by Martha Mabey | photography by James Edward Bates

When Victor Mavar, one of Biloxi’s great seafood entrepreneurs, was 7, his mother would send him to the Saturday matinee at the Saenger Theatre. He had 15 cents — “10 to get in and 5 to spend — if I was good,” Mavar recalls.

Called “Pearl of the Gulf South,” the Biloxi Saenger represents 80 years of tradition on Reynoir Street in downtown Biloxi. Old-timers remember the tales of vaudeville one-night-stands when Al Jolson, Eddie Canter and George Burns performed on their way from Mobile to New Orleans.

Of the original 23 in Julian and Abe Saenger’s theater empire, only five Saengers are left: in Hattiesburg, Mobile, Pensacola, New Orleans .... and Biloxi.

Determined to bring “entertainment” to Biloxi, Norita Lopez Yerger built the theater in 1929 in a former cow pasture, a gift from her father, seafood mogul and community leader, Lazaro Lopez. The original theater had 1,500 seats, including 480 in the balcony for people of color during segregation. Dressing rooms were located up a spiral staircase; a modern backstage electric panel controlled house lights. Maison Blanche in New Orleans provided draperies and acres of floral carpet. The largest electric sign on the Coast, with the exception of the Markham Hotel sign, flashed its name. Totally modern, it was billed as the first theater in the country with the new Vitaphone and Movietone.

On opening day, Jan. 13, 1930, thousands crowded the street hoping to get in. The lucky ones saw Paramount’s first all-talking movie, “Interference.”

In the ‘60s, longtime Biloxian Lydia Seymour Pickard recalls taking turns with her 11 siblings to see a Saturday movie for 35 cents. Some of the big-time cowboy stars — Roy Rogers and Trigger, Tom Mix, Gene Autry — appeared in person.

About the time of the Biloxi bicentennial in the late 1970s, crisis and opportunity appeared in the form of a roof fire. The damaged theater was to be torn down for parking. But Biloxi mayor Jerry O’Keefe tapped Gwen Gollotte, long considered one of Biloxi’s “grand ladies,” to head “Friends of the Saenger” and raise money to save what many were calling an institution.

Support came from all over the Coast. The Saenger’s unique history was praised. Opera, symphony, community concerts, local actors and musicians embraced the project. “There were lots of prayers, too,” Gollotte recalls. “We needed one inspirational gift.”

It appeared anonymously on Christmas Eve in the form of a check for a concert grand piano. Famed New Orleans pianist Ronnie Kole played the night of the opening in 1977. Formally dressed guests sipped champagne and marveled that the chandelier had been found and reassembled by Notre Dame High School students.

In predominantly Catholic Biloxi, it was normal that such an event would be blessed and officially dedicated. An organ prelude was offered by Maj. Jack Moelmann from Keesler and the invocation by Monsignor Kevin Bambrick.

The theater was also the location of a special Mass when the Diocese of Biloxi was established. Sixty bishops from all over the country participated following the signing of documents at the Cathedral of the Nativity.

Twenty-five years later in 2001, Biloxi received a $400,000 Mississippi Arts Commission grant for the next restoration phase. Biloxi mayor A.J. Holloway praised the restoration for “meeting the needs of our community in elegance, style and comfort ...”

“It’s so grand,” said Bobby Steele, father of Broadway star Shayna Steele, who got her start on the Saenger’s stage at age 11.

The restoration saved much of the original design. Saenger Manager Ron Chester points with pride to the art-deco seats and ornate floral carpet.

No one was prepared for Katrina, however, and the theater’s plaster walls were damaged.

Bill Raymond, Biloxi’s historic administrator and executive planner, says sealing of the exterior and repair of roof and gutters were scheduled to begin in mid-July. Interior work is scheduled after eliminating all leaks. The architect is Sam Kaye from Columbus, Miss., who specializes in historic renovations.

Today’s Saenger enthusiasm surrounds community concerts, the Nutcracker, the symphony, the opera, the ballet. With 23 employees on call, Chester says hardly a day goes by without some sort of performance. There are weddings, receptions and tents set up for events in the parking lot. Dance groups dominate the spring season. The theater is also experiencing more use by businesses as commercial development seeps into downtown Biloxi.

While Saenger supporters look forward to a possible Broadway Series one day, KNS, the production company started in the 1980s by Kinard Fite, Altha Delacruz and Buzzy Sekul, currently provides that Broadway glitz. Some 50,000 people come through the doors annually.

Local performers David Delk and Loree Dalgo direct two big shows a year. “Our audiences are coming back,” says Delk. “This is Biloxi’s heritage.”

It’s still there — that magical movie house with all the memories — though the peeling plaster walls spell despair to those who love the place and remember the most.

Cherubs still hover over the stage; the crystal chandelier still graces the ceiling; burgundy, gold and faux marble are everywhere. However, the pipe organ that sat in the orchestra pit, reminder of silent movies, is long gone.

Perhaps because of nature’s efforts to destroy Biloxi’s past, the presence of the Saenger and its planned renovation are more significant than ever.

First-time visitors are often astonished as they step from the small lobby into the grand space that opens up before them. Soon the old-timers will experience that same sense of restored grandness. The Saenger again will be a magical place.