The Greenwich Odeum Exudes Red Carpet Resilience

The storied theater celebrates 100 years of delighting audiences and thriving through patrons' changing tastes in entertainment and cinema.

3 hours ago

Edelinda Baptista,

The Odeum exterior.

The Greenwich Odeum first opened its doors in 1926 as the Greenwich Theater, hosting vaudeville entertainers and “picture shows.” Throughout the past century, the vintage theater on East Greenwich’s Main Street has closed its doors twice, each time managing to reinvent itself to suit modern-day theatergoers’ tastes.

Since reopening in 2013, the space has undergone a third rebirth of sorts, hosting comedians Vic DiBitetto and Paula Poundstone and artists and bands like Billy Gilman, Samara Joy, Adam Ezra Group and the tribute bands Almost Queen and Direct From Sweden: The Music of ABBA. The theater also screens classic movies like Casablanca as well as spine-chilling movie premieres like Sleepwalker.

Tower of Power at the Odeum.

The current board of directors swooped in to save the historic venue in 2013. The nonprofit consists of one part-time and two full-time employees plus volunteers, sound advice, security and bartenders for every show. Board members — including President Dan Speca and Vice President Steven Feinberg (yes, the same Steven Feinberg who lures movie makers to Rhode Island as head of the state’s TV & Film Office) — put their heart and soul into the theater, having faith that it had the potential to be what it is today.

“When they took it over, I think [Feinberg] paid for the electricity bill out of his own pocket, he believed in the mission of it all,” says Rachel Kinnevy-Fitzpatrick, the Greenwich Odeum’s general manager and manager of operations. She joined the team in 2018, when the Odeum featured about sixty-five shows a year. It now hosts more than 100 productions yearly, as well as a children’s camp and other community activities.

Bob Mould at the Odeum.

“We’re such a small, tight-knit group. We all match each other’s energy,” Kinnevy-Fitzpatrick says.

The Greenwich Odeum thrived after opening in 1926, the waning days of vaudeville’s prime. For years it hosted performances before becoming a full-time movie theater. That era ended in 1990, as cinemagoers flocked to multiplexes showing dozens of movies at a time.

Almost Queen at the Odeum.

In 1994, the Odeum reopened, establishing itself as one of the state’s premier performing arts venues. New fire codes established in the wake of the deadly Station nightclub fire, however, proved to be too costly, and the theater closed for a second time in 2007.

A Champlin Foundation grant and three years of construction led to its most recent reopening in 2013. The vaudeville theater now has 484 seats; 410 in the main level and seventy-four in the balcony. Camille Speca, wife of board chairman Dan Speca, donated her time and talent to renovate the swanky bar and lounge area.

Patrons at the bar.

The venue can also be rented out for everything from small, private affairs to large, elegant galas complete with a full bar and lounge, stage, projector and screen and theater seating.

The theater is currently trying to raise $140,000 to relight its grand marquee. Donations are accepted on the website. People interested in volunteering can also sign up online.

“I want people to walk in here and feel like they’re a part of the process,” says Kinnevy-Fitzpatrick. “As a patron, it’s important that every single person who walks through the door feels at home and welcomed.”

The Odeum stage.

To date, the Odeum’s quickest event to sell out was Peter Wolf and the Midnight Travelers. Led by the former lead singer of the J. Geils Band, the group performs at the Odeum on March 28. Tickets sold out in forty-five minutes. To Kinnevy-Fitzpatrick, this was a true win for the Odeum.

“Music, theater and art are a common ground for people to come together, where they can forget about all the pressing matters,” she says. “We get all walks of life with all different views, but everybody can connect with the arts. Art is where humanity lives.” 59 Main St., East Greenwich, 401-885-4000, greenwichodeum.com