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Community Reacts to Theater Fire

Community Reacts to Theater Fire - Friday, October 2, 2009 at 3:50PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Friday, Oct 2, 2009 @ 03:50pm EDT
MOUNTAINHOME, MONROE COUNTY - Fire gutted a Monroe County landmark. Now investigators want to know how is started. The Pocono Playhouse is in Mountainhome between routes 390 and 191.

Firefighters rushed to the place around one Friday morning. Someone saw smoke come from the Playhouse and called 911. The flames spread quickly and gutted the building. Firefighter were on the scene for hours. Nobody was hurt.

Firefighters believe it started near the stage and spread quickly. A State Police Fire Marshall is looking for the cause.

At the Mountainhome Diner, everyone was talking about the fire. Alvesta Smallacombe said, "I was very upset. I said oh this is absolutely terrible."

In the building's final act, firefighters took to the stage. They could not stop flames from forcing the curtain to close. Phil Storer said, "It's gonna leave a big void." He added, "We loved that theater." He told Eyewitness News his grandson got his acting career started on the Playhouse stage. He now works in New York. Storer said, "When he finds out this burned I think he's going to be very unhappy 'cause he loved that old theater."

Mary Osborne was also unhappy. She remembers taking her daughter to see the musical Anne at the Playhouse. She said, "I bought her a dress like Anne's - patent leather shoes - and the necklace - and I did her hair all up in curls - and she hated it." She hated the dress but two decades later, the family loves to revisit the memory of that night.

Smallacombe said, "I think all children should be able to go and see plays." She remembers going to the theater with her girlfriends when it first opened.

Cindy Deluca remembers decades of serving as a volunteer usher. She saw John Travolta and Shirley Booth perform there. She said, "I was very saddened because it was a very popular place in our township and it takes away one of the reasons why you want to come to Barrett Township."

As Shakespeare wrote, "What's done is done." But the people of Barrett Township hope the Playhouse owner decides to write a new act and rebuild the historic theater.
 


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