From Andrew Lloyd Webber to Carol Channing . . . Will Rogers . . . Marie Osmond . . . and the four Plaids (the Plaids?) - the Theater League of Utah will be dropping some pretty big names during the next couple of years.
On Tuesday, in the foyer of the Capitol Theatre, the league formally announced plans for its 1996 engagement of Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera," along with its 1994-95 season, which will include Carol Channing starring in her farewell tour of "Hello, Dolly," Marie Osmond in "The Sound of Music," a weeklong run of "The Will Rogers Follies" and a musical revue, "Forever Plaid," about a 1960s quartet meeting its demise when it collides with a busload of girls en route to "The Ed Sullivan Show."The biggest news on Tuesday, of course, was about "Phantom."
And you thought "Les Miser-ables," with its eight-truck caravan was the biggest show in town?
Try Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera."
"Phantom," scheduled to open an eight- to 10-week run beginning March, 28, 1996, at the Capitol Theatre, requires 25 truckloads of high-tech equipment and costumes, with 10 to 14 days of construction time to install the scenery before opening night.
Much of this, according to national publicist Bill Miller, who was in Salt Lake City on Tuesday to assist the Theater League of Utah with its formal announcement of the Andrew Lloyd Webber mega-hit, is for the hidden steelwork needed for the 1,200-pound chandelier and the self-contained stage deck, which has the trap doors from which 110 lighted candles rise eerily from the Phantom's underground lake.
Miller, who said there are only 26 cities on the tour (officially the third national touring company), noted some major cities will probably never be able to schedule Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" because their facilities simply cannot accommodate the scenery. But he was noticeably pleased with the Capitol Theatre, exclaiming that its elegant decor and historic craftsmanship create a perfect setting for "Phantom."
Marian Iwasaki, Capitol Theatre manager, noted the collaborative efforts on the part of the University of Utah and the theater's resident companies - Utah Opera, Ballet West, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, etc. - in working to free up the nearly three months of time in the Capitol Theatre so that "Phantom of the Opera" could move in.
The U.'s role in this project is a massive remodeling and restoration of Kingsbury Hall on the university campus, scheduled to begin shortly. Kingsbury Hall will temporarily house the other Capitol Theatre performing arts entities when "Phantom" is housed at the Capitol in 1996.
County Commissioner James Bradley commented that he had been looking forward to "Phantom" coming to Salt Lake City ever since the Theater League proved it could draw huge audiences with "Les Miserables" and other touring productions.
"We're not a `first tier' city, but we're certainly in the major leagues as a performing arts mecca," Bradley told the crowd.
- THE THEATER LEAGUE also announced its 1994-95 season. Exact dates have not been confirmed but should be solidified in the next few weeks. The four touring Broadway and off-Broadway productions scheduled this season are:
- "The Will Rogers Follies," late November 1994.
- "The Sound of Music," starring Marie Osmond, late February 1995.
- "Forever Plaid," late April 1995, a musical revue with a '60s slant.
- "Hello, Dolly," starring Carol Channing in the "farewell tour" revival of her signature hit, mid-June of 1995.
Bruce Granath, a Theater League executive, said there is also the possibility of "Les Miserables" or a similar touring show from previous seasons popping up sometime during the summer of 1995 as a "bonus," but not as part of the regular subscription series.
The next Theater League of Utah offerings scheduled at the Capitol Theatre are "Five Guys Named Moe," June 14-19, and "Jesus Christ Superstar," Aug. 2-7.