If ever there was a building ripe with a colorful history, it is the Rialto Theatre in Tucson, AZ. Originally built in 1919 this building was a vaudeville live theater which has seen some of the most famous entertainers in the world both past and present within its walls. Ginger Rogers strut her stuff here as did famous ballerina Anna Pavlova.
The Rialto has seen quite a few transformations when it came to the type of venue it personified. From a vaudeville theater, it became a silent movie theater complete with an organ to provide the sound accompaniment. Then Paramount Pictures turned it into a regular movie theater once sound accompanied the movies.
Eventually this theater with the balconies and attractive staging area became a porn theater and even a theater that only hosted Spanish films. There were also various incidents that have added to the colorful history like the piano player who fell to his death as well as a boiler room explosion and a fire. A restoration process began in the late 1990's after sitting empty for almost a decade.
Today, when you are in the Tucson area, you can come to the Rialto Theatre to catch a number of live music groups in a variety of genres from big band to punk rock. Occasionally there will also be plays performed here as well as serve as hosts of film festivals. They do have a concession as well as a full bar so if you do attend an event here, you won't go hungry or get thirsty!
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