Restored Granada takes a bow

 

A new version of the venerable Granada Theatre — restored, updated and renamed simply The Granada — opened its elegant doors March 6.

Some 1,500 Santa Barbara theater lovers put on their best finery and turned out for a gala evening of champagne and fine arts. Lots of other Santa Barbara folk turned out to watch them.

 

The 1200-block of State Street was closed to traffic, except for several antique automobiles at the theater entrance.

A platform on the sidewalk displayed a handsome grand piano on which, beginning at 5:30 p.m., Gil Rosas played vintage tunes, including the old ballad “Granada.” Women in shades-of-pink flapper attire danced in front of the entry doors.

The crowd of theater-goers began to form a chatty line before entry was permitted. Most of the women wore long evening dresses, and many of the men were in black-tie attire.

There were numerous fur wraps, and quite a lot of handsome jewelry — real, not costume.

 

As the dressy crowd waited for the doors to open, one of Santa Barbara’s ubiquitous homeless stormed past, spouting epithets as he pulled a battered suitcase on rollers.

At 6:30 p.m., the doors opened and the orderly line began to shuffle inside. Those holding Gold and Silver tickets were served champagne and hors d’oeuvres in the grand foyer. Patrons and sponsors were guided to the Patrons Lounge on the second floor.

Those holding Bronze tickets were ushered to their seats, which are larger and more comfortable than the ones in the old Granada. There was noticeably more legroom, as well.

 

Among the notable upgrades were larger restrooms with better lighting, also an improvement over the small and crowded ones of yore.

The expanded bars were well-patronized, both before the performance and during the intermission.

In keeping with the upscale improvements, the celebratory program was laden with top-notch performers. Santa Barbara consistently attracts the crème of the artistic crop, and this evening was an embarrassment of the usual riches.

Opera singer Denyce Graves served as master of ceremonies in a bespangled white evening gown. The program opened with the Santa Barbara Symphony, conducted by Nir Kabaretti, playing a sparkling rendition of “Capriccio Espagnol” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Kabaretti, new this year as lead conductor of the Symphony, has seemed rather undemonstrative, but on this podium he almost danced.

The entire program had a Spanish theme, and the roster of artists included pianist Warren Jones, violinist Nina Bodnar, the Santa Barbara Choral Society, Flamenco Ballet with Pablo Pizano, dancers from the Santa Barbara Ballet and singers from Opera Santa Barbara.

 

Pianist Jones, playing a recently purchased Steinway, performed “The Young Girl and the Nightingale” by Enrique Granados. He joked a bit about the new piano in his down-home way, but once he began to play his inner, ethereal musician took over.

The audience cheered him wildly at the end of the piece.

The Choral Society delivered selections from its forthcoming performance piece, “Carmina Burana” by Carl Orff. Again, the audience responded enthusiastically to the music, from the moment the chorale sang the opening phrase, “O Fortuna.”

State Street Ballet and Opera Santa Barbara joined forces to present the dance company’s popular version of “Carmen” interwoven with arias from the opera’s forthcoming performance of Georges Bizet’s opera of the same name.

And to the last, the audience cheered.