Villa Theatre sets to reopen this week in Malta

Some things have changed and some remain the same at Malta's Villa Theatre, but anyone who has spent time in the theatre will quickly notice way more changes than things that have stayed the same at the Villa when it reopens for business on November 8.

"We have kept a few things, but not many," said new Villa Manager Christine Riggs. "There is still the 'Have a Nice Day" small strip of carpet where some of the concessions are stored, the vintage "no smoking" signs, and the old fire hose is still in the wall, but other than that, a lot has changed around here in the last three months."

Upon entry into the new and improved Villa, guests will quickly notice that the concession stand sits where it always has but has been replaced. Atop the concession counter sits new Pepsi soda dispensers and behind, a new popcorn machine. New linoleum is laid throughout the outside of the concession area and gives way to new carpet has you descend closer to the heart of the theatre, the seating area (but don't forget the new men's and woman's lavatories, both of which were stripped down to their wood studs and completely remodeled.)

New theatre seating purchased from a school in Utah then greets moviegoers and the theatre's floors have been scrubbed and, in many instances, repainted. Above, the ceiling still shows some sign of the buildings age - the Villa originally opened in Malta in the Spring of 1955 - but repairs where made to the structure and anyone who sets foot in the Villa in the near future will undoubtedly agree...some things have changed, and for the better.

David Adams is the son of Garry Adams, a long-time businessman and civic leader in Malta. In 1992, Garry bought the Villa Theatre and the very first movie shown under his ownership was appropriate "The Addams Family," the 1991 motion picture based on the 1960s sitcom. Now, 28 years later, the Villa Theater is set to reopen, with Riggs as the new manager, and the first movie to be shown will be, you guessed it, "The Addams Family," this time the 2019 animated version.

"It's crazy how things work out sometimes," David said. "Somethings are just meant to be I guess."

"The projector is up and running and we are ready to roll," Riggs said. "It's crazy that everything timed-out to where our first movie back is again 'The Addams Family," but it just seems like it was meant to be.

Originally, David and the crew of workers and volunteers felt that the remodel of the Villa would only take a month or two, but once work got rolling, it was obvious to all that there was more to be done to bring the theatre to where it needed to be and now is.

"This whole thing and how we got into it, the snowball effect, so witout Greg Kirkwood and Angel Kent, the construction end of this would have never gotten finished," David said. "And then on the business end, Christine has been great, and I appreciate her enthusiasm and excitement for it."

Riggs said that she always had a suspicion that someday she would have a career which involved movies, so when the opportunity to be a part of the Villa reopening arose, she jumped at the chance. She said she grew up in a small town like Malta and in that town spent many a night wishing that small town had a movie theatre like the Villa.

"Movies have always been in our family's blood, so this is awesome," Riggs said. "I can't imagine this town without the Villa so I am happy to be a part of all this."

David said that the future movies to be shown at the Villa will vary from first-run movies to second run, and hold over movies, all depending on what is available to be shown and when. He said that he knows to own the Villa will likely never make him rich, but he said that he is happy to bring his father's theatre back up to snuff for the enjoyment of the people of Phillips County.

"I have a lot of money out there and Kirkwood has been helping me out, too," David said. "We don't ever expect to get paid back, but we hope we do."

There will be eight showings of the "The Addams Family" at the Villa Theatre this week, two on Friday (5 p.m. and 7 p.m.) and three on both Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. (see the Villa ad on page 3A in this week's PCN for a sneak peek at next week's movie.)

Both Riggs and David thanked everyone who helped get the Villa back to where it is today - including the Malta Mustangs Football teams, Luke Spencer, and Ryan Lefdahl - and both are excited to bring the silver screen back to Phillips County.

"The history of this building is phenomenal, and we are proud of how it looks today," Riggs said. "I hope we see everyone at the movies."