Count Basie Theatre History
Tony Bennett has
called it, “My favorite place.” Art Garfunkel said, “This hall is to a singer
what Steinway is to a pianist.” Lyle Lovett said, “This is one of the nicest
sounding rooms in the whole United States of America.” The venue is the award
winning Count Basie Theatre, listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, recognized by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts as a Major
Presenting Organization for the State of New Jersey, by Pollstar Magazine as
one of the Top 100 Worldwide Theatre Venues, and by Contribute Magazine as one
of their Top 200 Investor-Worthy Charities.
Red Bank - Circa 1926; A Town Full Of Theatres Adds One More
Even though there
were already several other theatres in the Borough of Red Bank, New Jersey by
1925 (including the Strand, Palace, Empire and Lyric Theatres), on July 29,
1925 the Red Bank Register reported that Joseph Oschwald of Little Silver had
announced plans to build a theatre on Monmouth Street for a partnership of
Joseph Stern of Newark, the Burns and Schaffer Amusement Co., and Walter Reade.
Joseph Stern was already operating the Tivoli, Central, Plaza, Savoy and Regent
Theaters in Newark, the Castle Theater in Irvington, the Lincoln Theater in
Bloomfield, the Capitol Theater in Belleville and the Grand and Casino Theaters
in Kearney. Walter Reade, for whom the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center
for the Performing Arts in New York City is now named, was already New Jersey's
largest theatre owner, with ownership or an interest in thirty-one other venues
in the state.
Projected to open
eight months later on April 1, 1926, the new theatre would have seating for
about 2,000 persons and be equipped for moving pictures, vaudeville and
dramatic shows. The ninety foot by one hundred and ten foot theatre would
include a wide lobby on Monmouth Street flanked by two storefronts, and a stage
entrance for scenery via a ten-foot wide strip of land around the corner on
Pearl Street. The noted theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb was reported to be
drawing the plans for the new building, with an exterior of white terra cotta,
and an interior finished in Old Gold and Red. The property and the rights of
way for the land were purchased for $21,000, and the projected construction
cost was $300,000 to $500,000.
Construction Begins On The State ...(or is it The Red Bank?)... Theatre
Construction plans by Thomas Lamb
were issued to various contractors, but by October the plans had changed
significantly enough that they were recalled, and a new architect, William E.
Lehman of Newark, ultimately assumed responsibility for the project. In 1925
his son, William Lehman, Jr. was working in Thomas Lamb’s office, and William
Jr. seems to have been the one to shepherd the project from one firm to the
other. (William Jr. would join his father’s firm in 1926.) By December the
construction contract was "awarded" to the Oschwald Construction
Company of Newark, owned and operated by Joseph Oschwald's son Gustave. Stryker
& Stryker of Red Bank were awarded the contract for excavating and for hauling
brick, lumber, sand and other building material, and ground was broken on
December 9, 1925.
Construction
proceeded through the winter, but in late April of 1926, almost one month after
the originally scheduled opening, Joseph Stern sold his interest in the thirty-one
year lease for the new theatre to Burns & Schaffer and Walter Reade. Each
of the remaining partners would now have a fifty percent interest in the lease,
and were represented in the lease transaction by M.H. Jacks, then the manager
of the Strand Theatre in Lakewood, another Walter Reade theatre. Jacks, who
would ultimately be named the new Red Bank theatre's manager, told the Red Bank
Register that the yearly rental would be equal to eight to ten percent of the
cost of the building, and that the new partnership was changing the name of the
theatre from the State Theater to the Red Bank Theater. The Register later
reported that, "At present the name State Theatre is engraved on the front
of the building, but this will be effaced. The change is one that will probably
meet with general approval at Red Bank for the new building may well
appropriately bear the name of the town where it is located." With a stage
being built "...large enough to play any traveling attraction now on the
road," the theatre's programming was announced as including Shubert &
Erlanger attractions during the summer, and vaudeville and motion pictures
during the winter.
A Grand Interior Design
By August 18, 1926
the opening was already four months late, but the Register was reporting that
the new building would be well worth waiting for. "There are bigger
buildings in town, but none so substantially built nor so attractive..."
Construction materials alone, including brick, steel, concrete and marble were
reported at $48,000.
"The work of
building a large sunburst dome inside the building is nearly completed. This
dome will be studded with hundreds of electric lights concealed in such a way
as to hide them without obscuring the light. Marble stairways have been
made." "On a wall in the lobby will be a huge painting, thirty feet
long and ten feet high...The arched dome which covers the main part of the
theatre is a striking feature. It is painted in many colors. The ceiling is
studded with vari-colored lights, numbering about 1,000. The lights are so
arranged that the bulbs cannot be seen."
