Submitted
Circleville organist Jack Mader will play the Ohio Theater’s “Mighty Morton” pipe organ for two films during the theater’s 2017 Summer Movie Series.
His first performance this season was the June 23 showing of the Elvis Presley movie “Jailhouse Rock.” Elvis fans enthusiastically rank this as one of his best movies. The organ overture began at 7 p.m. prior to the movie at 7:30. Mader also played a 15-minute intermission and a short medley when the movie concluded.
“Since this movie was made in 1957, I selected a program of music from the 1950s,” Mader said. “It’s a wide variety of musical styles and tempos, and I think the audience enjoyed it. For those of us who grew up in that era, it was rather nostalgic.”
Mader is also scheduled to play on July 19 for the movie “The Right Stuff.” This is the account of the original Mercury 7 astronauts (which included John Glenn).
The Ohio Theater organ is one of a handful of theater pipes organs still in their original setting. The Ohio opened in 1928, and the organ has been there ever since. It is considered to be one of the finest theater pipe organs in existence.
Mader has been playing at the Ohio Theater since 2005 and also is one of the organists at the Circleville Presbyterian Church. He began playing the organ at age 12.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
