Recently, I decided to take the scenic route and pass through downtown Winter Garden. As I drove slowly along the brick road, a quaint little building caught my eye. The distinctive building is called the Garden Theatre. It is rich with history, provides entertainment for the city’s people with films and plays, and acts as a gathering place for citizens to indulge in the arts and meet people with similar interests.
As soon as I got home, I booked tickets to see the next play being presented at the theatre. I attended the event on a beautiful Friday night, weather crisp and clear. I have always been an incredibly nostalgic person and this theatre thoroughly satisfied my wistful hunger. As I approached the building I began to smile, the exterior was beautiful. There was an old-fashioned marquee above the entrance and a pleasant-looking man in the ticket booth who greeted me warmly. As I entered the Garden Theatre, the first thing I noticed were the gorgeous balconies near the stage, they reminded me of a famous scene from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. There were star lights twinkling above me on the ceiling, which added a delightful feel to the environment.
I saw a woman near the stage speaking to almost everyone in the audience and decided to approach her. She was very cordial and gave me an abundant amount of information about the theatre after I told her I was a blogger writing a paper on the night’s event. The Garden Theatre was built in 1935 for citizens to watch news and films. In the 1960s, the theatre was shut down like most were during that time due to the arrival of commercial televisions. I was surprised to discover that the Garden Theatre had only been reopened in 2008. I believe the theatre is a wonderful addition to the picturesque downtown Winter Garden.
The show being presented at the theatre that night was called 33 Variations. The play is a drama which happens to be my favorite genre in both film and live presentations. The show follows two characters, Ludwig van Beethoven and Katherine Brandt. The setting alternates between early 19th century Vienna, Austria and present day New York City. Ludwig van Beethoven is creating the peculiar Diabelli Variations while Katherine Brandt, a musicologist, is examining these works and trying to determine why exactly Beethoven would write so many variations of such a simple piece of music. Drama is added to the play with Beethoven’s struggle with the progression of his deafness and Katherine’s battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis along with her tumultuous relationship with her daughter. Although I am not an expert in the arts or theater, I enjoyed the show and thought the transitions between time and characters were clever and put together excellently.
Not only did the theatre itself reveal a great deal about modern culture, but the play did as well. Theater has been around since ancient times and is universally known in one form or another. I believe this shows that our culture today still clings strongly to rituals and traditions formed thousands of years ago. In both ancient and modern culture, entertainment is extremely important and will remain a prominent part of human life forever. The play 33 Variations also did a fantastic job of comparing modern culture with a culture from hundreds of years ago. It demonstrates how our struggles, situations, and emotions as humans are relatable no matter the era in which they take place. The play also reveals that in modern culture, humans are fascinated by and curious about other people, events, and art in history with Katherine’s endeavor to delve deep into the mind of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Overall, visiting the Garden Theatre and watching 33 Variations was very enlightening. Experiencing an old-fashioned theatre was fantastic! The environment was comforting and welcoming, the staff was incredibly helpful, the entertainment was excellent, and it was all very informative and educational. The event revealed a good deal about modern culture and how it is influenced by history.
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