The Carlton Theatre Opens With Vaudeville & Moving Pictures
By October, with the
opening already six months overdue, M.H. Jacks was formally named as the new
theatre's manager, and construction was now reported to be finished by November
1. The opening performance of vaudeville and moving pictures was scheduled for
between November 1 and 5. Like all the previously announced openings, this date
would be missed as well, but this time by just six days, and on November 2 the
Asbury Park Evening Press announced that the theatre would open on Armistice
Day, November 11. However, it would open under yet another new name, the
Carlton Theater. This time however the name would stick, and the Red Bank
Register reported that Walter Reade had formally asked the Borough in a letter
for, "...permission to put up a large electric sign in front of his new
Carlton Theatre on Monmouth Street. The request was referred to the sign
committee of the council with the power to act."
Just one day before
the opening, the Register reported that little remained to be done "except
the odds and ends of things," and that "workers are working at top
speed." The Asbury Park Evening Press reported that, "The Carlton
Theater... interior architecture will be of Spanish effect," and the
Register reported that one of the last operations was to set up a new
electrical organ, "...a job which is now underway. The organ cost
$25,000." At the same time, apparently to consolidate his operations and
ensure the success of his new theatre, Walter Reade announced plans to close
his other theaters in town, including the Palace, which Reade had just
purchased one year previously, and the Red Bank Strand, which he had leased
from the J. Clark Company. The Register reported that most of the employees
from these theaters would work at the new venue, and that in total, thirty Red
Bank residents would work at the new theater.
4,000 Attend Opening Festivities Featuring the Keith-Albee Vaudeville
& Feature Film "The Quarterback"
Opening night on
Thursday, November 11, 1926 was a grand affair, with many prominent persons
invited, including E.F. Albee, Nicholas Schenck, Adolph Zukor, Hiram Abrams,
B.S. Moss, A.O. Erlanger, A.H. Woods, Joseph Denahy, Mayor William White of Red
Bank, Mayor W.C. Wilson of Perth Amboy, Mayor Runyon of Freehold, Mayor Frank
Howland of Long Branch, Mayor James T. McMurray of Plainfield, Mayor F.W.
Donnelly of Trenton, Mayor C.E.F. Hetrick of Asbury Park, former Mayor C.W.
Housman of Long Branch, the theatre's original architect Thomas W. Lamb, Judge
Ward Kremer, Lewis Latham Clark, Arthur Hammerstein, S. Jay Kaufman, Prosecutor
John E. Toolan, and various stage and screen stars.
The opening night
attraction was headlined by the Keith-Albee Vaudeville, with the feature film
"The Quarterback," starring Richard Dix, Carlton's News Events, and a
ten piece orchestra. Almost four thousand people attended the two shows, and
the crowds began forming at five o'clock, an hour and forty-five minutes before
the first performance. Even on opening night there were delays, but the Register
reported that, "...folks waited patiently and good-naturedly."
"The interval before the opening of the performance gave the audience a
good opportunity to walk around and inspect the playhouse. They found much to
admire in the beautiful decorations and the richness of the furnishings
there." During a brief intermission in the performance Walter Reader made
an address in which he described the theatre's policies. During the summer and
fall it was planned to use the theater to try out musical comedies and other
shows to be produced in New York. Admission would never be more than 75 cents
for picture and vaudeville shows, although the price might be higher when
musical comedies and other special attractions were played.
Brilliant with Lights & Rich in Colors
Two name changes and
sixteen months after the first announcement of its construction, when it
finally opened the Register reported that the new Carlton Theater was,
"...a marvel of beauty, convenience and comfort. Outside and inside it is
a veritable and architectural triumph." "Color and light are two of
the outstanding features of the new building. Thousands of electric lights stud
the ceilings and sidewalls. In the center of the main part of the building is
an enormous dome-like sunburst illuminated with myriad concealed lights. A very
large glass chandelier is suspended from the center of the dome. This
contrivance is brilliant with lights." "The interior of the theatre
is rich with colors harmoniously blended. The colors will stand out more prominently
six months from now than they do at present. This is especially true of the
side walls. The material used in the walls is of such character that time
brings out color." "...many folks entered the theater to satisfy
their curiosity as to its appearance...They were particularly impressed with
the furnishings, which are rich in velours and velvets in contrasting
shades." A grandly painted vaudeville curtain, still in use today, filled
the proscenium arch.
