Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Pat Disabato takes to the stage of the The Lyric Theater in Blue Island.
After a three-decade career in newspapers, Pat Disabato now works as live events manager for The Lyric Theater in uptown Blue Island, which he describes as having “a vibe like no other.”
“It resembles a 1940s Las Vegas cabaret with state-of-the-art sound and lighting,” he says. “We have servers taking drink orders, so folks can enjoy the show without having to leave their seat. They love that.”
A native of Blue Island, Disabato grew up wanting to be either a major league baseball player or a sports writer. He graduated from Dwight D. Eisenhower High School — as did much of his family and his wife’s family — then majored in journalism with a minor in broadcast television at Lewis University in Romeoville.
He had a brief chance to pursue his MLB dream when he was drafted his junior year by the New York Mets, but an elbow injury ended his career in the minor leagues.
Disabato’s journalism dream, however, came true.
For 31 years, he worked as a sportswriter and columnist, and briefly as a sports editor, starting in 1990 at The Star in suburban Chicago Heights and ending in 2021 at the Daily Southtown in the south suburbs.
“I left the Southtown for a myriad of reasons,” he explains. “First off, I had no confidence in the new ownership group to improve the product. The entire company was offered a buyout package, which I decided to accept. I was also burnt out on the rigors of writing, deadlines and such. It was time for a change.”
Six months later, he was hired as live events manager at The Lyric Theater, a 12,000-square-foot-venue that first opened in 1917. Strictly a move theater through the late 1980s, it was the place where Disabato watched movies like “The Bad News Bears,” “Rocky” and “Star Wars.”
Nowadays, the venue still shows classic movies, but also hosts private events such as weddings, galas and class reunions.
“The Lyric today is much different than The Lyric I frequented as a kid,” he says. “What has remained the same is its importance to Blue Island. It creates lifelong memories for customers and showcases our beautiful town to folks who attend shows from out of town.”
Disabato’s main responsibility is booking live acts — more than 100 a year, mostly on a national level — along with promoting shows on social media, engaging in public relations and handling orders of liquor and beer.
The goal is to offer customers the best entertainment possible by performers who don’t often play in the Chicagoland area, he says.
“Saturation is not your friend in this market,” he explains. “We mostly book tribute acts such as The Rat Pack and a wide variety of music acts. We also book comedians. I try to negotiate a price with entertainers that provides customers the most bang for their buck.”
A memorable performer was Franc D’Ambrosio, who is returning in August with a new show titled “New York State of Mind.” One of the longest-running Phantoms in Phantom of the Opera, D’Ambrosio has performed on Broadway and abroad, and starred in “The Godfather III” as the son of Al Pacino and Diane Keaton.
“To hear his magnificent voice in our theater brings a tear to your eye,” Disabato says.
The Lyric Theater also has hosted shows by Lisa McClowry, a South Side native whose impersonation of Cher is regarded as the best in the world, according to Disabato.
Blue Island Mayor Fred Bilotto credits Disabato with helping take The Lyric Theater from a vacant historic building into an exciting new entertainment venue.
“I’ve known Pat DiSabato for a long time and we share a love for our hometown, so I’m very happy he is putting his experience and passion to work for this very important Blue Island business,” Bilotto says.
Bilotto and Disabato also credited the generosity and vision of the Garetto and Cantelo families, who invested millions of dollars into the theater’s renovation after it sat vacant for 25 years. The theater reopened in August 2022.
“Their commitment to restoring The Lyric preserved an important piece of our city’s history while creating new energy for our downtown,” Bilotto says.
“Without their faith in this community, The Lyric would still be vacant,” Disabato says.
The best part of his job is seeing customers having a wonderful time and making memories, Disabato says.
“Once people come to the theater, they generally fall in love with it. We have customers who have attended more than 100 shows in two years. Also, we have a dedicated, hardworking staff — from fellow managers to servers, bartenders and barbacks — who take great pride in making sure our customers leave the theater with an exceptional experience.”
