Detroit Opera House
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Detroit Opera House, opened on January 22, 1922 as the Capitol Theater, is the current venue for all Michigan Opera Theatre productions and other events. The Opera House was designed by C. Howard Crane, the same man who designed other Detroit theatres such as the State Theater, Fox Theater and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Orchestra Hall, noted for its acoustic perfection.
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[edit] History
Opened at the corner of Broadway and Madison in 1922 as the Capitol Theater, the Opera House was the first of many performance venues built around Detroit's Grand Circus Park. When it opened, the Opera House was the fifth-largest theater in the world, being able to hold up to 4,250 guests. The Capitol Theater's name was changed to the Paramount Theater in 1929, and again changed in 1934 to the Broadway Capitol Theater. Artists that performed in the building's first few decades included jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. A minor restoration ensued in the 1960s, and it became the Grand Circus Theater, a 3,367 seat movie house. After closing in 1978, reopening in 1981 and closing again in 1985, Grand Circus Theater would finally be adopted in 1988 by the formerly roaming Michigan Opera Theater, becoming known by its current name, the Detroit Opera House. It is currently configured with seating for 2,700. The building underwent an extensive restoration in the 2000s. Recently, the opera house has yearly hosted about 5 opera productions, 5 dance productions from touring companies and a small number of other musical and comedy events.
[edit] Pop Culture
THe Detroit Opera house is rumored to be haunted by the lead dancer of the production of Giselle who died there under mysterious circumstance when the production toured there in the 1920's. This rumor inspired the plot for a third season episode of TV's "Angel" entitled "Waiting in the Wings". The episode featured a Russian count who majically created and controlled the show, appearing the same since the late 1800's including the main character who's spirit he also controlled to dance for him forever. Correleations between the rumor and episode include the main dancer attempting to leave the dance company owner and run away with her true love and eventually mysteriously dying before just before she planned to leave.
