Date night at the historic Tampa Theatre. While I hold your hand, I forget there are no cup holders or anywhere to put popcorn here. So off my beverage goes onto the floor. Popcorn must stay nestled in my lap.
“The best popcorn you’ll ever taste. Really!” is a true claim. Every bite is the perfect amount of freshness and warmth and salt.
I love the sweeping staircase up to the mezzanine level. I peer down at the line at the concession stand, wrapped around the giant Christmas tree that sits in the romantic lobby. Everything is ornate and dimly lit and brushed with gold. I’ve been loving this place since another date night, way back in 2006. Movie-lover I am. History-lover I am second.
But aside from the preciousness of the exterior and the beauty of the lobby, my favorite part of the theatre is inside it. I will always insist on a mezzanine if it’s available, and there we are in our cupholder-less, comfortable seats (refurbished a few years back), as a volunteer decked out in his finest suit plays the Wurlitzer on stage. The most magnificent aspect, to me, is the sound itself: the rich, expressive, punchy notes that transport you back in time. You think you’re simply going to see a movie? No. This is a classic, iconic, cinematic, otherworldly experience.
Who else in this theatre, I wonder, keeps looking up when the Wurlitzer finally descends into the stage and the lights dim? I forget to watch the film sometimes. I gaze instead at the pretend night sky, with its realistic star patterns set against the prettiest shade of deep, dark ultramarine blue. I am deeply comforted and held by the ceiling above me, the full crowd, and the familiar, heartbreaking opening chords of Love Actually.
Thoughts?