California Theatre (San Jose)

For a time known as the Fox, the California Theatre was a 1927 vaudeville and film house that closed its doors 30 years ago. Now, the theatre has been under reconstruction and restoration for more than five years. Its original name has been restored along with the elaborate interiors, and important additions for audience comfort and theatrical production have been added. The California Theatre will soon be one of the region’s most important performance facilities. The 1,100-seat auditorium, slightly smaller than England’s Glyndebourne and Venice’s historic Teatro la fenice, joins the select ranks of the world’s most intimate opera houses. There are only 20 rows of seats in the orchestra section, five rows in the grand tier, and six in the mezzanine. Each seat offers close proximity to the stage, essential for engaging theatre. Other important advantages for music-theatre lovers are a stage opening that is nearly 50 feet across and 30 feet high, a stage depth of 50 feet, and an orchestra pit (beneath the stage and modeled after Wagner’s festival theatre in Bayreuth) that can accommodate a full orchestra. Most important to opera lovers, all acoustic tests indicate that the hall is absolutely perfect for opera. The intricately restored gallery-foyer and auditorium are surrounded by entirely new conveniences and comforts, including elevators, ample restrooms upstairs and down, coat-check, intimate lounges as well as the magnificent gallery, and even a courtyard complete with fountain. The California is at 345 South First Street, between San Carlos and San Salvador. There is ample parking on S. First St, which is supplemented by additional parking lots and garages in the surrounding area. Excellent restaurants encircle the building, including Agenda, Arcadia, Eulipia, Il Fornaio, and Original Joe’s, and within easy walking distance are Palermo’s, City Grill, Pagoda, Grill on the Alley, Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar, E. & O. Trading Co., Bella Mia, Stratta, and others.