POWERGRAMS

Despite a cold January night, the crowd is buzzing at a sold-out show at the Lyric Theater. It's hard to believe that this theatre, with its ornate décor and packed house, ever missed a beat. However, less than a decade ago, the Lyric was in ruins, and this night is more than a general show – it is a celebration that not only commemorates years of restoration but also the dedication and involvement of an entire community to bring back this beloved theatre to its city. Built in 1914, the Lyric is the oldest theatre in Birmingham. It was created a century ago by B.F. Keith, a vaudeville agent for the Marx Brothers, and former pro baseball player Jake Wells. As vaudeville took flight, the pair constructed and managed more than 40 theatres across the United States. "At one point in time, Birmingham had nearly 36 theatres within four or five blocks and it was a very robust theatre district," said Brant Beene, executive director of Birmingham Landmarks., a nonprofit organization that restored and owns the theatre. "So much so that the Lyric is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as part of the Birmingham Downtown Retail and Theatre Historic District has been since the 1970s." Thriving at the height of vaudeville, the Lyric featured famous variety acts from across the country, attracting entertainers including the Marx Brothers, Mae West, Will Rogers, Sophie Tucker, Milton Berle and Buster Keaton. Berle, who performed at the Lyric in 1927, returned in 1993 remarking that "the Lyric was as fine a theatre as any, even theatres in New York." Out of his love for the Lyric, Berle promised if he were still alive when the Lyric was restored that he would perform again on that same stage. Not only was the Lyric known for its performers, it played a key role in social services and reform in Alabama. Henry Edmonds, founder of Independent Presbyterian Church, hosted services at the Lyric every Sunday night from the founding of the church in 1915 throughout the 1920s. Unique in this time period, Edmonds welcomed all races and social classes to the services in downtown Birmingham. Edmonds became an advocate for serving the poor and was influential in creating many of the agencies and social services provided today across Alabama. The Lyric was one of the first places in the South where white and black people could attend the same show, for the same price, at the same time. "Before the segregation ordinances were rescinded, all of the theatres on Second and Third (avenues) were white theatres and all of the theatres on Fourth Avenue were black theaters," said Glenny Brock, Birmingham Landmarks board member. "The Lyric was one of the few, if not the first theater here, where black and white audiences saw the same show at the same time." The Lyric's history evolved with popular culture and entertainment. In 1927, with the rise of "talking" pictures, the theatre began showing both vaudeville performances and movies with sound. The onset of the Great Depression, as well as the influence of movies and radio, led to the Lyric closing. In 1932, brothers Ben and L.A. Stein of Jacksonville, Fla., reopened the Lyric as a movie theatre and later that year sold it to the Paramount and Wilby-Kincey circuit to operate as a second-run movie house. Under the management of Oliver Naylor, the theatre underwent a major renovation in the 1940s. It continued to operate as a second-run theatre for years, where patrons could view movies that had shown at the Alabama Theatre a month or so earlier for 25 cents. In 1954, the popularity of CinemaScope affected the theatre as the seating boxes along the walls inside were removed to accommodate a 15-foot-tall by 36-foot-wide screen for CinemaScope films. During this time, live performances were brought back with a weekly "Saturday Night Jamboree" hosted by "Uncle" Jim Atkins and broadcast on WBRC- AM. Gene Autry and Roy Rogers are among the musicians who took the stage during this time. The theatre closed in 1958 and despite fundraising efforts to revitalize it in the 1960s, the Lyric continued to decline. In the early 1970s, the Lyric was re-named the Grand Bijou Motion Picture Theater, showing pre-1940s movies, including a screening of "The "We are really seeing now a resurgence of business, recreation, food and all kinds of things in the downtown area." - Brant Beene, executive director of Birmingham Landmarks 28 Opening night featured a return to vaudeville acts.

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