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Lewisburg gets 8-screen theater with bells, whistles

Register-Herald photo by Tina Alvey Frank Johnson, general manager of the new Lewisburg Cinema 8, demonstrates the comfort to be found in a front row recliner in the theater’s auditoriums.
Register-Herald photo by Tina Alvey
Frank Johnson, general manager of the new Lewisburg Cinema 8, demonstrates the comfort to be found in a front row recliner in the theater’s auditoriums.

LEWISBURG, W.Va. — A long-anticipated multiplex movie theater in the Gateway Commons shopping development is slated to open its doors to the public just in time for Easter weekend.

A full 31 months after plans for the new theater were publicly unveiled, Lewisburg Cinema 8 will open Friday, according to Greg Pauley, vice president of GHTC Theatres, a partner in the project along with Barnette Development LLC and Wes Sheridan. Construction of the $5 million, 1,000-seat multiplex was delayed for a host of reasons, including stormwater drainage issues, design and siting adjustments and, most recently, harsh weather.

 The burgundy and gold decor that includes touches reminiscent of the flamboyant grand theaters of the 1920s is no accident at Lewisburg Cinema 8, Pauley said. “This theater was inspired by that era,” he noted, citing specifically the influence of the iconic Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center in downtown Huntington, known for its Spanish baroque style.

“We thought it would be a perfect fit for Lewisburg, since there are a lot of historic structures here,” Pauley said.

While the metallic textured and drapery-festooned walls and Moorish light fixtures hearken back to a bygone era of opulent theaters, the tiered stadium seating is designed to suit modern expectations of comfort, with plump upholstery, convenient drop-down cup holders and even a row of inviting recliners stretching across the front of each of Cinema 8’s auditoriums. Pauley emphasized that there is no “up-charge” for the recliners, but they are first-come, first-seated.

Ranging from 90 seats to 250, each of the eight auditoriums also includes spaces designated for wheelchairs. To further accommodate patrons with physical limitations, the theater has volume-adjustable headphones for people who have difficulty hearing, small LCD screens that fit in a cup holder to provide closed-captioning and “descriptive” headsets which provide descriptions of the action on the screen…

 

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