No Section

Let's do the 'Time Warp': Theater reborn

In a restored Art Deco theater in St. Paul's Dayton's Bluff neighborhood, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" will take to a stage used by theater troupes, ghosts and weddings.

By Anthony Lonetree

August 19, 2009 at 1:30AM

The refurbished Mounds Theatre on Hudson Road, on the East Side of St. Paul. The neighborhood theater, originally brick, was built in 1922. (Elliott Polk (Clickability Client Services) — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

From the Italians, Poles and Scandinavians who first settled the Mississippi River bluffs, to the Southeast Asian families who have made their homes there of late, St. Paul's East Side has seen waves of newcomers through the years.

Soon comes a self-proclaimed "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania."

Will his fans follow?

Screenings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," the midnight movie that brings with it audience performances that are part circus sideshow and part burlesque act, are moving from Minneapolis to the Mounds Theatre in St. Paul's Dayton's Bluff neighborhood this summer.

Fans who take fashion inspiration from Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the film's corseted transvestite, will be on a stage that spotlights Agatha Christie crime-solvers this weekend and, theater organizers hope, "A Christmas Story" with 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in December.

The "Rocky Horror" screenings begin June 7, and coincide with the five-year anniversary of the theater's renovation and reopening. An open house has been set for June 6.

Once envisioned as a neighborhood arts and cultural center with a special focus on children, the nonprofit theater has evolved into a home for more traditional onstage fare. Executive director Raeann Ruth said last week that the building can support itself, but the extra revenue that she had hoped could go to after-school programs hasn't materialized.

The theater, however, still is very much a part of its surrounding neighborhood, which potentially boisterous "Rocky Horror" moviegoers will have to keep in mind. In St. Paul, the cult movie, which traditionally plays at midnight, will begin playing at 11 p.m.

Liz Werner, a spokeswoman for Transvestite Soup, the group that provides the live action accompanying the film, said the group is excited: "We want people to enjoy the wacky experience of our show and respect the beautiful surroundings of the Mounds," she wrote in an e-mail.

Labor of love and ghostly haunt?

Seated at a table last week near the stage set for Agatha Christie's "The Hollow," Ruth shared stories of the Mounds Theatre's renewal with two of its volunteers: Greg Cosimini, a retired electrical engineer, and Fred Kaphingst, a retired St. Paul cop.

The theater is owned and operated by Portage for Youth, an after-school and summer enrichment program for kids, which Ruth also heads. She recalled how in 1999, during talks about where to house the youth initiative, she met with the theater's former owner, the late George Hardenbergh, who used the building to store his eclectic collections.

"I said, 'George, give me your theater,' " Ruth said. "And he gave me his theater."

In June 2003, a building that had been largely abandoned for 36 years finally reopened, after a lot of grant money and elbow grease restored it to its original Art Deco look. About $900,000 has been raised for the rehab effort, Ruth said.

In addition to the theatrical performances -- Starting Gate Productions is in its third year of its residency there -- the Mounds Theatre is available to rent for weddings and meetings. It also is auctioning two overnight stays this summer for people curious about the ghosts who allegedly haunt its projection room and its stage.

Of the ghost stories, Cosimini says: "I'm a skeptic."

Kaphingst? "I'm on the fence," he said.

"And I'm a believer," said Ruth.

The ghost stories made their way last month to the TV show "Jeopardy!"

The clue: "Ghosts of the Mounds Theatre in this 'Twin City' of Minneapolis are said to sit with the audience to watch shows."

The question: "What is St. Paul?"

To virtually no one's surprise, a contestant got it right, for $200, Ruth said.

Get your garters

For the past three years, theater financial records show revenue exceeding expenditures by $35,233 in 2005, but deficits during each of the past two years. Assets are valued around $850,000, as of Dec. 31, records show. Ruth is the theater's only paid staff member.

She is anxiously awaiting word on whether the theater again will have rights to stage "A Christmas Story," a production that has been so good for repeat business that some fans know when pictures on the set have been moved, Ruth said.

Cosimini noted, too, that the play is great for pulling in grandparents who'll spoil their grandchildren at the concession stand.

As for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," Ruth said it will run in St. Paul through September, with its next move to be determined.

Her son, Ruth said, was a "Rocky Horror" fanatic who would fill his truck with toilet paper to toss during Minneapolis screenings.

The Mounds Theatre is adopting many of the same restrictions as at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis, which last hosted the film/performance. Cosimini said that means it's OK to toss "rice, toilet paper, dry things," but no hot dogs.

"And just think," Kaphingst added, thinking ahead to the cleanup, "we won't have to buy toilet paper."

"We'll just re-wind," Cosimini joked.

Anthony Lonetree • 651-298-1545

about the writer

Anthony Lonetree

Reporter

Anthony Lonetree has been covering St. Paul Public Schools and general K-12 issues for the Star Tribune since 2012-13. He began work in the paper's St. Paul bureau in 1987 and was the City Hall reporter for five years before moving to various education, public safety and suburban beats.