Belrose Theater

To be fair, I’ve been coming to this studio since I was in my teens (years ago!) so it’s not a new experience for me. But we went this weekend to see Will Durst and couldn’t have had more fun. Even though we worried as it was hot outside, fans were going and kept it cool. Great show. Great ambiance. Really glad we made the show.

The Belrose Theater is a small theater run by Margie Belrose for the last 50 years or so. It used to be a church and still has the stained glass window out front. They run plays, have a costume shop downstairs and run dance classes during the day. My favorite thing about the Belrose is the Open Mic night, every Thursday. It is like nothing you’ve ever seen. Go in and you’ll feel like you’ve entered a time warp or maybe you are on Candid Camera or something. You are in an intimate dinner theater with a grand piano and little tables with candles set out around the place, with a beautiful stage and velvet curtains. The place is filled with older folks (Often MUCH older) who take turns handing sheet music to a hired piano player and singing old standards. It is a real mind-​blower… how can something so out of the ordinary actually exist. Most of these folks are incredibly talented and Margie hires top notch piano players… oh, and don’t forget Billy, who shows up and plays the drums (quietly) too. I show up almost every week with my guitar and play songs they’ve never heard (Joe Jackson, The Police, The Kinks) and it cracks me up. Every now and then I’ll pull out an old standard so they don’t think I’m out of touch. Anyway, this place is absolutely awesome.