Rebirth of the Sol

A renovation and a daring new concept transform Fort Lauderdale’s Sol Theatre into the hippest spot in town

By Mary Damiano

As Robert Hooker gives a tour of his newly refurbished Sol Theatre, housed in a strip of warehouses facing the railroad tracks, he points out old props and set pieces that have been incorporated into the new design. Pieces cast off from another theater have been reimagined as a bar. There’s the fireplace from The Mystery of Irma Vep, now part of the box office. The portrait of Mona Lisa smoking a joint, once a hallway fixture, is now front and center, her enigmatic expression smiling on the proceedings.

“I wanted it to be classy, fun and artsy, but still Sol-interesting,” Hooker says.

The intimate lobby looks downright spacious, its cluttered basement vibe replaced by a streamlined, baroque elegance. The theater space has undergone a big change as well — gone are the thrift store sofas and dining room chairs, replaced by cushiony blue seats, an increased audience capacity and a more uniform design. But the classic Sol touches are still there: The lobby’s mirrored wall has been fashioned into an ornate sun, a nod to the troupe’s moniker. Sculpted faces peer out from odd places, and while knick-knacks remain, they’re more likely to be art-quality pieces and used sparingly. The total effect is that of a salon, a place to gather and revel in art.

How appropriate, then, that the first production in the newly refurbished theater is Yasmina Reza’s Art, which officially opened March 1 for an open-ended run. On the surface, it might seem an uninspired choice, given that the two other Broward theaters, the Mosaic in Plantation and the Broward Stage Door in Coral Springs, have both done productions of the Broadway favorite in the past few seasons. But dig a little deeper and you’ll see that the Sol’s production has its own special ace in the hole.

Art deals with how the relationship between three longtime friends is tested when one spends an exorbitant amount of money on a painting. The production marks Hooker’s return to acting — he hasn’t appeared in a production since 2002’s La Chunga. But more compelling is that he’s cast Sol company members Jim Gibbons, Hooker’s friend for 18 years, and David Tarryn-Grae, his friend for 21 years, in the other two roles. The exploration of male friendship promises to take on resonance that few — if any — other productions have attempted.

“I thought it was a good play for me to start acting again, and it deals with three old friends,” says Hooker. “Every time I read it, I thought of doing it with David and Jim.

Hooker founded the Sol Theatre Project with his real-life partner Tony Priddy and friend Gibbons back in 2001. A troupe of regulars assembled, and the tiny theater earned a reputation for presenting edgy work in a fresh way. Hooker began attracting a large gay and lesbian audience with plays by Charles Busch and titles that included the immensely successful Stop Kiss. Male and female nudity was all but a given at the Sol. When an actor had to drop out of Two Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winter’s Night last October, and Hooker had no recourse but to close the show barely into its run, the Sol went dark and many feared it would never again see the light of day.

That was very nearly the case. Family illness, the death of his dog and a bad back, coupled with the course the theater was taking, caused severe burnout, and Hooker was ready to close up shop and get a real job.

Priddy persuaded him to give the theater biz another go, but in a brand-new way. The couple came up with a unique concept. Produce two shows in rotating rep — On-Stage Right will feature mainstream plays, while On-Stage Left will present edgier fare. (Beirut, a futuristic drama by Alan Bowne, will begin rotating with Art on Wednesdays and Fridays beginning in April.) On Sundays, the theater will be transformed into a hip hangout with videos, games, pizza and wine. The goal is to offer alternative entertainment options to its diverse audience, and to not have the Sol go dark more than a few days a week.

“It set me on an entirely new challenge and I realized that was what I needed — a new challenge, a new space,” Hooker says. “I needed a rebirth.”

The Player’s Club will also be a place for South Florida’s budding performers to sing, play music, do a reading of their work or show off whatever other talents they have for their own five minutes of fame and possibility of winning a hundred bucks.

“The idea is that people can come on one night and see something and come on the next and see something different; then on Sundays, people can come and hang out,” says Hooker.

Hooker and Priddy undertook the renovation themselves. It not only transformed the theater, but also their personal relationship.

“Tony and I needed that for us,” Hooker says. “We’d been separating in terms of what we were doing and I said, ‘You’re the reason this theater started in the first place, so why don’t you and I do this now that you have a better idea of what a theater can be.’ It’s really made our relationship so much better. We’re closer than we’ve ever been, ever. And it allowed it to be a singular vision between just the two of us.”

Another innovation is Hooker’s Neighborhood Playwrights Project. Playwrights who are Broward County residents are encouraged to submit full-length scripts to the Sol for consideration for future productions. This is a new direction for the Sol, which has not presented new work as part of its regular season.

Hooker admits that the concept of the rotating schedule and the Player’s Club is something of a crapshoot.

“Ultimately, it’s not safe, because I have no clue if we’re going to be able to do this format,” says Hooker. “But I’m cool with that. I don’t like to do safe things.”

Art runs Thursday and Saturday nights, 8 p.m., at the Sol Theatre, 1140 N. Flagler Dr., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $25-$30. The Players Club runs Sundays, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. beginning March 9; $7 admission includes pizza, beverages and entertainment. Online reservations for Art are encouraged. For information, call 954-801-9207 or visit www.soltheatre.com.