Press Event To Mark Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club Launch

The media will get a sneak peek of Bethesda's newest music venue Tuesday morning.

A press event is set to mark the launch of the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, a music club that will open March 1 in the former Bethesda Theatre space. will take the stage and Chef Scott Mullen will serve up Louisiana-style cuisine. 

The Bethesda Theatre, a Wisconsin Avenue landmark, opened in 1938 as an art deco movie house. 

In 2007, it became an off-Broadway performance hub following a renovation by the Bozutto Group. The nonprofit that operated the theater, the Bethesda Cultural Alliance, partnered with Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment to produce several shows there.

But in 2008, the theater suffered a financial hit when a flood caused it to go dark temporarily as it began a run of "Smokey Joe's Café.” Following the dissolution of the partnership with Nederlander in 2009, the theater remained open as a rental venue until a 2010 foreclosure.

The community rallied to keep the space from going dark, forming a group dubbed "Save the Bethesda Theatre."  Then, in February of 2012, Bethesda Blues LLC purchased the theater for $2,895,000 and announced its vision to open the supper club.

Mullen, proprietor Rick Brown and director of operations Ralph Camilli, who has booked and promoted entertainment at the Blues Alley, will be on hand at the press event.

Stay with Patch for updates from this morning's event.