Six thousand, three hundred and forty-six performances have graced the stage at the Fox Theatre since its reopening in 1982, but what owner Mary Strauss remembers most is a helicopter being lowered from the ceiling during a performance of Miss Saigon.
“Oh, that was a fun one,” Strauss says with a laugh.
The Fox Theatre has been St. Louis’ venue for Broadway shows, concerts and performances and on September 7, the venue celebrated the 30th anniversary of its reopening. It’s been three decades since Leon and Mary Strauss purchased the dilapidated old theater and decided to restore it to the former glory of its opening day in 1929. A little over a year of restorations later, and the Fox re-opened its curtains for the first time, with the Broadway production Barnum.
“We made a conscious effort to restore, not renovate,” Strauss says.
The Fox of today stands true to the Fox of 1929, down to the carpet pattern, the chandeliers and the mural on the ceiling. Strauss said William Fox, the original owner of the theater, would be pleased with the theater in its current incarnation.
“You know what he would say? ‘My gosh, It looks like it always did,” Strauss said. “I think he would really be happy. I think it’s amazing, to really think about from 1929 … we have the same carpeting they had. I think he would be very pleased.”
William Fox would probably be more than just pleased with the Fox of today. Strauss has gone above and beyond just restoring the theater and has steadily been improving it for the past 18 years. The venue now enjoys a new air-conditioning and heating system, the addition of the Fox Club, and a new façade with LED lighting. The improvements, Strauss says, are her way of giving back to the 16.5 million people who have passed through the gilded doors of the theater.
“I think the Fox being the Fox, you walk in, and immediately it’s a special evening,” Strauss says. “It’s fun, it’s nostalgic. It’s definitely different. And everybody who walks in, smiles. You can’t not smile. It’s too eclectic, it’s too ostentatious. It’s big it’s bustling, it’s a very unique space.”
On Friday evening, September 7, the theater celebrated its 30th anniversary by hosting a performance of Traces, an acrobatic modern dance show. The show was an in-house celebration, with only employees, volunteers, and friends and family of the Fox Theatre in attendance. No tickets were sold; there was no one to sell them. The employees who usually work the shows were instead invited to attend as audience members. The performers received a standing ovation, after the conclusion of their first, and only performance at the Fox.
Strauss said the 30 years have gone by quickly.
“It seems like yesterday, and also like 100 years ago,” Strauss said of the reopening.
As fast as the past 30 years have been, Strauss said she looks forward to what the next 30 will have in store.
“I think what we really try to do is present the best of everything, something for everyone," she says. "We are going to continue to do that, to bring the best to St. Louis."
For more information, visit fabulousfox.com.
