The valley HAS a great theater BEGGING for touring broadway productions that would replicate the sense of plavcew that completes the experiewnce.The play may be the thing,but the venue adds so much to the experience.The UTAH THEATER could be just too perfect for such use,but still sits unused,unsaved.This great site should get the care,the rehab it so richly deservers.Once this kibd of theater is lost,it can not be replaced,can not be replacated.The SOUL of the valley has been diminished horribly by the short-sighted destruction of almost all of thge once great collection of downtown showhouses.Don't do that again.SAVE THEW UTAH!!!!!!!!

As an usher who worked at the Utah Theater back in the 60's I agree with George. This place is spectacular!

The theatre should be in downtown SLC. Mayor Dolan Sandy City will never be SLC- stop trying to copy SLC and resign yourself to the fact that Sandy is in the suburbs and tourists don't flock to the suburbs.

600 condos?
We're in a housing crisis and they're still gleefully building like there is no tomorrow.
Cottonwood Mall, City Creek Center, and now Sandy.
Utah is not California or Florida.
Who is going to bail them out when all those new condo's don't sell?

Going to the circus-like atmosphere of Sandy, versus the downtown glamour of a TRULY great theater (one that LOOKS like the "real broadway" theater)....well, there's no choice.

We'll opt for downtown every time.

What's going to surround Sandy's theater? Applebee's and some Larry Miller faux-franchise places?

OK, I've said this before, but no one seems to be listening. We already have a 1,875-seat theater in downtown SLC that regularly hosts Broadway touring companies: the Capitol Theatre. Three different Broadway touring companies are booked there in June and July alone. The proposed theater (whether in Sandy or SLC) will have 2,500 seats. Are the 625 incremental seats worth $51MM? Is there some deficiency in the existing facility? What would it cost to upgrade the Capitol instead of building new?

As to the business model of bringing in even more shows, how many are really palatable to Utah's predominately family audiences? The most successful theaters in Utah have been Hale Centre Theatre and Rodgers Memorial Theatre. More than half their schedules are Broadway shows, but their success has been based on "sanitizing" those shows for their patrons (having performed in a number of those shows, I can attest that patrons are pretty vocal about any perceived breach). Broadway touring companies are not in the habit of sanitizing. I seriously question the financial viability of a Utah theater relying solely on Broadway touring companies for its revenues.

Seems like the Trib or DMN needs to do more digging.

These types of venues belong in the Capitol city...and while Tom Dolan wishes he were Utah's Only Mayor, he's not.

You shouldn't have two cities so close together building the same types of large venues, competing for the same dollars. Sandy needs to find a niche that hasn't already been filled.

Plus, the fact that their "study" predominantly interviewed people of the LDS faith, one should assume the findings are inherently flawed as the state's population is now almost split 50/50 between LDS & non-LDS. They forgot about half the state's population...big mistake.

Salt Lake City already has a well founded arts culture and history, complete with art galleries, museums and venues supporting local musicians as well as several existing buildings to support such a venue, in addition to the existing Capitol Theatre. You won't find that in Sandy.

Besides, the only reason Sandy is even a city is because so many people wanted to live in SALT LAKE CITY, we now have what is known as urban sprawl and therefore smaller suburban cities/townships have been founded.

Why isn't the legislature stepping in on this one? They had no problem regulating the builing of a new soccer stadium.

If people don't want to pay enough to attend the theater to pay for the facilities, the players, the musicians, etc., then why should the government pick up the tab? If the government would provide what we need government to provide and leave the rest up to free enterprise, we all could pay less in taxes and spend more money the way we see fit. I'm against the government taking away my money at the threat of prison time in order to spend it in ways that others see fit.

Sandy is NOT Utah's Capitol: The developer doesn't want to build it in SLC. Clearly he doesn't see downtown SLC as a good investment for him. Your anger it appears, should be directed at the developer who wants to include the theater as part of his development.

Sandy is attempting to become the new capital city of Utah. Who wants a capital city named after Little Orphan Annie's dog?

Hey, Theatre Lover, I question the validity of your chosen identity. You seem woefully ignorant. First, the Capitol Theatre, magnificent though it is in many ways, is not capable of booking some of the more recent broadway shows. It could not accomidate the likes of Lion King or Wicked. Also, the seating is poor in regards to sight lines and distance from the stage. It's outdated in regards to sound and lighting design, and not able to be upgraded. It will house Ballet West when a new theatre for touring productions is built.
Also, side-note here in regards to your comment about the Hale's and Rogers Memorial. I know that it's true that they "sanitize" their shows, and it's sad that they feel they have to. But it's ILLEGAL. They're just like those stupid film censoring places in utah county. Remember the theatre company in Utah County that tried to edit Simon's Rumors. They were shut down.
Built the theatre downtown. Sandy patrons will boycott most shows based on content.

