The lives and times of Citizens Opera House

Citizens proudly supports the legacy of this iconic Boston venue — and provides enhanced access to its world-class entertainment programming through Citizens Live®.

Much like the people for whom they're designed, buildings often have multiple lives, or acts, over the span of many years. That's most certainly true of the Citizens Opera House — a tall, elegant structure on Washington Street in Boston's Downtown Crossing shopping district.

Prelude

In 1883, New Hampshire-born Benjamin Franklin Keith founded the country's first vaudeville house, in Boston, which featured family-friendly, live variety shows of music and comedy. By the early 1900s, he and his business partner Edward Franklin Albee were operating a successful chain of vaudeville theaters — based out of B.F. Keith's Boston Theatre on Washington Street near the Boston Common.

Having achieved great success, Keith retired from the business, married a woman 40 years his junior, and eventually passed away in Palm Beach in 1914. Years later, Albee set out to honor his late partner in a way that aptly reflected his legacy as one of vaudeville’s greatest impresarios.

Opening act: A palace for popular entertainment

Albee selected the country’s leading theater architect, Thomas White Lamb, to help realize the proposed B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre. Once B.F. Keith’s Boston Theatre was razed in 1926, Albee dedicated his close supervision and considerable resources to constructing its replacement on the same site. Blending French and Italian styles, opulent details, and luxurious materials like Carrara marble, gold leaf, and silk, Lamb created one the finest examples of theatrical architecture on the vaudeville circuit.

Albee’s grand gesture culminated on October 29, 1928, when he and Joseph P. Kennedy (father of then 11-year-old JFK) — whose Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) organization owned the theater by then — hosted a star-studded gala opening. Celebrated performers of the day like Al Jolson and George M. Cohan joined local dignitaries for a festive evening of tributes, vaudeville, and a silent film. It was an auspicious beginning.

Act I: The move to movies

A year later, the theater’s first anniversary fell on “Black Tuesday” — the worst day of 1929’s Wall Street Crash. The Great Depression that followed hastened the vaudeville house’s transition into a full-time movie theater, which it remained for decades to come.

When RKO sold the venue to Sack Theaters in 1965, the new owners reclaimed its former grandeur and renamed it the Savoy Theatre. Early on, a riot broke out when the Savoy turned more than 10,000 movie fans away from a free screening of the 1967 Bond film Casino Royale. Sack eventually added a second screen to accommodate growing audiences but sold the Savoy 1 & 2 in 1978 — closing the curtain on the building’s 50-year-long first act.

Act II: Opera takes center stage

Founded in 1958 by world-renowned director Sarah Caldwell, the Opera Company of Boston rented venues for its first 20 years. That all changed in October 1978 when she acquired the former Savoy for $885,000 and soon reopened it as the Boston Opera House. In 1980, Caldwell premiered Puccini's Tosca in the company's new home.

Caldwell staged at least four operas a year, but the days of wine and roses were short lived. According to Jim Jensen, Executive Director of the Citizens Opera House, "Sarah was a great opera impresario, but not a great building owner. She just didn't have the resources to keep the heat on, so the pipes would freeze." When the delicate ceiling ornamentation began to chip, he says: "She had big 'diapers' hanging from the ceiling to catch falling plaster." Maggie Doyle, Director of Operations and Events, adds: "She even had musicians painting dressing rooms because she couldn't or wouldn't hire anyone." Face with the venue's steady deterioration and hampered by a shoestring budget, Caldwell was forced to close both the opera house and her company by 1991.

Intermission: From ruin to restoration

After more than 60 years of ownership and programming changes, the Boston Opera House went dark for most of the 1990s. At some point, members of Boston's homeless community sought refuge in the abandoned theater and, reportedly, even wore the costumes Caldwell left behind. By 1995, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the structure one of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places."

With enthusiastic support from Boston Mayor Tom Menino, the opera house's new owners — Clear Channel Entertainment — embarked on a total restoration and update of its long-neglected interior in 2002. "It's amazing how much Clear Channel put into restoring this theater," says Jim Jensen. Two years, 30,000 hours' worth of restoration work, and $54M later, the beautifully refurbished landmark was ready to reopen its doors to a new generation of culture-loving Bostonians.

Act III: A theater veteran regains its star power

The revival of Albee and Lamb's historic vision — combined with a stage expansion to accommodate larger and more diverse productions — may have ushered in the building's best act yet. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on July 16, 2004, reminiscent of the theater's opening night more than 75 years earlier. The same night, The Lion King premiered a successful six-month run, the first of many to come.

The venue was rarely idle after 2004 — an ongoing trend since local businessmen Don Law and David Mugar took it over in 2009. Thanks to primary tenants Broadway in Boston and Boston Ballet, a steady rotation of touring Broadway shows and ballet performances anchor the opera house's busy events calendar. But Maggie Doyle notes that one annual tradition is always a highlight: "Boston Ballet does so much during The Nutcracker, with the decorations and creative, festive vibe. It really is a special evening."

Over the years, an eclectic lineup of performers and events has taken the Citizens Opera House stage — from Eddie Vedder, the Beastie Boys, Dolly Parton, and Jon Batiste to Maya Angelou, TEDxCambridge, and even the Overwatch League. And as we look ahead at the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Boston-area fans have plenty of live entertainment to look forward to, including Broadway in Boston shows like Back to the Future, The Wiz, The Outsiders, and Moulin Rouge!, as well as seasonal Boston Ballet productions.

Encore

With new arts and entertainment content emerging all the time — and its rechristening as the Citizens Opera House in 2019 — the nearly 100-year-old venue evolves with the times. But for local audiences, one thing won't change: its viewer-friendly configuration. "Compared to other Boston theaters, our auditorium is wider, but shallower," says Jensen. "So even if you're in the back row, you're not too far from the stage. There really isn't a bad seat in the house."

As "a modern stage house," Jensen says the deep stage and superior acoustics help draw presenters and promoters — and their shows — to the venue, as well. Aesthetics certainly enhance the appeal. Casts "are often blown away by how gorgeous the theater is," says Doyle. "It's probably the most beautiful theater many of them have ever performed in. It's an elevated experience — for everyone." Cynthia Barnes, a ballet season-ticket holder, agrees: "It feels like a destination in itself."

From its rise and ruin to its restoration and ongoing renaissance, Boston’s venerable opera house has had a long and colorful history — and continues to thrive in its latest act.

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As your live entertainment partner in Boston, we're proud to offer Citizens Live — an exciting benefits program that helps our customers follow their passion for live music and entertainment. With exclusive perks like presale tickets and skip-the-line entry,* Citizens debit and credit cardholders enjoy VIP access to tickets and shows at some of Live Nation's hottest local spots, including the Citizens Opera House,** Citizens House of Blues Boston, MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Orpheum Theatre, Paradise Rock Club, and Brighton Music Hall.