The word on the street is that Hale Center Theater Orem is considering the possibility of moving out of the renovated reception center where it's been for the past several years.
Like its older sister theater, when it was in South Salt Lake, the Utah Valley counterpart of one of the region's most highly regarded family theaters is probably getting cramped for space.If it moves (and even if it doesn't), however, I would strongly suggest that HCTO needs to seriously consider a name change.
"Hale Centre Theatre" and "Hale Center Theater Orem" are just too much alike, and I know that fans of both theaters are confused by the similarity. (The only real difference in their names -- and most theatergoers wouldn't notice it -- is that the West Valley City venue uses the "re" on the end of both "Centre" and "Theatre," while the Orem theater uses "er.")
When both theaters are listed in the same calendars, however, readers can still easily get the two mixed up.
Naturally, the Orem theater would like to maintain the Hale name. Thousands of devoted fans know that productions at both Hale theaters are absolutely safe for parents and children.
Maybe the name could be changed to Hales' Orem Centre Theatre. That would keep the well-known Hale name in a prominent position, while still focusing on the Orem location.
I HOPE CHARLTON HESTON knows where he's going, because, apparently, Associated Press does not.
In an item in the Deseret News' People column (on Page 2, Tuesday, April 25), it was announced that Heston and his wife, Lydia, would be performing A.R. Gurney's two-person drama, "Love Letters," on June 24 at Pocatello's Colonial Theater.
Except the Colonial Theater is not in Pocatello, it's in Idaho Falls, where the downtown landmark (also known for many years as the Paramount) was recently restored and reopened. Built in 1919, the 969-seat house is now used by Idaho Falls for concerts and stage productions.
Pocatello, on the other hand, no longer has a downtown theater. The Chief Theater, acclaimed for its detailed Indian and Western decor, burned to the ground a few years ago in a fire of mysterious origin -- just as that community was considering a controversial bond to restore the building. There's now a nondescript parking lot where the Chief once stood.
GO AHEAD, FLOOD ME with ideas (the more far-fetched, the better) for productions the Tuacahn Amphitheater could use in the next few seasons.
What brought this up is that the amphitheater, well-known for its million-dollar special-effects flood -- originally designed to replicate the flooding of the San Juan River during the early colonization of the area by Mormon pioneers -- plans to haul it out again this year as part of Tevye's nightmare in "Fiddler on the Roof."
Last year, if you recall, the Tuacahn flood replaced the avalanche in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers."
In announcing the 2000 season ("Fiddler" and "The Music Man" in the 2,000-seat amphitheater), a Tuacahn spokesman indicated that fans apparently really look forward to seeing the mammoth stage awash in hundreds of gallons of recycled water every year.
So I've been thinking of some other musicals Tuacahn could consider in future seasons -- shows that could, somehow, be enhanced by the spectacular flood.
My first thought was, why not this year's production of "The Music Man"?
One of the show's key songs is about "trouble . . . right here in River City."
Obviously, River City must be on a river. And rivers, particularly in the Midwest, seem prone to almost annual flooding.
But there are other possibilities as well.
How about "Big River," which has one scene with Huck Finn and runaway slave Jim maneuvering their raft through the swollen Mississippi River.
Or how about the short-lived Broadway disaster, the musical version of "Breakfast at Tiffany's"? After all, one of the central songs is Henry Mancini's "Moon River" -- referring to the Hudson, which probably doesn't flood; it just flows into the Atlantic.
Then, maybe Tuacahn could reconfigure its mechanical flood for "Titanic: The Musical."
Michael McLean's "The Ark" may be a little too obvious.
Or there's always "Singin' in the Rain."
Or how about an aquacade version of "Riverdance"?
And could the flood be adapted into the Phantom's subterranean lair in "Phantom of the Opera"?
Maybe Tuacahn could commission an original show: "The Jamestown Flood: The Musical."
Or a musical version of "The African Queen."
I'm open to other suggestions as well. If you have any ideas, send them to me in care of the Deseret News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110, or e-mail me at ivan@desnews.com
What Tuacahn should really do, though, is just give the flood a rest.
Hale Centre Theatre has a million-dollar stage, which revolves and raises and lowers, but HCT doesn't have it whirling and elevating and descending for every show -- just those where the effects are integral to the production.
I'm sure HCT fans don't flock to shows just to see the stage perform its technical wonders. And I don't think Tuacahn patrons would miss the flood all that much if it took a vacation.
SALT LAKE'S THEATER COMMUNITY lost one of its busiest actresses a few days ago.
Debbie Zeis, who had performed on stages across the Wasatch Front, died on April 21 at the age of 48. Although she had no children, local audiences will remember her in a variety of "motherly" roles -- the family cook in the Pages Lane Theatre "grand opening" production of "Cheaper by the Dozen" in 1990; Emma, the family maid in Hale Centre Theatre's "The Happiest Millionaire" (1997), and Grisella, the wicked stepmother in a Lighthouse Theatre spoof on Cinderella, "This Castle Needs a Good Scouring" (1996).
She also played evil Granny in Off Broadway's "Grabnet" (1996), a nasally voiced news anchorwoman in Pages Lane's "The Solid Gold Cadillac" (1991) and a military wife in HCT's "Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole" (1994), plus roles in a few of HCT's productions of "A Christmas Carol," among others.
Zeis was also proficient offstage as well as on, co-directing such productions as "The King and I" (1992) and "Fiddler on the Roof" (1991).
You can reach Ivan M. Lincoln by e-mail at ivan@desnews.com