The Rialto Square Theatre - Joliet, IL - Live Stage Theaters on Waymarking.com

Making our way east-bound on Route 66 through Joliet, IL, we came across this gem of a theatre. The Jewel of Joliet as it's known, the Rialto Square Theatre is a former Vaudeville movie palace built during the "Golden Age" of movies.

Debuting on May 24, 1926, the Rialto was two years in the making at an approximate cost of one and a half million dollars. Originally conceived as a Palace For The People by the Rubens Brothers, the Rialto is now considered one of the most beautiful theatres in the nation. The building reflects Italian Renaissance, Byzantine,
Roman, Greek, Rococo, Venetian and Baroque architecture.

The Esplanade, or inner lobby, is designed after the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, France. The arch between the Esplanade and the Rotunda area has been carefully copied from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The elegant rotunda is surrounded by eighteen Corinthian-style columns and surmounted by a dome quite similar to the Pantheon in Rome.

There are over one hundred crystal chandeliers and light fixtures throughout the Rialto. All are Czechoslovakian crystal. Steuben glass, copper and bronze. Each piece of crystal was crafted by the Victor S. Perlman Company, in Chicago. The magnificent chandelier in the center of the Rotunda is called "The Duchess". It is one of the largest crystal chandeliers in the United States. It weighs over two and one half tons, is nearly twenty-two feet long and has approximately two hundred fifty lights.

Theater Name: The Rialto Square Theatre Country: USA Address: 15 E. Van Buren St. Joliet, IL USA 60432 Web Site: [Web Link] Venue: Private Theater Type of Productions: Entertainers who have performed at the Rialto include: Jerry Seinfeld, Reba McEntire, Andy Williams, Styx, Johnny Cash, Jewel, Liberace, Wayne Newton, Sara Evans, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, Carrot Top, Englebert Humperdink, Alice Cooper, Kenny Wayne, Shepherd, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Steven Wright, Ray Charles, Mitzi Gaynor, Victor Borge, Gin Blossoms, Rick Springfield, Colin Mochrie, Jo Dee Messina, BoDeans, Jonny Lang, Anne Murray, Kenny Rogers, Ted Nugent, Pat Benetar, George Thorogood, Barbara Mandrell, Bill Cosby, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Miller, Richard Lewis, Lyle Lovett, Weird Al Yankovic, Sinbad, Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White, Lonestar, BB King, James Brown, Buddy Guy, Olivia Newton-John, Lilly Tomlin, Robert Wagner, Jill St. John, Steve Lawrence, Eddie Gorme, Red Skelton, Lou Rawls, Bruce Hornsby, The Guess Who, and Jay Leno Theatre productions include: AIDA, The Nutcracker, RENT, Discover Theatre!, Late Night Catechism, Sideswipe, Cirque on Ice and many more... Restored Building: yes Date of Construction: OPENING DAY - May 24, 1926 Architect/Designer: C. W. and George L. Rapp Stage Type: Proscenium Special Productions/Events/Festivals: See their website @ http://www.rialtosquare.com/ Seating Capacity: Not Listed

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