| Even jaded San Franciscans love the Castro Theatre. Billed as "the city's movie palace," it really is like going to the movies in a palace, especially compared to today's multiplexes.Inside the Castro, 1920's Art Deco meets Italianate excess, and the whole effect can turn a simple movie date into an event. Gilt columns topped with golden urns flank the stage. Enormous murals of what appears to be the Gardens of Pompei cover the walls. And a giant Art Deco chandelier made of angled silver plates hangs above, looking like something out of a Flash Gordon movie.But nothing can really compete with the Castro's Mighty Wurlitzer. Five minutes before every show, a large Wurlitzer organ rises up in front of the stage and patrons are treated to stirring renditions of show tunes and themes from old movies. And when organist David Hegart or Bill McCoy launches into the closing number, "San Francisco," even cynical San Franciscans find themselves clapping along.The programming at the Castro definitely isn't multiplex material. |
