CLEVELAND — Road closures are in place through Friday morning around Playhouse Square for a big party Thursday night on Euclid Avenue, and you’re invited.
Local artists and popular musician Andy Grammer will perform to celebrate the district lighting up a new era in what's been a historic run in Downtown Cleveland.
Playhouse Square has seen a lot of stories, both on and off the stage. Like Tom Einhouse, who has worked at Playhouse Square for 43 years. It is where he met his wife.
"Cindy was a music major at Kent and when she graduated, she would work at reception, and at lunch she would play the piano," he recalled.
He said it was love at first sight.
"Yeah, it was cool," he said.
Einhouse is now the VP of facilities and capital at Playhouse Square. He is the perfect person to talk to about Cleveland’s long love affair with Playhouse Square.
"It's so much fun, it's authentic, it’s beautiful, and you don’t see this anywhere around the country," he said.
From the Roaring 1920s to almost being demolished in the 1970s, to becoming the second largest theater district in the nation — and now, its latest showstopper debuts this week.
All five of the historic theaters now have new state-of-the-art marquees.
"The concrete structure was there from 1921," explained Einhouse about the base of the marquee. "Everything else that’s been applied is brand new. And what we’ve done is tied the technology together. So, we can make these things communicate with each other. We can have them do a whole variety of things; make the same color, different colors, and you'll know your show is about to start in that theater because the marquee is lighting up and doing crazy stuff and playing music. There’s nothing like this in the country."
And there’s something unique about each marquee — look up and you’ll see.
"Each underside mimics the inside of one of the theater lobbies," said Einhouse.
Another cool thing — the iconic Playhouse Square chandelier will now be able to twinkle for the first time since it went up in 2014. It will make the beloved photo-op shine even brighter.
Again, the marquee celebration on Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. is free and all are welcome.
Find more information about the event here.
