The Lyric Theatre

The Lyric Theatre stands at the corner of Third Avenue North and 18th Street in downtown Birmingham, in the theater district just across the avenue from the Alabama Theatre. It is one of the oldest surviving theaters in the city and one of the few remaining vaudeville houses in the South. After decades of neglect, it was restored and returned to service in 2016, and it now presents a steady schedule of concerts, comedy, theater, dance and special events in a setting that recalls the early twentieth century.

The Lyric opened on January 14, 1914. Operated by Jake Wells and booked on the B.F. Keith vaudeville circuit, it drew many of the most famous entertainers of the era, including performers such as Will Rogers, Sophie Tucker, Mae West, Milton Berle, Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers. Like other theaters of its time, it enforced segregated seating, with a separate balcony entrance for Black patrons. As vaudeville faded, the building turned to films in the 1930s and later became a second run cinema before it was converted to an adult movie house. It closed in the early 1980s and sat empty for years.

In 1993, Birmingham Landmarks, the nonprofit that operates the Alabama Theatre, acquired the building for a nominal sum. A long fundraising effort known as Light Up The Lyric raised millions of dollars toward an extensive restoration, and the theater reopened to the public on January 14, 2016, exactly 102 years after its first performance. The original auditorium once seated more than 1,500 people; the restored hall was reconfigured to about 750 seats on multiple levels, giving audiences a close view of the stage from nearly every seat.

The building’s design is a large part of its appeal. The auditorium was shaped for clear sound in an age before amplification, and its curved, trumpet bell form helps carry voices and instruments to the upper levels. Twelve opera boxes frame the stage, and decorative plaster, painted details and period finishes were carefully restored. Exposed sections of original wall surfaces offer glimpses of how the theater looked before restoration, and the historic stage remains the centerpiece of the room.

Today the Lyric hosts a wide mix of programming. Touring musicians, tribute bands, comedians and speakers appear alongside local theater companies, orchestras and dance groups, and the hall is also available for private rentals and special events through Birmingham Landmarks. Its smaller size makes it well suited to acoustic concerts and spoken word performances, and its location near restaurants and bars in the theater district makes it a popular part of a night out downtown. Because the Lyric and the Alabama Theatre share the same nonprofit operator, the two historic houses often complement each other, with larger productions across the street and more intimate shows at the Lyric.

The Lyric does not keep regular public hours or a full time box office. Tickets for most events are sold online through Ticketmaster, and in-person sales open one hour before showtime on performance days. The theater is accessible on the floor level, but there is no elevator to the opera box, loge or balcony levels. Assisted listening devices are available, and ASL interpretation can be arranged with at least two weeks of notice. Guests pass through metal detectors and bag checks before entry, and paid parking is available in nearby downtown lots and garages.