It may seem like 1991 was a while ago, but it's a drop in the bucket for Zions Bank Broadway Across America Utah, which is gearing up to open its 25th season with a whole new world — and soon, a whole new theater — at its fingertips.
“When you do theater as business all the time, it can be hard with 40 employees and pulling the train uphill all day,” said Steve Boulay, chief operating officer of MagicSpace Entertainment, which presents the BAAU tours and many other events. “But when you see theatergoers, kids especially, who live in a two-dimensional world (of) iPhones and video games — they walk out of the theater and they’re creative machines, and we’ve just opened a door that they didn’t even know existed. … That renews my love of theater every time.”
Boulay has been a part of BAAU since its inception.
“I like keeping a fairly good data set,” he said. “And I looked back over the years, and we’re over 4 million tickets sold in this market. We’re roughly 2,800 performances, 4 million tickets sold and over $200 million in ticket sales. It’s an incredible market.”
Twenty-five years later, Boulay, BAAU and Salt Lake City eagerly anticipate the completion of the new George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theater, slated to open in the fall of 2016.
“This is going to be an unbelievable building,” Boulay said of the new space under construction downtown. “A massive lobby, three stories of glass, balconies overlooking Main Street — it’s everything you’d ever want in a theater.”
The goal is to offer a state-of-the-art experience.
“If we do it right, and we will, the customer experience will be unprecedented,” Boulay said.
He notes 50-70 Wi-Fi spots are planned throughout the theater “because that’s how people are communicating. It will have a cafe-bar type of stand with an incredible seating area. The third floor will have big balconies overlooking Main Street, concessions and tons of bathrooms.
“... And now that we’ve started to calendar things in, it’s getting more and more real.”
But before finalizing its first season in the Eccles Theater — which should be announced this winter — BAAU has been locking down its 2015-2016 season, which features five shows that have won a combined 25 Tony Awards:
"42nd Street" — Sept. 22-27, Capitol Theatre
Described in a news release as the “quintessential backstage musical comedy classic,” “42nd Street” is the “song-and-dance fable of Broadway.”
“They haven’t done a big revival for a long time,” Boulay said. “And last time we brought it, in ’01, it did really well.”
The musical features songs such as “We’re in the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle off to Buffalo” and, of course, “42nd Street.”
"The Producers" — Feb. 2-7, 2016, Capitol Theatre
“A scheming producer and his mousey accountant aim to produce the biggest flop on Broadway in Mel Brooks' laugh-out-loud spectacle,” the news release states.
“This is another return engagement for us, but again, it’s a brand-new revival,” Boulay said.
Based off the popular Brooks film of the same name, “The Producers” won a record 12 Tony Awards.
"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" — March 1-6, 2016, Kingsbury Hall
“I planned on not liking this show,” Boulay said of a previous visit to Broadway. “But it’s clever and it’s fun and it grows on you, and the audience just loved it.”
“Gentleman’s Guide” won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Musical. According to the news release, it “tells the story of Monty Navarro, an heir to a family fortune who sets out to jump the line of succession by — you guessed it — eliminating the eight pesky relatives who stand in his way. All the while, Monty has to juggle his mistress (she’s after more than just love), his fiancee (she’s his cousin, but who’s keeping track?) and the constant threat of landing behind bars. Of course, it will all be worth it if he can slay his way to his inheritance — and be done in time for tea.”
“We love bringing Tony Award-winners as soon as they tour,” Boulay said.
"Newsies" — June 7-12, 2016, Capitol Theatre
“When researchers looked at ‘Newsies’ DVD sales, Utah was right up there with other monster-size markets,” Boulay said. “It’s the perfect show for us.”
The 2012 Tony Award-winner for Best Score and Best Choreography, Disney’s “Newsies” is a crowd favorite on Broadway.
Based on true events, “Newsies” tells the story of a group of boys who earn their living selling newspapers on the streets and take a stand against their employers — some of most powerful men in New York.
“Everything about this show is beautiful,” Boulay said. “You don’t usually see a large company of young men onstage, and it’s great to have that kind of energy.”
"Motown the Musical" — June 28-July 3, 2016, Capitol Theatre
According to the news release, “Motown the Musical” is “the true American-dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy — his journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more.”
“We’ve been trying to get ‘Motown’ here for a while. It’s the perfect show to end our season,” Boulay said.
Among the musical's songs are the classics “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
“We are excited,” Boulay said. “It’s a solid season, and as we move forward, we’re going to be bringing more theater than this market has ever seen.”
Along with the 2015-16 season's shows, BAAU president John Ballard announced that season-ticket holders for the upcoming season will be “first in line to secure seats” at the new Eccles Theater, according to the news release.
Erica Hansen was the theater editor at the Deseret News for more than three years. An area performer, she was also the original host of the radio program "Showtune Saturday Night."