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Old Salt Lake theater may get encore in arts district

Why isn't the Capitol Theater mentioned as a candidate for the downtown "Broadway" theater? I have attended traveling broadway performances of "Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserable', as well as other shows and enjoyed the experience. Is that theater too old, small, or what? Is there a problem sharing the space with the opera company? Any information would be appreciated.

The competition between two developing theaters can only improve the quality of the theaters... I am sick and tired of communities building theaters that are ill equipped to handle even the most simplistic professional events... cutting fly lofts and equipment quality and inventories. The Bard says that " the plays the thing" but more often than not the mighty dollar is the thing and the play suffers. I applaud Sandy for their ambition and say that it is about time SLC got the "theatre bug". Bring it on! "Let's Play!"

Salt Lake is clearly the more logical place for this. Once Salt Lake gets their theatre built all of the Broadway Across America shows will go there and Sandy's theatre will be relegated to hosting local events.

Here's the rub, once sandy's theatre fails the government is likely to take it over and it will be quite expensive.

Mayor Becker is vowing to build a Broadway style theatre and lucky enough his brother is going to head up the development team. Wow, what a turn of events.

I find it interesting that the Utah Theater has sat empty, in spite of the fact that its revitalization has been proposed, for years--until Sandy announced their project. I do think, however, that if Salt Lake actually pushes the project through, the Sandy theater is a bad idea. It's too far from the airport. People would come to Salt Lake to see shows at both the Capitol and the Utah, but to come to the Capitol and then have to go to Sandy--it's simply too far away. Kudos to Sandy for trying, and a big raspberry to SL for dropping the ball for so many years!!

The Capitol theater is too small, and (from a story a few years ago) lacks the stage area/backstage to support a full-scale Broadway production.

As for "Anon" -- the reason the Utah Theater HAS sat empty (rather than being torn down) is because citizens with foresight have recognized it for years as the BEST venue for the plans. Sandy may have been the final impetus, and the Utah Theater supporters should thank Happy Valley North.

Can you IMAGINE a "Broadway" theater in Sandy? It'd be bowdlerized and sanitized the same way Bountiful and the LDS Church shut down the theater-in-the round back in the early 1970s for showing "nasty" entertainment. That theater was then bought (surprise!) by the LDS church and converted to some sort of meeting house.

Mayor, Get out of the theater business. Leave it to private enterprise. I don't want my taxes going to a government-run theater. Use the money for governmental necessities, such as roads, snow removal, smaller class sizes, and the like. Your government has become bloated. If the Demos win the presidency and Congress remains Democratic, you can be sure the economy will tank. Time now to cut back on unnecessary governmental expenditures, not to increase them.

Rich at 9:36: I completely agree that the government ought not be in the arts business.

However, your insinuation that "big government" and excessive spending are products of Democratic leadership is completely false. Our current record-setting national debt is a product of 10+ years of a Republican controlled congress, supported by a Republican presidential administration.

Let's put the old stereotypes to rest: 40 years ago, Democratics were the party that advocated excessive government spending. Since then, Ronald Reagan and a couple of George Bushes have shown that the "conservative" Republican party has the stomach to steal and waste our money just as vigorously as LBJ.

The allegation that the LDS Church "shut down" the Valley Music Hall in North Salt Lake is typical uninformed rhetoric. The underlying animosity behind such bizarre conspiracy stories is amazing. The VMH failed in the market, the LDS Church then bought it. End of story.

Great, one more theater that will turn into a click run org. where sub par actors and musicians are cast and we have $20 dollar a ticket performances chalked off as professinal. It will be like the Hale Center Salt Lake Theater.

I also would like to reply to Rich's "get out of the theatre business" comment. Is he aware that local government runs Abravanel Hall, Capitol Theatre and Rose Wagner. There are also Kingsbury Hall and Pioneer Theatre on the campus of the University of Utah that are state institutions. This is nothing new to the community. It may have taken the push of Sandy's theatre for the city to move forward but the discussion of a broadway theatre is not new to Salt Lake. With the tranformation downtown it seems to be a perfect opportunity to move forward. I look forward to this new development.

I live in Northern Utah, and crossing the valley while bypassing downtown is far enough that I would have very little interest in attending the theater in Sandy. I do not live in the valley, but "going to Salt Lake City" is a long-standing tradition. A theater downtown is the only one that would draw from the huge population pool north of the city.

Sandy could draw from Utah County, but about half of the Broadway fare is probably off-limits to most of the residents there, unless they are able to sneak away without their neighbors' knowing where they have been.

After many years of talking, SLC has finally found the will to pursue a true Broadway quality theater. Too bad it took the neighbors to the south getting fed up with the waid and deciding to do it themselves before the powers that be got off their duffs and did something.

The potential location in Sandy is awful. Difficult access, difficult parking, not much else near by, nothing 'walkable' about the area. Their study says the area can support one theater but this one is not it. SLC is the logical place. Let them subsidize it. But they need to get it out of first gear and get moving. Sandy knows they are despised by SLC and the County so they won't back down until circumstances force them to. So get on with it already.

SLC's theatre is only now getting going because for one thing Rocky Anderson didn't accomplish a single thing in eight years as mayor. Orange flags and backwards parking downtown don't count as an accomplishment. (This coming from a very liberal Democrat. I never had an issue with his political stances or things like attacking the Iraq war, but with his lack of accomplishing anything local as mayor.)

Becker stated in his campaign and when inaugurated that he was going to work on SLC's Performing Arts center. This isn't a reaction to Sandy.

"Urinetown: The Musical", how refreshing.

Sounds like both mayors are going to see to it that a theater is built in their city. Stupid move on Sandy's part because they will quickly go out of business/close down when all or the majority of the plays choose to use the Salt Lake theater. I doubt any touring company is going to choose performing in Sandy over Salt Lake.

This is one race you need to drop out of Sandy City, you already stole one franchise building from it's proper city (the Real soccer stadium).

ooooh a new place to get my gig on!! WOOT WOOOT se ya in church in sunday! WOOT WOOT!!! i'm drunk hehehe i'm going to hell