Warwick Musical Theatre was a musical theater located on

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Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sout ...

. Buster Bonoff opened the theater in 1955 on an open field. Initially, it hosted touring Broadway shows but, by the 1970s, "big-name" entertainers became its standard offering. In 1967, the original tent was replaced with a 3,300-seat

theater in the round A theatre in the round, arena theatre or central staging is a space for theatre in which the audience surrounds the stage. Theatre-in-the-round was common in ancient theatre, particularly that of Greece and Rome, but was not widely explored aga ...

that used a building from the

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. It also hosted yearly summer shows by

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until 1999.

Demise

The theater faced increasing competition from larger venues and the Foxwoods and

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casinos in Connecticut, and it hosted a farewell season in 1999, ending its 54th season with a concert by

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. Buster and Barbara Bonoff did not live long after the theater closed. Buster died in 2000 and Barbara in 2003. The Warwick Musical Theatre was torn down in June 2002, and a

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now occupies the site. Since its demise, the theater has been honored by a pair of Rhode Island artists. Frank Galasso included it in his lithographs ''Remember When...'' and ''Icons of Rhode Island Past and present''. Duke Marcoccio made a commemorative ornament as a part of his series of "My Little Town" Rhode Island landmarks.

References

External links

Bonoff Foundation for the Warwick Musical Theater

Frank Galasso Official Web Site

Duke Marcoccio Official Web Site
{{Authority control 1955 establishments in Rhode Island 1999 disestablishments in Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Warwick, Rhode Island Demolished buildings and structures in Rhode Island Buildings and structures demolished in 2002