Southampton Playhouse Set To Open This Weekend

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the lights have been out at the Southampton Cinema, the iconic facade empty and the doors shuttered from its place of prominence in the heart of the village on Hill Street.

This weekend, after nearly five years, the lights will go back on.

The Southampton Playhouse — the new name of the newly remodeled and renovated space — will open its doors to the public, with programming starting on Thursday, February 13, and continuing through the weekend.

The Playhouse will host showings of the film “Paddington in Peru” at 2:30, 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Thursday, and will offer 2:15 and 3:45 p.m. screenings of “Blue Angels,” an IMAX original documentary about the greatest air show on earth. The documentary, from Bad Robot, Glen Powell’s Barnstorm Productions, Zipper Bros Films, IMAX Entertainment and Dolphin Entertainment, follows a year in the life of the Blue Angels
from training through touring, filmed with awe-inspiring IMAX-certified digital cameras. It will be the first film screened for audiences in the Playhouse’s new IMAX theater.

The Playhouse’s IMAX theater will be back in action on Friday night, with 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. showings of “Captain America: Brave New World.”

Sunday will kick off the Southampton Playhouse's inaugural repertory series at 8:15 p.m. with the opening night of “The Spirit of 1932,” a celebration of movies from the first year the historic cinema was open for business in Southampton. Included will be a special screening of Ernst Lubitsch’s 1932 romantic comedy “Trouble in Paradise,” a film that both Wes Anderson and Roger Ebert have listed as one of the greatest movies ever made. The Playhouse will also revisit an early cartoon classic featuring Betty Boop, who shares her birth year with the Playhouse.

The screening will be introduced by Southampton Playhouse Artistic Director Eric Kohn alongside special guests from the theater’s early days who will share their memories of the Playhouse and bring its rich
history back to life.

Attendees can arrive early for showings and spend time in the Playhouse lounge and meet with the Playhouse crew.

The Playhouse staff will share news and updates about programming and upcoming events with subscribers in its weekly newsletter, The Playhouse Post.

The Southampton Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Its four screens include a state-of-the-art IMAX theater, 35mm projection, and a flexible space for parties and performance arts, as well as a lounge area and bookstore.

Real estate developers Aby Rosen and Charlie Rosen purchased the movie theater in 2022 from former owner Ken Karlin for $8 million, going for nonprofit status because they had a vision of operating it with a community-minded focus, making it a hub for arts and culture, in addition to showing first-run films.

For updated scheduling and more information, visit southamptonplayhouse.com.