Sombrero Playhouse

Sombrero Playhouse was a professional regional theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, that operated primarily from 1949 through 1968. It was conceived as a Southwestern counterpart to the seasonal “straw hat” theatres that presented summer stock in other parts of the United States. The venue became the first legitimate professional theatre in Phoenix, although the city already had a substantial tradition of amateur and Little Theatre activity. The project originated in 1948 when theatre operators William W. Merrill and Richard Charlton began investigating a Phoenix venue. Charlton subsequently worked with Ann Lee, a Texas-born Broadway actress and experienced summer-stock producer. The partners secured a long-term lease on a two-acre site near Seventh Street and Camelback Road, organized local financial support, and recruited well-known performers from Broadway and Hollywood. Construction began in February 1949, and the approximately $100,000 building opened on March 29 of that year with Born Yesterday, starring William Bendix, Audrey Totter, and Whit Bissell. Sombrero Playhouse operated with a compact winter season, generally running from January through March. Productions were normally limited engagements of about one week, allowing established screen and stage performers to accept theatre work without committing to an extended run. The repertory included recent Broadway successes, revivals, touring productions, and occasional original works that later moved to national engagements. Among the performers associated with the theatre were Katharine Cornell, Helen Hayes, Kirk Douglas, Milton Berle, Billie Burke, Burgess Meredith, Walter Pidgeon, Tom Drake, Vincent Price, and Mary Astor. The theatre’s reputation expanded during the 1950s and early 1960s. It attracted prominent visitors, developed relationships with the Hollywood and New York theatre communities, and became one of the best-known regional theatres in the Western United States despite its limited seating capacity. The 1959 and 1960 seasons represented a high point: Dear Liar received a world premiere at the venue with Katharine Cornell and Brian Aherne, while Helen Hayes appeared in The Cherry Orchard the following year. Opera and concert-style productions also broadened its cultural program. Sombrero Playhouse was more than a stage. Its Backstage Club began as a private membership lounge linked to subscription tickets, then developed into a buffet, piano bar, restaurant, and nightclub open to the public. The complex also hosted art exhibitions, a drama-training program, foreign and art films, workshops, private functions, and seasonal entertainment. Subscription membership grew substantially, reaching more than 1,000 subscribers by 1959 and nearly twice that number by 1961. The venue faced operational and artistic constraints. Its low backstage clearance prevented conventional flying of scenery, acoustics were persistently difficult, and productions often had to be mounted quickly around the availability of star performers. Local critics increasingly questioned the resulting production quality and what they regarded as an overreliance on celebrity casting. The regular stage season ended on March 31, 1968, with The Torch-Bearers. A 1976 attempt to revive legitimate drama with Sleuth did not lead to a continuing programme. Later in 1976, the building was leased for art-house and repertory film exhibition. Midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show became an important part of the cinema’s operation. Legal and access disputes arose between Charlton and the film operators, but a court upheld the film tenant’s lease in 1978. Charlton filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1980. AJ Properties purchased the theatre and adjacent restaurant in 1981, and the buildings were demolished in 1982 for a planned office development. Furnishings and artwork were later dispersed through a bankruptcy auction. Sombrero Playhouse therefore survives as a significant chapter in Phoenix cultural history rather than as an operating entertainment brand.

