Orpheum Theatre is located in downtown Minneapolis

The Orpheum Theatre is a downtown theater in Minneapolis. The theatre has been restored along with two other theaters on Hennepin Avenue. The theater consists of two separate structures: a long fingerlike lobby, which extends from a narrow fasade on Hennepin Avenue and the auditorium that is parallel to Hawthorne Avenue. There are six terra cotta bas relief sculptures in the lobby and the auditorium is intricately plastered and includes garlands, swags, medallions and the ceiling dome has 30,000 squares of aluminum leaf. There are 1500 seats on the main floor and 1100 on the three level balconies.

The theatre opened in 1921 and was known as Hennepin and seats 2,579. The theater was designed by Milwaukee firm Krichoff and Rose and the first performers included the Marx Brothers w ho had over 70,000 guests attend the opening week. The theater was billed as the largest vaudeville house in the country when it opened and was a major entertainment venue for entertainers such as Jack Benny, George Burns and Fanny Brice. A playroom and daycare were featured off the mezzanine lobby and there were eight floors of dressing rooms.

Vaudeville's popularity declined in the 1930s-40s so the theater became a major cinema house, showing films such as Gone with the Wind, which sold out every show for three weeks. Big bands also played the theater such as Benny Goodman and Count Basie. In the 1960s productions such as My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof were performed at the theater.

The theater set a record in Minneapolis for first run engagements of Best Picture Oscar winners including From Here to Eternity and The Godfather.

The theater was sold to the Minneapolis Community Development Agency from Bob Dylan and David Zimmerman in 1988. The agency began restoration of the theater in 1993 to accommodate elaborate Broadway productions. The stage was extended 20 feet; the back was removed brick by brick to ensure that no damage occurred. There were some unexpected discoveries made whilst renovations were underway, findings in the lobby included six Pompeian friezes, which were hidden under velour curtains, fake windows and a false wall. The centerpiece of the theater is the auditorium's chandelier. The chandelier weighs 2000 pounds and is 15 feet high. The theater re-opened in 1993 with a concert by Heart followed by the Broadway production of Miss Saigon. The theater has featured such productions, Disney's The Lion King, a national tour by Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA.

The theater is now owned and operated by Hennepin Theatre Trust.

Tours of the theater are available with experienced guides to highlight the architecture and historical facts of the theatre along with stories about the venues that anchored `Theater Row'. The tours access the interiors of the theater and provide fascinating historical perspective that patrons would not experience when they attend an event. The tours last approximately one hour. Public tours are offered on the last Monday of each month starting at 1.00pm.