Fox Theatre puts best boot forward at Ozark Jubilee tribute

A renovated lobby greeted visitors to the Historic Fox Theatre on the downtown Springfield square during the Ozark Jubilee Live tribute concert Nov. 21.

Sean FitzGibbons, executive director of History Museum on the Square Inc., which operates the former movie theater and vaudeville venue, kept the upgrades under wraps until the event, which aimed to recapture the energy of the “Ozark Jubilee” country variety television program that was produced in Springfield in the 1950s.

The venue upgrades are timely, FitzGibbons said, with new management of the Fox by The Gillioz Theatre under Gillioz Center for Arts and Entertainment Executive Director Geoff Steele. That agreement started in September, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting, which quoted FitzGibbons as saying Fox ownership hasn’t changed, but show booking, promotion and shaping of the guest experience would.

Though country music performances were the order of the night, the stars of the show for FitzGibbons were the three historic murals just outside of the performance space, newly displayed after being covered for protection for several years.

“The idea was to open the murals up,” FitzGibbons said. “They’ve been under wraps for such a long time because we didn’t want them to be damaged.”

FitzGibbons said revealing the hidden murals kicked off a larger vision for lobby renovation.

“We thought we could open those up, put glass in front of them so you could see them without damaging them – but then we thought, if we’re going to do the glass, we need to do the carpet; if we’re going to do the carpet … and then it just snowballed from there,” he said.

The murals, completed in 1949 by artist George Kieffer, highlight local landmarks and events. They depict Missouri State University’s administrative building, Drury University’s Stone Chapel and a closeup of a skirmish at the Civil War Battle of Wilson’s Creek. Kieffer painted many of the murals at Silver Dollar City, including the original murals at the Fire in the Hole indoor roller coaster attraction, FitzGibbons said.

Next up is a true restoration of the murals, which will require money and expertise, according to FitzGibbons.

“I thought if we’re not going to be able to give them the care that they deserve, we should at least protect them and open them to the public, so at least the public can enjoy them,” he said. “Eventually, hopefully that enjoyment will translate into a funding campaign to restore them.”

Part of the restoration will be contending with varnish put over the murals before the museum owned the site. That was a well-meaning gesture to attempt to preserve the art, but it was not an archivally recommended one, according to FitzGibbons.

FitzGibbons said Melvin Painting Co. Inc. painted the lobby areas for the renovation, with glasswork by Springfield Glass Co. The contractor was Kenmar Construction Inc.

“It was a real team effort,” he said.

He said he and Steele have come up with a laundry list of upgrades yet to come for the Fox.

“We’re really going to think hard about what needs to be done,” FitzGibbons said. “We really need to sit down and think about what Phase 2 is going to be. I don’t want to do something and then two years later have to undo it.”

Fitzgibbons did not have an exact cost for the total renovation, which will be ongoing.

As part of the partnership with the Gillioz, FitzGibbons said, the venue got a new ticket system with eTix. Steele procured a signing bonus, Fitzgibbons said, and with it they were able to build a bathroom in the basement beneath the stage for performers – again, he did not offer cost estimates. Previously, performers had to go through the Fox lobby to use the same restrooms as audience members, he said.

“We’re slowly but surely turning that into a nice green room,” he said. “We’re looking for more ways to really enhance our guest experience.”

Prior to the Jubilee show, Steele – wearing a string tie for the occasion – greeted visitors in the lobby. He pointed out the lighting in the lobby – upgraded with all LED fixtures – plus a new color scheme and new carpets.

Steele said the partnership was off to a strong start after Gillioz personnel coordinated sales for a 10-day run of “Hairspray” by the Mosaic Arts Collective.

After that show finished its run Oct. 26, renovations began, to be completed just before showtime.

“We just uncovered the glass about 45 minutes ago, so this is the first time the murals have been seen,” he said.

Steele said the city’s theater community is thriving. As an example, he cited upgrades at The Landers, the home of Springfield Little Theatre, which recently installed a video wall, among other improvements.

The Fox served as the home of the museum while construction was underway for its permanent location on Park Central Square at its intersection with Boonville Avenue in the former Barth’s department store building. The museum moved into that 18,000-square-foot location in 2019, according to its website.

According to Steele, that gives the Fox an opportunity to shine in the way it was originally intended.

“Now it’s getting to come back to its roots, and I think the timing is right for that with the centennial of Route 66 and the Gillioz centennial,” Steele said. “The partnership has been really fun, since they worked together for decades before.”

Steele previously told SBJ the two theater venues shared personnel – including projectionists and maintenance staff – for decades.

“Hairspray” was the first Fox performance under Gillioz management, Steele said, and that was a 10-night run, followed by closure for renovations that were planned before the partnership began.

“We’re just rounding third, making sure they get home OK,” he said. “They did a marvelous job keeping it on schedule for tonight.”

John Sellars, executive director emeritus of the museum, had some announcing duties during the show, but before it kicked off, he reflected on the changes to the space over time.

While the renovations offer a dramatic facelift, Sellars was quick to note that they did not restore the Fox quite to the pinnacle of its grandeur, with appointments that once rivaled the lush decor of The Gillioz.

“It was very ornate – plaster and grillwork and stuff like that; it had a huge pipe organ that sat right here,” he said from his podium beside the stage.

Sellars offered some historical notes on the Jubilee, which he said was always filmed at the Jewell Theatre – now the site of Jubilee Park on the southeast corner of South Jefferson Avenue at East St. Louis Street – or at The Historic Landers Theatre, located downtown on Walnut Street.

The Fox opened in 1916 as part of a theater chain called The Electric Theatre, featuring both moving pictures and vaudeville. Its first performance was billed as the Toozoomin Arabs, The Whirl Wind of the Desert, per Sellars.

A fire at the theater caused massive damage in late 1946, according to the History Museum on the Square website, and it reopened after two years for movie audiences. From 1985 to 2014, the Abundant Life Church was housed in the venue before the History Museum took ownership.