Marking its 20th anniversary in Utah, the West Valley City-based Hale Centre Theatre's 2005 season will include the U.S. premiere of the stage version of "The Slipper and the Rose," a popular family musical.
According to Sally Dietlein, one of the company's three executive producers, the only place "The Slipper and the Rose" has been performed on stage is in Great Britain. Another book-to-movie-to-stage adaptation, the Broadway hit "Ragtime: The Musical," is also on next season's calendar.
Dietlein said that, due to the theater's strong subscription base, one fewer show will be produced next year, in order to allow enough dates to accommodate other potential patrons. (The theater's current production, "The Scarlet Pimpernel," was completely sold out before it opened. A handful of matinees was added and quickly filled by those already on the waiting list.)
Productions and dates for HCT's 2005 lineup are:
"Don't Drink the Water,"Woody Allen's 1966 farce about an American family's woes while traveling in a remote communist country, Dec. 31, 2004-Feb. 5.
"The Slipper and the Rose,"musical version of the "Cinderella" story, Feb. 12-April 9.
"To Kill a Mockingbird,"Christopher Sergel's 1970 dramatization of Harper Lee's acclaimed book, April 15-May 21.
"Ragtime: The Musical,"based on E.L. Doctorow's epic mix of history and fiction, May 28-July 23.
"42nd Street,"the popular tap-dance spectacle, July 30-Sept. 17.
"Camelot,"Lerner and Loewe's 1960 musical based on the King Arthur legend, Sept. 24-Nov. 19.
"A Christmas Carol,"HCT's traditional holiday hit, Nov. 25-Dec. 27.
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