Photos: Johnson Hall Opera House before and after renovations

The Reehl Stage, the 400-seat theater at the newly renovated Johnson Hall Opera House to set to host its first public show Tuesday. That sold-out show featuring The Robert Cray Band, will be followed by former Men at Work lead singer Colin Hay on April 9 and Shawn Colvin and KT Tunstall on April 23. For more information about upcoming shows, see johnsonhall.org. Nearly four decades after Denise Reehl first saw the theater, which was opened in the 19th century as a livery stable, was transformed into an opera house and became home to department stores, a roller-skating rink and a movie theater, she said she is pleased with its ongoing transformation. “With hindsight, I realize there were a lot of years when it was very disappointing and we made no progress,” she says. “But now I think about it, and it was right to do it now because of everything we have in the world and ways to solve problems and materials. It’s just the right time now, and I am sorry (her late husband, Benny Reehl) didn’t get to see it.” All photos by Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Posted March 25

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In the photo at left, Kyle Wright of Ganneston Construction Corp. of Augusta carries ceiling tiles to a truck June 7, 2022, at the Johnson Hall Opera House in downtown Gardiner. The demolition was the start of long-awaited renovations to the venue at 280 Water St. In the photo at right, attendees line up March 16 to see a performance featuring music by the band Muddy Ruckus. Speeches or performances by Dennis Price, Hilary Chaplain, Shane Miclon, AaronDeWitt, Joy Powers, Gardiner Mayor Pat Hart, Denise Reehl, Mike Miclon and Fritz Grobe are planned. Soft openings were expected to help Johnson Hall staff members learn to manage the flow of hundreds of people into the venue before the first public performance Tuesday, a sold-out show by The Robert Cray Band.

The photo on top shows the third-floor theater at the Johnson Hall Opera House at 280 Water St. in Gardiner is shown Oct. 4, 2018. The photo on bottom, taken March 16, shows audience members waiting for a show to begin at the newly renovated Johnson Hall Opera House at 280 Water St. in Gardiner.

The photo on top, taken in November 2022, shows the stage during the renovation process at the Johnson Hall Opera House. The photo on bottom, taken March 16, shows audience members waiting for a show to begin at the newly renovated Johnson Hall Opera House at 280 Water St. in Gardiner.

The top photo, taken in November 2022, shows the stage during the renovation process at the Johnson Hall Opera House. The bottom photo shows the balcony Oct. 5, 2023, at the Johnson Hall Opera House at 280 Water St. in Gardiner in downtown Gardiner.

Purchase photos from the Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel

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