Rihanna, dad support Empire restoration

Rihanna and her father Ronald Fenty support the restoration of the derelict Empire Theatre.

Fri, November 09, 2012 - 12:04 AM

Superstar Rihanna and her dad Ronald Fenty are in full support of the restoration of the derelict Empire Theatre.

Fenty, who recently joined the board of one of the companies that have put proposals before Government for the repair and retrofitting of the 105-year-old building that served as a theatre since 1922 and later as a cinema before its closure and abandonment in the late 1970s, said he and his daughter were fully behind the project.

Recalling attending Saturday shows at the Empire, as a boy, Fenty told the WEEKEND NATION: “My mum took me to see the first Elvis Presley film, a black-and-white, and from then onwards the only place I was allowed to go on Saturdays was the Empire. The exterior coralstone walls were all right but the interior was so nice! I can’t believe it’s the same place.

”The building is really worse than I thought. I can see the Richard Stoute Teen Talent show, dancers and other activity in Bridgetown being held there. I’ve talked to Robyn (Rihanna) about it, and she’s all for it,” he added. (RJ)

Please read the full story in today’s WEEKEND NATION, or in the eNATION edition.