Spanning Six Decades
For the next
forty-seven years, spanning six decades of the 20th Century, the theatre was
one of the highlights of nightlife in downtown Red Bank, and it outlasted all
of its contemporaries, including the Strand, Palace, Empire and Lyric Theatres.
Walter Reade himself would operate the theatre for decades using several
corporate entities, including Walter Reade's Theatre, Inc., Perthbank Realty,
Inc., which acquired the building in 1951, and Carlton Operating Co., which
acquired Perthbank Realty in 1970.
The theatre would
operate through the golden age of radio and television, and through the rise
and fall of drive-ins, until finally the dawn of shopping mall culture and
multiplex cinemas would draw enough people out of downtown and make operating a
large single screen movie theatre no longer profitable.
Had it been
constructed just a few years later than it was, with vaudeville passing into
history in favor of “talking pictures,” it is probable that the Carlton would
have had a much smaller stage, just large enough to accommodate a movie screen
and speakers. However, because the venue was conceived and constructed in an
era when both movies and live vaudeville performances were featured, it was
constructed with a full-sized stage and a theatrical fly house, and these
features would become the building’s salvation.
Into the 1960’s and
the early 1970’s, both the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Monmouth Arts
Foundation were regular renters of the theatre. The Monmouth Arts Foundation in
particular was an extremely active user of the theatre each year, renting the
theatre several times a year to bring notable ensembles like American Ballet
Theatre, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and the Rotterdam Philharmonic to Monmouth
County. Thus, when the Walter Reade Organization, Inc., placed the theatre on
the real estate market for sale in the early 1970’s, it was the theatre’s
importance as a live performance venue that attracted the attention of the
Monmouth County Arts Council.
In 1971, a survey by
the Junior League of Monmouth County indicated the need for a central agency to
coordinate and assist the County’s arts organizations. With initial funding
from the Junior League and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, then just 5
years old itself, the Monmouth County Arts Council, or MCAC for short, was
born. Originally housed in offices at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft,
MCAC began active operations in October 1971, and almost immediately became
involved in an effort to preserve the Carlton Theater for cultural uses.
In a report
commissioned by the Council titled, “The Possibility of the Carlton Theatre As
A County Wide Arts Center,” John B. Warters noted that, “While the theatre has
been available for county arts productions on a rental basis since its
construction in 1926, its principal use has been as a movie house. The trend
toward low-maintenance movie houses has made the Carlton outdated for this use.
The Carlton is now for sale and the future of this unique theatre is in
question. The Monmouth County Arts Council is concerned because of the effect
that the Carlton’s loss might have on future arts programming. Primarily, MCAC
is interested in preventing the Carlton from being torn down and in persuading
future owners to continue the policy of making the theatre available to those
who need it. The safest way to assure these goals if for MCAC to buy the
Carlton and turn it into a county arts center.”
The idea of the
Council purchasing the theatre was controversial almost from the start. Some
MCAC members lined up in support of the effort, and some MCAC members believed
that direct involvement with the theatre would require such a concentrated
focus on a single issue that the Council would end up abrogating its obligations
to the larger cultural community. In fact, this controversy would persist for
26 years, until the Council divested itself of the theatre in 1999.
Nonetheless, a
year-long process to study the feasibility of saving and operating the building
as a nonprofit arts organization resulted in an anonymous donation significant
enough to fund the purchase of the building, and enough support from the MCAC
members that on December 28, 1973 the Monmouth County Arts Council purchased
the Carlton Theater for $96,665, several hundred thousand dollars less than it
cost to construct 47 years earlier. William D. Warters, then President of the
Monmouth County Arts Council, signed the deed. Included in the purchase were
the storefront leases of the Greater Red Bank Area Jaycees, the Outreach Center
and the Monmouth County Unit of the New Jersey Association for Retarded
Children; an automatic ticket machine; a steel rod ticket box; a set of plastic
marquee letters; two projectors with Motio-Grapher bases and Simplex-Sound
Heads; assorted lenses; a Strong Trouper follow spot; assorted lighting and
sound gear; a baby grand piano; and drapes and drops including the original Act
Curtain.
Although popular
legend has it that the theatre closed for an extended period of time, the
Carlton operated on a regular basis right up to the date of its sale. In fact,
the final screenings as a privately owned movie theatre were on Sunday,
December 25, 1973, when a matinee of “Snoopy Come Home” was attended by 245
people, and an evening double feature of “Paper Moon” and “Play It Again Sam”
was attended by 412.
