San Juan Capistrano’s Regency Theatre, once an Edward’s, reopened with flare and a V.I.P. gala party on Wednesday evening. 5.5.10 after sitting dark for 10-years. Wednesday evening’s opening was a bit of a historic moment for a historic town. Over 175 invitation-only VIPs attended the grand opening, including city employees, Chamber of Commerce members, area business owners, team members that worked on and helped bring this project to fruition and representatives from major studios. The official Grand Opening of the Theatre is today, 5.7.10 when they will run Ironman 2 in theatre 1 and in the VIP theatre and the Back-Up Plan and Oceans in the other two theatres.
The lines formed outside the new Regency theater as guests were signed in with wristbands for the evening’s agenda, including samplings from Rick’s Café Americain, music, and a viewing of Casablanca, while waiting for the Train from Hollywood to arrive with some special studio guests to come down the red carpet and for the program to begin, as horses clopped up and down Verdugo St., less than 400 feet from Orange County’s only Spanish Mission. "It’s really the most positive thing to happen to downtown in 20 years," said downtown property owner Eric Altman.
Cross Creek Cowboys Waiting to Greet Train Guests & Local Junipero Serra HS Cheerleaders
The event had a real San Juan Capistrano feel: the old mixed with the new; cowboys and horses along with Hollywood execs; 95- yr-old Mrs. Edwards cutting the ribbon made out of film; state of the art digital projector but opening with Casablanca in black and white, and a mix of the community including the padre from the mission, Regency’s Lyndon Golin and Franciscan Plaza’s Alberto Mobrici dressed in white tuxes, cheerleaders, the Cross Creek Cowboys in full regalia and people dressed anywhere from California casual to their black tie best.
After a blessing of the theatre by the Padre and a quick introduction from a Hollywood friend of Golan’s the SJC Mayor, Lon Uso, said a few words, including relaying a story of Alberto Mobrici calling him at home one weekend, early on, insisting that the project was over. Then Regency owner, Lyndon Golin, who was visibly pleased with his new theatre, offered up a short but effectual speech including gratitude to the man upstairs, to everyone involved on this project, and to his wife for saying okay when he told her that he was leasing a torn up theatre missing a few walls… and then finished with some tidbits and a few quips. “The end product was worth the wait”, Golin said. "It was sort of a dream to execute a project like this," he added. "A place where I can watch a movie, have a drink and smoke a cigar."
Photo 1 Mayor Uso & Franciscan Plaza Owners Fabio Russo and Alberto Mobrici, and Photos 2 & 3 a hand for Project Architect Tim Algier
95-yr-old Mrs Edwards Cutting Film Ribbon & Presentation of Special Tile
Golin said city planners "jumped through hoops" to make the approval process run smoothly and thanked them by name as well as thanking his project architect, Tim Algier, for his creativity and perseverance, Fabrio Russo and Alberto Mobrici, owners of the Franciscan Plaza, for a job well done and everyone else who put so much effort into this project.
San Juan Capistrano’s 50-seat VIP auditorium upstairs and Rick’s Café offers a full waiter staff and beer & wine bar. Movie-goers can enjoy a meal while watching a movie. VIP seating is $16.50. Add $1 for VIP reserved seats. (Check Regency’s home page below for additional prices.)
The theater, themed after the 1942 movie" Casablanca," sports eight Moroccan lanterns in the foyer; Moroccan archways line the walls with purple and gold fringed fabric. Humphrey Bogart gazes at guests from a blown-up photo in Rick’s Cafe, from the movie. "Casablanca" will play continuously on a television inside the cafe, theater spokesman Ron Chan said.
International Chef Bernard Frehner created Rick’s menu. Among items are appetizers ($6 to $12– rainbow spuds with three dips, smokey sweet onion straws, calamari rings and more), sandwiches and burgers ($11 to $15, including an ostrich burger), salads ($11), specialties ($9 to $15 from pizza to halibut) and desserts ($6 cheese cake, chocolate dipped strawberries and more). Opening Night Guests sampled Bernard’s fare as trays of goodies and appetizers were hand passed, along with an open bar, up until movie time, for which there was popcorn and then coffee for the road.
Everyone left the event looking forward to their next visit, mumbling, “Here’s looking at you kid” and “Play it again Sam” And here’s looking at you Golin for the opportunity for the little theatre in San Juan to “Play it again…”
By Marion Algier – Photos by the UCLA Shutterbug
The Capistrano Insider came across a an old cartoon that features the swallows returning to the mission: Swallow the Leader. They suggested that maybe the new Regency theater might add it to their screen next March, when the Swallows make their yearly return again…
Regency Brings Movies Back to San Juan Capistrano
Morocco and Hollywood Coming to Old San Juan??
New Cinema Signals Change for Downtown San Juan
San Juan Cinema Reopens Friday with ‘Iron Man 2’
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