Charlie Chaplin's 1921 silent classic The Kid returns to the big screen on Saturday, September 26, 2026, with Dallas musician Paul Slavens providing a live piano score to accompany a special 2K restoration of the director's cut. The screening marks the film's 105th anniversary alongside the 105th anniversary of the historic Majestic Theatre, giving the evening a double dose of nostalgia for local film buffs.
According to listings from prekindle.com, The Kid is billed as “the most essential film of 1921” and Chaplin's first feature film, a distinction that has helped cement its place in cinema history. The event also drew coverage from CultureMap Dallas, which detailed the pairing of the film with live piano accompaniment by Slavens. Guests who arrive early will also get a look at 100 Years of Majestic, a short documentary celebrating the venue's centennial, produced by Aviation Cinemas.
The Venue
The supplied event page from thetexastheatre.com places the screening at the Majestic Theatre, located at 1925 Elm St. in Dallas. Attendees may want to double-check location details before heading out.
The Majestic Theatre is the venue identified for this event in the event listing. That setting lines up with a program built around not just Chaplin's centennial-adjacent film but the theater's own history as well.
Slavens' History With Silent Film Scores
Slavens is no stranger to this kind of performance. A profile from centraltrack.com notes his reputation for “live scores to classic films at the Texas Theatre,” a pattern that stretches back years.
The pairing of Slavens with The Kid was documented in a 2022 performance. A separate Denton Record-Chronicle account recalled a 2022 performance in which Slavens and his band provided live accompaniment for The Kid before playing songs from his own Alphabet Girls Vol. II on Sept. 11 of that year at the Texas Theatre. It's unclear from available listings whether the 2026 performance will feature Slavens solo or with a larger ensemble.
What to Expect at the Screening
Whichever venue ultimately hosts the night, the bill itself is clear: a restored cut of a foundational piece of film history, a live-scored performance from a musician with a track record in the format, and a short documentary tying the evening back to one of Dallas's own cultural landmarks. For longtime followers of Chaplin's work or of Slavens' scoring projects, the September 26 date offers a rare chance to see a century-old film treated as a living, evolving performance rather than a static museum piece.
