WATERBURY — On Saturday, March 26, at 2 pm, the Palace Theater will present Mister Wonderland, a film that explores the life of the great theatrical impresario Sylvester Z. Poli, who built the Palace Theater in 1922.

The documentary originally aired on PBS in 2021 and sets out to find what remains today of Poli’s theaters and the communities they used to serve. Waterbury’s Palace Theater is one of only two theaters left in Poli’s empire. A short ceremony will introduce the film’s producers and some of Poli’s descendants at 1:30 pm.

This event is open to the public; tickets are free but required. Guests will enjoy free popcorn and a champagne toast. Everyone is invited.

Mister Wonderland was produced by New York City-based Awen Films, directed by Valerio Ciriaci, and produced by Isaak Liptzin.

When it opened in 1922, the Palace Theater was the center of downtown Waterbury. Since its renovation and reopening in 2004, the Palace continues to serve as the heart of performing arts and cultural activities in the greater Waterbury region, presenting Broadway series and iconic concerts.

‘Best Seat In The House’

Additionally, Newtown resident Lauren Clifford will have an original poem incorporated into the weekend celebration.

Clifford and her family returned to the theater during the recent holiday season, for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, for a performance of A Christmas Story.

“My family usually watches the movie as a tradition every holiday season, but the musical at the Palace was even better with its catchy songs and imaginative sets,” Clifford said March 15. “The scene with the real dogs eating the Christmas turkey had my family laughing hysterically.”

The performance, she said, “really was amazing, and just what my family needed after missing live performances due to the pandemic.”

On her way out of the theater after the show, Clifford noticed a placard in the lobby announcing the 100th anniversary of the Palace. That was when she decided, she said in a note to the theater that was shared with The Newtown Bee, “to pay tribute to it since it has brought me such joy.”

Clifford began working on what became a 100-line poem, “The Best Seat in the House.”

“The Palace’s address is 100 Main Street, and it has turned 100 years old,” she wrote. “I wanted to convey its history, architecture, and purpose — not just as a theater where you can go see a performance, but also as a place for happiness, love, learning, and healing.”

The title of Clifford’s work honors the fact that “it doesn’t matter which seat you have, the seat that you are sitting in is the best because of what you’re feeling and the experience you’re having.”

Clifford incorporated different perspectives into the poem, including Sylvester Poli’s rags to riches story, an immigrant overcoming prejudice to become a theater impresario, and his American dream coming true; Thomas Lamb and how he designed the Palace; a Waterbury Arts Magnet school student getting his break performing at the Palace; a Sandy Hook/Newtown mother attending the “From Broadway With Love” concert; a bride and groom whose love story started at the Palace; and the Palace’s patrons.

The work, a Palace representative confirmed to The Newtown Bee last week, will be incorporated into the March 26 program, during the celebratory toast prior to the screening of the documentary.

The Palace Theater is celebrating its 100th anniversary in the 2021-22 season with a welcome return to the best of Broadway and live entertainment. Located in downtown Waterbury, the theater is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performance arts center with a mission “to preserve and operate the historic Palace Theater as a performing arts center and community gathering place that provides a focal point of cultural activity and educational outreach for diverse audiences.”

The theater is at 100 E Main Street. Additional information about the theater and the March 26 program, and reservations, can be made by calling 203-346-2000 or visiting palacetheaterct.org. For the latest COVID protocols, visit palacetheaterct.org/your-visit/covid19/.