The official December
28, 1973 press release from the Council stated in part, “The Monmouth County
Arts Council has received an anonymous gift from a foundation enabling it to
purchase the Carlton Theatre in Red Bank, with the stipulation that the theatre
be renovated into an attractive and functional arts center for the entire
County. According to Council President William D. Warters, a contract for the
purchase has been signed with the Walter Reade Organizations, Inc. The Council
will retain ownership of the theatre for one year, by the end of which, if it
has been successful in raising adequate funds for renovation and endowment, it
will continue ownership. However, he stated that if sufficient support is not
generated from individuals, corporations and foundations, in and beyond
Monmouth County, the theatre will be sold to a third party, by a pre-arranged
agreement. The total cost of renovation and endowment is estimated at approximately
one million dollars…In making the announcement, Warters emphasized that the
decision to buy the theatre was made after a careful three-month-long study to
determine the desirability and feasibility of the undertaking. Over one hundred
people in governmental agencies, education, the arts, business and civic
groups, and other individual leaders in the community were interviewed. ‘We
hope to help the many arts activities in this area flourish, and, through the
new arts center, to create a focal point of great inspiration, enjoyment, and
pride for the people of Monmouth County. Unless we are certain we can reach our
objective, we will not keep the theatre, since we are not interested in hanging
on indefinitely to a deteriorating property. In other words, unless we can do
the job right, we will not do it at all.’ Red Bank Mayor Daniel O’Hearn said, ‘I’m
pleased that this borough’s only legitimate theatre will be preserved and
improved for the benefit of all our citizens…’”
Public reaction was
immediate, and positive. In a January 3, 1974 editorial, the Daily Register
wrote, “It is heartening to learn that Red Bank’s Carlton Theater has been
purchased by the Monmouth County Arts Council…It would have been sad to see
this fine and centrally located facility, site in the past of so many notable
and enriching presentations, sold for conversion to some other use. Under
council ownership it becomes an opportunity for vastly expanded local activity
in the arts… The (funding) project is an ambitious one and will not be easy.
Monmouth residents have demonstrated before, however, that they will support
such worthwhile programs, and we are optimistic about the future of the
Carlton.”
On Sunday, January 6,
1974 the Asbury Park Press noted that, “…the council nonetheless was cautions
and slow in making its decision. Some 100 citizens, officials, and
professionals in the fields of art, education, government, business and
civic-service organizations were consulted to determine the feasibility and the
need for the project. The Council’s functions in the past have been narrow...
but it is expanding its horizons with the acquisition of the Carlton.”
Yet Another New Name
Under new ownership,
the theatre acquired yet another new name, the Monmouth Arts Center, and began
a rich and storied life as a nonprofit performing arts venue, playing host over
the years to a stellar and diverse roster of the nation and the world’s
greatest performers, including, to name but a few, Marcel Marceau, Martha
Graham, Tony Bennett, James Brown, George Carlin, Rosemary Clooney, Grover
Washington Jr., David Byrne, Megadeth, the Violent Femmes, Buddy Guy, Shari
Lewis, the Ramones, Sir George Martin, and even Count Basie himself.
On May 11, 1979 the “Kid
from Red Bank” finally played the theatre, and the Asbury Park Press reported
that, “The kid from Red Bank, William ‘Count’ Basie, and his 17-member band
were in town to pay their respects to lots of long-time friends and admirers,
and to help raise money for the Shrewsbury A.M.E. Zion Church’s building drive.
A nearly full house listened to and roundly appreciated two hours of Basie’s
inimitable touch to the standards ‘April in Paris,’ ‘Sweet Georgia Brown,’ ‘Easy
Living,’ and ‘JaDa.’ ‘Well, we’re back home again,’ said Basie.”
The Wild, The Innocent and the Monmouth Street Shuffle
The notion of the
theatre as “home,” or “a home,” for a number of artists has persisted through
the years. From the early 1900’s, when Count Basie and Sonny Greer, drummer for
the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more than 40 years, were among the first
Jersey Shore musicians to gain national prominence, through the 1950’s, 60’s,
70’s and on into the 1980’s, the Jersey Shore has been home to a rich community
of musicians and performers, and the Count Basie Theatre has been pleased to
provide a performing home to many of them.
On August 14, 1974 a
young, up and coming local singer/songwriter with two albums under his belt
named Bruce Springsteen played the theatre for the first time, beginning an
association that would last for more than thirty years. His second appearance
at the theatre, on October 10, 1975, would become a small part of a major
turning point in his career. On October 27, 1975, Mr. Springsteen appeared on
the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazines on the same publication date.
