Fox Theatre delights with Broadway shows, concerts
When the Fox Theatre opened in midtown St. Louis in 1929, it was the nation's second-largest movie palace, with a whopping 5,060 seats. It served as a movie theater through the 1960s and has been renovated and revived as a venue for live theater productions and concerts.
Also dubbed the Fabulous Fox, the theater now provides a venue for national touring productions of Broadway shows — such as the Tony Award-winning The Color Purple and the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Chorus Line — for stand-up comedians and for live music concerts, with performers such as Ringo Starr, Neil Young, James Taylor, Tom Waits, the Smashing Pumpkins and the Killers. You can check out upcoming shows here.
You can buy tickets online, by calling (314) 534–1111 or (800) 293–5949, or by visiting the box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can also see the view from your seat here. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more. Check the Group Services webpage or call (314) 535–2900 for details and prices. The Fox Theatre also has special discounts for field trips and Study Guides to its shows for teachers.
Built for $5 million, the Fox was created in an inventive Asian-inspired style known as Siamese Byzantine. The Fox was part of the 305-theater Fox empire, which included the Fox Film Corp. (later known as 20th Century Fox). A scant two months later, Fox swallowed up the 500-theater Loew's chain. William Fox, founder in 1915 of the Fox chain, had his own wife decorate the Fox Theatre's interior.
The Fox Theatre was the site of the world premieres of 1957's The Spirit of St. Louis, 1959's St. Louis Blues and 1966's The Trouble with Angels. John Wayne, Bob Hope, Mae West, Sally Rand, Jerry Colonna, Pat O'Brien and Eddie Cantor visited the theater to promote films or perform. Benny Goodman, Glen Miller and Tommy Dorsey packed the Fox Theatre when they brought their big bands to play in the 1940s. So did the Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa in a later day.
The Fox Theatre reopened in 1982 after a $2 million restoration that brought the theater to as close as possible to its 1929 splendor, although now with 4,500 seats. The theater has 90-minute tours of the restored facility Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Tour prices are $5 for adults and $3 for students. There are no tours on holidays. Groups of 20 or more should make reservations by calling (314) 657–5068 or e-mailing eds@foxstl.com.
Some shows have signed interpretations; check here for dates. The Fox Theatre is wheelchair accessible.
Posted by Ivonne Rovira
