Staff Report
Parkersburg News and Sentinel
MARIETTA, Ohio — The renovated Peoples Bank Theatre will celebrate its first anniversary.
The theater on Putnam Street in Marietta is marking the one year since its reopening in January 2016 with performances by The Hit Men, the Golden Dragon Acrobats, a special First Friday open house and a screening of the movie classic “Dr. Zhivago.”
From 5-7 p.m. Friday, Peoples Bank Theatre will participate in the inaugural First Friday program sponsored by Marietta Main Street. Visitors can take a free guided tour of the theater, built in 1919 as a Vaudeville entertainment hall and movie house a decade before the advent of amplification and talking pictures.
On the sidewalk in front of the theater, people can admire one of several ice sculptures that can be found throughout downtown Marietta during the fire-and-ice-themed First Friday.
At 7 p.m., the theater will offer a free showing of family-friendly Pixar animated shorts.
Downtown shoppers will have a chance to win a giveaway from Marietta Main Street. Shoppers will receive one raffle ticket for each $10 purchase in any of the downtown shops, including at the Peoples Bank Theatre Box Office.
At 8 p.m. Jan. 14, The Hit Men will perform. The band is made up of musicians who have shared the stage with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Elton John, Tommy James and the Shondells, Rod Stewart, Carole King, Jim Croce and Three Dog Night, among others.
Far from a tribute band, The Hit Men — Lee Shapiro, Jimmy Ryan, Larry Gates, Russ Velazquez and Steve Murphy — are the musicians and singers heard on the original records, on the radio, on TV and in concert.
The Peoples Bank Theatre then turns its stage over to classic cinema.
At 2 p.m. Jan. 22, the theater will present the Academy Award-winning “Doctor Zhivago,” rated PG-13 and based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel by Boris Pasternak. “Doctor Zhivago” covers the years prior to, during and after the Russian revolution as seen through the eyes of poet and physician Yuri Zhivago, played by Omar Sharif. In the tradition of Russian novels, a multitude of characters and subplots intertwine in the 197-minute movie released in 1965.
The month concludes with a performance by the Golden Dragon Acrobats at 7 p.m. Jan. 27. The Golden Dragon Acrobats, which represent a tradition that began more than 25 centuries ago, combine acrobatics, traditional dance, spectacular costumes, ancient and contemporary music and theatrical techniques for a show of skill and beauty.
Full event details and ticket information for these events and others are available online at peoplesbanktheatre.com or by calling the box office at 740-371-5152. Walk-up hours at the box office are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and one to two hours prior to most performances.
The theater, at 222 Putnam St., is managed by the nonprofit Hippodrome/Colony Historical Theatre Association.
