Expression Summer 2003

a Expression Cutler Majestic Issue 2003

ExpressionT H E M A G A Z I N E F O R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S O F E M E R S O N C O L L E G ES U M M E R 2 0 0 3

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S P E C I A L I S S U E

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” T he Cutler M ajestic at 100Restoring a

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O for a Muse of

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2 Expression Cutler Majestic Issue 2003 3 Expression Cutler Majestic Issue 2003

Message from the President

A Long Run Begins

Reviving a Class Act

Message from the Vice President for Administration and Finance Restoring a National Treasure

A Tribute to the Cutlers

The Tufte Performance and Production Center

Majestic Calendar

Credits

Porgy and Bess Gala

4

6

15

22

24

40

43

46

48

49

Table of Contents

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5 Expression Cutler Majestic Issue 2003

Dear alumni and friends of Emerson College:

Emerson College is all about expression, just as the name of this magazine suggests and as our official seal clearly states. Whether on a soapbox, a stage, a printing press, the airwaves or the Internet, we have been in the

“expression business” since we were founded back in 1880. Twenty-three years later, another institution devoted to expression, the

Majestic Theatre, debuted at 219 Tremont Street. It was a Beaux Arts-style

opera house and was widely reported to be the most beautiful performing arts

venue in the city’s blossoming theater district.

I daresay that no one back in 1903 imagined that the Majestic would

one day be part of Emerson, even though the school’s third president, actor

Henry Lawrence Southwick, played the Majestic. But that is exactly what

happened eight decades later. In 1983, we purchased the abandoned building,

which had been run for years as a movie house and was reportedly slated for

demolition. We made substantial renovations and reopened the building in

1989. Since then, just as we envisioned, the Majestic has supported Emerson’s

performing arts programs and provided a venue for community arts groups.

Buying the Majestic also set in motion forces we did not foresee. It led,

inexorably it now seems, to the creation of our new “Campus on the Com-

mon,” appropriately located adjacent to the Theatre District. Relocating and

upgrading our facilities has not only enhanced Emerson’s visibility and repu-

tation, it has, as The New York Times recently noted, “injected vitality into the

neighborhood” and triggered “major commercial development.”

Several years ago, we developed a plan to restore the theater to its origi-

nal splendor and seating capacity and to link that project with the construc-

tion of a new performance and production center. The plan was developed by

Vice President for Administration and Finance Robert Silverman, in consulta-

tion with the Board of Trustees, Dean Grafton Nunes of our School of the

Arts and faculty members in the performing arts. It is a truly visionary plan

that fuses Rob’s respect for history, his commitment to technology and his

creativity in optimizing the use of space.

Visions are exciting, but without support they come to naught. No one

knows this better than the chairman of our Board of Trustees, Ted Benard-

Cutler, and his colleague, Marillyn Zacharis, who chairs the Board’s Devel-

opment Committee. Together with his wife, Joan, Ted provided the financial

leadership needed to launch the Majestic restoration. Marillyn has led the

way in supporting the performance and production center (PPC).

In recognition of their leadership, the Trustees have named the Majestic

in honor of the Cutlers and the PPC in memory of Marillyn’s parents,

Norman I. and Mary E. Tufte. Today, as the Cutler Majestic Theatre opens

for its centennial season, and as the Tufte Performance and Production

Center welcomes its first students, we thank Ted, Joan and Marillyn for their

extraordinary commitment.

We also thank: the George B. Henderson Foundation, which provided

funds for the stained glass window restoration; Boston Mayor Thomas

Menino, who has supported our efforts at every step along the way; and

Helen Rose and the “Friends of the Majestic,” who have supported the

theater over the years.

This special issue of Expression is dedicated exclusively to the Cutler

Majestic Theatre. I want to thank Associate Vice President for Public Affairs

David Rosen, guest editor Yvonne Hudson and designer Charles Dunham

for assembling such a comprehensive and elegant publication. When Expres-

sion returns to its regular format in the fall, it will include full coverage of the

opening of the Tufte Center.

These are exciting days at Emerson. Stay tuned!

Jacqueline W. LiebergottPresident, Emerson College


M essage from the President

Dav

id R

osen


A Long Run Begins

“

”

This space would

be at once visually

stunning and

acoustically superior,

a sanctuary for great

performances

in one of America’s

great cities.

Eben Dyer Jordan

A Theater is Born

When architect John Galen Howard first surveyed the site for Boston’s new opera house a century ago, the area south of Boston Common had emerged as the city’s newest theater district. Washington Street had long been a vital neighborhood for perfor-mance spaces, and the 100-year-old Hollis Street Meeting House had housed a theater for decades. In December 1900, the superb Colonial Theatre opened on Boylston Street

1901

Building permit obtained for a 10,333-square-foot lot at 219 Tremont Street, Boston.

1903

Boston’s newest theater opens. The Storks playbill (above).

1904

Richard III, a presentation of “Emerson College of Oratory” for the benefit of the Teachers’ Mutual Benefit Association, stars Henry Lawrence Southwick (below). A faculty member and equal partner in the school renowned for recruiting students during his cross-county Shakespearean recitals, Southwick served as Emerson’s third president (1908-32).

near the Tremont Theatre, which had been built in 1889. Boston had moved into a new era of respectabil-ity for the avocation of theater going.

By 1901, arts financier Eben Dyer Jordan had secured a building permit for a 10,333-square-foot lot at number 219 on Tremont Street, often a muddy thoroughfare, rut-ted by horse-drawn carriages. Even more treacherous to pedestrians was Boylston Street, the intersect-ing avenue that stretched along the Common. Streetcars ran on Boylston. Even circus elephants and carts paraded there on occa-sion. Pedestrians often encountered streetcar tracks, and women in long skirts risked twisting an ankle when stepping over them. Nevertheless, the ornate theaters of the era were becoming “an ideal place to serve as an environment for fashionable women to display their most luxuri-ous gowns,” observed one Boston Globe writer. After all, the Colonial’s opening production of Ben Hur had featured live horses and chariots and its proscenium and decoration were praised above that of any other Bos-ton performance venue.

Almost immediately after the Colonial’s debut, Jordan com-missioned his architect to design a “Beaux Arts” opera house in the tradition of Europe’s grandest halls on the narrow Tremont Street site. The 39-year-old Howard, a graduate of M.I.T. and L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris and a former protégé of the renowned Henry Hobson Richardson, was ready for the chal-lenge. Howard had also worked for renowned architects McKim, Mead and White in New York City before launching his own successful projects. Having recently relocated to Cali-fornia as supervising architect at the Berkeley campus of the University of California, he was the institution’s master planner and would win kudos

for Berkeley’s Naval Architecture Building and Northgate Hall. The Majestic Theatre, on which he would work with Boston designer James M. Woods, would be his only project in Boston.

The benefactor behind the Majestic project was Eben Dyer Jordan. His father had founded Jor-dan Marsh—the prominent Boston department store that later became part of the Macy’s chain. In 1903, the younger Jordan was CEO of his family’s business and was ready to sponsor a new theater for Boston.

This space would be at once visually stunning and acousti-cally superior, a sanctuary for great performances in one of America’s great cities. Historians don’t know whether Jordan was a religious man, but his devotion to the arts was in itself a spiritual and personal mission. A trained singer, the retailer might have become a professional perform-er himself had his social and business circumstances not dictated that he attend to more traditional pursuits. During buying trips abroad for his father’s company, Jordan had expe-rienced European culture and style. With the opening of the Majestic, the 45-year-old Jordan could relish pro-ductions of magnificent vocal works closer to home.

That he picked Boston as the site for his next project was not a coincidence. For years prior to the Majestic project, Jordan had con-tributed significantly to the arts in Boston. As a member of the Board of the New England Conservatory of Music, he had supported the school’s move from Franklin Square to a bet-ter location near Symphony Hall.

Overleaf: The Gershwin Brothers—George and Ira—wrote a witty music about American politics entitled “Of Thee I Sing.” Its pre-Broadway try-out ran at the Majestic, Dec. 7-21, 1931. The show’s book by Morry Ryskind and George S. Kaufmann and lyrics by Ira Gershwin was honored when the show was

The Majestic lobby, 1903 (right).

Photo below of the Majestic in 1903 shows drop curtain painted by renowned muralist William de Leftwich Dodge, whose work also adorns the lobby. See p. 19 for a closer look at the murals.

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Emerson College Archives

the first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize. George Gershwin’s memorable score, however, included the melodies of enduring classics such as “Love is Sweeping the Country” and “Of Thee I Sing.” The cast featured William Gaxton, Victor Moore, Lois Moran, and George Murphy.

Photo credit: Boston Public Library


by Yvonne Hudson

The Majestic made its debut on February 16, 1903. It was unlike any other opening night in Boston theater history. And it was a theater manager’s dream. Every seat in the house—then reported to be 1,700—was sold. One newspaper numbered the audience at nearly 2,000. Another writer claimed that “manager C.H. Smith decided to stop the sale of any sort of tickets for he knew full-well the massive stone and cement wall of his theater was not elastic,” as “hun-dreds and hundreds” were turned away. The “musical fantasy” The Storks was on stage, but the building stole the show.

role in breaking the syndicate’s monopoly on theater in Boston. At the same time, the Shuberts bought out Jordan’s remaining interests in the Majestic and began booking first-class acts again. Wilbur managed the Shuberts’ Boston operations, which included the Colonial Theatre, until his assertiveness and competitive nature led to a falling out with the Shuberts.

The Shuberts retained great control over theater in Boston through their own syndicate for decades, including management of the Majestic, which continued to host theater and films. In 1956, a federal anti-trust action forced them to sell the Majestic and five other theaters (except for the theater bearing their name). Sack Cinemas purchased the building and ran it as a movie house, the Saxon, until it was closed in 1977.