The Newsweek story, titled “Making of a Rock Star,” written by Maureen Orth,
began this way: “The movie marquee in Red Bank, N.J., simply said “HOMECOMING”
because everyone knew who was home…after four foot-stomping encores they were
ready to crown Bruce Springsteen the great white hope of rock ‘n’ roll.”
These two shows were
just the first of many over the years, including a memorable run of shows on
August 1-2-3 and 5-6-7 in 1976, with the Asbury Jukes’ horns appearing as the
Miami Horns. On May 12 and 13, 1977, he helped fill in for an ailing Southside
Johnny, playing 3 of 4 scheduled shows with a last minute aggregation billed as
The Asbury Allstars, including members of the Jukes and the E Street Band
backing Bruce, Ronnie Spector and Steve Van Zant.
Other appearances
over the years have included an appearance at La Bamba’s Holiday Hurrah on
December 28, 1983; a warm up show for a European tour on March 23, 1993; the
start of the Ghost of Tom Joad tour on November 22, 1995; and a very special
evening on May 7, 2008, when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, then in
the midst of the world tour supporting the release of Magic, played a benefit
for the theatre itself. The concert was significant for venue, raising over $3
million for its restoration fund, and for the artist, in that for the first
time ever, the set list featured performances of two albums in their entirety:
Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town. Darkness was performed first, “So
we don’t send you home suicidal.” Similar performances of entire albums would
later become a feature of the tour supporting their next release, Working on a
Dream.
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
Another important
musical association over the years has been the theatre’s relationship with
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, dating to the aforementioned 1977 shows,
and including La Bamba’s Second Annual Christmas Show in December 1984, which
aired live from the Count Basie Theatre and also featured Little Steven, Gary
US Bonds, Brian Setzer, Darlene Love, Kevin Kavanaugh, Paul Schaeffer, Steve
Jordan and Gary Tallent.
Almost since the band’s
inception, New Years Eve has been an important fixture on the Jukes’ schedule,
and they’ve performed more New Years Eve shows at the Count Basie Theatre than
any other venue, in 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
and 2009. The 1994 show included a surprise appearance by Jon Bon Jovi, and the
2007, 2008 and 2009 shows were broadcast live worldwide by Sirius Satellite
Radio.
Bon Jovi
Starting in the early
1990’s, the theatre played host to a set of charity shows by the band Bon Jovi,
including two shows on December 23, 1990 to benefit the Monmouth County Arts
Council, Holmdel's Sisters of the Good Shepherd, and a family suffering from
Lymes disease; two shows on December 20, 1992 to benefit Monmouth County storm
relief following the nor’easter of ’92; a December 20, 1993 charity concert;
and finally, on January 31, 1998, the first of what would turn out to be
several “All Star Benefit Concerts” over the next several years that would
bring the Jersey Shore musical community together for a cause.
Coming Together and Providing Hope
Organized by Jon Bon
Jovi, the “Come Together” concert on January 31, 1998 was organized to benefit
the Sgt. Patrick King Memorial Fund, established to provide for the family of
Long Branch Police Officer Sgt. Patrick King, a 45-year-old father of two young
boys who was slain in the line of duty by a fugitive on November 20, 1997. The
event included all the members of Bon Jovi, including Jon, Richie Sambora,
David Bryan, Tico Torres and Hugh McDonald, plus Southside Johnny and several
members of the Asbury Jukes including Bobby Bandiera, LaBamba, Ed Manion, Marc
Pender and Joey Stann, plus Little Steven, plus Bruce Springsteen and several
members of the then-disbanded E Street Band, including Patti Scialfa, Max
Weinberg, Clarence Clemons and Danni Federici. Actor Danny De Vito, an Asbury
Park native, was Master of Ceremonies, and over $100,000 was raised for King's
widow and his two sons.
