February break is just around the corner. If you are a parent, student, teacher, or just someone who needs a self-care day, the Jane Pickens Theater is hosting a lineup of specialty screenings – but there’s a twist. It’s not just special showings of old films or new off-the-wall indie films but also unique deals and accompaniments that showcase why this antique gem keeps us coming back for big-screen entertainment.
Winterfest: In tandem with the Newport Winter Festival and February break, the Jane Pickens Theater is showcasing three children’s movies: The Muppet Movie (celebrating 45 years since the initial 1979 release!), The Boy and the Heron (the Oscar-nominated animated film from Studio Ghibli), and the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. This lineup is perfect for children and nostalgic adults. Tickets are discounted with the Winterfest bracelet, and $1 will be donated from each ticket to The Four Hearts Foundation in Portsmouth.
100% Rotten Tomatoes: Newport isn’t known as a college town (though Salve Regina is right here), but you will feel the chaotic joy of your early twenties again with a special late night (9 PM) screening of the absurd action/comedy film Hundreds of Beavers. Viewers will be transported back to the 19th century in a supernatural winter where a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating (you guessed it) hundreds of beavers. This “art-house romp” is already becoming a cult classic with a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Silent and shot in black-and-white, this film is a love letter to Charlie Chaplin and the beginnings of slapstick humor.
British Theatre: Britain’s prestigious National Theatre Live brings the play Vanya to big screens internationally. Irish actor Andrew Scott (from Fleabag, Sherlock) brings multiple characters to life in playwright Simon Stephens’ (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time adaptation) radical new version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. In this adaptation, hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in this one-man play. The Jane Pickens is the perfect place to view this staging; made for the stage and filmed for the screen, the Jane Pickens continues this blending of media styles with their big screen set on the stage.
Local Band: The Jane Pickens Theater is bringing back its Cult Classic Collection for 2024, starting with the Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs. This film is a violent heist-thriller that arguably influenced an entire generation of filmmakers after its release. Paired with this film, local band The TeleDynes will play Reservoir Dogs-like rockabilly an hour before the show, allowing viewers a “double feature” of live concert and classic film – it really does feel like the 1900s!
