| I love going to the Paramount Theatre Seattle to | | | | hard times. As vaudeville diminished, the |
| see a show! Although you don't just see a show | | | | Paramount remained a popular venue for first-run |
| at the Paramount Theatre - you "experience" one! | | | | full length movies. Live shows continued to play |
| This is one of those grand cinemas built back in | | | | but became fewer and farther between during |
| the 1910s through the 1920s known as "movie | | | | the 1950s. |
| palaces." | | | | As more and more suburban theaters were built, |
| Built by Paramount Pictures, it was the largest, | | | | audiences at the Paramount Theatre Seattle |
| most spectacular movie palace Seattle had ever | | | | dwindled and most of the movies shown were |
| seen. It was designed and lavishly decorated in | | | | second-run. It closed during long periods of time |
| the French Renaissance style of the palace in | | | | during the 1960s. On one Friday night in 1967 only |
| Versailles. Although built for silent pictures and | | | | 13 people showed up to see Gone With the Wind. |
| vaudeville, today you can see a wide variety of | | | | In the 1970s the Paramount became a popular |
| shows thanks to an expansion and overhaul of | | | | venue for rock and jazz concerts. The Guess |
| the theater in 1994. | | | | Who, Alice Cooper, Kiss to name a few. Rock |
| The Paramount Theatre Seattle hosts six | | | | bands and fans were hard on the theater, |
| performance series: | | | | however. The owners failed to maintain the |
| - Broadway | | | | building and it fell into disrepair. |
| - Jazz | | | | In the mid 1980s, the theater changed owners |
| - Silent Movies | | | | again. Some cleaning and repair was done. The |
| - Dance | | | | variety of acts was broadened to include many |
| - Family | | | | kinds of music. The Grand Ole Opry, Gladys |
| - Comedy | | | | Knight and the Pips, Frank Sinatra, and the |
| Broadway Shows | | | | Grateful Dead all appeared at the Paramount. |
| Hits from Broadway usually play here in Seattle at | | | | Musicals such as "South Pacific" and "Jesus Christ |
| the 5th Avenue Theater or at the Paramount. | | | | Superstar" came to the Paramount. Oprah |
| Seattle is a major city for Broadway shows. We | | | | Winfrey spoke, Mr. Rogers performed, a Star |
| are also a popular place for Broadway previews. | | | | Trek convention was hosted, and Madonna made |
| A preview of a new production will usually take | | | | her first stop on her first world tour in 1985 at |
| place out of town before it reaches the | | | | the Paramount Seattle. |
| Broadway stage in New York. If you are planning | | | | Despite all this the building continued to deteriorate |
| a trip to Seattle and enjoy Broadway shows, be | | | | and fall deeper in debt. Finally the grand movie |
| sure to check out what's going to be showing | | | | palace was saved in 1993 when Ida Cole, a |
| while you are here. | | | | Microsoft vice-president, stepped in. She bought |
| Tour the Paramount: | | | | the Paramount and began planning a major |
| Volunteers from the Seattle Theatre Group, | | | | overhaul of the facility. Workers removed the |
| which owns and operates the Paramount Theatre | | | | entire back wall and expanded the stage so that it |
| Seattle, offers tours of the theater on the first | | | | could accommodate more complex productions. |
| Saturday of every month. If you can do the tour, | | | | Painters and plasterers removed layers of grime, |
| I highly recommend it. It's free, fun, and very | | | | replaced gold leaf, and painted. State-of-the-art |
| interesting! Depending on what's happening in the | | | | lighting and sound equipment were installed. New |
| theater at the time, you get to see areas of the | | | | dressing rooms were built including the new stars' |
| building that you would never see otherwise. On | | | | room. |
| one of the tours I took, we got to walk across | | | | In October, 2009, the blue and gold neon vertical |
| the stage as crews were preparing for an India | | | | Paramount sign, which has hung on the theater |
| Arie concert that was opening that night. | | | | since March 1930, was replaced with a new sign. |
| The hallways and stairways back stage are lined | | | | The original sign had decayed beyond repair. The |
| with posters from past shows. These are | | | | new sign is an exact replica, but is more energy |
| covered with autographs of the show cast. There | | | | efficient and made from more environmentally |
| are dozens and dozens of them going back for | | | | responsible materials. |
| years - "Chicago," "Fiddler on the Roof," "The Lion | | | | Seattle's Paramount Theatre is truly one of the |
| King," "A Chorus Line," just to name a few. It's | | | | city's treasures and an experience not to be |
| like the Paramount's own Hall of Fame! | | | | missed! |
| A little Paramount Theatre Seattle history... | | | | So get dressed up, go out to dinner, and |
| The Paramount Theatre opened in 1928 as the | | | | experience Seattle shows in the grand movie |
| Seattle Theatre, a movie palace designed to show | | | | palace tradition at the Paramount Theatre Seattle |
| silent movies and vaudeville shows. During the | | | | at 9th and Pine! |
| Depression it closed for a year and a half due to | | | | |