Seems like there’s always something interesting or fun going on these days at the Beach Theatre. This funky little 70-year-old venue on St Pete Beach was purchased last year by Michael France (screenwriter of Fantastic Four and the criminally maligned The Punisher), who almost immediately began cooking up a slew of cool programming ideas and never looked back — unless of course you’re counting “1939 Day” (honoring the year the theater was built), an annual event that combines free showings of 1939 classics like The Wizard of Oz with 1939 prices on concession items. Other innovations have included James Bond marathons; periodic music series (often including live performances by local bands) featuring the likes of Monterey Pop, Bob Dylan Live at Newport and the underrated but amazing Wattstax; free monthly kids’ matinees of crowd pleasers like The Pink Panther, Gamera (Godzilla’s flying turtle associate) and films by Ray Harryhausen or the Three Stooges, midnight live-cast performances of The Rocky Horror Show, and much more. The Beach loves its big blockbuster popcorn flicks, too, but it mixes them up with artier projects like Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park or cult curiosities like The Big Lebowski, and does it all with a sense of humor, like the shark sandwiches served during Jaws. Beach Theatre, 315 Corey Ave., St Pete Beach, 727-360-6697, beach-theatre.com
This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2008.
