Orpheum Theatre, Memphis (must see)

The Orpheum Theatre is one of downtown Memphis’s great entertainment landmarks, located on South Main Street near Beale Street. Its story began in 1890, when the Grand Opera House opened on the site. It later became part of the Orpheum vaudeville circuit in 1907, but the original building was destroyed by fire in 1923. The present Orpheum opened in 1928 as a grand movie and vaudeville palace, complete with marble, gilding, chandeliers, decorative plasterwork, and a Wurlitzer organ.

For decades, it operated as the Malco Theatre, and by the 1970s its future was uncertain. A major turning point came in the mid-1970s, when restoration efforts helped return the building to its former 1928 splendor. In 1977, the Memphis Development Foundation purchased the theatre, restored the Orpheum name, and helped secure its place on the National Register of Historic Places. After further restoration, it reopened in 1984 with its historic character preserved and its stage facilities upgraded for modern productions.

Today, the Orpheum remains one of the “South’s Finest Theatres” and a major performing arts venue. Broadway shows, films, concerts, dance, opera, and community events are staged here regularly, with productions such as Cats, Mamma Mia!, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat among the many shows that have appeared on its stage. It has also served as a home venue for Ballet Memphis and Opera Memphis.

The richly decorated interior offers a glimpse of the golden age of American theatre-going. The building also has its share of ghost stories, including tales of Mary, a nine-year-old girl said to slam doors and flicker lights, and a mysterious masked figure reportedly seen waving from the air ducts.