The show can finally go on.
The Landmark Theatre will reopen this week for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic shut it down 19 months ago, sparking the return of live theater to the historic Syracuse venue.
The curtain will go up on Tuesday night for Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Cast and crew members have been rehearsing musical numbers like “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket” and “Pure Imagination” at the Landmark for over a week now in preparation for the launch of the national tour.
The upcoming season of Broadway performances includes Waitress, Cats and the much-anticipated local debut of Hamilton.
Mike Intaglietta, the executive director for the Landmark Theatre, said closing the venue’s doors for a year and a half was more than just a financial strain. Footing the bill to implement COVID-19 safety protocols is an additional complication.
“We spent a lot of the hiatus preparing the theater for reopening from a heating ventilation and air conditioning standpoint,” Intaglietta said. “This was a project that all told was in the upper tens of thousands of dollars. It’s quite a considerable layout of expense.”
Some of the changes include upgrades to the theater’s air changeovers, fresh air intake, and filters. They will also have hand sanitizing stations and individual room air purifiers donated by Healthway.
The theater reduced their staff to a “skeleton crew” for most of the shutdown, Intaglietta said, making the reopening of the theater emotional. The staff has quickly gotten back on their feet.
Intaglietta said it’s “like riding a bike.”
“Everyone who comes here does it because we want to be in the live event business, not because we wanted to be in the ‘waiting for a year and a half to reopen’ business,” Intaglietta said.
Gina Daugherty is a swing and a dance captain for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a co-founder of the Skyline Dance Workshop in Syracuse. This is Daugherty’s first time in a production since the pandemic began.
“It feels surreal to be back on a stage,” Daugherty wrote in an email. “The Landmark Theatre and the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory team have made the entire cast feel extremely safe performing and have implemented many safety measures to keep the cast and audience safe.”
The theater’s status as a registered historic landmark influenced its $2.4 million renovations, which are still ongoing.
“We’re never done,” Intaglietta said. “We have some necessary infrastructure improvements to do. The facade of the building, the roof of the building. We would very much like to be able to complete the restoration of the auditorium, which has never been professionally restored, before we turn 100 years old in 2028.”
The renovations include the replacement of the notoriously uncomfortable original theater seats. The decorative aisle ends for the seats were kept but given a new paint job. The theater also has new seating areas for people with disabilities, added handrails in the balcony section, and made improvements to the HVAC system.
The theater will also have a new marquee, which hasn’t been finished yet. Intaglietta said they don’t know yet when it will be unveiled.
The national tours coming to Syracuse will also be spending additional weeks rehearsing here before moving on to other cities. Their stay is giving the local economy a $10 million dollar boost. Five out of the six shows in the Broadway in Syracuse 2021-2022 season will be held at the Landmark Theatre.
Intaglietta said enforcement of COVID-19 safety protocols will be an additional challenge.
“Having a policy is great, but of course once you have 8,000 plus people coming to the show, there’s 8,000 plus individual scenarios that need to be addressed,” Intaglietta said. “And we’re all doing this for the first time.”
Show details
What: Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
When: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday
Where: Landmark Theatre, Syracuse
Tickets: $30 to $70, available online at Ticketmaster.com.
For more information: Visit broadwayinsyracuse.com
Covid protocols and procedures
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opens Oct. 12 and will be operating at full capacity. Masks are required inside the theater. For admission to the theater, attendees that are 12 and over are required to bring proof of at least one dose of vaccination against COVID-19 or results of a negative PCR or antigen COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours from the performance.
Vaccination requirements will change in November at the theater, which will require a fully completed series of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Landmark will have staff available from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday to pre-check credentials for that evening’s performance in the Salina Street vestibule. Patrons are asked to bring one of the following: physical vaccination card, New York Excelsior Pass, vaccine proof from outside New York State, or negative PCR or antigen test result from within the previous 72 hours.
City Testing Centers at 116 W. Jefferson St. will have rapid COVID-19 testing for free on performance days until one hour before curtain time.
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