S.F.’s Castro Theatre reopens after $41M renovation

Two years and a day after the Castro Theatre shut down for a $41 million renovation, organ music once again filled the 1922 entertainment palace, and David Hegarty rose out of the stage floor just as he has for much of the past half century.

It was as if nothing had changed about the historic Castro district landmark. Except that nearly everything has.

The reopening of what is now known simply as the Castro began Friday, Feb. 6, with a ribbon cutting attended by Mayor Daniel Lurie, Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman and State Senator Scott Wiener, followed by a party on the mezzanine.

Soon, the more than 1,000 people lined up around the block filed in to get a first glance at a mostly spectacular renovation of the Timothy Pflueger-designed building.

The reopening program, a benefit for the Castro’s Community Benefit District, was hosted by drag entertainers Dirty Carol and Sister Roma — with a guest appearance by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — and leaned into the venue’s importance to the LGBTQ+ community. It was capped by a 35mm screening of the 1994 Australian drag-themed cult classic “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”

“This is such a great day for the Castro,” Wiener said on stage. “It is a community that constantly changes and stays connected to its roots and its spirit. And that is the spirit that today, in particular with everything happening, is so important. A spirit where we embrace everyone and where no one is illegal.”

The event was an early test of the Castro’s new removable seating, the center of a contentious controversy that has dogged the theater since Berkeley-based Another Planet Entertainment took over operations in early 2022 and announced its renovation plans.

In order to make the historic venue profitable, the concert promotion company contended that the raked floor needed to be flattened and the permanent seats removed to facilitate concerts. A series of motorized risers with removable seating could be configured for movie screenings.

The plans, backed by the Nasser family, which has owned the theater since its opening nearly 104 years ago, created strong opposition from some segments of the community. After nearly two years of controversy, City Hall finally approved those plans. The theater closed for renovation after a Feb. 4, 2024, screening of the 1982 LGBTQ+ classic “Victor/Victoria.”

“It was hard fought and I definitely had sympathies for people on all sides of the argument about what should happen to the theater,” Mandelman told the Chronicle. “Ultimately I sided with the people who felt like the project needed to go forward because there was not another real alternative. I think we have to keep our eye on the building and make sure that we hold true to the promises that were made around film (screenings) and around queer representation.

“I think it’s off to a good start.”

The removable seats number about 650, making for an 1,150-seat capacity for movies, down from about 1,400 (the capacity for concerts remains at 1,400). There is also plenty of space for ADA seating, a dramatic improvement from the old configuration.

The new seats themselves are mostly comfortable, and the sightlines are good, though the padding is a bit stiff, the cupholders are on the low side and the rows are too close together. Castro purists likely will never get used to them, and they would be advised to sit in the balcony, which remains unchanged. The 500 cast-iron framed seats are still there.

The first test of the concert floor arrives Tuesday, Feb. 10, when British singer songwriter Sam Smith begins a sold-out, 20-date residency.

Much of the rest of the renovation is eye-popping. The restored ceiling and artwork on the walls — original to its 1922 design — look beautiful and brand-new. For the first time in decades, the original theatrical proscenium arch and show curtain are visible.

Bathrooms are new and larger, and the two concession stands are movable.

Behind the scenes, there are three new green rooms for performers backstage, and many other upgrades, including all-new electrical wiring. Some of the old wiring, according to Another Planet Senior Vice President Mary Conde, dated back to the theater’s 1922 origins.

“We would go back to photographs from what we call the ‘period of significance’ so that the building is true to that period,” Elisa Hernández Skaggs, the preservation architect for the renovation for architecture firm Page & Turnbull, told the Chronicle. “In the case of this building, the period of significance is through 1937. We go to that level of detail to make sure that the restoration work is responsible.”

A major new addition is Hegarty’s instrument. He has been the theater’s organist since 1978, and for years he has been working with the Nassers and now Another Planet Entertainment on a $1 million organ, one of the largest in the world. Hegarty collaborated on the design with acclaimed organ builder Allen Harrah.

On Friday, though, the organ music was piped in as Hegarty rose with the new, 2,000-pound instrument to a standing ovation. The organ has still not been tuned, but is set to be ready for a March 17 event honoring legendary cult filmmaker John Waters.

“The installation was only finished less than a week ago, and I haven’t had time to work with it yet,” Hegarty told the crowd.

The Castro’s programming continues Saturday, Feb. 7, with a sold-out drag and disco show by former San Francisco drag laureate D’Arcy Drollinger. It’s part of what Conde calls Another Planet Entertainment’s commitment to the community. 

“This is an LGBTQ beacon worldwide,” Conde told the Chronicle. “This isn’t just the Castro neighborhood or even just San Francisco, and that’s why we have made it a point not to cut corners and to do everything the right way.”