First Look at the Newly Renovated Lido Theater

The Newport Beach landmark gets a respectful renovation with a few new features, including a stage for live acts and a powerful sound system.

The marquee at the Lido Theater announced its grand reopening. Photo by Brian Douglas, courtesy of Fritz Duda Company

Orange County – conservative? Puh! When we let our hair down, it can get pretty wild. Especially when community pride is at an all-time high, as it was for the grand reopening of the Lido Theater in Newport Beach on Saturday.

Originally opened during Hollywood’s Golden Age, it was long overdue for a facelift and the Fritz Duda Company, the theater’s owner, stepped up to do the job in 2019. But construction was delayed for four years by the pandemic and other issues. Finally, the old girl was ready and River Jetty Restaurant Group threw a big bash complete with a free concert by our favorite party band, Sugar Ray. What a scene!

The grand reopening night at the Lido Theater was a full house with 200 hopefuls turned away. Photo by Brian Douglas, courtesy of Fritz Duda Company

The crowd: The 500-plus seat theater was full, with 200 more turned away. It wasn’t the usual suspects – trust funders and does – because, hey, everyone was invited. We spotted captains of industry, beachy party animals and families with cute little kids who brought along their stuffed animals as plus-ones. Aw!

The old landmark: The 700-seat Lido Theater first opened on Oct. 27, 1939. Construction cost $110,000 – equivalent to almost $2.5 million today. It was financed by the Griffith family, who also developed Lido Isle, and designed in Art Deco style by Clifford A. Balch, famous for his theater designs. The Lido opened with the movie “Hollywood Cavalcade” starring Don Ameche and Alice Faye. The first regular showing on opening weekend was the Pulitzer Prize-winning adaptation of “The Old Maid,” starring Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins. Part of the theater’s lore is that Davis drove by the construction site regularly on her way to her Corona del Mar home and requested a lounge in the women’s restroom and that one of her movies be shown first.

The renovation preserved the Lido's beloved Art Deco details and added new features such as a stage in front of the screen. Photo by Paul Hodgins, Culture OC

The new look: The Lido’s Art Deco look was restored with an eye toward historical authenticity by owner Fritz Duda Company. It made some improvements as well, including a state-of-the-art digital projection and sound system, a new exterior color palette, new seating, lighting and carpet that recalls Hollywood’s yesteryear.

The new burgundy seats inside the theater are super comfy. And the old Bette bathroom looks better than ever.

In front of the screen is a new stage big enough to handle a rambunctious rock band with a roving and energetic lead singer, as it did on Saturday. Joseph McGinty Nichol (aka McG) and his company, River Jetty Restaurant Group, will operate the restored venue. His long-standing association with Sugar Ray explains why they were on stage.

Joseph McGinty Nichol, aka McG, left, and Mark McGrath, right, duet at the grand reopening of the Lido Theater. Photo by Brian Douglas, courtesy of Fritz Duda Company

Your host with the most: We think McG should change his handle to MC. Arriving in a mauve suit and black shirt, he cranked up the crowd, from his inspiring remarks at the ribbon cutting to his opening act on stage with a fun deejay who had folks dancing in the aisles before the show even started.

Torching $20 bills like they were matches, McG invited audience members up two at a time for dance offs. (What won’t people do for 20 bucks? Which is pretty much the price of a craft cocktail in this town.) The contestants ranged from clumsy guys in hoodies to a little blond girl named Brooklyn who stole the show with her adorable break dancing. At that point, McG claimed he was running out of money – what are the chances?

His best moments came by asking friends to come up and tell stories, which backfired when an old pal told an embarrassing anecdote about a youthful McG showing up for a babysitting gig in his signature red hair and – wait for it – dolphin shorts. Awkward. But really heart-warming. It had the effect of making us all feel invested in this project as most of McG’s guests talked about watching movies at the Lido as kids. Smart move.

McG’s second-best moments were showing and bragging about the trailer to “Top Gun” while shouting at the crew who didn’t kill the floodlights in his loudest Hollywood producer voice. Yeah, this guy gets the job done. He also joined Mark McGrath on stage to sing a rowdy “Fight For Your Right.” It had us imagining the two as teens screaming Beastie Boys hits in their own version of Wayne’s World.

It’s clear McG is so entertaining, he needs his own reality show. Heck, maybe HE should be running for president.

PHOTOS 1 & 2: Vocalist Mark McGrath from the band Sugar Ray invited the crowd to sing along at the reopening of the Lido Theater in Newport Beach. PHOTO 3: Kristian Attard played bass. PHOTO 4: Original band member Mark McGrath wore a shirt with the group's name. PHOTO 5: Rodney Sheppard, an original member of the group, played guitar. PHOTO 6: Mark McGrath sang, danced and entertained the crowd. Photos by Brian Douglas, courtesy of Fritz Duda Company

The headliner: When Sugar Ray’s pretty boy frontman McGrath took the stage, the crowd jumped to its feet and stayed there for the band’s entire 45-minute set. This home-grown act whose original members attended Corona del Mar High has stolen a place in O.C.'s heart, right up there next to the Righteous Brothers and the Beach Boys.

Now in his mid 50s, McGrath is still looking fit and sporting a spiky, bleached flat top. He wore a vintage-style black shirt with white piping and a Sugar Ray monogram that almost looked like a Hugh Hefner pajama top, part old school sexy, part new school laid-back daddy.

Was his voice showing its age a little? Didn’t matter. He asked the crowd to sing along and, of course, we did. Fueled by free O.C. Gatorade (white wine and mimosas) and complimentary popcorn, we proved we knew all the lyrics to his greatest hits: “Someday,” “Fly,” “Do It Again” and “When It’s Over.” Three words: yacht rock heaven!!

What to expect next: Will the new management get it right? We got a big clue when a scuffle broke out in the back section, seemingly about seating. Some rude dude started cussing like a Long Beach dock worker – hey man, there were kids there! Tall, handsome Jordan Otterbein of River Jetty – one of the greatest GMs who has ever walked a dining room in O.C. – handled it pronto before most of the audience even noticed it was happening.

The new lineup for this venue will include films, lectures, TED talks and live music. Watch for its calendar to start filling in on the website.

And don’t forget the 25th annual Newport Beach Film Festival, Oct. 17-24, which will feature the Lido Theater as a major screening venue.