High above the Orpheum theatre’s orchestra seats, through the projection room that now houses giant spotlights, up a narrow staircase, through a tiny room filled with tools and old-school posters, along a creaky plank of wood, hangs the building’s famed domed ceiling—suspended into the air with dozens of wires that have been here since 1927.

It’s an amazing sight. From this angle, in this dark, musty room, the ceiling doesn’t look like very much at all. The dome’s backside is covered in dust, and its wires—though sturdy—certainly show their age. If you look carefully—careful being the operative word here, because you can’t lean too far or you’ll fall right into it—you can see, through small holes in the fabric, down into the theatre below: gleaming slivers of gold and warm light, like finding a secret world through a keyhole.

This area, of course, is not open to the public—unless you’re on a special Orpheum Tour, which Vancouver Civic Theatres and the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame put on periodically throughout the year. Taking guests around this designated National Historic Site, the tour shares some of its history and its secrets.

Built in 1927—which makes it 97 years old today—the Orpheum was once one of an impressive 33 theatres in downtown Vancouver, and one of four Orpheums. It was built in less than a year for $1.25 million by Joseph Francis Langer, who, to circumvent the high prices of real estate on Granville Street, bought 25 feet of Granville frontage and then built the theatre in behind, on Seymour. If you enter the Orpheum from the Granville Street doors, the stairs you walk up to reach the lobby take you over the alleyway below.

The theatre opened as a vaudeville house, showcasing a number of variety shows and performers who frequented what was then referred to as the Orpheum Circuit. The tour took artists to Orpheum theatres across North America (the first one was opened in 1887 in San Francisco).

Everyone from the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong, to Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and Stravinsky have all performed here. So has Yvonne De Carlo: the first person from British Columbia to become a movie star. Sinatra was once almost kicked out for practising his golf swing in the dressing room.

The building’s interior—apparently home to three ghosts—is opulent and regal, though the tour reveals a surprising revelation: it’s basically just ornately-shaped plaster and a heck of a lot of gold paint. It doesn’t take away from its beauty, but it certainly does provide a chuckle.

Inside the theatre itself, the grand chandelier hangs masterfully. Running 16 feet tall with 400 bulbs, it’s lowered once a year for gentle-handed cleaning.

The City of Vancouver eventually bought the theatre and restored it, reopening it in the 1970s after four years of renovations. The iconic neon sign that hangs outside today is a 2012 replica of the original (using energy-efficient bulbs, of course).

Then there’s that breathtaking domed ceiling, which was also part of the 1970s restoration project. Painted in panels that were then strung together, it tells the mythological story of Greek musician and prophet Orpheus through various ethereal tableaux.

This is all to say nothing of the acoustics here, which are unparalleled. Even sitting in the balcony listening to the tour guide gives the specific sense that this place was built for basking in the magic of live performance.

Today the Orpheum is the official home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and plays host to an array of musical acts coming through town. A few years ago, Tony Bennett performed on this stage and sang “Fly Me to the Moon” completely a capella. After finishing, he apparently told the crowd how lucky they were to have such an entertainment treasure in their city. He’s completely right about that.

The next Orpheum Tours take place on April 27, May 25, June 8 at 11am and 1pm. Get tickets here.