 |
 |
BLANKETS KEEP YOU COZY AT THE PICKENS
A new service at the Pickens!
Jane Pickens Theater in Newport hands out blankets to keep heating costs down.
NEWPORT - Watching a favorite flick while wrapped in a warm blanket is a treat normally enjoyed at home.
But patrons of the Jane Pickens Theater on Touro Street may borrow a fleece blanket when they pick up their popcorn, Newport Chocolate and other snacks at the concession stand in the lobby. Theater owner Kathy Staab recently bought the blankets to provide her clientele with some added comfort during the chilly winter months.
"I must have dreamed that up about a month ago," Staab said. "I do a lot of flying, and it's always nice to cuddle up with a blanket."
The navy blue, twin-size blankets are similar to those available on commercial airlines, Staab said. The lightweight blankets are folded and stacked behind the concession stand, where patrons may pick them up for free before entering the theater.
It features 550 seats and the largest movie screen on Aquidneck Island. The theater, which is housed in a building constructed in 1834, is loaded with charm but lacking in energy efficiency. Although the thermostat is set at 72 degrees it seldom feels that warm inside the theater when the temperature outside is at the freezing point or below.
"It's an historic building," Staab said. "The cost of heating the building is a big issue."
She declined to disclose how much she expects to spend on heating oil this winter, other than to say "it's many thousands of dollars."
The blankets serve as a cozy layer of insulation for any movie buff who may be chilled while enjoying a film shown on the Jane Pickens' big screen. Staab said audiences have been both appreciative and amused.
"We're trying to keep the theater running," she said. "We've got to do unusual things for unusual times."
This weekend, the theater is offering a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" brunch. The film version of Truman Capote's best-selling novel will be shown Saturday and Sunday at noon, following croissants and coffee at 11:30 a.m. The cost for the light brunch and the 1961 film, which stars Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard and Patricia Neal, is $10.
For an additional $6, patrons may remain in the theater for the 2 p.m. showing of "Capote" starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, who recently won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama.
"It's not an ordinary theater," Staab said. "It's a theater where you come and have an experience."
"Capote" will be showing at the Jane Pickens for the next few weeks; "Brokeback Mountain" is scheduled to begin Feb. 10. For more information, call the theater at 846-5252.
By M. Catherine Callahan, Daily News staff
|
