Frieze Frame - Wilma Theatre, Missoula, Montana

"You see - the moulded whimsy of a frieze 
on a portico keeps us from recognizing, sometimes, 
the symmetry of the whole... 
but now and then the name of a street,
or a street organ weeping in the twilight,
will remind us in a more vivid and more
truthful way than thought could resurrect
or words convey... 
And in that hour, the soul
will miraculously sense the charm
of past trifles, and we will understand
that in eternity all is eternal..."
-Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), The Tragedy of Mister Morn

W Is For Wilma - Missoula, Montana

The past few evenings have been so warm and lovely - a far cry from the drastic cooling  and rain forecast last week! The lingering end-of-summer days make it hard to come indoors as the sunset wanes to full-on dark. Thankfully, Missoula's downtown main drag is a great place for an evening walk - and safe, being brightly lit and having lots of people out and about. My habitual jaunt loops up one side of Higgins Avenue to the old train depot and back down the other side to the Wilma Theatre, which is in the throes of restoration and upgrades. The signature W lights mark the turnaround point to head back to my car and to home, and - wistfully - inside. 

Setting the Stage - Wilma Theatre - Missoula, Montana

The Wilma Theatre's gilded architectural fixtures and details have long been backdrop to amazing events. Rather a good photo for today, as a reminder of Good Friday so drastically setting the stage for a most amazing event, Easter Sunday. This year, today also begins another wondrous event - blessed Passover to you, also. May we pause and reflect on how these historical happenings changed not only the world, but willing hearts for all time forward.

Old and New, Indoors - Wilma Theatre, Missoula, Montana

Lighting trees and cabling cast layered shadows on the classic grillwork in the Wilma Theatre's main auditorium. Recent news of new owners with restoration and tech upgrade plans is building anticipation in both history and music camps.

Unfiltered Joy - Missoula, Montana

O!My!Gosh! Among authors, I gush over Craig Johnson. And for guitarists, I will unashamedly gush about The Best Husband Ever - and also for Jonny Lang and his fabulous band, who incredibly rocked Missoula's historic Wilma Theatre Monday night, along with stellar front band, Runaway Saints. The Wilma's classic concert hall was graced many, many years ago by another blues/Gospel great, the amazing Mahalia Jackson. I am inspired by their unfiltered joy.

Stairway To, Missoula, Montana

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps

’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Don’t you fall now—

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Dusk River View of the Wilma Theatre, Missoula, Montana

Rivertown At Midnight
by Ralph Vaughan

"Dusk settles upon a serpentine river,
Layers of musky gauze,
Mist rising, flowing down rivertown's narrow streets,
A roiling sighing river itself;
Tiny hands rise from the drifting haze,
Tapping faintly, rapping gently
At diamond-paned windows,
Calling a soft siren call to sleepers,
But only dreamers answer,
And, of them, but a special few are fully roused;
Velvet midnight gives slow way to a copper day...."

 Treat yourself to a reading of the remaining few lines of this evocative poem here.

Pillar of Deep Thought, Missoula, Montana

Nothing immortalizes true love quite like carving your initials in stone. Especially if you border your handiwork with a heart. I think it fabulous that, during successive remodeling, the Wilma Theatre left these engravings intact. The stuff of life adds character, whether the canvas is stone block or a strengthened soul.

Back Door Pass, Wilma Theatre, Missoula, Montana

It's easy to imagine this lamplit walkway populated with lavishly gowned and tuxedoed opera goers of an earlier era, leisurely exiting after a performance and headed for a late supper at a downtown club.  Thanks to interior restoration, today's attendees of Missoula's Wilma Theatre enjoy modern music in pretty much the same ornate Louis XIV-style interior as original patrons from the 1920's.

Wilma Theatre View, Missoula, Montana

A view of the historic Wilma from the walking path on the far side of the river.  Odd to think that the river used to go right up to the building, where Caras Park is now.

Wilma Theatre at Night, Missoula, Montana

The Wilma Theatre in Missoula, Montana, lays claim to varied performers, from Mahalia Jackson to Lyle Lovett (with an honourable mention to Patrolled by Radar, who opened for Taj Mahal in 2011) & everything in between or beyond.
If you make it inside for a movie or live performance, be sure to head upstairs to the balcony & take a closer look at the gloriously hand-painted ceiling.
An interesting fact from the building’s history is that it originally had a swimming pool in the lowest level, now home to the tasteful Scotty’s Table.