Back in its heyday, Covington’s Star Theatre, nestled on a quiet street corner behind the St. Tammany Parish courthouse, was the city’s premier spot for movie goers. Abbott and Costello’s Keep ’Em Flying christened the theater in 1942, and for the next 40 years the Star was the Northshore’s main movie house with its 1,100-seat capacity.

  Over the past two decades, the theater crumbled under the weight of larger theaters, opening and closing with only modest success. After several years sitting dormant, the Star opened in the late ’80s with a stage for live theater, but closed again after just a few seasons. A decade later, the Star reopened as a movie house, but Covington’s 1997 tornado ripped the roof off the theater and cast the building back into darkness.

  Then came Zachary Casey. An entrepreneur of varied talents, Casey owns, among other things, a few of the world’s largest alligator farms and a seafood processing plant. Casey couples his business vision with a lifelong devotion to theater, an inclination that began with childhood parts in NORD productions. Given such infatuations, Casey couldn’t pass on the Star. "This project is a personal passion of mine," says Casey. "For years, I drove by this theater wanting to do something."

  Casey finally got his chance last November when he leased the Star from brothers Warren and Phillip Salles, sons of the man who built the theater 60 years ago. Since then, the Star has shown exclusive, first-run films such as Cast Away, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Turnout has been fantastic. In its first three months, the Star saw 10,000 attendees.

  Casey and Manguno take a no-holds-barred approach to their theater, making an evening at the Star unlike any other movie-going experience. For starters, there is the obvious history of the place. In an era that has seen many of the city’s old-school movie houses run out of business by sterile megaplexes, a venue like the Star is the last of a dying breed.

  "We are one of only three slope-floor theaters left in the area," says Casey.

  From the old style box office to the red velvet drapes that line the walls, this place is pure nostalgia. In the lobby, between head shots of bygone actors and classic movie posters, faded snapshots capture the Star’s glittery past. In one, a Covington crowd outside the theatre celebrates the end of World War II.

  The past isn’t the only magic that makes the Star unique. Casey and Star manager Janine Manguno go beyond the expected to entertain patrons. Sidewalk performers such as puppeteers and musicians have become a staple outside the theater. A typical evening might include a drink from the Star’s wine bar and the sounds of a Celtic trio before the film begins. "We want to make this the entertainment corner for St. Tammany," says Manguno.

  The Star’s weekend midnight movies – more independent-spirited flicks such as Pulp Fiction, Fight Club and, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show – have also proved a big hit. But perhaps the most surprising entertainers introduced by the Star are the Skyfire Players, a six-person improv troupe that plays Thursday nights. Skyfire shows include audience participation, goofy props, rapid-fire comedy and lots of laughs. The players debuted in March, but rehearsed for months. Their efforts show in a quick-witted performance that flows seamlessly and keeps audiences howling.

  Casey and Manguno view improv as the first step toward increasing the Star’s live theater output. With two theatres – one seating 200, the other 300 – the Star can show movies and stage performances simultaneously. Two plays are currently lined up for fall production. Projects in consideration include Wit, Misery and Moon Over Buffalo. "We want to be a well-rounded entertainment venue," says Casey. "We want to be the place where people on this side of the lake come for quality entertainment of all types."

  Along the way, Casey and Manguno have also rekindled a love affair with Northshore moviegoers. "Recently, an older lady came up and thanked me for reopening the theater," says Casey. "She said she used to watch films here as a little girl in the ’40s."

  These days, that Covington corner is not so quiet. The window to the past is open. The beacon behind the courthouse is burning bright. And Zachary Casey is ready to show Northshore patrons how a polished Star can shine anew. .