Since 1983, Emerson College has owned and operated the Majestic, renamed the Cutler Majestic upon its 100th anniversary

in 2003. A. Brooks Russell ’72 & G ’76, who was a member of the Emerson staff for 25 years, served as the Emerson Majestic’s first manager. He retired in 1993.

“The Majestic was always a magical place,” says Russell. “There wasn’t a night I wasn’t backstage on closing night of an event. And the students have loved working in this grand old lady from the time Emerson purchased her.”

Lance Olson has served as the theater’s manager since 1993. He speaks with passion about the theater’s mission and illustrious history, often referring to the Cutler Majestic as a “dream factory” where more than 40 different “titles” have been presented in recent seasons.—YH

For a list of future events in the Cutler Majestic, see p. 46.

The efficient use of the seem-ingly modest city lot was impressive, and the handsome terra-cotta façade presented a pleasing integration of varied styles that resisted overstate-ment. Upon arrival, “well-bred and cheerful faced men and women,” as described by the Globe, were amazed at the intimate, well-appointed lobby (despite the tracking of mud so thick it “later had to be shoveled with a coal shovel.”) However, the two-story lobby’s sensual murals by re-nowned painter William de Leftwich Dodge [see p. 19], ornate Italian mosaic floor, scagliola (faux marble created from specially finished plaster), and velvet draperies barely foreshadowed what ticket-buyers would see in the house.

Patrons entering the auditorium found themselves ensconced in a sort of inside-out Faberge egg—round and acoustically impeccable, decorat-ed in gold leaf with high relief figures, draped in more luxurious velvet. Not one pillar, pole, nor beam. Virtually no corners into which last-minute ticket buyers could be pushed away from the best of sights or sounds.

Even the views and sightlines from the second balcony were praised. Steeply stacked tiers—“so that every row is practically a little balcony in itself,” as the Globe wrote—allowed patrons to be alternately enthralled by either the dramatics of the theater’s lushly ornamented ceiling or the action on stage.

Howard’s innovations made this a singular theater for the city and for the greater performing arts world. Besides being the first Boston house engineered without obstruc-tions, the Majestic was the city’s first performance space to “freely exploit the possibilities of electricity,” as de-scribed in a 1980s Boston Landmarks Commission report summarizing the building’s potential for landmark sta-tus. The discreet use of recessed light was noted, “not a chandelier was to be seen,” said the Globe. Lights spar-kled along every row of decoration on walls, ceiling, and facades. Strings of dome-covered lights, resembling giant pearl necklaces, were interwo-ven on ribbons of autumnal harvest crops, stretched above the audience.

Howard’s precision exceeded Jordan’s expectations, according to the Boston newspapers and trade publications assigned to cover what The Boston Globe described as “the most beautiful playhouse Boston has seen yet,” or, as the Boston Herald observed, “a place where the people of Boston will gladly gather in search of clean, elevated entertainment.”

“It is greatly to Mr. Howard’s credit,” reported the American Architect and Building News, “that no European building has been copied or adapted for this theater. Not only is the plan of the interior original in every way, but the vast amount of ornamental details has been carefully designed and modeled under the per-sonal supervision of the architect.”

Rows of lights lined the proscenium arch and footlights beamed at the stage’s edge. Stars twinkled on the latticework of what appeared to be the roof of an enormous gazebo with a turquoise sky peeking through thick grapevines dripping with purple fruit.

Those who played the Majestic had a view of the audience that was unsurpassed when they were on stage. The audience was lined up before them, from side to side. There was so much light that audience members could see one another al-most as clearly as they could view the players. The backstage warning to actors tempted to peek through the curtain had never been truer: if you can see the audience, the audience can see you. These design features also contributed to the warm rapport between actors and audiences.

Plays by Henrik Ibsen, J.M. Barrie, and Sophocles were among those performed in the Majestic’s first decade. In its first year alone, the Majestic was host to some 15 productions. In its second year,

Emerson College Archives

Managing the Majestic

Soon after the Majestic opened in 1903, owner Eben Dyer Jordan leased the operations of his new theater to Albert L. Wilbur (who was also president of the company that constructed the Majestic) and Edward D. Stair. They were the Majestic’s first managers and had produced the theater’s opening show, The Storks. By 1904, the managers deemed the stage too small for large operatic productions and converted the Majestic to a “dollar house,” placing it on the popular circuit.

Wilbur and Stair’s company, the U.S. Amusement Corporation, though comprised of some 200 theaters, was a segment of a larger syndicate, which essentially controlled most of the country’s legitimate theaters. Wilbur (whose own theater still exists on Tremont Street) joined the Shubert brothers to form Wilbur Shubert Corporation in 1906, playing a

1921

An enclosed projector booth is added in the mezzanine. Shubert All Star Vaudeville runs for 35 weeks.

1923

The Moscow Art Theatre plays Boston for the first time, performing an eight-week repertory.

1925

Herbert, Leonard, Julius and Arthur Marx, the quartet thereafter known as the Marx Brothers, star in I’ll Say She Is!

1929

George Jessel appears in The War Song.

1931

Of Thee I Sing plays Boston (see p. 8).

1941

Citizen Kane screened.

1942

Gloria Swanson appears in Three Curtains.

1915

The Birth of a Nation, the first full-length motion picture, starts the second leg of its Boston run with eight weeks at the Majestic.

1920

Eddie Cantor stars in Midnight Rounders. Theda Bara (below) makes her first Boston appearance in The Blue Flame.


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Busby Berkeley) in October 1928, and the Gershwin brothers’ Of Thee I Sing (the first musical to win a Pulit-zer Prize) in December 1931.

“Legitimate” theater and vaude-ville acts such as “Thurston the Famous Magician” back in 1918 had certainly been popular, but the Majestic had also enjoyed the addi-tion of a film projector, installed in the mezzanine in 1921. The theater would soon be home to a new film form: talkies.

“Between 1915 and 1935, thou-sands of vaudeville palaces were built, designed to host living performances,” says the Majestic’s current manager, Lance Olson. “Then the talkies came along and made those theaters obso-lete. It’s fortunate that the depression hit as well, because owners adapted and reused those palaces, rather than tearing them down and building new ones with improved technology.”

The Productive YearsThe Majestic hosted more than 430 live productions and films during its first three decades, according to the Emerson College Archives. The Marx Brothers introduced their comic personas in March 1925 when their I’ll Say She Is played the Majestic. It was one of many com-edies, classics, operas, and vaudeville acts broken in on Tremont Street. Live performances included some 19 Shakespeare plays, 16 grand operas, and numerous musicals, revues, and operettas.

Those who played the Majestic included Gracie Allen, George Burns, W. C. Fields, Uta Hagen, George Jessel, Gertrude Lawrence, Beatrice Lillie, Shakespearean actor Robert B. Mantell, Ibsen leading lady Allah Nazimova, and operetta heartthrob Donald Brian.

William Gaxton led the original casts of two distinctly American hits to graduate from Boston try-outs to Broadway fame: Rodgers and Hart’s beloved A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (with choreography by

Jordan turned over the management of the theater to two gentlemen who had produced the Majestic’s first production [see “Managing the Ma-jestic,” p. 10].

By the winter of 1907, La Gioconda, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Faust, Aida, La Traviata, Carmen, Lucia Di Lammermoor, and Lohengren would be performed on the Majestic stage by the touring San Carlo Opera Compa-ny. Yet, despite its superb acoustics and European-styled, steep tiers, the theater’s management thought the Majestic too diminutive for effective staging of grand operas. The Shu-berts changed its status to that of “a dollar house,” and continued to book more popular and fewer classical programs.

Jordan went on to finance the Boston Opera House on Hunting-ton Avenue. In 1917, he suffered a paralytic stroke and died. A year earlier, the first full-length motion picture, Birth of a Nation, was shown in the Majestic, foreshadowing the role films would play in the theater’s future.

1957

Around the Word in 80 Days begins a record-breaking, 101-week run.

1974

Jimi Hendrix documentary plays for three weeks during the theater’s only run-in with rock-n-roll.

1980

Saxon listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of Boston’s “Piano Row” District.

1943

Casablanca plays the Majestic.

1948

The Red Shoes with Moira Shearer isshown for 18 weeks.

1950

The Country Girl stars Uta Hagen.

1956

Theater becomes a movie house. The balcony is closed. Façade and lobby alterations begin.

Oscar Strauss’ 1909 Broadway hit, The Chocolate Soldier, based on George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man, opened at the Majestic on October 17, 1910, and enjoyed return engagements in 1912 and 1930.

In 1930, the lights of Boston’s Theater District included the Majestic marquee. As it approached its third decade, the theater welcomed productions of light operas such as Babes in Toyland, The Merry Widow, and The Chocolate Soldier, and works inspired by not-so-distant history, such as All Quiet on the Western Front and Abraham Lincoln.

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C hanging Times, Revamped Venues

Bostonian Society

Early in 1941, the Majestic hosted a 15-week run of Walt Disney’s animated masterpiece Fantasia and, later, Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. Then, once again, global turmoil would influence what could be produced. The Majestic had closed after a six-production run of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas at the end of November 1941, and would not reopen until several weeks after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor the next month.

Over the next two years, live theater and movies would be inter-spersed until films would become the main event at the Majestic. Gone With the Wind and other hits like The Song of Bernadette enjoyed several very long runs at the Majestic, while most films were on its screen for one week.

Post-War DeclineThe Majestic closed for over eight months during 1951 and 1952, and was open for only 22 weeks—exclu-sively for films—during 1952 and 1953. For a Boston distracted by the Korean War and preparing for the return of G.I.s, maintaining a facility like the Majestic, which then had about 1,000 seats, could not be a pri-ority. Across the country, large the-aters originally designed for live per-formances were being converted to movie houses. The Majestic was no exception, and its balcony was closed in 1956. The Majestic was renamed the Saxon Theatre and was operated as a movie venue for the next three decades by Sack Cinemas. The film menu ranged from 1950s and 1960s musicals like Oklahoma and Gigi (with reserved seats and program books for every performance) to 1970s favor-ites such as Young Frankenstein and All the President’s Men, eventually inter-spersed with a number of B-grade films.

