Unfortunately, it is easy to overlook the Somerville Theatre as a venue for live music. Nestled between the Davis Square T stop and Mr. Crepe, the Somerville Theatre is often erroneously thought of as nothing more than a second-run movie theatre.
The Somerville Theatre has a long and storied history reaching back nearly a century. Originally built in 1914 as a dance hall, bowling alley, billiards hall, theatre and series of storefronts and cafes, the Somerville Theatre was entertaining local residents long before second-run movies even existed.
Through 1932, the Somerville Theatre had a theatre company that performed weekly shows, often hosting special guests like actress Tallulah Bankhead and guest directors such as Busby Berkeley. In that year, however, the Great Depression took its toll and caused the Viano family, who were the second owners of the Somerville Theatre and who owned many other Boston movie theatres, to institute a "movies-only" policy that lasted until the '80s.
During this time, the theatre underwent many changes, becoming a repertory theatre much like the current Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, playing double features and offbeat fare, and fell into disrepair. In 1996, the theatre was closed for major renovations, and later in the decade reopened with five screens and completely revamped and renovated facilities.
While operating mainly as a movie house, the main theatre often hosts live musical performances. The other theatres are smaller, with seating capacities between 116 and 190 people, and are only equipped for showing films. The main theatre has a capacity of 899, divided between an orchestra section and a balcony, and its main screen, which stretches 28 feet wide by 16 feet high, can be retracted to make use of the stage.
The Somerville Theatre is a seated venue, meaning that audience members won't be pushing up against the stage, vying to get close in the hopes of touching the performers and getting right up in the action. This can be disconcerting at rock shows, but the theatre's managers have accounted for this and book mostly tamer acts, although this strategy doesn't always work. At a performance by Fleet Foxes late last year, lead singer Robin Pecknold urged audience members to stand up in front of their seats so as to enjoy the show to the fullest extent.
The seats in the orchestra section were put in during the renovation that took place in the '90s, but those on the balcony are the originals, and the theatre warns that audience members taller than 5-foot-9 might not be comfortable in those seats.
The building itself is a beautiful space. Although it was recently renovated and retrofitted with all of the modern accoutrements, including modern sound and lighting equipment and a fresh coat of paint, the owners have remained faithful to the original design. Art Deco influence is everywhere. The ceiling of the theatre and the stage's framing arch are highly ornate and aesthetically pleasing. Despite the fact that audience members' eyes will mainly be focused on the performers on stage, it is a pleasant change to see a performance space that looks as good as it sounds.
In addition to being easy on the eyes, the Somerville Theatre is extremely easy on the ears. The acoustics are impressive, especially considering the age and size of the theatre. A 900-person seated venue split into two levels involves a large amount of open space in which music could get muddled and lost, but luckily, every seat is more than within earshot of a band, even if the performer chooses to go unplugged, forgoing the theatre's modern sound system.
In stark contrast to the beauty of the theatre space, the Somerville Theatre is also home to The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA), a small gallery in the basement of the theatre to which guests get admission with the purchase of a ticket. The gallery displays works of art — the word "art" used in its loosest sense here — that have been deemed "bad." The gallery is something of a joke, but it is a nice added bonus and something fun to do while waiting for a show to begin.
In recent years, the Somerville Theatre has been stepping its game up, as bigger-name acts and newer films have been attracting larger audiences. Seeing a concert in a space like the Somerville Theatre is much different than seeing one in a small, cramped club. The music has a chance to flow and drift and reverberate before finally reaching eagerly waiting ears, and the relaxed atmosphere lets audiences really appreciate the sounds.
Upcoming performances at the Somerville Theatre include M. Ward, Ben Kweller, The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice, and Vienna Teng. Tickets can be purchased at the theatre's box office or online. In addition to purchasing tickets, patrons can sign up to be ushers at concerts for free admission.
