Particularly when the historic Rialto was forced to postpone its forthcoming live comedy concerts due to a significant water break, the current blast of frigid weather has been no laughing matter.
Shows scheduled for this and most likely next weekend are under process, according to co-owner Jake Bigelow. Comedy actor David Koechner, well-known for his roles in the “Anchorman” films and his regular portrayal of the character Todd Packer in NBC’s “The Office,” is among those scheduled for rescheuling.
“We’ve rescheduled [Koechner] for June 27, and we have another act on Saturday which we’re working on postponing,” Bigelow said. “We are probably going to have to postpone our next weekend shows as well.”
He claimed that a big coil in the heating system of the century-old structure froze and exploded hours later.
“Our heating system shut down at some point during the deep freeze,” he said, “so there was nobody there, and it caused the water inside of the heating system’s coils to freeze and burst.”
The building also froze, but fortunately it was discovered in time before more pipes or the fire suppression system exploded.
The big coil needs to be custom-fabricated, he said, which will probably run tens of thousands of dollars. That will be a costly load on top of the delay and maybe cancellation of events.
He said tickets for anyone unable to make the rescheduled events will be refunded.
Although there is some little hope that they could be running by next weekend, the likelihood is not in their favour. “We’re told seven to ten days for the parts, and a day to install, then most likely a day to get running,” he said.
The event follows months after the group of local investors renovated and reopened the historic theater, which had closed forever and was on sale in May 2023. The same firm is renovating the adjacent America Theater to house musical events.
“We’ve really enjoyed the support of the community,” he said.
“I don’t want anyone to think that we’re not going to reopen,” he added. “We’re going to open again, and I’d hate for people to stop buying tickets for shows.”
