Elegance at the Colonial Theater

Sorting through a box of letters and photographs, I discovered a rectangular card with blue text, punched holes and a satin string so it could be hung from a doorknob. It reads: "Nom, No de Chambre." Years ago, I stayed at the Hotel Ritz in Paris. Room number 656. This was the card saved from that trip. For some reason it became a prompt for thinking about our daily routines.

In the morning, the reality is emptying the dishwasher while the water is boiling for tea. Dropping a slice of bread into the toaster and then making the bed. Mentally reviewing a list of the day’s activities and digesting the news in the newspaper.

Then there is the fantasy routine. The one we rarely experience. Waking up in an exquisite room and slipping on a satin dressing gown. Waiting for a bell to ring, opening the door and welcoming a man dressed in a handsome blue uniform trimmed in gold braid, pushing a table covered with a linen cloth, a single rose in a crystal vase. A flaky croissant arranged on a china plate, a silver footed dish filled with apricot jam, a bowl of raspberries and pressed coffee served on a silver tray. The sun streams in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the Place Vendome.

Perhaps this visual memory has also been prompted because I have been thinking about the Colonial Theater in Laconia. Imagine what opening night might have been like? Women dressed in long dresses, trimmed in lace. Influenced by the French, the women might have been wearing skirt with a silhouette; the men outfitted in formal suits and ties, with laughter and the scent of perfume wafting through the air. Elegance. Nostalgia. An evening in town enjoying a musical revue.

Soon it will be the Ides of March, the 15th, the day marked by a number of religious observances and for the Romans, a deadline for settling debts. For Americans it is tax season. That most dreaded time of the year when, like it or not, we must account for our earning and spending. Routine...like sorting through receipts.

The shift to spring leads to change: Glorious days encourage more walking; planning gardens; taking the bicycle for the first ride of the season; opening the windows and cleaning the curtains; switching to a wardrobe that is colorful and possibly just plain pretty.

When the Colonial Theater opens next January in 2021, it will allow us to indulge our fantasies. An evening of elegance, enjoying music, theater and for a few hours feeling a sense of beauty. No longer a fantasy. Possible in downtown Laconia. I can’t wait.

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Elizabeth Howard’s career intersects journalism, marketing and communications. Ned O’Gorman: A Glance Back, a book she edited, was published in May 2016. She is the author of A Day with Bonefish Joe, a children’s book, published by David R. Godine. You can send her a note at: Elizabeth@laconiadailysun.com