Sombrero Playhouse emerged from an effort to establish professional winter-stock theatre in Phoenix. In June 1948, William W. Merrill and Richard Charlton formed a partnership to investigate the idea. Merrill operated a summer-stock theatre in Michigan, while Charlton managed a Detroit music venue. Charlton then met Ann Lee, a Broadway actress and summer-stock producer, and developed the concept of a Southwestern counterpart to the seasonal “straw hat” theatre. The original plan involved converting a barn on property purchased by Merrill, but Merrill could not finance the development. Charlton and Lee instead leased a vacant two-acre site near Seventh Street and Camelback Road. They formed a corporation with local officers and raised support for a purpose-built theatre. The name Sombrero Playhouse referred to the western setting and the venue’s relationship to summer-stock traditions. Construction at 4747 North Seventh Street began on February 22, 1949, and the roughly $100,000 building was completed in late March. A dispute over the theatre’s name arose when Merrill sought an injunction, having registered “Sombrero Playhouse” with the state. Charlton brought a separate action concerning dissolution of the partnership and an accounting. The theatre nevertheless opened under the Sombrero name on March 29, 1949, with Born Yesterday. The venue’s winter seasons generally ran from January through March, with each play receiving a short engagement. This format made it possible to attract prominent actors who wanted a stage appearance without undertaking an indefinite run. The theatre presented Broadway hits, revivals, original productions, and occasional opera. Its booking strategy relied heavily on recognizable performers, while local actors, apprentices, and Phoenix residents filled supporting and walk-on roles. A resident seasonal company supplied much of the technical and ensemble infrastructure. Because Arizona had a limited pool of theatre technicians at the time, directors, designers, and other crew members were frequently recruited from outside the state. The building imposed unusual technical limits. Backstage clearance above the proscenium was only about four feet, so scenery could not be flown in the conventional manner. Special shorter flats had to be designed, and sets were struck rather than lifted for changes. A workshop and storage building was added during the winter of 1953–1954. Other improvements included a rehearsal hall, replacement of aisle steps with concrete ramps, air-conditioning, and later connections to Phoenix water and sewer services. Acoustics remained a problem and contributed to the relative scarcity of musicals. Subscription sales became an important part of the operation. Beginning with the second season, subscribers received membership in the Backstage Club, a private lounge added to the complex in 1952. The club was expanded in 1953 and developed a buffet, piano bar, restaurant, and nightclub function. By 1956 it was open to the general public. The venue also hosted foreign films, children’s theatre, public workshops, art shows, and private events during periods when the main stage was inactive. The theatre’s cultural role broadened in the late 1950s. The American Foundation for Theatre Arts was established there in 1958 to provide free training places for as many as ten apprentices. The Backstage Club’s Galaxy room began presenting local art exhibitions in 1959, later developing into the separate Galaxy Galleries enterprise. The producers also cultivated Hollywood relationships by maintaining an office in the Los Angeles area and by recruiting name performers for both Sombrero productions and other theatre projects. The seasons of 1959 and 1960 marked the venue’s peak. Dear Liar received a world premiere at Sombrero with Katharine Cornell and Brian Aherne, while Helen Hayes appeared in The Cherry Orchard the following year. Other notable presentations included Tonight at the Opera with Kathryn Grayson and David Poleri, Madame Butterfly with Maralin Niska, and Boris Godunov with Jerome Hines and John Gurney. The venue attracted prominent visitors, including political, literary, artistic, and entertainment figures. By the mid-1960s, the operating model was under pressure. Charlton promoted a Phoenix Center for the Performing Arts that paired a Sombrero Broadway subscription series with concerts and dance presented elsewhere, but the larger complex did not materialize. Critics objected to rushed rehearsals and the dependence on stars whose availability could be confirmed only shortly before opening. A sharply negative review of the 1965 season led Charlton to defend the theatre in a letter to the local press, while acknowledging weaknesses in the opening performance. The final regular stage season ended on March 31, 1968, with The Torch-Bearers. The building continued to host intermittent films, workshops, and special events. In 1976, a production of Sleuth briefly attempted to restore legitimate drama, but it was not followed by a sustained revival. Later that year the facility became an art-house cinema, with classic and second-run films and midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. A dispute over parking access and allegedly unsuitable film programming produced litigation in 1978; the court upheld the cinema lease, while requiring patrons to park elsewhere. Charlton filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 1980. AJ Properties bought the theatre and adjacent restaurant in July 1981, intending to replace them with a multi-building office project. The theatre was demolished in 1982, and the site remained vacant into the following year. Furnishings, antiques, paintings, and other artworks were sold at a bankruptcy auction in November 1983. The Sombrero Playhouse is consequently remembered as an influential but ultimately short-lived Phoenix cultural institution that helped professionalize theatre in the region.

• 1982

  Theatre demolished

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The Sombrero Theatre building was demolished after its sale to AJ Properties.

• 1980

  Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  Richard Charlton filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

• 1976

  Venue shifts toward cinema

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  After a brief theatrical revival attempt, the venue was leased for art-house and classic film exhibition.

• 1968

  Regular stage operations end

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The final regular season closed with The Torch-Bearers on March 31.

• 1961

  Subscription base nears 2,000

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The theatre’s subscriber base had nearly doubled from its 1959 level of more than 1,000.

• 1959

  Dear Liar receives world premiere

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  Katharine Cornell and Brian Aherne appeared in the premiere production at Sombrero.

• 1958

  Theatre training programme established

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The American Foundation for Theatre Arts began operating at the venue with free apprentice places.

• 1956

  Backstage Club expands to public dining and nightlife

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  The club became a full-service restaurant and nightclub open to the general public.

