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Orpheum Theatre (Minneapolis)

Orpheum Theatre is a theater located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is one of four restored theaters on Hennepin Avenue, along with the Pantages Theatre, the State Theatre and the Shubert Theatre (now The Cowles Center). The building opened on October 16, 1921, originally named the Hennepin Theater, its first performers included the Marx Brothers with more than 70,000 guests attending the opening week run. Billed as the largest vaudeville house in the country when it opened, the Orpheum became a major outlet for such entertainers as Jack Benny, George Burns, and Fanny Brice. It also hosted big bands including Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie. The theater consists of two separate structures: a long, fingerlike lobby that extends back from a narrow facade along Hennepin Avenue, and the auditorium, which is set back and parallels Hawthorne Avenue. The restored lobby includes six terra cotta bas relief sculptures. The auditorium is intricately plastered, with several garlands, swags, medallions, and other decorations. The ceiling has a dome with 30,000 squares of aluminum leaf.The theater currently seats 2,600 guests with 1,500 on the main floor and 1,100 on the three level balcony.Several musicals, including Victor/Victoria, The Lion King, and The 101 Dalmatians Musical premiered at the Orpheum. In 1988, the Orpheum was sold by Bob Dylan (who owned it from 1979 to 1988) to the City of Minneapolis; it was renovated and reopened in 1993. In 2005, the city transferred ownership of its theaters to the Hennepin Theatre Trust.Historic Theatre Group's original partner was Jujamcyn Productions. SFX (now Live Nation) bought Jujamcyn Productions in 2000. Live Nation sold most of its theatrical properties, including its Minneapolis operations, to Key Brand Entertainment in 2008.