Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon will take the screen Saturday as the Hippodrome State Theatre presents “Some Like It Hot,” its first Cocktails & Classics film of 2015.
Cocktails & Classics, the Hippodrome’s twist on the typical dinner-and-a-movie experience, is continuing throughout 2015 due to the sold-out success of the 2014 pilot program.
“The idea was to pay homage to classic films,” said Alisha Kinman, 24, cinema director and director of development at the Hippodrome, located at 25 SE Second Place. “We got a great response from the community.”
For $20, guests can enjoy a catered cocktail reception and a one-night screening of the 1959 Monroe classic at 8 p.m.
The reception will begin at 7 p.m. in the Art Gallery, with catering from Vellos Brickstreet Grill, along with a complimentary signature cocktail.
The theater staff will be dressed in their best 1920s disguises and encourage patrons to come dressed according to theme as they are transported to 1920s Chicago.
Development and Cinema Associate Allison Alsup, 22, suggests that guests wear 1920s attire, such as fringe and sparkles.
“It’s a way to make having a theater event more of an interactive social event,” Alsup said.
Kelli McAdams, 23, a marketing and graphic design associate at the theater, said guests have really enjoyed dressing according to theme and reacted well to the film selections.
“There’s something different about coming together to watch a movie that people have already seen,” McAdams said. “It’s like gathering over a shared love of something.”
The cinema will be playing three other classic films throughout the year, Kinman said. The food selection and signature cocktail drink are themed according to the evening’s film. The theater staff encourages audience suggestions for the next Cocktails & Classics film in May.
“The Hippodrome thrives on the concept that you leave with more than a ticket stub,” Kinman said. “You leave with an experience.”
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 1/22/2015 under the headline “Cocktails and classic film event at the Hipp on Saturday"]
