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The newly renovated Zeiterion buzzed with excitement during two sold-out grand reopening performances on Saturday.
Between the two shows, more than 2,400 people took in the new gathering spaces and meticulously restored auditorium. They sipped drinks from the large new bars, accessed every level in the building for the first time using an extra-large new elevator, and enjoyed expanded, accessible bathrooms.
Project manager Jacob Robitaille spent 18 months helping to restore the Zeiterion to its current glory. Saturday was the first time he was able to share the new building with the wider public.
“When I walked in, I saw my dad and he was crying, so that’s a pretty good sign,” Robitaille said. “I’m excited to see the show and not run around working.”
Robitaille’s wife, Jennifer, and his daughter, Leah, also joined him for the opening performance.
Leah remembers when the building “was still dirt” and she could touch the ceiling from the painting scaffolding. Both had seen the hard work Robitaille and his team had put into the theater the past year and a half.
“To me that’s the best part of construction, seeing everyone enjoy what’s been built,” Jennifer said.
Sarah O’Leary and Andrew Springer were impressed by the experience of walking through the expanded lobby, which has roughly tripled in size after the renovation.
“It’s so open, it’s so inviting,” Springer said.
Later, he and O’Leary took in the new theater decor from the third row, not far from the seats they sponsored with plaques bearing the names of Springer’s parents. About 300 have been sold and the fundraiser will continue until each of the more than 1,200 seats are named.
Sue Mitchell, who has volunteered as an usher for 14 years, said her favorite parts of the “dazzling” new renovation were the restored ceiling and the new seats, sharing a message that many others repeated throughout the day.
“The seats are no longer an embarrassment!” she said.
The reopening of The Zeiterion presented Helen da Cunha with her first opportunity to attend a symphony concert.
“It’s incredible,” she said in Portuguese. “I even feel a little bit of goosebumps. The talent on that stage today is amazing.”
Elise Raposa, an analyst at MassInc who grew up performing at The Zeiterion as part of the New Bedford Ballet, said it was important to her to be here for its first performance post-renovation.
“It’s a moment in time that’s worth commemorating,” she said.
The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra opened the performance with the overture from “Candide.” Zeiterion Board Chair Frank Almeida surprised CEO Rosemary Gill onstage with an enormous, colorful bouquet.
“There was a huge team that worked on this renovation, but there was one leader,” he said.
The crowd gave a standing ovation.
It was the first time the New Bedford Festival Theatre and New Bedford Symphony Orchestra were back in their home theater in nearly two years.
More from the reopening (click for captions)
“It truly is a people’s palace,” said David Prentiss, CEO and president of the orchestra, in remarks to the audience.
The acts included solos from Rogers and Hammerstein musicals, and “gender-expansive” ballroom dances by duo J. Michael Winward and Holly Stone.
Comedian Dulce Sloan opened her set by heckling a xylophone player named Dylan in the orchestra.
“If we were on a date, what would you play to impress me?” Sloan asked.
“Honestly I would probably hide the fact that I’m a xylophone player,” Dylan replied.
The performances (click for captions)
After intermission, the show continued — New Bedford native and “nationally-known baritone” Philip Lima opened up Act II with African American spirituals, including “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
Lima was followed by more musical theater solos and another ballroom dance to Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” The performance concluded with an audience sing-along to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
Elizabeth Bettencourt, Molly Dupre, and Brooklyn Toli of the New Bedford Festival Theatre reflected on the grand scale of the reopening as they took a dinner break in the Zeiterion’s new rehearsal space between the matinee and evening show.
Dupre, who sang with the symphony orchestra, said she’s never sang with a full orchestra and doesn’t know if she’ll ever get to again. For most theater shows, the ensemble performs with fewer than 15 players.
Meanwhile, downstairs, cleaning crews swept through the space to freshen it up for the next crowd.
Luís Rivas, who works with Bristol County Commercial Cleaning, says he feels like he’s part of something bigger as he vacuumed the auditorium.
“It feels good to be working here,” he said in Spanish. “And helping the community too.”
Even as the sun went down, Purchase Street once again was bright and busy with folks walking to the theater for the evening show.
The extra foot traffic is a long-awaited boost for downtown businesses — the theater says it has a $10 million impact on the local economy each year and expects that to increase following the renovation.
Nancy and Steven Demmer went to Moby Dick Brewing before coming to the theater for the evening show, where they enjoyed a drink in the absolutely packed second floor lounge. They said they were happy to support a local downtown business, and excited that the renovation brought back an important gathering space for the city.
Nicole Merusi, the Zeiterion’s vice president for strategic advancement, finally got to sit back and enjoy the show after many months of work. She watched theatergoers stream out of the auditorium at the end of the matinee.
“It feels amazing,” she said. “The sigh of relief is finally coming out.”