Star Plaza Theatre
The Star Plaza Theatre (formerly known as the Holiday Star Theatre) was a live music venue located in Merrillville, Indiana. The theatre is a 3,400-seat intimate venue with two seating levels in a semicircle around the stage. The Main Floor Level seats 2,000 people, and the Mezzanine Level, which overhangs the main level about midway, seats 1,400. The furthest seat in the auditorium is 120 feet from the stage.
Former names | Holiday Star Theatre (1979-90) |
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Address | 8001 Delaware Pl Merrillville, IN 46410-5641 |
Location | Chicago metropolitan area |
Owner | Whiteco Industries |
Operator | Star Productions |
Capacity | 3,400 |
Construction | |
Opened | December 19, 1979 |
Closed | December 17, 2017 |
Demolished | Summer 2018 |
Construction cost | $12 million ($47 million in 2019 dollars[1]) |
Website | |
Official Website |
The Star Plaza Theatre closed on December 17, 2017 after its final show with the only group to perform every year that the theater was open, The Oak Ridge Boys. The final song sung on the stage was "Amazing Grace". Demolition lasted throughout summer 2018.[2][3][4]
Entertainers appearing there have included Christina Aguilera, Anita Baker, The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, Captain & Tennille, Ray Charles, Kenny Chesney, Phil Collins, Perry Como, Alice Cooper, Bill Cosby, Miles Davis, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ellen DeGeneres, John Denver, Bob Dylan, Jamie Foxx, Aretha Franklin, Mitzi Gaynor, Bob Hope, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson, Tom Jones, R. Kelly, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Jay Leno, Liberace, Barry Manilow, Reba McEntire, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, The Monkees, Wayne Newton, Dolly Parton, Richard Pryor, REO Speedwagon, Joan Rivers, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Jerry Seinfeld, Red Skelton, Donna Summer, Tiffany, James Taylor, The Temptations, Tina Turner, Luther Vandross, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dionne Warwick, Andy Williams, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Warren Zevon, ZZ Top and many more.
External links
- Prescott, David (September 22, 1985). "Cornfield Colossus: How A Bigtime Showbiz Theater Came To The 'Middle Of Nowhere'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
References
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- Caffarini, Karen (June 16, 2017). "After temporary reprieve, Star Plaza Theatre, Twin Towers to be razed". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- "Northwest Indiana's Longtime Star Plaza Theatre to Be Demolished". WMAQ-TV. June 24, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- Johnson, Charles (July 11, 2017). "The Curtain Will Fall On The Star Plaza Theater". ChicagoNow.com. Retrieved July 29, 2017.