While Tibbits has produced the biggest names such as "Show Boat", "South Pacific", and "Fiddler on the Roof", it has also been instrumental in introducing audiences to lesser-known gems such as "Lucky Stiff", "Hi-Hat Hattie", "Baby" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." Architecture Original construction Preserved in the edition of September 19, 1882, of the Coldwater Republican newspaper is a richly detailed account of the building's physical description. From surviving photos and valuable accounts like these, we can re-imagine the experience of the original theatre patron. When Tibbits Opera House first opened, such a patron would have found the theatre to be nothing less than an architectural masterpiece. A patron's first experience of the theatre would have been a view of the building's façade. With its French "Second Empire" architectural design, the building was adorned with a -tall, slate-covered cupola with a flag staff mounted with a golden eagle statue. The tip of the dome itself towered above the pavement below. At the base of the cupola, one could behold an elegant bronze bust of Shakespeare, and below this still, inscribed in an arch above the front window was "Tibbits Opera-House, 1882", in gold leaf. The face itself consisted of iron work, red and black brick, and cut stone "united in excellent taste." Three large windows allowed the glow of the sun to fill the theatre lobby, and below the middle window was an iron balcony furnished with glass globe lanterns. As a patron entered the front doors, he would have found himself in a lobby with two stairwells leading up to the balcony, a manager's office, and a smoking room. Upon stepping through the terracotta leather covered and gold trimmed wooden doors into the auditorium, a patron would have been softly bathed in the shimmering glow of 94 gas lights. These lights, were crafted of polished brass and fitted with etched glass globes. The stage itself was equipped with 174 gas lights. All the lights in the entire theatre were controlled from the stage by means of a pipe system, allowing the stage manager to ignite or extinguish any or all of these brilliant lights in an instant. Beneath a dome resplendent with painted cherubs, a large chandelier, known as an "Opal glass reflector", scattered sparkles of reflected light over all. Elegant red Brussels' carpet softened patrons' steps, and grand opera chairs, upholstered in dark Cardinal plush