More than two months after announcing its transformation into a music locale and new home of the Comedy Connection, the Wilbur Theatre appeared ready to opened for business last nox, if merely temporarily.
After Tuesday night�s scheduled show by UK bug out princess Duffy and Wednesday night�s with Gnarls Barkley, the historic 94-year-old Tremont Street theatre will close down again in gild to make out handicap-access renovations.
The city granted the Wilbur�s new lessee, Comedy Connection kingpin Bill Blumenreich, a temporary trachinotus falcatus for the Duffy and Gnarls Barkley shows later on he was forced to relocate concerts by Missy Higgins and Spiritualized as well as a comedy show by �The Soup� host Joel McHale to the Roxy nightclub on the early side of Tremont Street.
�The Architectural Access Board wanted some changes made,� Blumenreich aforesaid Tuesday. �So we�ll do some construction.
�I wasn�t well-chosen about it, but I�ll give them everything they want and I won�t have to deal with it anymore,� he said.
Blumenreich took control of the Wilbur after signing a 20-year lease on the construction in June. Mayor�s office staff spokeswoman Dot Joyce aforesaid all businesses must reapply for amusement licenses when it changes hands.
�We�re scarce waiting for (the Wilbur) to get their permits set ahead the license is tending out, which is standard practice,� Joyce said.
Blumenreich expects the 1,200-capacity Wilbur to reopen by the end of this month or early September. He plans to fill the theater with live music on weekdays and top comedians such as Sarah Silverman on weekends.
�You name a big-time comedy act, ennead out of 10 they�ll be in that respect,� he added. �You�ll see stuff in the next few weeks. It�s really going to be an exciting place.�
The Wilbur has been eyed for rock and pop concerts as Boston awaits the completion of the House of Blues on Lansdowne Street as well as a decisiveness from City Hall regarding capacity limitations at the Roxy. Live Nation already has a busy season planned for the historic theater with shows booked so far including Gavin DeGraw (Sept. 4), Xavier Rudd (Sept. 11), Stars (Sept. 16), Mogwai (Sept. 22), Grace Potter (Sept. 25), Against Me! (Oct. 12), TV on the Radio (Oct. 13), Jonatha Brooke (Oct. 16) and Broken Social Scene (Oct. 26).
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