Quote:
Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark
There must be a photo of the suit of armour floating around somewhere... just have to find it!  |
There are a few images of the armour in Cynthia Henry's fascinating history of the theatre, published in 2000. They don't scan super-well but I've added a couple below.
According to Henry's introduction, the interior of the theatre was designed in the English Tudor style by Signor
Emmanuel Briffa, Famous Players' "internationally famous" staff artist, who designed a number of major theatres in the US and Canada between his arrival from Malta in 1924 and his death in 1955. Why he chose a Tudor theme is not explained.
Intriguingly, a Herald article from 31 October, 1931 says that "knights [plural] in armour stand guard at the arches..." but none of the pictures in the volume show more than one at a time.
Henry suggests that most of the theatre's appointments were stagecraft, although a period article suggests there are a number of "authentic" artifacts. It's unclear where the armour came from.
I have good memories of attending shows at the Capitol during my childhood. It was always a magical place and I was sad to see it close. The first movie I ever saw in a theatre was Mary Poppins at the Capitol in 1964, followed by The Sound of Music in 1965. These were the days of advance sales and reserved seats and I clearly recall our performance being postponed due to a blizzard. It was also a time when audiences stood for the national anthem before the show, there was a full-colour program (which I still have somewhere), and an intermission. In addition to movies, my parents also made a point to take us to see the hypnotist
Reveen whenever he played the Capitol.
Coinciding with the publication of Henry's book in 2000, the Martime Centre erected a small display of Capitol Theatre artifacts in a glass case on the food court level. It was still there when I last worked in the building in 2016 but I have no idea where the material has gone since. As I recall the suit of armour was there, along with a theatre seat, some signage, flags and other stuff.
In this photo, the knight is flanked by Flora Montgomery (left) and another, unidentified cast member from the opera "Scottish Landing" (no date given).
The black and white image was taken in September 1955 following renovations designed by Belgian artist Oscar Glas, who is quoted as saying "the Capitol is one of the most beautiful theatres he had ever seen in his extensive travels around the world."
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