The Music Never Stops by Peter Shapiro

Author:Peter Shapiro [Peter Shapiro with Dean Budnick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hachette Books
Published: 2022-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

29

THE ORIGINAL ROCK PALACE

Bob Dylan

The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York

September 4, 2012

“Peetah, the concerts are too hard…”

This is what Marvin Ravikoff said to me while explaining why he had pivoted away from producing live music at the Capitol Theatre.

The Cap had opened in grand style on August 18, 1926, with a sold-out house of two thousand and hundreds more turned away from the doors of the Port Chester, New York, venue. Those who had been able to secure tickets were treated to a performance by a ten-piece orchestra, which also supplied the soundtrack to the movie The Sea Wolf (this was during the silent film era). Renowned architect Thomas Lamb designed the Capitol Theatre, which was one of the hundred “picture palaces” he worked on across the globe from the US to India.

What’s remarkable is that Thomas Lamb built most of them in the 1910s and 1920s when today it would take years and nine figures to build just one. He is the Michael Jordan of architects. It’s not just that he could work quickly, the theaters themselves were special. The Cap has got these rounded edges and an intimate feel.

Over the years, musicians like Jeff Beck, Brandi Carlile, and Wayne Coyne have come off the stage raving about the energy of the audience. Some of this is because the venue attracts varsity concertgoers, who know all the words and are game to participate. When Robert Plant first played the Cap, he was thrown off a little by how loud the kickback was with the sing-alongs. However, it’s also due to the curvature of the venue, the rounded edges that support and enhance the acoustics, which is why Jerry Garcia loved the Capitol Theatre so much.

By the time Marvin acquired the venue in 1984, however, the building was in disrepair. Marvin told me that when he first walked in, he could see the sunlight coming through the roof: “It was just me and the pigeons.” He renovated the theater and did occasional shows but ultimately decided they were too much hassle, so he mostly used the space as a banquet hall.

“I don’t know why you want to do the concerts,” he continued as we walked through the venue together in late 2011. “I have one employee, Jim, and when we get a bar mitzvah, we hire caterers. It’s a great business.”

While I’m always up for a good chair dance or some quality hora action, I had other plans for the Cap.

When I stepped into the venue with Marvin, I looked up at the ceiling and instantly saw it as a planetarium. I noticed the round form and began thinking about how I could use it as a canvas. Eventually, that vision would extend to the walls as well, thanks to the ten projectors that we would install.

I also had a feeling that the Cap wasn’t just a local venue. I knew it could pull in people from New York City, since it’s directly on the Metro North train and a mile from I-95.

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