They want to place a professional theatre in Sandy with national touring shows? Aren't these the same people who complained about Mama Mia last year because of the lyrics, content and language?

Don’t think it will work folks.

"First, the Capitol Theatre, magnificent though it is in many ways, is not capable of booking some of the more recent broadway shows. It could not accomidate the likes of Lion King or Wicked."

That's absolutely wrong. Lion King has not toured to any town this size. None. So the fact it has not been here has nothing to do with Capitol theatre not being able to accommodate.

And Wicked IS coming, and is going to be at Capitol (according to their season ticket holder info, in 2009).

Broadway shows come here all the time. I can't think of any, except Lion King, which hasn't.

But 80% of the Broadway shows that do come here - as has been quoted up thread - are of no interest to most Utah audiences, with the exception of the handful that already go.

No parking, run down stores. I would prefer Sandy

Re: "Sandy is NOT Utah's Capitol"...

While I agree that Salt Lake should get this theater (Sandy already stole the Real Stadium which definately belonged in SLC based on the team name), why should a state's capitol city get everything? Why shouldn't neighboring larger cities compete?

Look at California, it's capitol (Sacramento) has hardly anything... pretty dry and dead, mainly a city of government and business... while other cities in the state have all the "good stuff" (LA, San Francisco, San Diego, etc.). And look at San Francisco and Oakland, they're right next to each other like SLC and Sandy... yet both offer theater and same/similar Pro-sport venues. Of course the reason they can do it though is they have the population in each city to support all of it seperately.

Sandy seems to be trying to become a major city, but they should really face the fact that they're nothing more than a big suburb level/type city and there's nothing wrong with that. They should stop trying to be another SLC.

Sandy is the Capital of traffic problems. I hate Sandy!
I do everything to try and avoid it there no matter where I go. The construction is so bad sometimes you can be 2 hours late for work if you work in Draper. Than you also have a bunch of snooty rich people on the hill who mock everybody. There is nothing to really like about Sandy and it is the last city in the valley where I would want to live. This theater will only lead to more traffic problems!

Well again its the do-gooders in Sandy trying to be the big city folks again and using tax dollars to do it, when will the elected officials learn that they work for us, its our money not theirs, next time they feel the need to sue the goverment then try filing on themselves. I am sick of all the goverment entities spending money like they actually earn it. If the public wants the theater then let then say so by making donations and supporting what is already in SLC. I love SL, love being down town just hate that our goverment sees fit to pay people to move out of the city limits and not support what we have down there. For once elected officials do the right thing and tell this developer to either secure his own money and build it as business speculation or go elsewhere, and for crying out loud why do we give them a tax incentive to come here in the first place, so you can raise my taxes again? Gee thanks glad I voted for you, what happended to your promise of NO NEW TAXES??????

With downtown under "renovation" right now, its a great time for adding one more bit of a draw. Though the Capitol Theater is beautiful, it is time to update. A new theater near downtown is a great idea. I'd love to have a little more modern and updated theater to host Broadway. Sandy has enough, let them come to SLC and help beautify our capital city!

From what I have read the Sandy project is a privately funded enterprise, What business does Salt Lake City or the County have to do with this if a private investor wants to put up there own $$? The South Valley has a built up population to support major theater productions. Why do we have have to drive to Salt Lake? In fact the previous mayor made a point that outsiders have no business driving our cars into the city and polluting the capital city. Finally, did I read that we already have the Hale and Rogers theater, where did this "educated" thought come from?

Wicked is coming to Utah in April of 2009 and it will be posted to www.NewSpaceentertainment.com, by mid March. I've had that confirmed with the Utah director of Broadway Across America. It will be playing at the Capitol Theater.

Regarding Sandy Councilman Bryant Anderson's comments on Feb. 22 (Sandy Lifts Curtain on Theater) -- there's a big difference in "competing theaters" in Chicago and Salt Lake City.

The Salt Lake metro area has a population of slightly more than one million compared to more than nine million in the Greater Chicago area.

Big Broadway shows frequently go head to head in chicago and succeed. But with the much smaller population base, the same scenario is unlikely in salt lake city.

I, too, would love to see the magnificent old utah theatre restored, but it has serious built-in limitations -- lack of room for a "Lion King' size stage and lack of sufficient seating.