Light up the night

Fundraising gala at the Regent Theatre

The Roaring Twenties came back to the Regent Theatre on Saturday night during a gala fundraising dinner. With the ladies in sequins, pearls and tasselled dresses, and the men in tuxes or sporting fedoras, it was a throwback to the first decade of the theatre, which opened its doors in 1918. The theatre’s fortunes have ebbed and flowed over its 105-year life, but its spirit remains true to the original, and now its appearance is returning to its roots. The interior has been repainted to a dignified “Regent Red”, and in a nod to modernity there is a fully accessible seating area. The gala was a celebration of all the work that has happened over the past year and an acknowledgement of thanks to the supporters that made it possible. It was also the kickoff to fundraising for the next project: the restoration of the marquee, which is the beacon that lights up Main Street. The marquee is in dire need of repair. Some of the neon bulbs have been vandalized, and some of the backlighting no longer works. The first phase of the project, which is estimated to cost $75,000, will be the renovation of the backlighting so that the lettering will be more visible at night. The neon replacement will come later after sufficient funds have been raised.

Close to 60 people attended the fundraising dinner, which was sponsored by Jamie Kennedy, Karlo Estates and the Royal Hotel. Supporters were treated to hors d’oeuvres from Jamie Kennedy in the lobby of the theatre. These were paired with Karlo Estates 2021 Bubble sparkling wine. Dinner took place on the main stage, with marinated fall vegetables and braised County beef from Jamie Kennedy. The food was prepped remotely and then finished in an outdoor kitchen behind the Regent, no small task on a winter’s evening for Chef Kennedy and his staff. The dinner was paired with Karlo Estates 2021 Three Witches and 2020 Triumvirate. After dinner, desserts of cannoli, maple walnut tart, dark chocolate truffles and olive oil and ricotta cake from the Royal Hotel were served in the theatre lobby, with port wine pairings from Karlo Estates. Throughout the evening there was live music Howard Lopez’s band, including Lenni Stewart on vocals.

Then it was time for fun on the Regent stage. France and Steve from For the Love of Dance performed the Charleston and then invited everyone up on stage for a lesson. Breaking the dance down into eight sequences of eight steps, the couple soon had the participants performing like pros, all moving in time to the music. Afterwards the fog machine came on and the dancers were swinging to the music of DJ James Lupo.

An evening such as this would not be possible without the support of many volunteers, and Regent Executive Director Alexandra Seay expressed her gratitude for all those who came out to help. “Tonight would not be possible without a small but mighty army of volunteers and staff and our sponsors Jamie Kennedy for dinner, Karlo Estates for wine, The Royal Hotel for dessert and Sage Design and Construction for the music,” she said. “Tonight—the last night of Flashback February— we celebrate our heritage and look ahead to a future of a Regent experience that continues to embrace our heritage. It is what makes us special.” She is hoping to have more of these gala events in the future.

The event raised $26,750 towards the marquee renovation project. That work will start after the interior floor refurbishment and seat installation. Water leakage has damaged the concrete floor, and repairing this requires the removal of the seats. The Regent is taking this opportunity to replace the current seats with ones that are more appropriate to the Art Deco aesthetic. The new-to-the-Regent seats were acquired at a fraction of the retail price from a theatre going out business and are in excellent condition. The seats are covered in plush velvet and have padded arms, and are more comfortable than the current seats. The floor refinishing and seat installation is expected to be complete by April 14.