Jordan’s noble opera house was falling into disrepair along with most of Boston’s once-proud theater dis-trict. Ironically, the Saxon manage-ment, in executing simple solutions

to continue daily use of the building, effectively preserved much of it. The theater management had enclosed the theater lobby ornamentation with a suspended ceiling and plywood paneling. The high relief decora-tion in the house was never altered, though it suffered over time.

When the Saxon went dark and its windows were boarded up in 1977, the Tremont Street landmark seemed entombed. Five years later, it was in danger of demolition when Emerson College purchased the building to se-cure a venue for its student produc-tions and other college events.

Rescued, the grand dame was ready for her next act. M


Reviving aC lassAct

Emerson purchased

the Majestic in 1983

and reopened it in 1989

after making extensive

repairs. For more than

a decade thereafter, it

played an integral role

in the life of the College

by supporting theater

arts instruction and

by providing a venue

for performances by

student groups as well

as professional arts

organizations. In April

of 2002, the theater went

dark for 13 months to

facilitate a sweeping

restoration that would

return the once proud

venue to its original

grandeur as it begins

its second century and

its third decade under

Emerson ownership.

“

”

In a very unusual way

I owe what I am to you.

Though at times it appears

I won’t stay, I never go.

“Unusual Way” from Nine

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Emerson students reopened the Majestic on April 26, 1989 after Phase I restoration with the musical George M!

T he Emerson Years

Boston’s Majestic Theatre needed tender loving care in 1983 when Em-erson College purchased what was know as the Saxon Theatre, a fully depreciated investment with a large deferred maintenance backlog. Em-erson, in need of a venue for theater education, embraced the challenge of not only rescuing the theater, but of returning the venue to its roots as a showplace for opera, dance, and the spoken word.

The Emerson administrators and restoration consultants who first walked into the Saxon lobby were among those who viewed the toll of neglect. In the lobby, carpeting hid the original mosaic floor and marble steps, plywood paneling still covered the walls and murals, and aluminum siding protected some of the remain-ing stained glass. Unfortunately, heating and cooling ducts and vents haphazardly interrupted Howard’s design, and there was significant water damage in the auditorium. No one had used the balcony for over 25 years, although former theater manager Brooks Russell admits that he would sometimes take a seat up there to catch a sell-out performance by Boston Lyric Opera. The balcony would take low priority as Emerson set out to first reestablish use of the building.

Faculty, staff, administrators, and some performing arts alumni began to pitch in, offering elbow grease and resolve. Undaunted by an enormous stack of junk stored on stage behind the movie screen and seemingly endless numbers of broken theater chairs piled in virtually every nook and cranny, volunteers gathered on a number of Saturdays during 1985 to remove debris from the Saxon so that work could begin. They found artifacts documenting the building’s history–keys, ticket stubs, coat claim checks, wine bottles, playbills and productions signage. In 1989, volunteers returned to help prepare the theater for its reopening.

Looking to the future, Emerson aimed to renovate the Majestic as funds became available to provide a venue for student performances and to support local nonprofit arts orga-nizations. When plans for developing a new Emerson campus began to focus on downtown rather than pos-sible suburban locations, the Majestic took on a significant new role at the College. Not only would it become a visible symbol of Emerson in the Boston community, it would anchor

A Regional Arts Venue

The Majestic quickly emerged as an important venue for many Boston-area not-for-profit arts producers and presenters. They have included Op-era Boston (formerly Boston Acad-emy of Music), Boston Lyric Opera, Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival, New England Conservatory Opera Theater, World Music, the former Dance Umbrella, Eifman Ballet St. Petersburg, José Mateo’s Ballet Theatre, Ramon de los Reyes Spanish Dance Theatre, FleetBoston Celebrity Series, Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, and the annual Vincent Club show.

Perhaps, most significantly, the Cutler Majestic stage welcomes more opera than any other theater in New England, bringing the house full circle to Eben Jordan Dyer’s original intent.

The Tools of the Trade

The Majestic continues to inspire and guide Emerson students on their way to careers in performance, design and technical theater.

“Students are thrilled to work in the Majestic,” says Maureen Shea, chair and professor of performing arts.

“It has such an amazing intimacy for such a large theater. It’s like being in a

a downtown campus, appropriately located in the Theatre District. Thus, Emerson’s new “Campus on the Common” was established, with the Majestic being the first acquisition toward the College’s permanent Boston home.

“Phase I” goals for restoration were set and most were realized by spring 1989. The priorities included replacing the building’s infrastruc-ture. Plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical systems were addressed. Architectural details, such as the façade’s terra-cotta surface, were refurbished. The project included repairs to ornamental plaster and other details throughout the build-ing. The stage floor was rebuilt with poured concrete and a sprung wood dance floor. A counterweight scenery flying system was installed, augment-ing the hemp and sandbag system found primarily in Broadway and first-class touring houses. Students would learn to use both the Broad-way-style and regional theater stan-dard systems, giving them unusual flexibility as they entered the job market. The building was brought up to code, renovated to comply with fire, landmark and disability access requirements.

Recognizing the building’s place in Boston and theater history, the Boston Landmarks Commission designated it an historic landmark in 1986. The initial restoration began in August 1988. Nine months later, on April 26, 1989, students took to the Majestic stage for the first time in George M!, a musical directed by Leonidas Nickole, professor of per-forming arts.

dream. Even for professionals, it’s rare to play a pre-Broadway house. So, it’s especially magical for students.”

The fact that the Cutler Ma-jestic operates as a “road house” for visiting troupes provides students with experience pertinent to the fast load-ins and load-outs required by the types of touring companies they may join upon graduation.

“Our technical students benefit greatly from the space,” says Shea.

“They are the stage hands and hang and focus lights.” The theater’s extensive rigging provides additional hands-on knowledge of the inner systems of a large, state-of-the-art theater.

The academic mission of the Majestic, was enumerated in 1989 by Harry Morgan, Shea’s predecessor as department chair. It is “to comple-ment and provide the necessary laboratory facility for our performing arts students…”

Shea estimates some 100 stu-dents perform on the Majestic stage each year, while a total of 250 may be involved in productions. As alumni, they take their Majestic experience with them on the job in broadcasting, theater, music, and communications positions.

1983

Emerson College purchases theater. Building reviewed for landmark designation by Boston Landmarks Commission.

1988

Saxon marquee removed. Emerson begins first leg of a restoration that will be completely realized in 14 years. Building permit obtained for Phase I.

1989

The Emerson Majestic Theatre reopens with an Emerson Musical Society performance of George M! on April 26. Opera returns to the theater for the first time since 1955 when Boston Lyric Opera presents Tosca. Emerson Stage’s Hamlet revives Shakespeare in the Majestic 51 years since a production of Timon of Athens in 1938.

1991

Emerson celebrates the theater’s 90th anniversary on Valentine’s Day with restoration fundraiser, “Majestic Moments.” The Nutcracker is danced on the Majestic stage for the first time by Ballet Theatre of Boston.

2001

Jacqueline Liebergott, president of Emerson, announces a leadership gift from Ted and Joan Benard-Cutler toward the full restoration of the Majestic Theatre. Ground is broken for the Tufte Performance and Production Center, which will operate in tandem with the Majestic.

2002

Theater closes to facilitate restoration work.

2003

Restoration work is completed and the Majestic is renamed in honor of the Cutlers. Doors open on May 17 for the annual student EVVY Awards ceremony. Official reopening set for an October 30 production of the Gershwin brothers’ Porgy and Bess. A full season of productions is set (see p. 49).

Overleaf: The Cutler Majestic lobby, May 2003.

Above: A work in progress, the interior of the Majestic in 1989.

Right: Cleanup days, 1989.

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When Emerson purchased the theater in 1983, the six idyllic canvas paintings above the Majestic lobby were covered with 80 years worth of dust, dirt and grime. During the Saxon Theatre years, a suspended ceiling covered them and one was damaged by ductwork.

The murals were created in 1903 by William de Leftwich Dodge, a New Yorker whose existing public work also graces the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the State House in Albany, New York.

The murals represent the art of the theater with the two largest paintings depicting Egyptian and Greek festivals.

with the Majestic’s original decor. Lighting positions are now some-what disguised; necessary poles and stands thoughtfully affixed to the Majestic’s walls have been painted to blend with the salmon and green backgrounds of the theater’s earthy colors—colors that haven’t glowed so vibrantly for decades.

No curtain—not tonight. While the 1903 audience would have seen a romantically painted drop curtain depicting an idyllic garden scene, EVVY audience members enjoy a de-lightfully choreographed and highly technical evening in which history and preservation are also stars.

A big difference in 2003 is the integration of technology. For the EVVYS broadcast, student techni-cians literally called the shots as quick-stepping camera personnel followed both award winners and presenters throughout the audito-rium and on stage. Participants in a wide range of communications proj-ects, including films, television, radio, and design had been nominated for the EVVYs, Emerson’s award to recognize both accomplishments and potential.

When the house lights dimmed—only slightly it seemed—dancers, the first to appear on the newly laid “boards” of the Majestic, moved to Gloria Estefan’s “Rhythm of the Night,” a contrast to the draw-ing room comedies, vaudeville and operettas of a century earlier. Never-theless, despite the strong broadcast presence in the house, the century since the theater first opened seemed to dissolve, so overwhelming was the grandeur of the room.

“I’m honored to be here in this great building,” says a humbled Douglas Herzog ’81, president of USA Network, who received the Alumni Award of distinction.

Applause. “What a great tribute to the great changes here at Emer-son College and to the leadership of President Liebergott,” Herzog observed.

whose foresight has sustained the venue over two decades, the evening was filled with nostalgia. It was just over 100 years since the first opening night of the Majestic and a year since Emerson students had been able to perform on its stage.

