WARWICK, RI - Limelight Cinemas, located in the Meadowbrook Shopping Plaza at the corner of Warwick Avenue and Sandy Lane, will close down at the end of next week. The last day of operation will be Sunday, April 22, 2001.

The closing is made necessary by the non-renewal of the lease, according to Michael Bilow, co-owner and spokesman for Trainor Entertainment, LLC, the parent company which operates the Limelight Cinemas. The property is owned by Picerne Properties, also of Warwick. "The landlord has some future plans for the plaza which, unfortunately, do not include us. We are disappointed, but Picerne has treated us well and we understand the necessities of business in such situations," Bilow said.

The theater will shift to a full-day schedule including weekday matinees for its final week, beginning Friday, April 13, as had already been planned to coincide with April school vacation in Warwick. Christopher Trainor, co-owner and president of Trainor Entertainment, LLC, said, "We have some really good films this week, and it would be nice for a lot of people to have one final chance to come in and watch a movie, especially with their kids. We will be running The Emperor's New Groove and Recess: School's Out, both rated 'G,' daily at 1pm, 3pm, and 7pm. Down to Earth, a comedy starring Chris Rock and rated 'PG-13,' will be running at 1pm, 3pm, 7pm, and 9pm each day. We are holding over Save the Last Dance and Saving Silverman, both rated 'PG-13,' at 9pm. There is something for everyone, from young kids to mature teens and adults."

The final two performances of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a legendary camp horror spoof featuring a live cast and audience participation, will be Saturday night at midnight on the evenings of April 14 and 21. Rocky Horror has been run at this site more than 600 weeks since 1987, and has long been identified with this venue throughout the northeastern Unites States.

The facility has been a movie theater since its original construction as a Jerry Lewis Cinema in the late 1960s, expanded from one screen to three a decade later. It has passed through a succession of operators over the years. Some of the grandchildren of the original operator are currently employed by Limelight Cinemas as projectionists, according to Bilow.

"We have had a good run since we opened and enjoyed serving the community. On behalf of all of the staff at Limelight Cinemas, I want to thank our customers for their continued loyalty," Trainor said.

Limelight Cinemas can be reached by telephone at (401)736-6161, by e-mail at info@limelightcinemas.com, and on its web site http://www.limelightcinemas.com.