Historic Argyle Theater To Reopen Next Month

BABYLON, NY - After being shut down for several years, one father-son duo are working to bring life to a Babylon Village staple.

The historic Argyle Theater, located at 34 West Main St., was shuttered a few years ago but now Mark Perlman and his son, Dylan, are putting their hearts into renovating the 500-seat theater.

Although the two have never run a theater before, they always aspired to buy and own some sort of venue.

Before purchasing the theater, which was originally built in 1922, the duo have looked at several other venues.

"We had looked at some crazy venues, some potentially good ones - but the timing wasn’t right, I was still in college and [my dad] was still working in the school system," Dylan said. "But we learned a tremendous amount just everything from the municipal end of things, the zoning, the legal side of things."

However, it wasn't until the Argyle became available in 2014 that the two finally took the plunge to buy the venue.

"What pushed us and motivated us aside from just the general idea that it would be cool to have a theater one day, was the combination of the venue and this community," Mark said. "We saw a tremendous energy, a tremendous sense of support and excitement [from the community.] So although it has been a tremendous challenge, the community in many ways have kept us energized."

The Babylon community is definitely showing excitement for the theater to open. The Argyle Theater Facebook page has over 2,000 "likes" and the duo have received many messages of support from local residents.

The two still have work to do on the theater before opening sometime next month.

So far, a new foundation has been laid out and a three-story backstage area has been built complete with two full bathrooms along with a orchestra pit that can house over 20 musicians.

A new state-of-the-art lighting system and sound system have also been installed -- all of which have cost about $3 million.

Once construction is complete, Mark and Dylan have big plans for the theater. They plan on bringing professional Broadway actors to perform in shows and in between host concerts, comedies, special events and more.

"We want to be able to provide a convenient, affordable alternative to Broadway and also a whole slew of entertainment," Dylan said. "Something for everyone."

They also plan on bringing children’s theater and educational opportunities such as summer camp, theater classes each semester, and field trips.

While a lot of changes will be coming to the Argyle, especially since two fires in the 1930s and 1950s damaged a lot of the original construction, it will still feel like stepping back in time into an old-fashioned theater.

"The hope is that when people come here they will feel like they’re coming to an old fashioned Broadway theater," Mark said. "There's no point in trying to turn it into something contemporary, there are enough of those theaters around over the place to come in and have almost a museum experience and at the same time see a great show."

The lounge area will be decorated with antique pieces and memorabilia to bring that old Hollywood feel.

An exact opening date has not yet been announced, but the theater has already generated a lot of interest. The location in the heart of Babylon Village definitely makes the venue appealing.

"Because of the nature of where this theater is, and I can't think of another other theaters that are as fortunate to have this kind of location, people can come 2 hours and go to one of 30 different restaurants before or after seeing a show," Mark said. "I’ve eaten at 22 so far, it’s terrific."

For those who can't wait for the opening, the show schedule was recently released.

The first show is a Disco tribute to Donna Summer scheduled for April 21.

Here's the rest of the show schedule for the year:

• May 10 to June 17 - Guys and Dolls
• July 12 to Aug. 26 - Hairspray
• Sept. 13 to Oct. 21 - Peter and the Starcatcher
• Nov. 8 to Dec. 30 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Jan. 17 to Feb. 24, 2019 - Spring Awakening
• March 14 to April 21, 2019 - The Producers

So now, after a year of construction, residents just have a few more weeks to wait until the theater finally opens.

"We've received overwhelmingly positive feedback," Dylan said. "We’re not putting out what we want to see, we want to put out what we hope everybody else wants to see. The support has been powerful."