Vogue Theatre
A bootlegging legend named Harry Reifel started building the Vogue Theatre in 1940. The following spring in April 1941, Vancouver residents bought tickets for 15 to 35 cents to participate in opening-day festivities. The day featured a performance by 23-year-old saxophonist Dal Richards leading a special 25-piece band for the occasion.
Dal Richards would continue a lifelong musical career, and his big-band orchestra is still active today, performing across the city.
The Vogue will always hold a special place in Dal’s heart, he says. The same is true for many more generations of Vancouver residents. The theatre continues to thrive as a hotspot for a wide range of live cultural events.
STORIES ABOUT THIS SIGN
Audio
Dal Richards said…
“The Vogue is a very beautiful theatre. And its neon sign has always been very artistic. Clearly the winner, I'd say, if there were a contest..."
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Jon-Paul Walden said…
“I had to dabble with the neon constantly. It was sort of my pet project. I love the effect it had turning it on at night…”
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Dal Richards wrote…
“Vaudeville needed a lot of room in those days when they had the vaudeville acts. The quarters backstage are cramped. Even the dressing rooms are..."
“The Vogue was built for vaudeville by the Reifel family. But it had problems because it was on Granville, and the rear was on the lane, and there was not enough depth there for a legitimate theatre stage.
It’s narrow. It’s good, it’s a fine presentation house, but vaudeville needed a lot of room in those days when they had the vaudeville acts. The quarters backstage are quite cramped. Even the dressing rooms are.
But now, the house is beautiful: new ceiling, new tapestries, new lighting. It’s quite elegant. And I’m glad to see it’s very busy now. There’s travelling acts playing there all the time at the Vogue.”
CLOSE FULL STORY— Dal Richards, saxophonist, big-band leader
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Mon 15 Jul 2013
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