• 1952

  Backstage Club added

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  A private lounge linked to subscription membership was added to the theatre complex.

• 1949

  Purpose-built theatre opens

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  Sombrero Playhouse opened on March 29 with Born Yesterday.

• 1948

  Planning partnership formed

  [1]Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org

  William W. Merrill and Richard Charlton began exploring the creation of a professional theatre in Phoenix.

A prestigious Southwestern regional theatre that combined short-run professional drama with celebrity casting, subscription membership, dining, nightlife, cinema, and cultural programming.

• Professional theatre · 1949

  Winter drama seasons

  The core offering was a January-to-March season of short-run professional plays. Productions included contemporary Broadway successes, revivals, original works, and plays selected to accommodate the availability of high-profile stage and screen actors. Most engagements lasted approximately one week, with multiple performances and selected matinees.

• Opera and concert theatre · 1960

  Opera and music-theatre presentations

  During its peak years the venue broadened its stage programme beyond straight drama. Productions included Tonight at the Opera, Madame Butterfly, and Boris Godunov, bringing opera performers and directors to the Phoenix regional theatre circuit.

• Restaurant and nightclub · 1952

  Backstage Club

  The Backstage Club began as a private lounge associated with theatre subscriptions. It was enlarged to include buffet dining and a piano bar, then developed into a public restaurant and nightclub. The club also supported exhibitions and entertainment outside the main theatre season.

• Cinema exhibition · 1976

  Art-house cinema

  From 1976 the former theatre operated as an art-house cinema showing second-run, classic, and other non-mainstream films. Midnight presentations of The Rocky Horror Picture Show became a notable part of the venue’s later business.

• Drama education · 1958

  American Foundation for Theatre Arts

  Established at the theatre in 1958, the foundation provided practical theatre training and offered free tuition to a limited number of apprentices. It complemented the professional productions by creating an educational pathway for emerging theatre workers.

• Art exhibition · 1959

  Galaxy Galleries

  The Backstage Club’s Galaxy room initially displayed local art beginning in 1959. The exhibition activity later became a separate business enterprise known as Galaxy Galleries.

• 1965Phoenix Center for the Performing Arts subscription programme

  Phoenix, Arizona

  Charlton promoted a broader performing-arts concept using newspaper advertising. The programme offered a Broadway Series connected with Sombrero productions and a separate Carnegie Hall Series of concerts and dance at Phoenix Union High School.

  Outcome. The proposed larger performing-arts complex did not appear to develop beyond the subscription programme and Charlton’s artistic-director role.

  Source
• 1952Subscription and Backstage Club membership programme

  Phoenix, Arizona

  The theatre used blocks of ten flexible performance tickets and associated Backstage Club membership to build recurring local patronage.

  Outcome. Subscriptions became a major source of audience loyalty, with more than 1,000 subscribers by 1959 and nearly twice that number by 1961.

  Source

• 1981

  Sell the theatre and restaurant propertyM&A

  Background

  Richard Charlton filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1980, leaving the theatre and adjacent restaurant subject to a change of ownership.

  Action taken

  AJ Properties purchased the two buildings and planned to replace them with a multi-structure office development.

  Aftermath

  The theatre was demolished in 1982, ending the physical existence of Sombrero Playhouse.

  Source

• 1976

  Lease the venue for art-house cinemaStrategy

  Background

  Regular stage seasons had ended in 1968, and a 1976 attempt to restore legitimate drama did not produce a continuing theatre programme.

  Action taken

  The facility was leased to an art-house operator for second-run, classic, and other specialised films.

  Aftermath

  Cinema operations continued amid a later dispute over parking and film content, with midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show becoming an important draw.

  Source

• 1956

  Expand the Backstage Club into public hospitalityStrategy

  Background

  The theatre already used the Backstage Club as a private subscription amenity and entertainment space.

  Action taken

  The club was expanded into a full-service restaurant and nightclub open to the general public.

  Aftermath

  The theatre complex gained a year-round dining and nightlife component in addition to its seasonal stage programme.

  Source

• 1949

  Adopt a winter-stock theatre modelStrategy

  Background

  The founders wanted to create a professional theatre in Phoenix while making the venue attractive to performers who preferred limited engagements.

  Action taken

  Sombrero Playhouse scheduled compact winter seasons, normally from January through March, with individual productions running for approximately one week.

  Aftermath

  The format helped the theatre recruit notable Broadway and Hollywood performers and become a prominent regional venue.

  Source

1. 1Sombrero Playhouseen.wikipedia.org