Indeed a renewed light in Boston’s theater district —as repre-sented by its updated marquee and restored façade lighting—the Cutler Majestic shines as it did on opening night in 1903. It is now a century since patrons first marveled at the theater’s electric lights, and on this night participants on both sides of the proscenium were literally illumi-nated from within and without.

The faux polished marble in the lobby shone. As audience members entered the two-story lobby, they greeted themselves in a mirror that was painted over when the College acquired the theater, according to Brooks Russell, who was theater manager at that time. Guests can’t resist looking up at the Dodge murals, restored by Emerson in 1993 [see opposite page]. It is impossible to see where one was repaired after a Saxon Theatre ventilation duct had pierced it. The gold cherubs grinned as the lobby lights are flashed, signal-ing the time to have one’s ticket torn and to settle into seats that look just like the originals—sans wire hat racks.

Some audience members walked past their assigned rows to the front of the orchestra. Turning their backs to the stage, they looked upward, taking in the astounding col-ors and detail of the restored ceiling, balconies and boxes. Every surface restored, there was light everywhere, more light than this house has ever seen. Each string of pearls shone, and the proscenium was traced in light. Every box was outlined in light as if to say “look who is sitting over here.” Even the theatrical lighting seems integral, though not in keeping

Appropriately, the annual student EVVYS awards, the last Emerson organization to produce in the the-ater before the Phase II restoration, would also be the first to play the restored Cutler Majestic.

A Preview for the Emerson Family

On May 17, 2003, the Cutler Majes-tic enjoyed a prelude to the theater’s grand post-restoration reopening during the 22nd EVVY Awards program. Befitting the theater’s 21st- century purpose, Emerson students, families, alumni, and presenters from the communications and arts commu-nities were the first to get a pre-open-ing peek at what the building’s first external audiences will experience this year.

Capturing the mission of Em-erson and the symbolism inherent in the landmark theater, the EVVYs continue a tradition of entertainment, history, and appreciation. The EVVY proceedings annually pay tribute to students who are learning and living the reality of today’s communica-tions trade. The 2003 program also honored the reality of a restored state-of-the-art performance facil-ity and historical landmark. While also lauding the Emerson leadership

A theater restoration fund established in memory of Frank Napal ’69, G’70, was used in part to restore the murals to their original beauty with much of the funding supporting the theater’s restoration to operating condition.

Damage to the mural was repaired and the works were cleaned by an inch-by-inch restoration that took two and a half months of meticulous work. A dedication ceremony of the newly restored Dodge murals took place in October 1993. The murals have welcomed Majestic audiences ever since.—YH

Applause. When Robert A. Silverman,

vice president for administration and finance, was recognized for his leadership on this complex and long-anticipated project, he received the first standing ovation in the restored Cutler Majestic.

Applause. Something the Majestic’s walls

haven’t heard for quite a while. The future beckons. The Cutler

The productions of Emer-son Stage have a long tradition at the Majestic, with over 50 theater productions since 1989. Works have ranged from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, Part I: Millennium as well as spring musicals, ranging from Pajama Game to Cabaret. Between 1989 and 2002, the efforts of hundreds of Emerson students, both on- and off-stage, have been showcased at the Majestic.

The theater has also provided a stunning and nostalgic venue for visiting artists such as Whoopi Goldberg, John Ritter, Julie Taymor, Denis Leary, and Jane Alexander, Spalding Gray and Leslie Nielsen. All told, 300 productions—music, theater, dance, opera, comedy, ben-efits, and more—have occupied the Majestic in the past several decades, rivaling, the variety and volume of programs the theater saw before its stint as a movie house.

An enormous laboratory, the theater provides working knowledge of a facility much like the houses in which technicians, actors, directors, and designers may work in New York and on tour. Communication systems have been upgraded to sup-port live broadcasts as well as taping.

Murals Welcome Audience Members

Majestic Theatre and the adjacent Norman I. and Mary E. Tufte Per-formance and Production Center are about to embark on a long collabora-tion dedicated to imagination and innovation. M

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A lunette of the William de Leftwich Dodge mural, rededicated in 1993 after restoration.

Frank Monkiewicz

Leonard Bernstein’s Candide was presented by Emerson Stage in April 1999.


Current view of the house from the stagePhoto by Bruce Martin


Unlike many other venues that had been permanently damaged or al-

tered, the Majestic was a prime candidate for restoration. The work would be

done in phases, beginning in 1987 with a cleanup and repair program

that lasted nearly two years. Restoration work on the façade of the building

was done in 1993.

In 2000, Emerson committed itself to undertaking a sweeping program

to restore the Majestic to its original splendor, while upgrading its technical

systems.

The College made this commitment not just because restoration could

be done, but because it should be done. The College had the wisdom to see

it as an investment, not just in preserving the past, but in assuring the future

success of Emerson’s performing arts programs, the viability of the The-

ater District, in which Emerson had chosen to reside, and the vitality of the

Greater Boston arts community, of which Emerson is a part.

It has been my privilege to oversee the restoration program and, in the

process, to work with some of the most talented and dedicated architects,

artisans, construction personnel and technical consultants in the country, as

well as Emerson’s own outstanding staff in construction management,

government and community relations and other areas.

I especially wish to thank the architectural firm of Elkus/Manfredi and

Lee Kennedy Company, the general contractor.

Robert Silverman

Vice President for Administration and Finance

Emerson College

To the Emerson and Greater Boston arts communities:

When people ask me why Emerson decided to restore the Majestic to its origi-

nal grandeur rather than simply renovate it, which would have been much less

expensive, I often respond, “because we could.” Of course there’s much more

to the story than that, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

When the Majestic Theatre opened in 1903, the Boston Globe described it

as “the most beautiful playhouse Boston has seen yet.” By all contemporane-

ous accounts it was. Architect John Galen Howard, one of 400 or so Ameri-

cans trained at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, had also attended MIT, and

his design for Boston’s newest opera house was noteworthy both for its ornate

style and its technologically advanced design.

For half a century patrons of the Majestic enjoyed first-rate perfor-

mances of opera, drama, musical theater, dance and concert music, but in the

decades that followed, vaudeville and motion pictures became the order of

the day. When Emerson acquired the building in 1983, it was an abandoned

movie house, symbolic of the neglect that befell the entire Theater District.

The good news was that the structural integrity of the Majestic remained

intact, thanks to its superior original design and construction, which prevent-

ed significant water damage from occurring. While the previous owners

had painted, decorated and renovated with little regard for historic integrity,

they did not destroy the underlying beauty and craftsmanship of the

original interior.

M essage from the Vice President for Administration and Finance



Restoring A National Treasure

Frank Monkiewicz


The goal of the project

was to balance all

decorative elements and

to honor the building’s

use as a theater.

Jeff Greene

“”

Rick Friedman


By Yvonne Hudson

“I was standing on a scaffold, look-ing up at the ceiling and thinking that no one else would ever be this close to it, maybe not for another 100 years,” said Rebecca Nabors. Along with Nicholas Vurgelis and Tama-zine Taggart, two other members of the Emerson Class of 2003, Nabors assisted in the Majestic restoration. They worked under the tutelage of experts from EverGreene Painting Studios, Inc., the New York City-based firm retained by Emerson to recreate the building’s decorative finishes for the next century.

On his first exploratory visit to the Majestic in the early 1990s, Jeff Greene, EverGreene founder and the manager for decorative restoration in the theater, recalls surveying “a unique space with that lattice sky and echoing arches going up into the balcony” and “a facility in reasonably good condition.”

“Closer examination revealed even greater variety than we ever expected,” Greene adds. “We could sense the freedom with which the creators of the Majestic decorated.”

Robert A. Silverman, Emerson College’s vice president for ad-ministration and finance, observes:

“Remarkably, the Majestic was very well preserved, perhaps by pure luck. Despite water damage and conditions wrought by abandonment, so much of the Majestic was intact.”

Silverman says the original design contributed to a more advan-tageous situation for those restoring the building. “The Majestic has a huge attic—actually a double roof,” says Silverman.

“In creating systems that were deemed cutting edge in 1903,” says Silverman, “the designers addressed concerns for ventilation that resulted in their version of air conditioning. Exhaust fans pumped hot air out through the ceiling medallions.”

Thus, the ceiling didn’t overheat while its design further protected the building over the years.

However, the architects for both the Cutler Majestic restoration and Emerson’s new Tufte Performance and Production Center, Elkus/Manfredi Architects Ltd. of Boston, would take on an even more intricate challenge: to integrate a restored century-old theater with a brand new state-of-the-art educational arts center.

Howard F. Elkus, principal of Elkus/Manfredi Architects Ltd, observes that the Majestic was a so-phisticated, well-designed structure to begin with. “We have been thrilled to collaborate with President Lieber-gott and Vice President Silverman in giving form to their bold vision for Emerson’s future,” he adds.

Since 1983, Emerson College has invested $14.8 million in the restoration of the Majestic. The cost of the most recent renovation was $10 million.

The same professional teams—some of the country’s leading experts in architecture, restoration, and theatrical systems—were involved in both projects—one, “a kind of look back,” the other, “a very forward

looking project next door,” says Rob-ert Koup, the firm’s vice president and manager for both projects.

While much of Elkus/Manfredi’s work for the College over the past 10 years has involved

“adaptive reuse”— the industry term describing the preservation of signifi-cant existing buildings while adapt-ing them to new use — the Majestic project was different. It required careful restoration of existing original finishes and seamless integration of audience amenities and state-of-the-art theater technology while main-taining the building’s original use.

“This has been an absolutely unique experience,” Koup observes.

“I love a complicated project,” he says, standing inside the Majes-tic a century after the theater first opened. As he takes in the results of Phase II of the Majestic restoration in 2003, Koup remains impressed by the ingenuity of the original architect John Galen Howard. Koup views the theater’s massive, cantilevered bal-conies as if seeing them for the first time although he has been working in the space for months.

