Playpen Gutted
Monday night, I went by to check on the Playpen and all was placid. Even a few lights were still glowing in the marquee. This afternoon, however, I found all the lights off and the theater being gutted against the protests of preservationists. The front windows have been sealed with black plastic, but I managed to snap a few inside shots through a tear. view through the old funny store & into the theater From the back alley, the open rear door of the theater revealed a Bobcat machine plowing through the space, kicking up plenty of dust. I spoke to a worker who told me that the original interior cameos have been covered and protected and may eventually be removed for either preservation or sale. But everything else, he said, is just sheetrock, totally stripped. He expects exterior demolition to begin very soon, within the next two weeks. So much for that petition. Just the other day I spoke to Orlando Lopes, New York Director of the Theater Historical Society of America , and he up...