page 4 kitsapweek Friday, April 11, 2014
Discovering Bremerton’s Admiral Theatre
Bainbridge islander finds a wealth of activity in Kitsap, no need to hop a ferry to Seattle By CHAD HAIGHT Special to Kitsap Week
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s we walked up a Bremerton sidewalk toward the Admiral Theatre recently, I turned to my wife Jacki and asked, “What if I were to tell you that we could reorient our entire nightlife experience to Bremerton?” We laughed at the thought as we walked into the 1940s renovated Admiral Theatre at Pacific Avenue and
Chad Haight Fifth Street in downtown Bremerton. And then we stopped laughing as we sat down at a beautifully set table with linen tablecloths, a stone’s throw away from the stage. We were there to see Doc Severinsen, the former band leader for “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” We were literally blown away! Not only was Doc still at full strength, but the entire experience was so unexpected at a venue
so near to where we live on Bainbridge Island. We, like most islanders, had always looked toward Seattle for arts and entertainment. There is no doubting the appeal of Broadway shows at The Paramount or 5th Avenue theaters. Seattle is highly regarded for its incredible theater scene. Major acts fill KeyArena and Century Link Field for concerts and major performances. But a night in Seattle has its price. Tickets are expensive. A performance at The 5th Avenue Theatre can take its toll; dinner, a show, ferry, and parking costs can easily exceed $400. A two-hour performance is padded with three hours of commute time and that late-night ride home saps every milligram of Vitamin E from your body. Recovery extends into the following day. It all sounded so easy when we first moved to Bainbridge, but the truth is that Seattle is not really that accessible. Islanders have seen an arts explosion closer to home. Bainbridge Performing Arts is now putting on first-rate theatrical performances right here where we live. Poulsbo’s Jewel Box Theatre stages theatrical productions, and Silverdale’s Central Stage
An audience enjoys dinner and a concert at the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton. Eric Morgensen Photography “How many times have you attended the Admiral Theatre?” I sheepishly confessed, “Never. I’ve driven by the theater a number of times during the day. I thought the theater was closed.” Amazingly, they hired me anyway. That’s when my discovery of this hidden treasure began. The Admiral Theatre originally opened as a movie theater in 1942. It flourished for many years, serving the people of Bremerton and the surrounding military communities for many years
until it closed in the 1989. Islander Ruth Enderle and the Bremerton Economic Redevelopment Council spearheaded a drive to renovate and reopen the theater in 1997. The Admiral Theatre was reorganized as a nonprofit entity, raising $4.2 million for the needed work. The City of Bremerton, which owns the building, spearheaded a downtown redevelopment effort. The theater is now run by Executive Director Brian Johnson and a supportive
is to grow a stronger Community Brothers Continued from page 1 Give. Advocate. Volunteer ’60s folk revival wave. As Please help us to the legend goes, the group United Way of Kitsap County began as a product of a Cultivate the Giver in You frat prank gone wrong. A OurCultivate Vision is to the growAdvocate a stronger Community rival fraternity member in You called the four folk musiGive. Advocate. Volunteer cians, pretending to be Cultivate the Volunteer in You from the Colony Club in Please help us to Seattle, and asked them to audition. The four fell for it Cultivate the Giver in You and showed up at the club WE CAN DO MORE UNITED THAN WE EVER CAN ALONE ready to dazzle the hiring Cultivate the Advocate in You manager. Despite their the Volunteersafety in You net grow stronger! unexpected presence, Join hands and helpCultivate the community
folk scene with their 1960 hit single “Greenfields,” which shot to No. 2 on the U.S. pop music charts and No. 1 in Norway. They followed their success through the ’60s with other singles such as “The Green Leaves of Summer,” and “Frogg,” among others. The group also wrote the theme song to the variety show “Hootenanny,” which aired from 1963-64. The Brothers Four remain active today, performing their own hits and folk favorites. With two of the original members, the group is celebrating their golden anniversary after five decades of performing folk music together.
Bicycle tour of Lopez Island Followed by lunch, music, beer garden Check our website for details www.lopezisland.com Our Vision
Theatre of County Kitsap (CSTOCK) has ramped up the quality of its performances. We are blessed with an art film theater at Lynwood Center. Just ask the folks at the Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council about the burgeoning arts scene on Bainbridge and in Kitsap County and you’ll find an often unrecognized plethora of opportunities nearby. Which leads this story back to the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton: It is one of Kitsap’s best-kept secrets. I recently interviewed with the Admiral for a position there. The first question asked of me was,
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they were allowed to audition anyway and ended up nabbing a few gigs as a result. They broke into the
See Admiral, Page 10