Larcom Theatre

Larcom Theatre is a historic 600-seat auditorium at 13 Wallis Street in Beverly, Massachusetts. The venue was built in 1912 by Harris Ware and Glover Ware, two brothers from Marblehead who had worked as vaudeville musicians. They named the theater after Lucy Larcom, the poet and educator who was born in Beverly. From its origins, the Larcom served as a public entertainment venue, including use as a movie theater, and later became an important regional home for live performance. The theater’s most distinctive period began in 1984, when the Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company purchased the property. The company undertook an extensive restoration that reached throughout the building, from the balcony to the boiler room. The project was substantially larger than the company’s earlier restoration of the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre. The work returned the Larcom to use as a specialized performance venue while preserving its historic theatrical character. In October 1985, the Le Grand David troupe presented its second resident production at the Larcom. The two-hour show, titled “Le Grand David,” was an anthology of stage magic combining conjuring, music, comedy, and dance in a style modeled on turn-of-the-century entertainment. The production remained associated with the theater for approximately 27 years, making the Larcom a notable destination for theatrical magic and a long-running resident performance. The company expanded the property in 1995 by opening a new wing adjoining the original theater at 9 Wallis Street. The addition included the Grand Salon lobby, designed with oak, marble, and brass; a full kitchen; rehearsal space; three galleries displaying Le Grand David apparatus and poster artwork; a library; a meeting room; a guest suite; and a caretaker’s apartment. This expansion supported both the troupe’s operations and the building’s role as a center for the preservation and presentation of stage-magic history. Le Grand David ended its run at the Larcom in May 2012. The conclusion followed the death of company founder Cesareo Pelaez in March of that year. Although the resident magic production ended, the Larcom remains identified as a theater and performance venue offering live music, theatrical productions, ballet, comedy, and movie screenings. Its significance rests on the combination of a 1912 local theater building, a major restoration, and the unusually long residency of a specialized stage-magic production.

The Larcom Theatre was constructed in 1912 at 13 Wallis Street in Beverly, Massachusetts. Its builders were Harris Ware and Glover Ware, brothers from nearby Marblehead who had performed as vaudeville musicians. The brothers named the building for Lucy Larcom, a poet and educator born in Beverly. Designed as a public entertainment venue, the 600-seat auditorium has been associated with both motion-picture exhibition and live stage performance. The building entered a new phase in 1984 when it was acquired by the Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company. The company began an extensive restoration of the theater, undertaking work that extended from the balcony to the boiler room. The project was described as substantially larger than the company’s earlier restoration of the Cabot Street Cinema Theatre. The restoration allowed the Larcom to function as a specialized home for a large-scale resident production while retaining its historic theatrical identity. In October 1985, the Le Grand David troupe premiered a second resident production at the Larcom. The two-hour presentation, known as “Le Grand David,” was an anthology of stage magic that combined illusion, music, comedy, and dance. Its aesthetic drew on the style and traditions of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century popular theater. The production continued at the Larcom from 1985 through 2012, giving the venue an unusually long association with one resident company and making it closely identified with theatrical magic. The property was expanded in 1995 through the construction of an adjoining wing at 9 Wallis Street. The addition was designed to support the company’s artistic, archival, and operational work. It contained the Grand Salon lobby, finished with oak, marble, and brass, as well as a full kitchen, rehearsal space, three galleries devoted to Le Grand David apparatus and poster artwork, a library, a meeting room, a guest suite, and a caretaker’s apartment. The expanded complex therefore operated not only as a theater but also as a supporting environment for rehearsal, exhibition, administration, and hospitality. The Le Grand David production ended in May 2012. Its closure followed the death of founder Cesareo Pelaez in March of that year. The end of the residency marked a major transition in the Larcom’s history, closing its longest and most distinctive programming chapter. The theater is nevertheless described as a venue for live music, theatrical productions, ballet, comedy, and movie screenings. Its historical importance comes from its early twentieth-century origin, its major late twentieth-century restoration, and its decades-long role in presenting a specialized resident magic production.

• 2012

  Le Grand David residency concludes

  [1]Larcom Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The resident magic production ended in May after the death of founder Cesareo Pelaez in March.

• 1995

  Adjoining operational and exhibition wing opens

  [1]Larcom Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  An expanded wing at 9 Wallis Street added the Grand Salon, rehearsal facilities, galleries, a library, meeting space, and supporting residential and operational rooms.

• 1985

  Resident magic production premieres

  [1]Larcom Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  In October, the Le Grand David troupe premiered a two-hour anthology of stage magic combining conjuring, music, comedy, and dance.

• 1984

  Le Grand David company acquires the theater

  [1]Larcom Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company purchased the Larcom Theatre and began a comprehensive restoration extending throughout the building.

• 1912

  Larcom Theatre is built

  [1]Larcom Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Harris Ware and Glover Ware built a 600-seat auditorium in Beverly and named it after Beverly-born poet Lucy Larcom.

A historic local performing-arts venue with a strong association with restored theatrical architecture and long-form live entertainment, especially the former resident Le Grand David magic production.

• Performing arts

  Live music performances

  The Larcom Theatre presents live music in a historic 600-seat auditorium. The venue’s music offering forms part of its broader role as a regional performance space rather than a single-genre concert brand.

• Theater

  Theatrical productions

  The theater hosts theatrical productions using its stage and auditorium infrastructure. Its history includes a long resident production, demonstrating the building’s capacity for sustained theatrical presentation as well as individual events.

• Dance

  Ballet performances

  Ballet is among the performance forms associated with the Larcom Theatre. It contributes to the venue’s multidisciplinary programming profile alongside music, drama, comedy, and other live entertainment.

• Live entertainment

  Comedy performances

  Comedy performances are part of the Larcom’s live-event offering. The venue also incorporated comedy into the Le Grand David production, reflecting the building’s historical connection to mixed-format theatrical entertainment.

• Cinema

  Movie screenings

  The Larcom has also functioned as a movie theater, giving it a dual history as both a cinema and a live-performance auditorium.

• Stage magic · 1985

  Le Grand David, An Anthology of Stage Magic

  This two-hour resident production combined conjuring, music, comedy, and dance in a style inspired by turn-of-the-century popular theater. It ran at the Larcom from 1985 until May 2012 and became the venue’s defining programming association during that period.

• 2012

  End of the Le Grand David residencyOther

  Background

  The resident magic show had been presented at the Larcom since 1985, but founder Cesareo Pelaez died in March 2012.

  Action taken

  The Le Grand David production ended at the theater in May 2012.

  Aftermath

  The conclusion ended the venue’s defining multi-decade resident production while leaving the Larcom identified with broader live and cinematic programming.

  Source

• 1995

  Expansion of the Larcom complexStrategy

  Background

  The resident company required additional space for audience reception, rehearsal, exhibition, administration, and supporting operations.

  Action taken

  Le Grand David Company opened an adjoining wing at 9 Wallis Street containing the Grand Salon, rehearsal space, galleries, a library, meeting facilities, and other support rooms.

  Aftermath

  The expanded property supported the theater’s role as both a performance venue and a center for the company’s collections and activities.

  Source

• 1984

  Restoration and conversion into a resident magic venueStrategy

  Background

  The Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company acquired the Larcom Theatre and sought to establish a substantial second home for its theatrical magic work.

  Action taken

  The company carried out a building-wide restoration, with work extending from the auditorium balcony to the boiler room, and prepared the theater for a resident production.

  Aftermath

  The restoration enabled the long-running Le Grand David production to operate at the Larcom from 1985 through 2012.

  Source

1. 1Larcom Theatreen.wikipedia.org