The construction of the Malco Theatre's second stage is nearing completion, and its owner says it's probably one of the few businesses that have actually expanded during the coronavirus pandemic.
In February, owner/magician Maxwell Blade announced that he was closing his oddities museum and building a second stage for his magic act in the historic building.
The Malco was forced to close to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding himself with a lot of free time on his hands, Blade decided to focus on the new stage.
He said the Malco is "probably one of the only businesses in town to expand during the pandemic."
While the project was already underway before the pandemic, Blade was having to work around his regular schedule. He said that originally he was going to be spending "three hours a day" on the project. Because of the pandemic though, Blade was there 15 hours some days.
With that much time spent on the project, Blade said he "can get a lot accomplished."
Blade also noted that while he was able to find a positive way to use the pandemic, "unfortunately for a lot of people, it was not such a good time."
The stage itself is mostly finished. This stage is significantly smaller than the main stage in the Malco, and it can seat 49 guests.
Blade designed it to look like a parlor in a Victorian-era home. "Back in the 1800s, a lot of homes had a parlor room to host" guests, Blade said. For his Victorian parlor inspired stage, Blade looked to a lot of his old props and his old oddities museum.
One thing Blade pointed out on the stage is a door that he said came from the Majestic Hotel. The stage also has a number of ventriloquist dummies on it.
Some of the other objects from the old oddities museum will remain in the lounge of the new stage. Blade said that this area will be free to visit.
Since the new stage is smaller and closer to the crowd, Blade said that he will have to do a different style of magic than he uses on his large stage. Magic done this close to the crowd, Blade said "does require a different level of skill."
"It's very close, and you can really see this 'Ah-ha' moment. 'How in the world did that just happen?'" Blade said. He also said that he is not intimated by this kind of performance. "I'm looking forward to it. Fear of getting on stage left me a long time ago," he said.
Blade said that the stage will also be available for other acts to use. He said that he intends to host a variety of comedy and music acts on the stage.
With the stage nearing completion, Blade said that he still needs to order the seats. "We should be able to open in three or four weeks," Blade said.
"I will use it all year round," Blade said about the stage. He said that he intends to do shows on both stages on the same days. In winter months, when business slows, he said that he will "primarily use the smaller one," though he also said that the larger stage will still be used once a week.
If restrictions on crowd size are still in place when the second stage is finished, Blade said that he will still use it. Due to the nature of the shows that will be held on the new stage, Blade said that only a couple of employees will be needed for the shows.
"At this point, every dollar counts," Blade said.
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