The Logan Theatre reopening! Photos + Impressions.

I'll share a secret with you : I hate waiting. When my beloved Logan Theatre announced it would be closing for remodeling, my first thought was "Yes! Those terrible seats will finally be gone!" followed shortly by a feeling of dread. Would tickets jump too high? Would the feeling of my favorite spot in the city be lost? I don't know about most of you, but I loved the old Logan, terrible seats, sticky floors, and all. Yes, I focus the attention on this blog to dirty warehouses and basements that you might liken to the smell of the old Logan, but I felt like it was my theater. You could walk or stumble in any night of the week and get a decent spot to sit. I almost liked the game of finding that one decent seat in a row that didn't make you feel like you got the hell beat out of you when you left.



So began a brutal 6 months of waiting. Walking by, shaking my head every time. Cursing that blasted sign. Murmuring something about real-buttered popcorn in each passing. I'm happy to announce it's reopened, beautiful, and still reasonably priced. Tickets will cost you $7, $6.50 for students. It's a bigger jump than anyone wants, but let's be realistic. A night out here is still going to be much, much cheaper than a soulless trip to the other jumboplex. Matinees are even cheaper at $5.50! The concession stand is still inexpensive comparably, with the largest sized popcorn under the $4 mark...and yes, they kept the real buttered popcorn. Soda is even less. There's pretzels, too. Another inclusion is the addition of a full bar. I forgot to check drink prices.



As far as layout, the whole thing is beautifully done, and there are some MASSIVE changes. Marble walls, lighting, old remnants of the past like the movie reels and phone booths. They opened up a whole other room for the concession and bar area, including a multi-room lounge area. The place was packed, with every showing selling out, and there were still some seats in the lounge unfilled. This can only bode well for when the initial buzz wears off and it calms down a little. The concession area was jam-packed the whole time, probably due to the $1 popcorn and drink special. You really can't fault them on the long lines, due to the insane demand. It'll be rare that every showing sells out completely on a normal night of operation. Even so, with an absolutely jammed concession area, I was able to wander up to the bar and get the attention of a bartender within 10 seconds. Attentive, and friendly staff are going to go a long way here.

The rooms themselves are prettier, and I can safely say the seats are really comfortable. There's good spacing in rows, the sound and video was great, and the temperature remained cool, if not a bit chilly for a t-shirt. Not complaining on that one, it'll be welcome as it gets hotter.



I had my phone open, and was quickly shut down by theater staff, which I actually smiled and nodded at. Nobody wants to be that guy. The one minor gripe I had with the whole experience was the organization of lines for entry to each theater. Either it wasn't staggered well enough, or it was the sheer amount of people who just, really, don't know how to form a straight line, but it was kind of a mess in the general area. I wouldn't fret about it, it's likely to be a non issue on a normal business day.



That said, a stellar, enjoyable, and extremely eye-pleasing opening for a gem of the city. It was great to see The Goonies on the big screen.

Welcome back, old friend!