Grand opening of the Newton Theatre

NEWTON — The Newton Theatre celebrated its grand opening night on Friday, Sept. 9, with a sold out performance by Todd Rundgren. The crowd was packed into 670 seats, waiting for Rundgren to come out. Cathy Carney and Jane Annunziata from Vernon had front row seats. "For us, there's a great concert in Newton, so we said, 'let's go,'" said Carney. Jonathan "JP" Peirce, one of the theater owners, thanked partner Paul Larena for bringing the project to life. Peirce also thanked Town Manager Tom Russo and former Mayor Kristi Becker, who he said were both instrumental in bringing plans together. Pierce also recognized the support of his girlfriend, Nancy Kulpinksi, then surprised her and the entire audience by going down on bended knee onstage to propose to her. "She said 'yes!'" Peirce exclaimed, as he and Kulpinski hugged onstage. Rundgren, who played his greatest hits, was accompanied onstage with musicians Kasim Sultan, Prairie Prince, and Jesse Gress. For more information on upcoming shows and to buy tickets call 973-383-3700 or visit www.thenewtontheatre.com.