PAST IS PRESENT A Mary Pickford silent film with live piano accompaniment. Jugglers and jesters and dancers taking the stage. Ushers in Edwardian attire. In every possible way, the Regent Theatre on Sunday, April 24, will evoke an evening at the theater as it might have been 100 years ago. But not just any evening from 100 years ago — April 24, 1916, to be specific. The night that the Regent Theatre opened its doors in Arlington to the public for the very first time.
“We knew the theater’s opening was in 1916 but we had never actually pinpointed the date before,’’ said Leland Stein, co-owner of the Regent. Then last summer, Stein sent an intern to do some research at the Arlington library. The intern came up with the original newspaper advertisement for the opening of the theater and an accompanying article, both of which gave the date.
“When I saw the ad and the article, and discovered that the silent film at the grand opening was a Mary Pickford film called ‘Rags,’ I started thinking about how we might recreate the opening night for our centennial,’’ Stein said. Obtaining a digitized version of the Pickford film was one step; finding a pianist to accompany the film with live music was another challenge. “Then we started contacting people to put together a kind of vaudeville show.’’
The program for Sunday includes Alex the Jester, a burlesque dancer, jugglers, an acrobat, tap dancing, a Groucho Marx musical reenactment, and a Houdini-style magician. Staff at the Regent Theatre will be dressed in period costumes, and guests are encouraged to do the same.
Celebrating one hundred years in business is worth making a big fuss over, Stein and his business partner Richard Stavros point out, since very few theaters have managed the same feat of longevity. Stein attributes the Regent’s success to its varied programming, which not only combines films with live performances but also incorporates charity events and private functions for extra revenue. It was even once the setting for a funeral.
“It’s nice that we are a survival story rather than being one of the many theaters that didn’t make it beyond the turn of the millennium,’’ Stein reflected. “None of us is getting rich off of this theater, but people thank us all the time for being here — audience members and performers alike.’’
The party begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $19.16 and $45 for reserved orchestra and balcony seats and $100 for benefactor seating, which includes preferred, front orchestra seating along with a pre-show reception.
The theater is at 7 Medford St., Arlington. For tickets and more information, call 781-646-4849 or go to www.regenttheatre.com.
MUSIC FOR A CAUSE The Boston Minstrel Company, a volunteer group that helps populations such as the homeless, veterans, inmates, and the elderly through monthly interactive songfests, celebrates its 25th anniversary with a performance by the Soul City Band, dinner, dancing, and special guests on Saturday, April 23, beginning at 6 p.m. at the American Legion Post 440, at 295 California St., Newton. Tickets are $95. For tickets and more information, go to www.bostonminstrel.org.
SPRING CLASSES Fruitlands Museum in Harvard opens its new season with a full schedule of exhibitions, events, and programs including a Zentangle Workshop on Wednesday, April 20, from 7 to 9 p.m. ($25 members, $35 nonmembers) and a series of weekly candlelight yoga classes on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. beginning April 21 ($85 members, $100 nonmembers). Programs beginning later in the spring include meditation and memoir writing.
For more information on classes and other museum offerings, call 978-456-3924, ext. 239, or go to www.fruitlands.org. Fruitlands Museum is at 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard.
GUITAR INNOVATION The Second Shift Music Series at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation continues Thursday, April 21, with a performance by the experimental guitarist Tom Carter. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the show begins at 7.
The museum is at 154 Moody St., Waltham. Tickets are $20 (or $30 including beer and wine) and may be purchased by calling 781-893-5410 or going to www.charlesrivermuseum.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW Three Stones Gallery in West Concord is holding its spring photography show through May 10, featuring the work of Jennifer Montgomery Johnston, Bill Claybrook, John Kennard, and Stefan Hagen, four professional photographers who have dedicated their lives to their craft and who have more than 100 years of experience among them.
Three Stones Gallery is at 115 Commonwealth Ave., West Concord. For hours and more information, go to www.threestonesgallery.com or call 978-254-5932.
ALL ABOUT CONCUSSIONS Dr. Robert Cantu, an authority on brain trauma and concussions in sports, will speak on “What you should know about concussions, especially in our youth’’ at Gleason Public Library, 22 Bedford Road, Carlisle, on Wednesday, April 20, at 7 p.m. The subjects to be covered include symptoms of concussions and post-concussion syndrome; epidemiology of concussion including mortality/morbidity statistics; chronic traumatic encephalopathy; complications of mismanagement of concussion; and criteria for resuming activity.
Admission is free, but seat reservations can be made by calling 978-369-4898 or going to www.gleasonlibrary.org.
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