Des Moines Civic Center uses new way to watch movies

The Civic Center of Greater Des Moines is experimenting with a new way to watch old movies. Anyone who’s seen “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with a live audience might consider this a sort of family version of that cult phenomenon. The Civic Center’s Dale Stark says people are encouraged to come see Julie Andrews at her best. A new print of the 1965 classic “The Sound of Music” will be shown on the big screen along with subtitles so everyone in the audience can sing along, recite the lines and act it out. Stark says people are encouraged to come in costume. In other cities, folks have showed up dressed as nuns, other characters in the film, and even as brown paper packages tied up in string — something mentioned in one of the songs. Stark says the concept originated at a nursing home in England and caught on. Stark says if central Iowans respond, there’ll soon be sing-alongs to other famed films from “Grease” to “The Wizard of Oz.” The sing-alongs will run four times over three days — December 26-28. For more information, call (515) 246-2300 or surf to “www.civiccenter.org”.