Salt Lake theater needs to be multifaceted

If we build it, they will come.

That seems to be the slogan Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker and his brother, Broadway director and producer Bill Becker, have adopted as they push for a new "Broadway-style" theater in downtown Salt Lake City.

But if a new 2,400-seat theater is built, will they come?

And will it be financially feasible?

If it just books Broadway touring productions, probably not.

But if it also becomes the new home for Utah Opera and Ballet West, then its chances of being financially successful are much greater.

Salt Lake City needs a new state-of-the-art theater. There is no question about that statement. The Capitol Theatre, which is now home to Utah Opera and Ballet West, is woefully inadequate. The University of Utah's Kingsbury Hall is even more so. Both are beautiful old buildings, but that's all they are. They fall far short of providing the basic elements that today's standards of professional stage productions require.

Even after its renovation in the 1990s, the Capitol Theatre is still an inferior venue for staging operas and ballets. The stage and orchestra pit are small, and the backstage is cramped.

Nor is it much better for audiences. The seats are narrow and uncomfortable, and unless you sit in the center of the orchestra section, your view of the stage is limited.

Replacing the Capitol Theatre with a modern theater with a larger stage and pit is necessary and long overdue. Not only would it serve touring companies, it would also give Utah Opera and Ballet West greater flexibility and offer them the opportunity of expanding their repertoire with works they can't stage now because of the Capitol Theatre's limitations.

A multipurpose theater is the answer, not one that is dedicated solely to touring shows.

The idea of a "Broadway" theater housing the occasional touring show is ludicrous. It's short-sighted and narrow-minded and only serves one group of people and not a broader constituency of theatergoers. Where is the logic in this?