By Sandy McKay
Bremerton’s Admiral Theatre will be 75 years old in 2017 and a $1 million fund-raising drive is underway to finance critical updates and repairs to the building.
Also included in this endeavor is the Youth Arts Education Program which is designed to help area schools with their arts curriculum. The Admiral Theatre Foundation reports that this program contains three enrichment opportunities for local children and families.
The “Stages for All Ages School Days Series” provides 10,000 local school kids with subsidized and free tickets to attend five educational interactive shows throughout the school year. “K-12 Ticket to Culture” provides local school, choir drama, music and stage tech programs and students with free and subsidized tickets for select live music and theatrical performances throughout the school year. And, every summer, an exciting two-week summer camp is offered. The camp includes musical theatre workshops in acting, dancing and voice taught by experienced artists with professional and academic backgrounds as performers, choreographers, directors and musicians.
The Admiral, which welcomes 50,000 patrons to 110 eclectic performances and community events every year, was built in 1942. Through the years it has hosted thousands of people, been the venue for watching countless movies, as well as innumerable entertainment groups and soloists.
The foundation proudly states that since 1997, the theatre’s art-deco architecture and design have been at the center of renaissance and reawakening of downtown Bremerton not witnessed since the end of World War II.
Over the years, the Admiral, originally to be named the Rivioli, has undergone many changes. It cost $250,000 to build in 1941; this pre-war construction included steel reinforcing throughout its walls. In June of that year, a “Name the Theatre” effort was launched prior to it’s completion. The Admiral won hands down; the theatre’s marquee construction was the last government-approved non-war use of sheet metal for the marquee because of war rationing.
The doors of Bremerton’s beautiful new addition opened on May 7, 1942, with a gala event and benefit for the Navy Relief Society. The first movie shown was Cecil B. DeMille’s southern saga “Reap the Wild Wind” starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard and Raymond Massey.
Several area residents remember the Admiral’s first days and nights.
Katie Anderson was 16 or 17 when she worked at the Admiral for approximately three years, first as an usher, then as a cashier; her hours were from 5 to 10 p.m.
“My friends would bring me food when I sold tickets, most often a hamburger from a local diner,” she said. “I would hide it in the ticket booth and take bites when no one was looking. It was the first time I was allowed to wear nail polish, which everyone commented on.”
She doesn’t remember any murals.
“In the 1940s the Admiral was decorated mostly in reds,” she said. “There was a large staircase that went up to the loge and the balcony area. The lobby was very elegant. There were no modern machines, and the popcorn was popped fresh. The candy sold in glass cases.”
Nona Lansberry recollected that the interior of the theatre was painted in different shades of blue. There were murals on both sides of the walls, with misty-looking clouds in long swirls, and sailing ships. The seats, she recalled, were comfortable, and the lobby carpet was so nice. The theatre was always filled with people. She also remembered that at one time three shifts of Navy Yard workers found it necessary to line up on 5th Street and on 6th in order to get into the building.
Frank Wetzel said that between features at the Admiral they would play “The Star-Spangled Banner” and that the movie-goers would stand and sing lustily as a big flag fluttered across the screen.
Thelma Gurske-Taylor remembered attending a lot of movies at the Admiral, but never worked there as an usher.
“When the Admiral was built it joined five other movie theatres in town, and there was enough business for all with the influx of people during World War II and the overwhelming demand for entertainment,” she said. “And going to the movies is what we did. The five other theatres were the Roxy and Tower on Fourth Street, and the Rialto and Rex on Second Street.
Jana Piering said that her mom, Shirlie Pellenz Dasho, had great memories of working at the Admiral.
“She would always say when we went to an event there, ‘We used to run up and down those stairs all night long.’ Mother would always comment on how, in the winter, they would let people who were waiting for the late movie in to the lounge area so they could get warm. Mom always said the theatre was always full and so much fun.”
Helen Boyer commented that she was in Bremerton, in the second grade through high school graduation in 1944…the war years. She remembered the grand opening.
The theatre marquee welcomed President Harry S. Truman to Bremerton on June 10, 1948 when he made his famous “Give ‘Em Hell Harry” speech across the street from the cinema. The local funeral parlor burned that fall, and frantic employees hurriedly found sanctuary for the caskets in the cool movie house.
In the 1980s, due to competition from suburban multiplex movie venues, the Admiral was converted into a triplex. With the change came yellow and brown acoustical tiles that replaced the pastel walls, a reduction of seats, and two new staircases leading to the upstairs cinemas were added. The balcony’s graceful curvature was equipped with steel-reinforced walls; black paint was added to that upstairs section.
The establishment was forced to close in 1989, despite attempts to be competitive. That same year ownership transferred to Olympia College’s Bremer Trust from the Estate of Edward Bremer.
Fifteen local business and community leaders later formed the non-profit Admiral Theatre Foundation; the group then renovated and operated the entertainment venue.
Thanks to a multi-tiered $4.2 million fund-raising campaign starting in 1990, the Foundation transformed the one-of-a-kind live-performance center into what it is today. The architecture and style inside and out is classic 1930s art deco, harkening back to the golden age of Hollywood movie theatre palaces. A whimsical underwater theme consisting of mermaids, fish, kelp and coral adorns the main auditorium.
According to the Foundation, the seating capacity for most shows is 822, 320 seats on the main floor—80 tables with four seats each—and 502 seats in the balcony. It is set up as a cabaret-style dinner theatre; patrons can enjoy a fine and casual dining menu, as well as classic movie theatre concessions.
The menu offerings include Caesar Salad; Tortellini Con Presto; Chicken Fingers with Fries; Tempura Cod and Chips; an Admiral Burger; a Chicken Sandwich Supreme; and Tuxedo Chocolate
Mousse Cake. One can also enjoy the side orders: Sweet Potato Fries; Onion Rings; or French Fries. Dipping sauces are also available: Remoulade, Zesty BBQ, Sweet Chili, and French Dressing,
Executive Chef Ted Ness has revolutionized the cabaret-style fine and casual dining service since joining the Admiral’s ranks last year. He apprenticed under Master French Chef Gerard Parrat at Gerard’s Relais de Lyon in Bothell, and has 18 years experience in the culinary field.
The concession stand items include the “all-American usual”: popcorn, candy, soft drinks, hotdogs, soft pretzels, and chips.
The 2014-2015 schedule of entertainers and events is impressive: The Admiral Theatre Gala on Friday, Sept. 19; The Hot Sardines on Saturday, Oct. 4; The Gene Krupa Orchestra on Friday, Oct. 24; The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday, Oct. 25; Leon Russell on Thursday Oct. 30; Tayla Lynn on Saturday, Nov. 1, followed by The Blues Brothers Review on Friday, Nov. 7. And that’s just the beginning; many more acts and much more entertainment are slated throughout next year.
In addition to the scheduled shows and educational events, the Foundation offers unique, affordable options for all kinds of public “happenings”, business conferences, meetings, weddings, receptions, anniversaries, reunions and proms. All one needs to do is get in touch with the organization for help and advice.
Members are Donna Gay Boyle; Peter Braun; Brian Buskirk; Liz Gross; Joan Hanten; Joanne Haselwood; Debbie Hill; and Rose Holdren. Staff members include directors Brian Johnson; Executive ; Chad Haight, Operations; Nate Murphy, Public Relations; Nita Hartley, Development; Tami Browning, Marketing; Terry Hoffman, Finance; Tim Hoffman, Technical; Trisha Gatch, Events and Rentals; and Tiffany Paulino, Box Office Manager.
