Donnie Rankin Plays Oriental Theatre

ORIENTAL THEATRE TO PRESENT A PATRIOTIC CONCERT
OF MUSICAL FAVORITES AND
SILENT FILM COMEDY WITH HISTORIC PIPE ORGAN

May 21, 2009

For immediate release:

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN. On Sunday, May 24th, the Dairyland Theatre Organ Society and Kimball Theatre Organ Society, in cooperation with the historic Oriental Theatre, will present “An American Song”—a special afternoon of patriotic favorites featuring the theatre’s beautiful Kimball pipe organ.

Young theatre organ virtuoso Donnie Rankin—the 2007 American Theatre Organ Society’s Young Theatre Organist Competition Winner—will perform a varied program of patriotic and other favorites on the Kimball theatre pipe organ. Donnie first took an interest in the music of the theatre organ the age of three. Now 19, he has become one of the country’s top up-and-coming proponents of this uniquely American art form, performing an increasing number of concerts throughout the country.

As an added bonus, Donnie Rankin will accompany the 1929 Laurel & Hardy silent film classic Liberty. In the film, Laurel & Hardy are prison escapees who, through a series of unfortunate missteps, bring their inimitable slapstick routine to the top of a 20-story skyscraper. This comedy has often been lauded as one of the comic duo’s most successful films.

Donnie Rankin will present his original score on Sunday afternoon to bring Liberty to life. “I very much enjoy exploring the colors of the Kimball pipe organ,” Rankin said. “These instruments were the voice and soul of the movie palaces of the 1920s, and it is a delight to present the music of the theatre organ to contemporary audiences,” he added.

The Oriental Theatre is one of a mere handful of theatres in the Midwest that boasts a large theatre pipe organ. Back in the 1920s, theatres small and large throughout the United States and abroad installed pipe organs to provide musical accompaniment to the silent films of the day. It will be a special treat for the whole family to experience that golden era at the Oriental Theatre.

The performance begins at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 24th. Tickets are $15 at the door. Student tickets are available for $10. The Oriental Theatre is located at 2230 North Farwell Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53202. For additional information about tickets or the performance, please contact us.

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