About Men of Soul

When it first opened in 1927, the Saenger Theatre looked like a million bucks. Specifically, $2.5 million. It was a lavish investment at a time when $2.5 million wasn't chump change. Yet audiences could see where the money went, and sit in it too. The ads, which boasted "an acre of seats in a garden of Florentine splendor," didn't exaggerate—theatergoers were greeted by a stunning indoor replication of 15th century Italy, replete with a courtyard, gardens, and a cordial Donatello. Statues of Venus occupied pedestals, while a domed, twinkling ceiling gave joy to agoraphobic stargazers.

The venue suffered the same fate as much of its city in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina left its artificial Rome in ruins. But the public was unwilling to lose the storied space, and a 2013 restoration recently returned the Saenger to its former glory. Now looking like $52 million bucks, the Saenger sports the colors and finishes of the 1927 original, yet has been upgraded with some of the most technically advanced sound and lighting systems in the South.