Who Knew: Long Live the Playhouse

‘Who Knew?’ is sponsored by Walter Stewart’s Market.

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Shared experience is powerful stuff. 

Where, once upon a time, all the world lined up to see Gone with the Wind, The Godfather, or E.T., we now sit in separate little rooms on separate little screens watching algorithmically programmed little dances performed by strangers and their cats and then read torturous think-pieces that ask when we all stopped getting along. Movies often get made now for focus-grouped market segmentations for maximum merch sales, not for all of us, and as a result, there are, at my last count, several thousand installments of the Transformers franchise. Movie palaces around the country (and as nearby as Darien) have been razed to become mixed-use buildings, providing more little rooms for more little screens. I’m sure I sound like a nostalgic old-timer here, but I’ve missed those golden late 80’s afternoons at the Orinda theater (a classic movie palace of the highest order) where le tout 7th grade would also be in attendance, and also, since I’m leaning into my new persona, would you please get off my lawn?

The Playhouse during its transformative construction, May 21, 2024. Credit: Zoë L’Henaff

We all held our breath a bit when the New Canaan Playhouse, which had been operating for nearly 100 years, shuttered during the COVID pandemic. One less screen we could gather around and a hollowed-out feeling at the core of our town. Meetings were held, consultants were consulted, and finally, a new operator emerged with a compelling vision to resuscitate the vital old space. Was it expensive? Yes. Did it take a while? Like every construction project in the history of humankind, yes. Do self-styled financial hawks unfairly criticize our town government for spending a few bucks to keep it open? Yes. Are they wrong? Absolutely. ROI is a cynical calculation for a government to rely upon solely. Every hometown needs a heart. 

Since the New Canaan Playhouse reopened under the CinemaLab aegis in July, evenings on Elm Street have been particularly hopping. It’s a joy to see lights on the marquee again, of course, but more importantly, it’s a true delight to see people buzzing around it every night of the week. The experience of seeing a movie in town is soul-affirming. We spotted friends in the theater at an early-August showing of Twisters (don’t look for an Oscar nom, but I honestly didn’t hate it, perhaps because Glen Powell is just so… Glen Powell). We met them to enjoy a late dinner at Solé afterward, caught up, and discussed… Glen Powell. The normalcy of Saturday at the movies was restored.

Newly sparkling: one of the twin theaters in the Playhouse. Photo courtesy of CinemaLab

The renovation of the Playhouse is another miracle to witness. The last gasps of the building under Bowtie Cinemas’ operatorship saw a husk of a theater in dire need of repair; the hundred-year-old women’s bathroom was spooky and cold, the theaters themselves a bit dank, and the seats decidedly threadbare. The new CinemaLab decor is almost comically tasteful: all muted Farrow & Ball jewel tones, sweet plaid carpets that defy the (frankly insane) conventions of movie theater carpeting, and sinky, mohair velvet seats. You’ll have to travel to Bedford or Norwalk for full-on recliners, but also, those aren’t necessary. The lighting is dim and considered. The ticket staff is exceptionally friendly. It all feels aesthetically next-level and intentionally delightful. ‘This is what a movie theater can be,’ it tells us.

Also worth noting: the relocated women’s bathroom is well-finished, and has three different kinds of free tampons on offer. It’s as if someone with an impeccable sense of customer experience has thought through EVERY decision. The ball is in your court, AMC. 

The pub at The Playhouse, shown here during its premiere on June 27, 2024, is a delightful vibe. Photo credit: Terry Dinan

One element that takes the Playhouse beyond a simple small-town movie theater is the Pub. With draft beers, a well-designed cocktail game, and free movie tickets for two on Wednesday nights with the purchase of a bottle of wine (!) the pub gives New Canaan a convening place to… wait for it… talk about the movie you just saw. After a late-August screening of Blink Twice (so good!), we paused at the pub for a drink and a snack to discuss Zoe Kravitz’s strong directing choices and rejoice in Naomi Ackie’s bonkers-good performance. The weather was balmy, and as we lingered and the clock ticked towards 11 PM, Elm Street began to empty out. Nobody took their phone out. All this for the price of a movie ticket and a beer; an experiment in humanity regained. 

We also enjoyed this quintet of impeccably-deviled eggs

A recent dinner at the Pub revealed what a smart move it was to engage chef Luke Venner’s talents in menu design and annex the kitchen at nearby Elm. My husband loved the burger (utterly distinct from the Elm burger, which is a masterpiece) with its griddled bun and steak-cut fries. Citing Marriage Law™, I commandeered the bread-and-butter pickles that came on the side, and they were snappy and delicious. Our friend Katie-Bo, who’d already eaten dinner, ordered the chocolate chip cookies, which came served warm melty with a little dish of vanilla ice cream–an ice cream sandwich begging to be improvised. I opted for the Chinois chicken salad, a perfect facsimile of the version served in Santa Monica at the Wolfgang Puck restaurant of the same name. While the $28 price tag on a salad might shock some who haven’t dined out lately, rest assured that it will very easily serve two and keep well for the next day. It has all the requisites: carrots, cashews, thin-sliced chicken breast, Nappa cabbage, scallions, cilantro, and a mustardy-sweet dressing.

O salad, my salad

It was also lovely to see that, with the Pub in operation, a solid stretch of outdoor dining has opened up on Elm Street that spans from Chef Luis to Solé to Blackbird to the theater—a true night-and-day difference from the Elm Street of five years ago. 

Perhaps the most significant conversations I have with friends and neighbors about the Playhouse fall under the heading of “Fantasy Movie Theater Programming Festival Days We Wish We Could See.” One friend, who wishes to remain nameless for reasons you’ll soon learn, has been holding out hope for a Nicolas Cage retrospective. My husband wants a Thanksgiving James Bond marathon AND a steady drip of arthouse fare like they used to have at the now-defunct Garden Cinema in Norwalk, the more subtitles, the better. Another couple we know wants back-to-back viewings of every movie filmed in New Canaan. Because I am, after all, a creative director of a certain age, I want a Wes Anderson festival. 

We’re not club members at The Playhouse, but I appreciate the financial consideration of those who are. The members-only upstairs space looks lovely, and while I would consider joining to vary my background for the ten thousand Zoom meetings I take in a day, exclusive haunts just aren’t my thing. But – and this is an important point that some seem not to

The swanky members’ lounge inside The Playhouse on Elm Street looks like a beautiful space for gathering. Photo courtesy of CinemaLab

get – this isn’t a members-only theater. You can buy tickets a la carte, and popcorn (sold in refreshingly reasonable sizes! No Dune buckets here!) by the one. I hope this financial model works out for the CinemaLab operators, and that the exclusivity of the club draws more New Canaan folks to consider underwriting this newly-polished gem.

Perhaps the biggest testament to our town’s need for a movie house is premiering later this month: native daughter and NCHS graduate Claire Ayoub’s Empire Waist. As a kid, she “spent entire summers” seeing movies at the Playhouse, and now, she makes them. I can’t find a municipal finance calculation that places a valuation on dreams coming true, but I hope today’s New Canaan kids will find inspiration in something they see in CinemaLab’s gorgeous incarnation. It’s a wide-open world, and our new movie palace is a portal through which we can experience it. Together. 

New Canaan Playhouse, part of the annual ornament collection helmed by New Canaan’s Faith Kerchoff, affixed permanently in our town’s history.