The Ziegfeld Experience
After reading the list of Oscar nominees, I thought I’d put in a quick plug for what has to be THE best experience in theatergoing a film lover can have in New York City: The Ziegfeld Theatre.
Seriously. It rocks.
Typically, the Ziegfeld plays host to “big” films (most recently, it’s been home to “Dreamgirls”) and the general audience with which I’ve seen movies there (about 6 or so in my 5 years living in the city) have been enthusiastic fans.
There was something present when seeing Yoda and Count Dooku battle, or when Jennifer Hudson belted out her showstopping “And I Am Telling You” or when Catherine Zeta Jones stomped out onstage with “All That Jazz” that I’ve never seen repeated in a regular theatre.
A little short history of the Ziegfeld - it is not the original Ziegfeld Theater as built by Follies producer Florenz Ziegfeld, but rather a movie house dedicated in his name and erected in the 60s. The original site of the Ziegfeld theatre is a bit down the street and is now an office building and parking complex. The current owners of the Ziegfeld are Clearview Cinemas.
Check out its listing on Cinema Treasures for a bit more detail…and definitely see a film there. It’s truly one of the last cinematic “experiences” to be had in the country.
(Ziegfeld Theater photo courtesy of Patrick Crowley)
Related posts:
The Ziegfield is awesome.. they have one of (if not THE) largest screens in the city. great for action films.