Other experts working on the Majestic’s multi-faceted team of consultants were equally fascinated by what the Majestic’s original archi-tects accomplished.

Steven Friedlander, project manager for Auerbach•Pollock•Friedlander, the comprehensive the-ater systems consulting firm working with the architects, remembers the Majestic from his student days at Boston University.

A Theater for the Next Century

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At left and in overleaf, restorer Jeanne Holliman of EverGreene Painting Studios, Inc. hand paints decorative woodwork inside the Cutler Majestic Theatre.

“I did a study involving reno-vating the theater systems,” he says, recalling a vacant, neglected facility.

“I think back to that time and can only applaud Emerson College for the foresight and determination that it took to get the building to the point it is at today.”

Auerbach•Pollock•Friedlander designs and plans performing arts and media facilities, and has worked in that capacity with Elkus/Manfredi and Emerson leadership on both the Majestic and Tufte projects.

Friedlander agrees that “up-grading historic theaters to accom-modate modern technology is always a challenge. Each project is unique and we treat each theater that way.”

For the Majestic, the New York firm’s team advised on light-ing, sound, stage house rigging, and fly access, as well as the configura-tion of pit platforming and the stage floor. They also collaborated with the architects on revisions to the seating layout and designed and commis-sioned reproductions of the original Majestic seats [see p. 36].

Koup described working with “kid gloves,” constantly ask-ing “what’s the right thing to do” when making decisions that would integrate the theater’s Beaux-Arts sensibilities with today’s standards for a performance venue.

For example, the Majestic’s original drop curtain depicted a view from a garden pavilion to a landscape beyond [see p. 8]. The early 20th-century audience was to experience some sense of the outdoors as the ceiling and ornamentation suggested a garden setting where spotlights and speakers would have seemed out of place.

So the Majestic’s team of world-renowned restorative and systems ex-perts set out to dissect the details of the theater, documenting the original paint, fabric, brass and other fixtures still intact in order to make informed decisions about appropriately design-ing replacements or reproductions in keeping with the original interior decoration.

Painting the House

The goal of the project was to bal-ance all decorative elements and to honor the building’s use as a theater.

“We aimed to be faithful to the original based on the historical facts,” says Greene.

EverGreene Studios’ pre-liminary analysis determined that the Majestic’s relief features were restorable, while finishes and original colors could be replicated.

To revisit the original Majestic, the EverGreene staff relied on the first black and white photo taken in the theater as well as the descrip-tive newspaper and trade publica-tion clippings that reported on the theater in 1903. The team searched for evidence of the building’s original paint colors. Then, the most appro-priate methods by which to execute the project “look” of the Majestic’s original decoration were determined. In some instances that required de-ciding how to replicate some details in new ways.

A dissection of paint layers was followed by more painstaking micro-scopic investigation of layers of color as well as dirt. While common tech-

niques in gilding and glazing were documented in the original work, more recent and intricate analysis revealed more secrets of original materials and paint. This information was used to plot restorative paint, gilding, fabrics, and faux finishes in the theater. EverGreene staff relied on years of collective knowledge to determine how each process would be re-executed for the restoration. Artisans frequently worked on high scaffolding built throughout the house and in the lobby for use by the Cutler Majestic’s varied consultants.

Decorative finishes throughout the building include metallic leaf, applied with colored glazes on the grand domes in both the lobby and auditorium, as well as painting—sometimes with specialty processes—intricate plaster relief on such details as angels, cherubs, flowers, and fruit [see “In the Lobby,” p. 39].

EverGreene also consulted on fabrics, such as the box valances, draperies, and wall coverings, work-ing with designers at Elkus/Manfredi, whom Greene credits with “really sweating the details.”

One such decision involved the new carpeting which features a rich gold and green garden design on a red background. While it is in keeping with the interior motif, the carpet is not a reproduction because no original carpeting survived. An-other choice involved replicating the valances over the auditorium boxes. The originals were probably embroi-dered and featured appliqué, but art-ists recreated the design on the new valances with paint.

Choices of finishes and the use of other fabrics were made to reflect both restored and addi-tional elements. At first glance, the Majestic’s scheme of millwork and fabric appears completely integrated, but there is a thoughtful method


Majestic Transformation

The photos that follow illustrate the transformation of deteriorated spaces inside the Majestic Theatre. The pictures in the top row were taken prior to the restoration. The pictures below show the same locations photographed after work was completed. The locations are, l-r: a stained glass window alcove enroute to the mezzanine, a space behind the seating area of the balcony that is now used as a lounge, the theater’s dome, a view of the stage from the back of the orchestra level and a view of the house from the stage. Photos: top row by David Rosen and Majestic files; bottom row by David Rosen and Frank Monkiewicz

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This restoration in progress shows the contrast between the former and the new finishes on the ceiling.

to it. Box rails and ledges are once again covered in lush, peach velvet, and draperies and other soft goods were recreated. Millwork played a minimal role in the 1903 Majestic. So, where new doors, framing, and cabinetry were required for the orchestra’s new back and sidewalls, woodwork was chosen to comple-ment the original wood trim on the seats. On additional balcony facings, paint mimics the fabric and wood colors from downstairs, retaining the look while also stating “This is a new addition.”

The auditorium’s wall covering was researched from “a tiny bit” of the original silk damask found on inner walls of a service area that was reconfigured in the renovation.

“It was from those remnants and historic photographs that we devel-oped the new damask wall covering,” said Greene. Fire-retardant wall board with a look-alike covering suited the project for the 21st century, but the effect is the same in 2003 as it was a century ago: a subtly elegant backdrop for the room’s rich and colorful ornamentation.

Now, an enormous red curtain is trimmed in long gold fringe consis-tent with the original show curtain.

Bird’s-eye views

The now-open balcony offers one of the best perspectives of the restored Cutler Majestic Theatre’s interior. It is both the highest point in the house and, historically, the least visited. From the back of the balcony, an almost fish-eye view encompasses the entire megaphone-shaped room, its intricately ornamented ceil-ing, and all seating levels. Up here, stunning details that may not be discerned from the orchestra floor are seen from inches away. Three round cobalt-blue windows, three feet in diameter, resemble specks of sky when seen from the stage. Here

John Galen Howard, the architect who designed the Majestic Theatre, was one of only 400 American architects trained at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in the late 1800s. Before moving to Paris, he had attended MIT. So, not surprisingly, his design for the Majestic was noteworthy both for its functional qualities, such as superb acoustics and sightlines, as well as its classical look, Rococo decoration and pure visual fun. Emerson has restored Howard’s vision, which included:

Ornate metallic leaf with intricately colored glazesPlaster grape arbors, pomegranates, and leafy vinesClassical pilasters, capitals, and cartouchesOver 5,000 replica lighting fixturesMarble, scagliola, marezzo, tile, and brassSeating and carpeting inspired by 1903 originalsStained glass windows attributed to Tiffany and CompanyMurals by William de Leftwich DodgeTerra-cotta classical façadeMarquee and canopy reflecting 1903 originals

the windows may be appreciated at eye level when standing behind the theater’s very last row. And while it’s even more apparent that there’s not a bad seat in this house, few patrons sat in the Majestic’s balcony before it closed in 1956. In the early days, ticket-buyers eschewed the upper tiers.

“As was the tradition 100 years ago, the balcony did not have access to the main lobby,” says Friedlander.

“This was done to separate the pa-trons in the ‘cheap seats’ from those in the better seats.”

Today’s balcony is a far cry from the dark, dust-coated area project team members visited before renovation began. To accommodate 21st-century audiences, Friedlander’s consultants worked closely with Elkus/Manfredi Architects to revise the circulation layout in the balcony and orchestra, creating new access paths or stairs to improve traffic flow and safety.

“We worked on creating safe cir-culation to the upper seats while not compromising the excellent sightlines to the stage,” Auerbach•Pollock•Friendlander’s project manager Don Guyton says.

T he House is Now Open

All levels of the building are now connected by the architects’ creation of hallways and stairways where none had previously existed. Where the original builders reflected the class distinctions of their era, today’s architecture and design teams rebuilt the main stairs, connecting the stair-well to the top level.

In addition, those who make their way to the Majestic’s upper-most tier will for the first time have the convenience of a cozy, well-ap-pointed bar, with seating neatly tucked under the incline of the bal-cony above. The five food and drink service areas throughout the building include a downstairs lounge that features an original fireplace and a mezzanine lounge over the lobby.

Upstairs, safety railings and new stairway angles were added at the bottom of the balcony, improving the experience of patrons in that high perch. Sample railings were tested to determine that a thin, slanted design would least interfere with patrons’ views. On the orchestra level, a new aisle cuts through the middle of the house where an accessible row for disabled patrons was added. Behind that aisle, the floor was raised to create improved sightlines and the feeling of the more intimate “stalls” found on the first floors of European theaters.

“There’s a sense of this rapport as one tries to return the space to the feeling of the original, to establish a certain authenticity so that it feels right as a theater space,” says Greene, adding that an infinite variety of styles and inspirations converge in theaters.

“Courthouses may be restrained,” says Greene. “Churches are built to the glory of God. But theaters may be any motif—even celestial or art deco. The exuberance of the decora-tion in theaters is so wonderful and over the top.”

Elkus/Manfredi Architects Ltd., the firm that led the restoration effort, set out to restore the Majestic’s visual splendor. But the Boston architects and a team of expert consultants also employed Yankee ingenuity and upgraded the theater to modern standards of comfort, safety, and functionality. The improvements included:

Increased seating capacity from 976 to 1,186More comfortable seats and improved legroomExpanded accessibility for audience and artistsWider aisles Safety railsExpanded washrooms in more locationsAdditional lobby areas with food and drink amenitiesImproved heating and air conditioningNew, professionally appointed dressing rooms 21st-century stage systemsTickets on sale any time by phone or Internet

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The Architecture of the Majestic


Greene points out that of some 10,000 historic theaters that may have existed throughout the U.S. perhaps only 1,000 have been restored to continue service to their original purpose.

