Lost Orpheum Theatres in Kansas City – Legends of America
Okay, Kansas City history buffs, let’s talk about a couple of theaters that have vanished into the mists of time: the Orpheum Theatres. Yep, you read that right, there were two of them!
The OG Orpheum (West 9th Street)
Picture this: It’s the late 1890s. Vaudeville is all the rage. The first Orpheum in KC popped up at West 9th and May Streets. Now, this building wasn’t originally the Orpheum. It started as H.D. Clark’s 9th Street Theatre, a pretty big deal with almost 2,000 seats.
But in 1898, the Orpheum Theatre and Realty Company swooped in and leased the place. Why? Well, the Orpheum Circuit was a big name in vaudeville.
The Orpheum Circuit: Vaudeville’s Powerhouse
This circuit was the brainchild of Gustav Walter, who had this vision of "high-class" entertainment – a step above the burlesque and variety shows that were common back then. He kicked things off with the Orpheum Opera House in San Francisco in 1887. It was a hit! People from all walks of life flocked to see the shows.
Walter later teamed up with Morris Meyerfeld, who handled the business side of things. Together, they expanded the Orpheum empire. In 1894, they leased the Grand Opera House in Los Angeles and opened another Orpheum, selling out tickets on day one.
So, what was so special about these Orpheum shows? Variety! You’d get a mix of everything: acrobats, jugglers, dancers, animal acts, singing duos, comedians, musicians, and of course, a big-name headliner to top it all off. Shows could have anywhere from seven to fifteen acts.
Kansas City Joins the Circuit
Walter and Meyerfeld kept growing, adding more theaters between the Midwest and the West Coast. And Kansas City? It was the perfect spot. It had good railroad connections, a booming economy, and a hungry audience.
Martin Lehman opened the doors to the Kansas City Orpheum on February 6, 1898. The goal? To show everyone that vaudeville was a sophisticated art form. And guess what? It was a smash hit, opening to a packed house.
In 1904, the Kansas City Journal-Post even called the Orpheum Theatre a "gold mine," predicting it would break all records that year.
A New Era: The Orpheum on Baltimore
The original Orpheum on 9th Street kept the good times rolling until 1914. That’s when a brand-new, super-fancy Orpheum opened at 1212 Baltimore, right next to the Muehlebach Hotel. This wasn’t just a theater; it was an experience.
They wanted it to feel like the Paris Opera House. The outside was covered in terra cotta, with carvings of art and music along the top.
Inside, the lobby was decked out with terra cotta and marble mosaics. The ladies’ lounge had everything: comfy chairs, writing desks, telephones, and even maid service! Silk curtains and fancy French carpets added to the luxury.
The auditorium itself had 2,220 seats and a huge domed roof painted blue with twinkling artificial stars. The seats were made of mahogany and covered in leather. There were also 22 dressing rooms for the performers and a big orchestra pit.
A Kansas City Landmark
The new Orpheum opened on December 26, 1914, and it was an instant hit. It became the place to be in Kansas City. Tickets ranged from a dime for the cheap seats in the balcony to 75 cents for a box seat. The city’s elite – business leaders, artists, and other important people – flocked to the shows. The Kansas City Club even reserved the entire sixth row every season!
As for the old Orpheum? It sat empty, falling into disrepair. Eventually, the H.D. Clark estate tore it down in 1922.
Vaudeville’s Last Hurrah (and a Bit of Scandal)
The period from the 1890s to the 1930s was the golden age of vaudeville. One of the more unique aspects of the Kansas City vaudeville scene was the popularity of female impersonators.
Even after Prohibition started in the 1920s, the tradition continued in nightclubs and cabarets, drawing huge crowds in cities like New York and Chicago.
After Prohibition was repealed in 1933, there was more oversight of alcohol consumption, and female impersonation disappeared from mainstream stages across the United States. Still, female impersonators were a staple of Kansas City’s entertainment scene until the late 1930s.
For 27 years, the Orpheum showcased some of the biggest stars of the day, including Will Rogers, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Fred Stone, Elsie Janis, Nora Bayes, Willie and Eugene Howard, and even the legendary Sarah Bernhardt.
The End of an Era
After vaudeville’s decline, the Orpheum became a regular theater in the 1930s and a movie house in the 1940s. In 1948, Fox Midwest Theatres took over. But on November 2, 1955, the curtain closed for good, with Clark Gable’s "The Tall Men" as its final showing.
In January 1956, the Trianon Hotel Company (which ran the Muehlebach Hotel next door) bought the Orpheum. The theater was torn down in 1961, and the Muehlebach Convention Center was built in its place.
So there you have it: the story of the two lost Orpheum Theatres of Kansas City. They were more than just buildings; they were symbols of a vibrant and exciting time in the city’s history.