Greenwich Odeum once again bringing top-shelf acts to East Greenwich
Acts such as such as Art Garfunkel, Leon Russell and Todd Rundgren, plus $600,000 in grants have the theater singing a happy tune.
The Greenwich Odeum theater, on Main Street in East Greenwich, brings an extra dime…[+]Buy Photo
By Channing Gray
Journal Arts Writer Posted Mar. 20, 2016 at 12:01 amUpdated Mar 20, 2016 at 11:10 AM
EAST GREENWICH, R.I. — This town of Victorian homes and waterfront restaurants has always been a desirable place to settle down and raise a family. The schools are good and crime is not a problem.
But, unlike a lot of bedroom communities, it’s also got an arts center in the form of the Greenwich Odeum theater, at 59 Main St. The 410-seat theater, built 90 years ago for vaudeville acts and silent films, has gone through some rough times, but lately is reporting sold-out houses and growing community support.
“We’ve never been better,” said board member and past president Kevin Muoio.
After more than a decade as a nonprofit arts center, the theater was forced to close because it did not conform with stricter fire codes enacted after the Station Nightclub fire. During the next five years, the seats were reupholstered with fire-retardant materials and the building was outfitted with fire alarms, paid for by a $146,000 grant from the Champlain Foundations.
The Odeum reopened in January of 2013. But it was spending more than it was taking in, and four months later, it found itself $40,000 in the hole and again closed its doors, creating a lot of credibility issues.
But Muoio said the tough times seem to be behind the theater, which in the past six months has been awarded $600,000 in grants to install handicapped restrooms, expand the “very basic” concession area, and purchase an assisted listening system for patrons who have hearing issues. For the past 25 years, the theater has been out of handicapped compliance.
Muoio added that the theater has been getting a steady stream of national acts, such as Art Garfunkel, Leon Russell and New-Age pianist George Winston. Todd Rundgren, whose advance sales are brisk, is slated to perform at the Odeum May 20, an act Muoio thought the theater would not be able to land. He said the theater has sold out half its performances this season.
“We’re having a lot of success getting the word out there,” said Muoio, who just a little more than a year ago said the theater’s on-again-off-again history did a lot of damage to its reputation, and that people were never sure if it was open.
The venue has also done well with comedy, and just presented a sold-out night with “Saturday Night Live” alum Jim Breuer.
And on the administrative front, the theater has finally been able to settle an ownership dispute between the board and the family that once owned the theater. The board was able to buy out the 30-percent interest from relatives of the Erinakis family, so the theater is now owned free and clear by the nonprofit Odeum Corporation.
On the other hand, the theater has not staged many plays, something it would like to correct. “It’s a hole in our calendar and an area for growth,” said Muoio.
“We’re really going strong since we opened two years ago,” he said. “We’re running as professionally as possible and getting as big names as we can get.”