“The art is when all the elements come together. It’s a little bit like magic or alchemy when it all comes together and works,” Greene notes.

Theater Manager Olson puts it like this: “You need both a beautiful building and a technologically-ad-vanced facility. The Majestic can be seen as a 21st-century theater inside a 19th-century landmark.”

Outside, the restored stained glass windows are now backlit at night. The ornate 1903 terra-cotta decorations look brand new. The original façade lighting and marquee were replicated. The lights are on at 219 Tremont Street, beckoning a new century of patrons to “the most beautiful playhouse Boston has seen yet,” as the Boston Globe described the Majestic one hundred years ago. M

Current view of the stage from the last row of the balcony.

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W hat Is ‘Beaux Arts’?

Why do people stop and stare in amazement when they walk into the Cutler Majestic?

The answer lies in the ornate, “Beaux-Arts” design that captivates the eye and stirs the heart.

You don’t have to be an architect to see how classical and decorative themes are intermingled throughout the theater. The exterior has a sturdy classical look with its Roman ionic columns, but the interior columns are swirled with rich, red marble and crowned with gold-leafed masks, leaves and cherubs. While classicism would call for geometric patterns and organized lines, thick garlands of fruits and flowers appear. On walls where one might expect to see one-dimensional murals, full-figured

sculptures lean over their guests. The golden latticing on the ceiling is garnished with grape clusters, and if you look carefully, you can ‘see’ the sky peering through the open spaces.

The Cutler Majestic is one of the few remaining examples of the Beaux Arts style in the United States. It is revered for its grandeur, impeccable craftsmanship, and attention to detail. The Majestic is more than a building. It is an expression of personality, a fusion of art forms, and most of all, it is a wonder to behold.


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The Cutler Majestic renovations make this landmark more comfort-able for audiences on both sides of the curtain: students, ticket buyers, guest artists, technicians, and staff. In addition to meeting all current safety codes, the improvements pro-vide modern conveniences and leave room for advanced technologies in the future. The upgrades offer the latest in lighting, sound, scenery, and video systems that are ideal for modern touring and local productions. Hid-den improvements include a new

air conditioning system designed to keep the balconies as comfortable as the main floor. New and expanded restrooms were carved out of utility space, more than doubling former capacity. Patrons will find four computerized box office windows where there formerly were two. Now, the house is enclosed with a richly appointed back wall and soundproof doors. In 1903 draperies muffled street noises and cold drafts. Entrances were modified to allow for wheelchairs and simplify audi-ence access. The enhancements are painted to blend with the decor and are invisible to guests.

Behind the new stage cur-tain, the stage, dressing rooms, and orchestra pit are fully accessible for performers and technicians using wheelchairs. The new stage floor sur-face meets the demanding standards of international ballet companies. Traps allow for special effects and new pit infill platforms extend the stage over the orchestra pit, further adding to the Majestic’s already recognized intimacy. Overhead, line sets (rigging from which lighting and scenery may be hung) were added

and the technical galleries rebuilt. Grid access was simplified via an elevator that the Majestic shares with the new Tufte Center (see. p. 43).

The two facilities are now seam-lessly connected backstage. Artists will now grace the Majestic stage after preparing in spacious and fully appointed dressing rooms in the Tufte Center. A green room in Tufte will also welcome guest artists in the Majestic. Gone are the days of dress-ing in trailers in the alley.

The entire theater has been equipped for television. Cableways link nine camera locations with a production “B-truck” complete with ample “shore power,” or to Emer-son’s master broadcast control in the Tufte Center. An uplink will allow for live broadcasts.

Even the building’s already superb acoustics were enhanced. Digital audio reinforcement uses nearly invisible speakers strategically placed throughout the Majestic to ensure that the sound of the perform-ers’ voices is natural and clear. A new FM listening system enhances the concert experience for the hearing impaired. Damping and insulation reduce air conditioning noise to a whisper. Sound locks and gaskets reduce the intrusion of street noise.

Steven Friedlander, system project manager of Auerbach•Pollock•Friedlander says, “This renovation restores the grandeur of the space and enhances the technical capabilities to a level that matches those of recently renovated theaters in New York and around the country.”—YH

Grand Rapids’ venerable Irwin Seating Company, international experts in theatrical seating since 1907, applied their craft to both restore the originals and create the theater’s new wood framed, green upholstered chairs. Seating specifications were designed by Auerbach•Pollock•Friedlander, the Cutler Majestic’s theatrical systems consultants.

Theater Manager Lance Olson explains that similar reproductions by Irwin can be seen in the restored New Amsterdam Theater in New York City.

The wood gleams on the new Cutler Majestic seats, more sturdily hinged then their predecessors for row accessibility and increased durability.

Throughout the theater, patrons will enjoy wider aisles and more legroom. In addition, the new raised section of the orchestra level and the front center section of the mezzanine feature “VIP sections” with slightly wider and more generously padded seats for those long nights at the opera.—YH

The best seats for the house

Hidden in the disheveled, unlit and unused balcony were pieces of original 1903 Majestic Theatre seats. From this material 56 original seats have been recreated, and they now occupy two entire rows of the balcony. The reproductions that surround the original seats are so authentic looking that one can barely discern the difference.

Enhancements to the Majestic Experience

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The integration of the Cutler Ma-jestic’s stained glass windows is so effective that their beauty might be overlooked in favor of their design. In fact, the original designers sought to accomplish a seamless look while anticipating the various angles from which the windows might be viewed, says Tom Barber, project manager of Lyn Hovey Studios of Boston. While the analysis and planning for restor-ing the windows spanned three years, Lyn Hovey’s firm spent nearly an additional year executing the project, from summer 2002 to spring 2003.

In 1903, Barber explains, ex-perimentation in the art of stained glass was at its peak. While the studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany and William LaFarge set a high standard, others imitated their innovation and imaginative use of glass for effects yet unseen in windows in America.

“They used techniques that were unusual in those times,” said Barber of the Majestic windows’ design-ers. “Some high experimentation was going on.”

But within the context of American stained glass design, the Majestic windows are not uncommon. The same type is found in municipal

buildings and projects for other pub-lic settings in the early 20th century, such as Boston’s State House.

It was at the height of this era that the theater’s windows were cre-ated and installed. However, Hovey Studios’ analysis revealed that the process used to create the glass itself was complicated. And Hovey had to not only repair seven windows, but replace two missing windows with authentic replicas.

“These were high opalescent windows, from a period when layer-ing opalescent glass was a fairly new American phenomenon,” notes Barber.

The windows are constructed of three layers of opalescent glass. To get five square feet of usuable material, Barber had to order 60 sheets from a specialty glassmaker in Illinois. For each new window, the process involved cutting the glass from sections that most emulated the ribbon-like effect of the original ‘drapery’ glass in surviving windows.

“Drapery glass,” an effect invent-ed by Tiffany and LaFarge, employs folding molten glass onto itself so that color effects could be maximized without painting the glass.

Barber recognized that the designers considered the building’s purpose when creating windows for the Majestic.

“When you first enter and look at the marblelization on the columns, you’ll see the same use of that look in the second level windows,” he says, observing that original colors of paint might have indeed influenced the glass color schemes.

“On the first level, the decorative leading and the effect of the drapery glass is on the exterior. In a church, the most decorative side is displayed on the inside, in the sanctuary. You may be in a church in the daytime, but you’re in a theater at night.”

Barber sees the Majestic win-dows as “a unique convergence of all these considerations.” As the Majes-tic’s windows retain their brilliance from the street or interior—at any time of day—the designers met their

goal of achieving a unique luminosity to impress from any angle.

In recent years, Barber notes, “windows were broken, pieces falling out. The second level windows were in really bad condition.”

In order to recreate the original effect, he had to first repair seven existing windows, which required replacement of missing and broken glass. He then had to replicate a missing transom and window on the second level, as well as one of the cobalt windows in the balcony.

In such restoration, windows are removed in large sections or in their entirety. Getting old, dirty windows out in one piece is not easy, says Barber.

The windows are brought to the studio where the staff maps each sec-tion and logs every piece. A rubbing of each window assists in keeping an accurate record of the original condition of the window and the lay-out of each piece of glass. The lead is “unzipped” from between glass sections so that all the original glass

In the Lobby

The world of a play is created through scenic devices such as realistically painted drops and set pieces. Thus it seems fitting that the painted decoration in the Cutler Majestic foyer also creates some grand illusions. There, a technique dating to 14th-century Italy, provides the magic of scagliola, the

“marble” throughout much of the 1,400 square foot lobby.

Scagliola employs inlaying color pigment into plaster. More durable than wood, plaster is often used with faux finishes. The plaster is polished to create a permanent, high-gloss finish. (Pages throughout

this publication feature photos of the red “marble” seen throughout the Cutler Majestic lobby.)

While the original design of the Majestic included some real marble, artisans of New York’s Artificial Marble Company first created the original veined red walls and pillars of the theater’s lobby in 1903. Original scagliola work was revealed when Emerson began cleaning up the Majestic in the late 1980s, but the Manhattan-based EverGreene Painting Studios, Inc. has restored the original magnificence of the lobby’s sleekly polished surfaces for future generations.

Also in the 2003 lobby, original brass work and murals [see p. 19] are complemented by new ticket windows, doors, and case

work. In addition, new “latecomer” monitors allow audience members to watch productions on screen in the lobby until ushers may seat them at appropriate points in the performance. The original Italian mosaic floor is still underfoot, but gone are the draperies “in silk velour of peacock-blue richly embroidered in gold,” as described by The American Architect and Building News a century ago. However, today’s patrons, ever aware that theater is a reflection of humanity, still enjoy a last glimpse of themselves in the lobby’s grand mirrors as their tickets are torn.—YH

pieces may be catalogued, cleaned, and, eventually, replaced.

