Rex Theater Revives Leonardtown Nightlife

Leonardtown’s Rex Theatre has moved beyond its restaurant past and into a steady live-events business, according to the venue’s website and local tourism listings. The venue at 22695 Washington St. says it is booking “award-winning national and regional acts” alongside local entertainment, and its current lineup includes country singer Jaime O’Neal on Sept. 19 and rock band Saving Abel on Sept. 11. The programming gives St. Mary’s County audiences a regular concert option in Leonardtown rather than a one-off festival or bar booking. SomdNews reported this month that venue owners and promoters say the broader pickup in shows is helping build Southern Maryland’s music circuit. ### How active is the Rex right now? The Rex Theatre’s website on Aug. 6 promoted multiple upcoming events and described the venue as “the center of Leonardtown entertainment.” The site says the building first opened on Dec. 10, 1941, as the New Theatre, later closed in 1986, and has spent the past two years being restored by its current team. St. Mary’s County tourism pages also show the venue in regular use. (therextheatresomd.com) A county tourism listing advertises Jaime O’Neal at the Rex on Sept. 19 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., with admission listed at $30 to $460. Another tourism page lists Saving Abel on Sept. 11, with tickets priced from $27 to $200 and doors at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show. ### What kind of acts is Leonardtown getting? (therextheatresomd.com) Jaime O’Neal and Saving Abel are the clearest current examples of national touring names on the Rex schedule. The venue website says it is focusing on comedy, dueling pianos and other touring entertainment in addition to concerts, while local event listings show smaller regional and local shows filling dates around those headliners. (visitstmarysmd.com) SomdNews reported that the Rex is part of a wider shift in Southern Maryland’s music scene, with more venues and promoters routing artists through the region. The paper said that owners and promoters described that growth as a way to give residents larger-stage live music without requiring trips to Washington or Baltimore. (therextheatresomd.com) ### What does the building’s history add to the story? The Rex Theatre says the site has been part of Leonardtown since the 1940s. Its website says the theater opened under Kenneth Duke in 1941, closed in 1986, and later operated as a restaurant before the current revival effort. That history matters because the venue is not opening on a greenfield site or in a highway strip center. (somdnews.com) The address sits in Leonardtown’s core event district, where the town and business groups market recurring public events, festivals and downtown foot traffic through Visit Leonardtown’s events pages. ### Who says this is affecting the local music scene? SomdNews, in a report published five days before Aug. 6, said owners and promoters tied the increase in bookings to a stronger Southern Maryland music circuit and more business activity around shows. (therextheatresomd.com) The report framed the Rex as one of the places helping connect local bands, promoters and audiences in a region better known for rural communities and defense contractors than for a club circuit. The venue itself makes a similar pitch in promotional language. The Rex website says the goal of the restoration was to “entertain the locals and draw more people to Leonardtown,” while the town’s tourism site presents Leonardtown as “bustling with events, activities and happenings.” ### What can people go to next? August and September listings show the Rex still adding reasons for weekend traffic downtown. (somdnews.com) The venue website is promoting an Aug. 23 live show tied to a band’s 25th anniversary, and county tourism pages list Saving Abel on Sept. 11 and Jaime O’Neal on Sept. 19. Tickets and updated event details are posted through the Rex’s website and St. Mary’s County tourism listings. (therextheatresomd.com)