Rialto in Purgatory

>>

by Craig Segal

Celebrating the fact that the Mile-End's Rialto theatre was denied a liquor license, last week the always dramatic City Councillor Helen Fotopoulos proclaimed the landmark is "still languishing in Purgatory, but keeping out of the inferno!"

But while Fotopoulos and her cohorts rejoice, others mourn the 78-year-old theatre's glory days. "It was an ecstatic kind of vibe in the air," says former Rialto owner Don Lobel, who alternated repertory films with bands like Public Enemy and Jane's Addiction from 1984-92. "We were on the border with the regulations. We were selling beer on temporary permits and everything was being done on the fly. It was pretty crazy.

"We never had any complaints from any citizens' groups," Lobel adds. "We were responsible for bringing the Rialto back to life. When we started to get into financial trouble, we had lots of support from local groups. The Rialto was heralded as bringing in a kind of revival of that area."

Yet, despite some residents' delusions to the contrary, some joints are still alive and kicking on Parc, including Club Exxxotica (where someone was nearly murdered last February), La Petite Idée Fixe Bar, and Primetime (with Lotérie-Video and ATM).