With the framework of
the Patrick King concerts to work from, on October 18 and 19, 2001 another cast
of musicians came together to benefit the Alliance of Neighbors of Monmouth
County, a charity established to benefit the Monmouth County victims of the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and their families. Spearheaded by E
Street Band bass player Gary Tallent, the event was already in the works as a
tribute to Sun Records and a benefit for World Hunger Year, the New York-based
charity founded by Harry Chapin and Bill Ayres to raise funds to combat hunger
and poverty. Following 9/11, the purpose of the concert was redirected with the
concert proceeds, plus funds solicited online and through a live broadcast of
the October 19 concert by Comcast’s CN8 News Channel benefitting the Alliance
of Neighbors. This time with filmmaker and Red Bank native Kevin Smith as MC,
Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Phoebe Snow, Joan Jett, Patti Scialfa, Garry
Tallent, Max Weinberg, Bobby Bandiera, Joe Ely, Aztec Two-Step, Randy Moore,
Highway 9, the Smithereens, Felix Cavaliere, former members of Elvis Presley’s
backing band including Sonny Burgess, D. J. Fontana and Jerry Sheff, and the
Pilgrim Baptist Church Celestial Choir of Red Bank, plus others, performed,
raising over $400,000.
On April 29, 2003
many of these same musicians came together again for The Hope Concert, a
benefit for the medical care of one of their own, Bob Bandiera, Jr., the son of
singer, songwriter and guitar player Bobby Bandiera of the Asbury Jukes.
Organized by Tim McLoone and Emer Conroy, with Tim and Big Joe Henry of NJ
101.5 FM Radio as Masters of Ceremonies, the Bob Bandiera Band, Gary US Bonds,
Jon Bon Jovi, Norman Nardini, Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen and the Max
Weinberg 7 all performed. Over $200,000 was raised.
On December 12, 2006
many of these same musicians performed again for the second Hope Concert,
officially titled the Bobby Bandiera All Star Holiday Concert to benefit the
Joan Dancy and People with ALS Support Group at Riverview Hospital. Organized
by Terry Magovern long-time fixture of the Shore music community and fiancé of
Joan Dancy, the concert featured performances by Bob Bandiera and the Jersey
Shore Rock-N-Soul Revue, Mark Pender and La Bamba, Tim McLoone & the
Shirleys, Gary US Bonds, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny and Bruce Springsteen.
Hope Concert III on
December 21, 2007 benefited the Valerie Fund Center at Children's Hospital at Monmouth
Medical Center, where musician Tim McLoone’s son Jack was then receiving care,
and featured performances by Tim McLoone and The Shirleys, Bob Bandiera and the
Jersey Shore Rock-N-Soul Revue, Mark Pender and LaBamba, Gary US Bonds,
Southside Johnny and Jon Bon Jovi. Over $500,000 was raised.
Hope Concert IV on
December 22, 2008 benefited the Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank, and
featured Bob Bandiera and the Jersey Shore Rock-N-Soul Revue, Brian Fallon of
The Gaslight Anthem, Bruce Springsteen, Gary U.S. Bonds, Jon Bon Jovi, Nicole
Atkins, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Over $300,000 was raised for
the free health clinic.
The Fifth and Final Name
In 1984, the theatre
was rechristened the Count Basie Theatre in honor of jazz pianist, composer and
band leader William "Count" Basie (1904-1984), who passed away on
April 26 of that year. Although jazz enthusiasts most commonly associate Count
Basie with Kansas City, where he formed his first band and first made a name
for himself, he was in fact a Red Bank native, born in his parent's house on
Mechanic Street on August 21, 1904, and living there through his teen years. It
is fitting that a venue with numerous names to its history should finally
settle on a name in honor of one of this country’s greatest performing artists.
How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall? In This Case, Not By Practicing!
Sometime in the
theatre’s later history, the fixed seats in the balcony were removed in favor
of couches. Even today, the couches are fondly remembered by a certain age
group of the Count Basie Theatre’s audience, including a then-teenager named
Hugh Anthony Cregg, III. A West Coast resident, he attended the theatre in the
1960’s when he would go home with his NJ boarding school roommate on weekends.
Later in life, as Huey Lewis, he would become a bona fide rock star and among
other famous venues, would play the Count Basie Theatre as a performer.
One of the more
interesting phases of the Count Basie Theatre’s history began in 1986, when the
theatre, then in desperate need of new seating, acquired “pre-owned” theatre
seating from Carnegie Hall during its own renovation. For a grand total of
$6,000 and on the condition that the seats be removed from the Carnegie Hall property
immediately after a Sunday performance, Mark Townsend, a retired Bell Labs
Director, whose wife Jean Townsend founded the Art Alliance of Monmouth County,
lead a team that negotiated with the New York City theatrical unions, arranged
for the seats to be taken out of Carnegie Hall and stacked on the sidewalks,
then loaded into moving vans and taken to an empty house in Red Bank where they
were stored until installation. Although millions of people had already sat in
those seats during their Carnegie Hall years, they remained in use at the Count
Basie Theatre for another 18 years, until August, 2004.
