Orpheum Theatre

Originally opened in 1929 as a vaudeville house and saved for posterity by a preservation movement that began with the Orpheum's purchase by the City of Phoenix in 1984, this gracious facility reopened in early 1997 to great -- and warranted -- fanfare. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the building has a checkered past that includes stints as a member of the Paramount moviehouse chain, a Spanish-language cinema and a rock venue. The remodeled interior is lush and classic, a showy, almost campy, assuredly unlikely mix of Colonial Revival and Spanish baroque that somehow works. The ethereal-cloudscape-on-the-ceiling projection is pretty darned keen, too. The 1,400-capacity hall is home to a plethora of arts-slanted special events and touring shows.