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Regional premieres of Broadway musicals "Ghost The Musical" and "Big Fish," both adapted from popular films, are the headliners for Hale Centre Theatre's 30th-anniversary season at the West Valley City theater.
The season will open on New Year's Eve with Mark Twain's "Is He Dead?" — the story of a poor French painter who fakes his death to increase the value of his works, then cross-dresses as his sister to hide his lie. The play has an interesting backstory: Twain wrote it in 1898, but the script languished in the writer's archives until a scholar rediscovered it and found a publisher 2003. Playwright David Ives adapted the script for contemporary audiences, and the play opened in late 2007 on Broadway for what turned out to be a short run.
Dec. 31-Feb. 7 • "Is He Dead?" by Mark Twain.
Feb. 20-April 11, 2015 • "Ghost The Musical," with book and lyrics by Bruce Joel Rubin and music and lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard, adapted from the popular 1990 movie. (The movie, starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg, grossed more than $505.7 million at the box office; Goldberg earned an Oscar for her role.) It's the story of a woman, her murdered lover and the reluctant psychic who comes to help them.
April 17-May 23, 2015 • "Over the River and Through the Woods," by Joe DiPietro. The story of two opinionated Jewish-Italian grandparents who plot to manipulate the love life of their grandson.
June 5-Aug. 1, 2015 • Disney's "The Little Mermaid," with a book by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater. Adapted from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, the musical tells the story of a young mermaid, Ariel, who defies her father to explore the world beyond ocean waters.
Aug. 12-Oct. 3, 2015 • Musical to be announced.
Oct. 14-Nov. 28, 2015 • "Big Fish," with a book by John August and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, adapted from the 1988 novel by Daniel Wallace and August's 2003 film, directed by Tim Burton. It's the story of a golden-tongued salesman and his adult son, who seeks the truth behind his father's stories.
Dec. 5-24, 2015 • "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens. The holiday classic will receive its 30th-anniversary HCT production. —
Hale Centre Theatre 2015 lineup
Season subscriptions will go on sale at the end of May with a mailer sent to current season subscribers. The general public can buy subscriptions beginning Aug. 1.
Tickets • Packages range from $149 (early-bird tickets for first week of evening shows, or first month of matinees), $155 (for weeknight and matinee shows) or $173 ( for weekend shows). For some packages, theatergoers can choose tickets show by show or the same nights for each show. Packages include one free ticket exchange for each show.
Information • 801-984-9000 or http://www.hct.org
Where • The theater and box office is at 3333 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City