Film
In 1994 Walter
Rauffer, a local resident and an engineer at Children’s Television Workshop and
Sesame Street, lead a team of volunteers that restored the theatre’s projection
equipment and brought film presentations back to the theatre for a summer
series, all on a shoe string budget of $3,525.58. After a period in which no
films were shown, he would perform the same task again in 2003, except this time
with a more significant budget of about $75,000, much of it funded by the
Marrus Family Foundation, enabling the theatre to regularly screen sneak
previews of films and the Red Bank International Film Festival, the
Undiscovered Gems Film Festival, and other cinema events.
101 Monmouth Street
By the late 1990’s
two things had become apparent. One, the long-term viability of the theatre as
a performing arts center would require more space to work with, and two, the
future of the Monmouth County Arts Council did not include the Count Basie
Theatre.
In 1997 the arts
council made its second significant real estate purchase, acquiring the
building immediately adjacent to the theatre at 101 Monmouth Street from its
owners, John A. Bates and Harry C. Novotny, Jr. 101 Monmouth Street was
constructed in 1927, just one year after the Count Basie Theatre originally
opened, and the architecture of the building’s façade is so close to that of
the theatre that from the street, it is almost impossible to distinguish that
the two buildings were separate and discreet properties. The purpose of the
purchase was to make it possible to expand the theatre’s public and backstage
spaces by joining the two buildings. The sale closed on December 30, 1997.
More significant however
was that in 1999, twenty-six years after purchasing the theatre, the
long-running internal debate at the Monmouth County Arts Council about whether
the MCAC’s mission was to serve the county's cultural community, or to manage
the theatre, finally came to a head. The result was a decision to refocus the
Council’s attentions toward servicing the wider Monmouth County cultural
community, and to divest the Council of the theatre. With some board and staff
members remaining with the arts council and some board and staff members
remaining with the theatre, on June 30, 1999 the Count Basie Theatre, Inc. was
established as its own independent nonprofit corporation to own, manage,
program and preserve the theatre.
The Third Great Era
If the theatre’s first
great era began with its grand opening in 1926, and its second great era began
with its acquisition by a nonprofit arts organization in 1973, the divestiture
marked the start of the theatre’s third great era, in which the board and staff
that remained with the theatre were able to concentrate solely on the theatre,
its restoration and renovation, and, for the first time, its role as a
presenter and producer of its own programming.
Up until 2002, the
theatre operated primarily as a rental house, with few presentations of its own
each year, and decidedly mixed financial results from year to year. However,
the divestiture and subsequent changes of board and staff leadership in the
period 1999-2002 resulted in a new direction, and since 2002 the Count Basie
Theatre has enjoyed a period of great success. In 2002 the organization
presented just 12 performances, attended by 9,200 people, and had an annual
budget of just $1.4 million with an annual operating deficit. The annual
operating budget is now $6 million a year with a solid history of
profitability. The Basie now presents about 90-100 of its own performances a
year, with attendance averaging over 70% of capacity, and continues to host
another 100 or so rentals each year by nonprofit arts organizations and concert
promoters. Total attendance for all events is 200,000 a year, and increasing
every year.
In addition to these
program and management achievements, $10 million has been raised and expended
since 2004 on capital projects to renovate and restore the building, including
a six-week $1 million project in 2004 to replace the theatre’s seats and
restore the balcony to its original pre-couch configuration; a 12-week $750,000
project in 2007 to replace the theatre’s roof right down to the structural
steel; and a 4-month $8 million project in 2008 to replace the heating system;
upgrade the electrical system; construct The Carlton Lounge (the theatre’s VIP
Donor Lounge); expand the lobby; upgrade the fire suppression systems; replace
the house lighting fixtures; create a new grand chandelier; restore the
interior decorative plaster; and paint the interior of the theatre.
The first major
renovations and restorations in the theatre’s 80+ year history, the goal has
been to return the theatre to its former grandeur, or better. Another $10
million of work remains to be done to fully realize the theatre’s Facility
Master Plan, but for the moment the goal of creating a performance space as
great as the performances on its stage has been achieved. The NY Times said
that the, “Renovations turn back the clock 82 years,” the Newark Star Ledger
said, “The Basie is back and looking better than ever,” and the Asbury Park
Press said that the “Revamped theatre is the show.”
