Florence Little Theatre wows crowd on opening night

FLORENCE — The public received its first look at the new Florence Little Theatre during the opening night performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar” on Friday.

The sold-out crowd lingered in the lobby, taking time before the show and during intermission to walk around and admire the new facility.

Many attendees noted that they were surprised before they ever entered the theater.

“I can’t believe we’re in Florence,” Mark Vinson of Florence said. “The outside was so traditional. I didn’t expect it to be so modern on the inside.”

The lobby featured several works of art from Florence Museum of Art, Science and History.

“(The inside of the theater) didn’t look like anything that would be in Florence,” said Lake City-resident Kevin Buchanan. “It gave you the feeling that you were somewhere else, in some big city.”

The performance itself left many more surprised.

“It was amazing,” said Chuck DePreker, who traveled from California to attend opening night at FLT. “There are so many talented people here and we’re coming from Southern California and we’ve seen ... a lot bigger venues than this and this is one of the best.”

“I thought it was excellent,” Darlington resident Chrissy Cromer said. “The Herod performance was over the top, but in a good way!”

For many people, it was difficult to pick what part of the experience they enjoyed the most.

“I was surprised by the production, I was surprised at the lighting, the execution. It was very good,” said Dee Thomas, who traveled from Charlotte, N.C. to see the production.

Shaw Thompson, director of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” seemed most surprised of all.

“It’s really affirming to have this response,” he said. “(The production) seems to have made an impression, and that’s what I wanted to do.”

The Dargan Street theater is nearly three-times the size of its Cashua Drive predecessor at 35,000 square feet. Just as the old theater was built by community donations, so was the new, as well.

“The majority of (the) $10 million (was) by Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation,” said Sue Schatz, FLT executive director. “A lot of the land was donated by the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation and McLeod Health.”

But to operate comfortably, ticket sales will be important. The overwhelming public response for “Jesus Christ Superstar” is hopefully a sign of continued good things to come for FLT, which has a history of being self-sustaining.

“We have been and always have been self-supported,” Patsy Stone, chairman of the FLT building committee and a member of the Florence Little Theatre board, said prior to the new theater’s completion.

She said that FLThas always been “the most viable group” for ambitious undertakings such as the building of the new theater.

Stone explained that it’s not only the FLT’s history of self-sustainment, but the magic of theater that has allowed FLT to fill such a special place in the hearts of Florence community leaders and organizations.

Florence resident Sally Hackney believes FLT has succeeded.

“I think (the theater) is spectacular,” she said. “Florence, with a community this size, should be extremely proud to have a building of this stature.”

IF YOU’RE GOING
WHAT: Florence Little Theatre presents “Jesus Christ Superstar”
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. today (sold out); 3 p.m. Sunday (sold out); 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sept. 20
WHERE: Florence Little Theatre, 509 S. Dargan St., Florence
COST: $24; $17/students
INFO: (843) 662-3731
Ticket Availability: As of press time, performances for today, Sunday and Friday were sold out, and only 10 seats remained for Tuesday’s show. Remaining shows are expected to sell out.
Best availability is for the final performance Sept. 20.