The damage from acid rain and auto exhaust fumes can’t be reversed, and “it permanently dulls the surface,” says Barber. But years of dirt build-up can be removed and the glass is made as pristine as possible.

To recreate just one of the lobby windows, Barber estimates he spent about 80 hours in the studio.

Reinstalling the windows required rebuilding the sashes and installing them from the inside. New and recreated windows were as-sembled at the studio and each was refitted as a complete unit from the outside. The mezzanine level windows had to completed and reinstalled before the restroom partitions and fixtures could be installed.

The timing for this work was choreographed by Pam Brooks, job manager for Lee Kennedy Company, Inc., the general contractor for the Majestic and Tufte Center projects. –YH

Dav

id R

osen

Douglas Smith

W indows on Tremont Street

39 Expression Cutler Majestic Issue 200338 Expression Cutler Majestic Issue 2003


‘Thank You, Ted and Joan’

Several hundred Emerson officials, family members, friends and colleagues of

Ted and Joan Benard-Cutler gathered at the Cutler Majestic Theatre on May 13

to preview the newly-restored landmark venue and to acknowledge the couple’s

civic and philanthropic leadership.

“Ted and Joan have played a defining role not only in the restoration of the

Majestic, but also in enabling Emerson to build a new ‘Campus on the Common,’

said President Jacqueline Liebergott. “Their generosity extends as well to numer-

ous other cultural, educational and medical institutions.”

At Emerson, she added, “the Cutlers have brought to campus an infectious

enthusiasm that has energized students, faculty, staff, and alumni and enhanced

Emerson’s visibility and stature in Greater Boston and well beyond. In word and

in deed, they personify the ideals of the College, and we are proud to attach their

name to the Majestic Theatre, which is the jewel in our crown.”

The evening’s highlights included the unveiling of the new Cutler Majestic

Theatre marquee and the presentation of a portrait of Ted and Joan, by artist

Warren Prosperi, that will hang in the lobby of the theater.

Mr. Cutler, a 1951 Emerson graduate and an internationally-known travel

executive, has served on the College’s Board of Trustees since 1997 and chaired it

since 2001. He and Mrs. Cutler live in Boston.

Reflecting on the Majestic restoration project, Mr. Cutler said:

“By itself, the Majestic is a landmark Boston theater and a national treasure.

But when you combine it with the new Tufte Performance and Production Center,

the two adjoining buildings create a centerpiece for Emerson College, a focal point

for our programs in performing arts and communication. No other college in the

country has facilities like these. This is what excites us the most about the restora-

tion project. You have to give Jackie and Rob [President Jacqueline Liebergott

and Vice President Robert Silverman] all the credit in the world.”

Mrs. Cutler added, “Quite frankly I was amazed when I saw what had been

done inside the theater. I remember it as a movie theater. It was beautiful before

the restoration started, but now it’s absolutely magnificent.”

“Actually, the Majestic was magnificent all along,” Mr. Cutler chimes in, “you

just couldn’t tell because it was all covered up. What we did was peel away the

layers and return it to its original glory.”

Alla

n D

ines

Bru

ce M

artin

A Tribute to the Cutlers


T he Tufte Performance

and Production Center

Together, the Majestic

and the Tufte Center

support our academic

mission. I do not

know of any other

college that has

anything comparable.

“

”P

eter

Sch

wei

tzer

Jacqueline Liebergott



with its enhanced space and technol-ogy and its downtown location, more than offset the loss. The Tufte Center, she adds, will create a more visible presence for Emerson performance and production activities and will at-tract larger audiences and more guest professionals to the campus. Chats with artists such as Brian Dennehy, Fiona Shaw and Peter Sellars—to name a few recent visitors—will now take place in the neighborhood in which they are performing.

Harry Morgan, professor of performing arts, oversaw the initial restoration of the Emerson Majestic Theatre and represented the De-partment of Performing Arts in the planning of the new Tufte Center. Now, he foresees new programming developing in the enhanced facilities.

“We hope that we can generate some original productions, intended to be videotaped in some collab-orative effort with the Television Department,” said Morgan. “Perhaps these would be created for video only, not for live audiences.”

The diverse performance spaces will allow theater students to si-multaneously rehearse and perform throughout the Majestic-Tufte com-plex. The live broadcast and taping of performances will provide broadcast and film students with valuable pro-duction experience. —Y.H.

Coverage of the opening of the Tufte Performance and Production Center will appear in the fall 2003 issue of Expression.

The restoration and reopening of the century-old Cutler Majestic Theatre dovetails with the construction of the first new building in Emerson Col-lege’s 123-year history—the Norman I. and Mary E. Tufte Performance and Production Center.

“The two buildings are as dif-ferent as night and day in style and architecture,” says Emerson Presi-dent Jacqueline Liebergott, “but they are connected physically and programmatically. Together, the Ma-jestic and the Tufte Center support our academic mission. What makes them unique is the melding of the old and the new, the fusion of elegance and technology. I do not know of any other college that has anything comparable.”

Grafton Nunes, dean of the School of the Arts, adds, “At the Ma-jestic our students gain experience in a world-class proscenium theater of breathtaking beauty and acoustical brilliance. This brings out the best in their talent, imagination and craft. The theaters in the Tufte Center are

flexible and intimate laboratories for advanced work in multiple theatrical styles. They are powerful tools that can help students push the limits of how they can move their audiences.”

The 80,000-square-foot Tufte Center was designed by Elkus/Manfredi Architects Ltd. to house two theaters, two television studios, make-up and costume work areas, dressing rooms, an art gallery, of-fices, and classrooms. The Center’s television studios are equipped with the latest digital equipment and are configured to support instruction as well as production and broadcasting.

The state-of-the-art theaters are designed to provide actors and technicians with experience working on stages of varied configurations.

Theatre 1, which spans four levels, has a “thrust stage” and seats 210 peple. The Kermit and Elinore Greene Theater, built in “end prosce-nium” style, has 130 seats. Comple-menting the “Broadway” feeling and box seats of the Majestic, the Tufte theaters will host diverse projects ranging from musicals and dance programs to more untraditional productions.

While the 11-story, modern steel and glass structure adjoins the Cutler Majestic at 219 Tremont Street, its entrance is at 10 Boylston Place, the picturesque, red brick walkway that runs alongside the Walker Building at 120 Boylston Street.

Robert Koup, vice president and project manager for Elkus/Manfredi, described the lot as “an irregularly shaped site given its identity by the irregularly shaped geometry that defined the project.” Tucked behind the Cutler Majestic, the Tufte Center is tightly surrounded by existing buildings.

“This is perhaps the most creative use of surplus space I have ever seen,” says Koup of what many considered an unusable piece of land.

In designing the building, the architects, in tandem with the general contractor, Lee Kennedy

Co., Inc., viewed the entire building as “performance space.” As a result, the functionality and purpose of the structure is obvious throughout. Technical support for lighting and other aspects of the theaters and studios was provided by Auerbach•Pollock•Friedlander of New York, which also consulted on the Majestic restoration.

In the Theater District

The impact of the combined Cutler Majestic and Tufte Center project will be felt by future generations of Emerson students whose campus experience will further emulate the professional settings in which they will work after graduation, says Maureen Shea, chair and professor of performing arts. She anticipates the Tufte Center, along with the Majestic, will increase both community and campus involvement at the College.

“We’re truly positioned where theaters should be in terms of the Emerson campus,” said Shea of the Center’s location in the Theatre District next to the Cutler Majestic.

“We’re at the heart of the campus and this gives us a chance to be a real cultural center for the college.”

She acknowledges the nostalgia and warm memories that alumni, students and faculty have for the Performing Arts Department’s former Brimmer Street facilities, but says the benefits of the Tufte Center,

The Tufte Center: Emerson’s New Kid on the Block

Elk

us/M

anfe

di A

rchi

tect

s

Left, Emerson College Trustee Marillyn Zacharis and Board Chair Ted Benard-Cutler participate in groundbreaking ceremonies for the Norman I. and Mary E. Tufte Performance and Production Center on October 12, 2001. Construction was completed in the summer of 2003. The Center is named in honor of Zacharis’ parents.

Elk

us/M

anfe

di A

rchi

tect

s

A student tests digital editing equipment in the Vin and Cara Di Bona Control Room of the Di Bona Family Television Studio in the Tufte Performance and Production Center.

Dav

id R

osen

Overleaf, The Emerson Stage production of The Birds, December 1993.

Below, Computer drawing of the new Kermit and Elinore Greene Theater in the Tufte Performance and Production Center.



For information or to charge tickets visit www.Telecharge.com, 1-800-233-3123.

Group Sales or Subscriber Line: MajesTix, 617-824-8000

The Cutler Majestic Theatre will host a wide range of entertainment for audiences of all ages during the 2003-04 season. In addition to the events listed here, Emerson Stage presents a season of theatre in the Majestic and Tufte Center.

Ticket prices and curtain times vary. Visit the Cutler Majestic Theatre’s Web site for full details: www.maj.org.

September 19-21Vespers The Handel and Haydn Society has commissioned the first fully staged production of Monteverdi’s love song to the Virgin Mary, written in 1610. Alongside the chorus and orchestra, celebrated Chinese opera director Chen Shi-Zheng and a troupe of Asian dancers bring an Eastern view to this intensely personal expression of religious devotion.

September 23-28Mozart’s Don Giovanni US debut by Teatro Lirico d’Europa.

October 2-4Noche FlamencaFilled with passion and sensuality, Noche Flamenca’s exhilarating perfor-mance captures the heart and soul of traditional flamenco in this World Music presentation. October 17-19Rennie Harris’ Facing MekkaIn the Boston premiere of his astonishing new work, the brilliant and critically acclaimed pioneer of hip-hop choreography Rennie Harris journeys to the roots of hip-hop and joyfully celebrates dance as a uni-versal language. Presented by World Music.

