Orpheum Theatre

The South's Finest Theatre has had a turbulent history since opening in 1928, replacing an earlier theater destroyed by fire. A 1979 investigation by University of Memphis paranormal researchers identified seven spirits in residence.

The Orpheum Theatre on South Main Street in Memphis has been a performance venue for over a century, and its most faithful patron has been dead since the 1920s. The original theater opened in 1890 as the Grand Opera House on the corner of South Main and Beale Street -- the finest and most elegant theater outside New York, according to contemporaries. It burned in 1923, and on November 19, 1928, the new Orpheum Theatre opened on the original site, designed by the Chicago architectural firm Rapp and Rapp at a cost of $1.6 million, seating just over 2,300 people.

The theater's resident ghost is Mary, a twelve-year-old girl who died in a street accident near the theater in the 1920s. Some accounts say she was struck by a car in 1921; others say she was hit by a trolley in 1928 and carried inside the theater, where she died. She appears in a white 1920s-style dress, wearing no shoes, and has been seen by staff, performers, and audience members for decades.

Mary has a particular attachment to seat C5, high up on the balcony. One couple attending a performance sat in seats C4 and C5, and the wife complained that throughout the show, she felt a persistent tapping on her shoulder, as though someone was trying to get her attention. Each time she turned to look, no one was there. Perhaps Mary simply does not want anyone in her seat.

Her most famous sighting occurred during a production of The King and I starring Yul Brynner in 1982. During every rehearsal, Brynner stated he saw a little girl watching from the balcony. She sat perfectly still and quiet, and each time she appeared, he felt strangely drawn to look at her until rehearsal ended or she disappeared. Brynner attempted to communicate with her but could not. During a separate 1960s production of the same show, the orchestra saw her dancing in the lobby.

In 1979, paranormal researchers from the University of Memphis conducted an investigation using Ouija board sessions and other methods. They concluded that at least seven spirits inhabit the theater, with Mary being the most active. The theater's organist, Vincent Astor, first documented his sighting of her in the 1970s, though reports of the girl in white predate his account.

Beyond Mary, the Orpheum generates persistent paranormal activity throughout its halls. Doors open and close on their own, lights flicker without electrical explanation, and unexplained cold spots settle in various areas of the auditorium and lobbies. Some of these manifestations increased after the 1984 renovation that restored the historic building to its original grandeur. The trauma of the 1923 fire, which devastated the original building, is believed by some researchers to have left a residual energy that contributes to the ongoing disturbances.

The Orpheum Theatre continues to present Broadway shows, concerts, and special events, with seat C5 remaining available for purchase -- though anyone who buys a ticket for that particular spot should be prepared to share it with Memphis's most persistent theatergoer.