In addition to
hosting literally thousands of memorable performances over the years, the Count
Basie Theatre has played a part in several remarkable projects that are
preserved forever in recorded mediums. Footage filmed at Bruce Springsteen’s
1975 show later appeared in “Wings for Wheels,” the Grammy Award winning
documentary video accompanying the 30th anniversary release of Born to Run. David Byrne filmed his
1992 concert, and released it as the concert film “Between the Teeth.” In 2005,
the Count Basie Theatre participated in the creation of the dance piece “Anytown”
as a Lead Commissioning Presenter. The evening length work by the Shapiro and
Smith Dance Company with music by Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa and Soozie
Tyrell went on to play theatres across the country. Shows created by the Jersey
Shore Rock-N-Soul Revue have played other venues across New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. Filmmaker Kevin Smith filmed his 2007 appearance and released it
as “Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith.” David Bromberg filmed his 2008
concert and released it as “David Bromberg and His Big Band in Concert at the
Count Basie Theatre.” The Rippingtons included a photo of the theatre’s famous
marquee in the liner notes to their 2006 release, “20th Anniversary,”
and portions of Brian Setzer’s 2007 appearance were taped and broadcast as part
of a CBS Sunday Morning profile of the artist.
The Count Basie Theatre Today
Today, much remains
the same about the building. Despite the Red Bank Register's 1926 report that
the theatre's original name would be effaced from the façade, the word
"State" and the initials "ST" for "State Theatre"
are still visible on the peak of the building's façade. The old storefronts
still flank the lobby entrance, and the magnificent dome still dominates the
theatre's expansive ceiling. The original Act Curtain is still in use. Stage
scenery is still loaded in via a ten foot wide strip of land off of Pearl
Street, a tribute to the ingenuity and perseverance of the theatre's current
stage crew when one considers that vaudeville performances generally relied
upon backdrops, and modern scenery, staging and sound gear are now delivered in
a tractor trailer or two.
Yet much is
different. No longer a commercial concern for the benefit of a private
partnership, the Count Basie Theatre is now owned and operated by the Count
Basie Theatre, Inc., a nonprofit corporation formed solely to operate the
theatre for the benefit of the community. The Theatre presents primarily
"live" music, dance and theatrical performances, with occasional film
presentations, and a vibrant arts educational program offering workshops and
classes for all ages.
In an age of faceless
wireless communication, when you can watch movies or hundreds of channels of
television on your laptop or your cell phone, people still want and need to get
out of the house, go downtown, and be entertained by live performers in the
company of other people. Through war and peace, economic upturns and downturns,
good times and bad, the Count Basie Theatre has continued to fulfill that needs
and thrive.
This history of the Count Basie Theatre was written by Numa Saisselin
with significant research assistance by Ann Marie Keenan and additional
research by Amanda Leddin.
Recent Honors and Awards for the Count Basie Theatre
2012: Preservation Award: Monmouth County Historical Commission
2012: Best of NJ Jersey Choice: Best Music Venue
2011: Pollstar Magazine Top 100 Worldwide Theatres
2011: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Place to Listen to Jazz, Blues and Country
Music in
Monmouth County
2011: Red Bank RiverCenter’s
Visual Improvement Committee Award
2011: The Monmouth
County Planning Board Award Commending Renovation and Restoration
2010: NJ State
Council on the Arts Major Presenting Organization Designation
2010: Discover Jersey
Arts People’s Choice Award: Best Place to Take a Class in the Arts (Kids)
2010: Preservation NJ
Vision Award
2010: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Place to Listen to Live Music
2009: Pollstar
Magazine Top 100 Worldwide Theatres
2009: Listed on the
NJ State Register of Historic Places
2009: Listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
2009: NJ State
Council on the Arts Major Presenting Organization Designation
2009: Monmouth County
Historical Preservation Commission Award
2009: New Jersey
Historic Preservation Award
2008: Pollstar
Magazine Top 100 Worldwide Theatres
2008: NJ State
Council on the Arts Major Presenting Organization Designation
2008: Asbury
Park Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Comedy Venue
2008: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Community Theatre
2008: Monmouth County
Arts Council Community Champion of the Arts Award
2008: Red Bank
RiverCenter Special Improvement District Community Partner Award
2007: Contribute
Magazine Top 200 Investor-Worthy Charities
2007: Pollstar
Magazine Top 100 Worldwide Theatres
2007: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Community Theatre
2007: Eastern
Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce Spinnaker Award
2006: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Community Theatre
2006: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Place to Listen to Jazz/Blues
2006: Asbury Park
Press Shore Area Venue of the Year Award
2005: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Community Theatre
2001: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Community Theatre
2000: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Community Theatre
1998: Asbury Park
Press Readers’ Choice Award: Best Community Theatre
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