The Press Release:
Brooklyn: Not unlike Noam Chomsky, Burt Bacharach or Betty White, we stand in the presence of another still-relevant nonagenarian who’s had ups and downs and has powered through valiantly… It is with great honor that we announce the forthcoming 90th Birthday celebration of the Kings Theatre, Brooklyn.
The pride of Flatbush Avenue, the Kings Theatre’s edifice has gone through many remarkable changes over these past eight decades, but the soul of the strikingly beautiful 3,000 capacity venue remains just as strong as it was back in 1929 when it opened as a Loews Theatre, dropping the curtain on the silent film era and ushering in the talkies.
Wait, did we say 3,000 capacity? The Kings Theatre may be a 20th Century legend, but it’s far from a relic. After this broken down old monarch got a new lease on life in 2015, the mandate was to make room for 21st Century audiences. To that end, we are proud to announce the theatre’s new expansion expected to accommodate nearly 500 more attendees in its orchestra pit area.
And if that’s not enough, in keeping with their community-minded programming ethos, the Kings has launched a series of intimate performances in their stunning lobby space, featuring everything from their Kings Comedy Lounge which premiered on July 19th to music, literature, spoken word and other events, soon to be announced. As well, the theatre’s courtyard space immediately accessible from Flatbush Avenue, has been thriving since its grand opening last year. Most recently, it housed a fair and fitness series with Kings Theatre neighbors, Crunch Fitness, but it routinely functions as a hangspace for theatregoers, offering open air food and drink from local vendors. And with the space in place, we can move onto the wonderful things set to happen on the Kings Theatre’s main stage over the next several months to celebrate its 90th…
During the Theatre’s actual long birthday weekend, it will play host to indie faves, Phantogram on Thursday, September 5th, as well as Jack White/Brendan Benson supergroup, The Raconteurs on Saturday, September 7th. Right smack in between, the venue will be hosting a special 90th birthday weekend Happy Hour Tour on Friday, September 6th as well as additional Historic Tours on September 21st & 28th.
On Sunday, September 8th, Kings goes couture as it welcomes home Flatbush native, Kerby Jean-Raymond and his iconic fashion brand Pyer Moss. Pyer Moss’s “Collection 3” will be the first foray into fashion for Kings Theatre.
Beyond that, Tuesday, September 10th the Kings brings New York Times Best Selling author/iconoclastic thinker, Malcolm Gladwell up to the stage to discuss his acclaimed new book, Talking To Strangers, which examines our interactions with strangers and why they often go wrong, and Ta-Nehisi Coates returns to chat about his latest novel, The Water Dancer on September 24th, in conversation with award-winning investigative journalist, Nikole Hannah-Jones, who covers segregation and racial injustice for the New York Times Magazine.
Finding Ashley Stewart 2019, back for its 3rd year on September 14th, will feature The Real’s Loni Love, seminal hip-hop homies, Salt “N” Pepa, celebrated music maker Faith Evans and the Legendary Kid Capri, among others for a night of music, dance, and laughs, while the following evening sees comedian Eric Andre’s Legalize Everything Tour offering trademark disruption in the most hysterical of ways.
The Kings’ eclectic musical programming continues aplenty, with genius singer/songwriter/violinist/whistler, Andrew Bird gracing the stage on September 17th, Paulina Rubio’s Deseo Tour on September 27th, formative Reggae family, The Wailers on October 2nd, The Head And The Heart’s Living Mirage Tour on October 4th, Bethel Music’s Victory Tour on October 12th, Irish singer/songwriter, Dermot Kennedy on October 22nd, classic songstress, Jenny Lewis on October 24th, the amazing Sleater-Kinney on October 30th, Sigur Ros’ Jonsi and Alex Somer’s Riceboy Sleeps performance on October 31st, the unholy, King Diamond on November 7th, and 2 nights of EDM/EBM/House music, November 21-22, with French DJ/producer, Gesaffelstein, who has worked alongside Kanye West, The Weeknd, Phoenix and Daft Punk, among others. And podcast Mavericks, the McElroy Brothers bring their Become the Monster Tour to Kings with one night each of a live performance of The Adventure Zone and My Brother My Brother and Me, (October 17-18)!
Harkening back to its roots, film makes a comeback at the Kings with 2 consecutive nights of Gen X fave, Mystery Science Theatre 3000 Live, (Sept 19-20), as well as early aught indie classic, Napoleon Dynamite, 1999’s faux doc chiller, and The Blair Witch Project on October 15th and 16th, respectively, both featuring post-screening Q&A with actors and filmmakers.
In case you parents are wondering, no, we haven’t neglected the children. Among other productions, expect Baby Shark Live! to swim down Flatbush Ave on Friday, November 8th, and getting into the Holiday spirit, 2 performances of the beloved Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer the Musical on Sunday, December 1st. The Kings will also revisit its now-annual Kings Cares Thanksgiving Luncheon on November 28th in the Courtyard and host a Thanksgiving Comedy Fest featuring Deray Davis, Jess Hilarious, and Tony Rock on November 30th. Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker and the Brooklyn Nutcracker also return to the Kings on December 7th and December 14th, respectively.
And last, but not least- on December 4th and 5th, Bon Iver circles back to the Kings Theatre, this time, in collaboration with an electrifying 9-member contemporary dance company TU Dance from St Paul, Minnesota to bring us Bon Iver + TU Dance: Come Through, with choreography by Uri Sands and new music by Justin Vernon. For more information and tickets for all aforementioned events (and more TBA), please visit the link down below.
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Piercing Ken Thoughts: Now 90 years is something to celebrate for sure and while I’ve only ever been to the Kings Theatre once (to see Whitesnake a few short years ago), I will for sure be back in this space for a show in the coming months. The recently announced closure of the Playstation Theater on top of the renovation of Irving Plaza (discussed HERE) will find NYC having less places for shows that I enjoy to be happening so trekking out to Brooklyn is going to start being more of a regular thing. It was just the other day that the mighty King Diamond announced that his regional date will be there which will find the areas Metal presence being upgraded by a few thousand. The readers of my Metal site already know that I will be looking to cover that and listing as many topical shows on our Events Calendar. What do you readers of “The Chronicles” think about this news? Chime in down below.
Official Website: http://www.kingstheatre.com