October 28-November 2The Gershwin’s Porgy and BessGala Benefit Thursday, October 30, Ritz-Carlton Hotel (Arlington Street)Tickets: $500. Proceeds ben-efit the restoration project. (see inside back cover for details)

November 14 – 22The Fabulous InvalidEmerson Stage presents Jeffery Hatcher’s new version of the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart com-edy in honor of the restored Cutler Majestic’s centennial (see story, op-posite page).

November 28-30Leonard Bernstein’s CandideThe musical based on the Voltaire classic is performed by Opera Bos-ton.

December 9 - 28Charles Dickens’ A Christmas CarolAdapted by Oskar Eustis and Amanda DehnertTrinity Repertory Company’s thrill-ing holiday production of A Christmas Carol comes to Boston.

January 16-18Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte CarloFleetBoston Celebrity Series presents the irrepressible troupe that dances the fine line between high art and high camp.

January 22-25 Opera TBA by New England Conservatory Opera Theater.

January 29-February 1Flamenco Festival 2004A World Music production


What if a popular theatrical couple died on stage during the grand opening performance of a new theater in 1903? To explore the dramatic possibilities in celebration of the centennial of the Cutler Majestic Theatre, the Emerson College School of Arts and Emerson Stage have commissioned a new version of The Fabulous Invalid, inspired by the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart comedy. The show will run November 14–22 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre.

The adapter is one of America’s most prolific playwrights, Jeffrey Hatcher, who has written the new book for Never Gonna Dance, a new version of Jerome Kern’s Swing Time to open on Broadway in fall 2003.

Emerson Stage Producing Director Melia Bensussen, who won a 1999 Obie for her direction of Hatcher’s The Turn of the Screw, will stage The Fabulous Invalid.

In Hatcher’s adaptation, the married thespians—“a sort of Lunt and Fontanne of their time, ” says Bensussen—are offered a concession for their dedication to their art and each other: they may stay and haunt the theater. In the century that follows, these dramatic spirits experience the highs and lows of the theater as they debate whether or not to stay married in eternity

Bensussen, assistant professor of performing arts, notes that Kaufman and Hart wrote for

theaters like the Majestic, and, indeed, bits of the Majestic’s history are woven into Hatcher’s adaptation.

Always funny and often moving, this version of The Fabulous Invalid is a powerful affirmation of the art of the theater, and its ability to move people both in front of and behind its curtains. And Emerson’s version is set in the Majestic.

“It’s appropriate for Emerson to feature this new play about an old theater in a newly renovated and beloved theater,” observes the director. “This production celebrates the language and beauty of the art form itself in the Majestic, a building that celebrates theater itself.”

Bensussen will direct a cast of some 20 students in the show, which will feature guest stars in the leading roles. Boston luminaries will make surprise appearances in cameos throughout the run. —Y.H.

For a calendar of upcoming Emerson Stage Productions visit the Department of Performing Arts website at http://www.emerson.edu/performing_arts or call 617-824-8369 for tickets.

Emerson Stage Presents Jeffrey Hatcher Adaptation of The Fabulous Invalid; Show Business Fable Celebrates the Centennial of the Cutler Majestic Theatre

February 12 and 14John Adams’ Nixon in ChinaOpera Boston presents this Pulitzer Prize winning opera, exploring the President’s historic 1972 journey to Beijing during the Boston premiere of one of the most influential Ameri-can operas of the 20th century.

February 20-21Maureen Fleming’s Decay of the AngelA Boston Premiere presented by CRASHarts. March 5-6Doug Varone and DancersWorld Music presents the troupe’s Boston debut.

March 7Kronos Quartet’s SunringsA presentation of CRASHarts.

March 20-21Something WildeRobert Moran’s Night Passage, a sophisticated and emotional musi-cal theater work, tells the stories of the hundreds of Englishmen who boarded the ferry to Calais, France, escaping an expected government crackdown on homosexuals on the night of Oscar Wilde’s arrest. The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus performs a program rounded out by music of great classical and popular British composers and a guest star narrator sharing the wit of Oscar Wilde.

March 22-24 Verdi’s La Traviata A new touring production by Teatro Lirico d’Europa, seen for the first time in Boston.

March 25-27Verdi’s RigolettoTeatro Lirico d’Europa

April 1-4Opera TBA by New England Conservatory Opera Theater

April 30-May 2Verdi’s Luisa MillerOpera Boston showcases a tragic masterpiece of love, intrigue, and murder.

May 6-9Momix CRASHarts presents this innovative troupe.

May 1523rd Annual EVVY AwardsEmerson College’s film, TV, journal-ism, audio, radio, advertising, and PR awards taped live at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Presenters include industry celebrities, insiders, and dis-tinguished Emerson alumni. Tickets on sale April 16, 2004.

June 4 -5Snappy Dance TheaterFleetBoston Celebrity Series brings Snappy Dance Theater’s intriguing mix of athleticism, imagination and humor to the Majestic. June 10, 11 and 13British Invasion: The Songs of Elton John and Queen The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus returns for its annual pride concerts to rock the house with a Technicolor tribute to Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Queen and other great gay icons of British pop music.

Majestic Calendar

Porgy and Bess, on the Cutler Majestic stage:October 28-November 2

Sources: The editors for this publication relied heavily on playbills, Emerson College publications, historical compilations of documented performance dates and artists at the Majestic, all part of a wealth of materials housed in the Emerson College Archives.

Sources include: The American Architect and Building News, March 7, 1903

The Boston Globe, February 1903, March 1988, April 1989, February 1993

The Boston Herald, February 1903, April 1989

Boston Preservation Alliance Letter, May 1989

Emerson College and Peter Klein present T he Gershwins’

Porgy and BessA Grand Reopening Gala Honors

the Restoration of a leading

American Opera House

Broadway in Boston is partnering

with Emerson College in marketing

Porgy and Bess.

Gala Benefit Thursday, October 30

Expression

Expression is published threetimes a year (fall, winter and spring) for alumni and friends of Emerson College by the Office of Public Affairs (David Rosen, Associate Vice President) in conjunction with the Department of Institutional Advancement (Jeanne Brodeur ’72, Vice President) and the Office of Alumni Relations (Barbara Rutberg ’68, Director).

Office Of Public [email protected](617) 824-8540fax (617) 824-8916

Office Of Alumni [email protected](800) 255-4259(617) 824-8535fax (617) 824-7807

Copyright © 2003Emerson College120 Boylston St.Boston, Massachusetts 02116-4624

A dream is just

a vision if it’s only

in your head,

Having just a vision’s

no solution,

everything depends

on execution,

The art of making

art is putting

it together.

Stephen Sondheim,

“Putting it Together,”

Sunday in the

Park with George

• Tuesday, 7:30 pm • Wednesday 7 pm• Thursday-Sunday 7:30 pm• Saturday and Sunday

2 pm

Regular tickets: $45-$65.

Visit www.telecharge.com or call 1-800-233-3123. Group Sales or Subscriber Line: call MajesTix, (617) 824-8000.

Cocktails and dinner at 5 pm, Ritz-Carlton Hotel (Arlington Street)Tickets: $500. Proceeds benefit the restoration project. For reservations: Contact Jaimee Rizzo, (617) 824-8565 [email protected]

Celebrate the reopening of Boston’s restored and enhanced landmark venue, the Cutler Majestic Theatre at a gala benefit performance of George and Ira Gershwin’s Porgy

and Bess. Considered the premiere American opera, Porgy and Bess entwines pride, prejudice, pathos and passion. An outstanding international company has been touring this acclaimed production, authorized by the Gershwin family, for over a decade.

The choice of the Gershwin masterpiece for Majestic’s 100th anniversary production underscores a shared history among the Gershwin family, the Majestic and Boston’s Theatre District. The original production of Porgy

and Bess rehearsed for its pre-Broadway premiere at the Majestic in 1935 and opened to critical acclaim at the nearby Colonial Theatre.

“Saxon Theatre: Report of the Boston Landmarks Commission on the Potential Designation of the Saxon Theatre as a Landmark Under Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975,” 1983

“Emerson Majestic Theatre, Boston, Massachusetts: Historical Decorative Analysis/Investigation and Documentation” by Conrad Schmitt Studios, New Berlin Wisconsin, 1989

“Highlights of the Majestic Theatre” by Robert Machesney, courtesy of Emerson College Archives

Emerson Alumni Newsletter, October 21, 1993

Emerson Beacon, Winter 1989

“John Galen Howard and the Berkeley Campus: Beaux-Arts Architecture in the Athens of the West” by Loren W. Partridge (Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, 1978)

Proscenium, January 1999

Boston’s Colonial Theatre: Celebrating a Century of Theatrical Vision by Tobie S. Stein (Colonial 2000, Ltd., 2000)

Expression, 2001-2003

Special thanks to Robert Fleming, assistant director of the Emerson College Library for access services and archives, and Lance Olson, manager of the Cutler Majestic Theatre.

“

”

Special Majestic Issue

Executive EditorDavid Rosen

Guest Writer/editorYvonne Hudson

Design ConsultantCharles Dunham

Editorial AssistantsLynette AssonTara PiersonBruce R. Steele

PhotographersAllan DinesEric LevensonRick FriedmanBruce MartinFrank MonkiewiczDavid Rosen

Cover PhotosFrank Monkiewicz (front)David Rosen (back)

Other photography provided by:The Boston Public Library The Bostonian Society Emerson College Archives Lyn Hovey Studios The Shubert Archive


This special edition

of Expression magazine

celebrates the

centennial of the

Cutler Majestic Theatre

at Emerson College.

It is devoted exclusively

to the history and

restoration of this

landmark venue and

the important role it

plays in the life of

the College and the city

it is proud to call home.

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Expression Summer 2003

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