
“This is not just one thing,” agreed Parker Bowles. “It’s not just a movie theatre, or just a pub, or just a member’s club.” Indeed a large part of the CinemaLab vision is to offer something a little more convivial and inviting than traditional movie theaters; hence the heavy emphasis on the holistic offering.
Flanking the two, cozy theaters (where tickets are about $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and children) are the Pub, with its restored, 14-foot Victorian bar from the 1880s, and the custom-made, 1930s-style grab-and-go counter, where the team spent Thursday morning perfecting the ideal popcorn recipe to welcome their first customers Friday. Upstairs, the Marquis club — where an annual Bravo membership, which includes unlimited movies for two, starts at $3,600 — has its own French Art Nouveau mirrored-back bar, with detailed inlay and cast bronze busts.
No attention to detail has been spared throughout the heritage property, with original brickwork and exteriors faithfully preserved — something Parker Bowles was “hugely” mindful of throughout.
CFO Andy Childs described the company’s mission as seeking to “elevate the whole experience.” Speaking before the inaugural screening (of ‘If’, starring Ryan Reynolds), Childs told guests they seek to “bring back the magic of cinema,” and “activate this space to find real economic longevity for the next 100 years of the Playhouse.”
And the glamour kept coming — with a special recorded message from ‘If’ director and major Hollywood star John Krasinski, who wished town residents congratulations on “having your wonderful cinema back.”
With trademark humor, Krasinski added, “there’s no other way to experience movies than in a dark room with strangers — it’s the way I make movies because it’s the way I watch movies. Have a wonderful time and I’ll be thinking of you, cant wait to be there soon!”
Town officials were enjoying the festivities too. Director of Public Works Tiger Mann told the Sentinel the overall experience has been rewarding.
“It’s absolutely beautiful,” Mann said. “I love the way it turned out. I want to see the entire town here.”
First Selectman Dionna Carlson was similarly jubilant.
“Beginning Friday, the community will have the opportunity to visit a stunning new theater that I believe will add to reasons why people love New Canaan,” she said. “The Playhouse will bring more visitors…which will benefit the entire downtown business district.”
As Wilson said, “I hope that even the people that maybe felt like it wasn’t a worthwhile investment will see over time the investment back into the community.”
Carlson acknowledged the project’s hiccups, saying “there will be many lessons learned when we have the time to do a post mortem,” but that for now she encourages everyone to visit over the summer.
That’s exactly what Parker Bowles was going for. “We want you to have a reason to get off your sofa,” he said.
And to the critics? “Get up from behind your computer and actually try it out.”
As for the membership, he was equally clear: “it’s not exclusionary at all — you get the same great experience.” Part of the reason for a members’ lounge, he explained, was to provide a later dining option (until 11:00 p.m.), which is not available anywhere else in New Canaan.
Private event bookings are already underway, while the Pub and the Marquis Lounge are set to officially open on Monday, July 8th. Food service and outdoor dining begins on Thursday, July 11th. Child tickets go for as little as $10, and a summer hit for kids, Despicable Me 4, is now showing.
As the lights went down Thursday, a new day was dawning downtown.
“When we set out to do this,” reflected Wilson, “this is what we wanted.”
