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| In 1925, Red Bank New Jersey was home to many theatres, including the Strand, Palace, Empire and Lyric. In the same year, the Red Bank Register reported that Joseph Oschwald of Little Silver and Joseph Stern of Newark planned to build a theatre on Monmouth Street. |
 Courtesy of Regina Paleau, Count Basie Theatre |
| With a projected opening in April 1, 1926, the capacity of the new theatre would be about 2,000 people and be equipped for moving pictures, vaudeville and plays. The noted theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb drew the plans for a white terra cotta theatre, with an interior finished in Gold and Red. The projected construction cost was $300,000 to $500,000. |
 Courtesy of Regina Paleau, Count Basie Theatre
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After construction plans changed drastically over the ensuing months, a new architect, William E. Lehman of Newark, took over. Ground was broken on December 9, 1925.By the following October, the opening was already six months late. |
| Mr. M.H. Jacks was formally named as the new theatre's manager, and construction was projected to be finished by November 1. Opening Night, on November 11, 1926 was an opulent affair. The newly named “Carlton Theater” played host to many prominent persons such as E.F. Albee, Nicholas Schenck, Adolph Zukor, Hiram Abrams, B.S. Moss, A.O. Erlanger, A.H. Woods, Joseph Denahy, as well as several mayors from surrounding towns. The opening night attractions, attended by almost 4,000 people, included a Vaudeville act, the feature film "The Quarterback," as well as music by a ten-piece orchestra. The Carlton Theatre was one of the hubs of Red Bank nightlife activity for the next half century. It outlasted all of its contemporaries, including the Strand, Palace, Empire and Lyric Theatres. By 1970, although the theatre was in operation for decades, suburban sprawl eventually drove people out of the downtown area, and the theatre went dark.In 1973, the Monmouth County Arts Council was able to acquire & preserve the building due to a large donation. For a time, it was renamed the Monmouth Arts Center, but in 1984 it was renamed Count Basie Theatre, in honor of the jazz pianist, composer and bandleader William "Count" Basie (1904-1984). |
On June 30, 1999 the Count Basie Theatre, Inc. was established as an independent nonprofit corporation to maintain ownership of and to manage and preserve the theatre.Today visitors to Red Bank can enjoy live performances in the theatre that looks largely as it did in 1926. The original Act Curtain is still in use, and stage scenery is still loaded in via a ten-foot wide strip of land off of Pearl Street. Today's schedule is largely comprised of concerts by top acts, dance and plays. Due to the restoration of the projection equipment, Count Basie Theatre proudly hosts the Red Bank Film Fest, as well as screenings of sneak previews and films.
Make Count Basie Theatre a part of your next visit to Red Bank – and step back to a time when a night at the theatre was both exciting and glamorous!
Count Basie Theatre
99 Monmouth Street
Red Bank, NJ
732-842-9000 |
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