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It's a story of miraculous revival — five singers brought back from the dead to make their concert dreams come true.
Perhaps that's what makes "Forever Plaid" such a perfect fit for the Empress Theatre's fifth anniversary. The Magna theater, too, was brought back from the dead after decades of closure and the threat of being razed.
Touted as a "goofy revue," the musical "Forever Plaid" centers on four young singers who are killed in a car crash in the 1950s on the way to their first big concert. They are revived for the posthumous chance to perform the show that never was.
"It's very exciting," the theater's artistic director, Shawn Maxfield, said. "Everyone in it certainly has a passion for the theater."
The performance will continue in the theater until Nov. 19, paying symbolic tribute to the Empress Theatre's revival on Magna Main.
Since the theater reopened — operating as a nonprofit under the Oquirrh Hills Performing Arts Alliance — it has helped bolster the image of the west-side burb, Maxfield said. It has brought new foot traffic, and new life, to a downtown once marked by shuttered storefronts.
With an all-volunteer crew, the Empress now produces a year-round schedule of musical productions. Maxfield said actors throughout the Salt Lake Valley are drawn to the theater.
"We provide a nice training for actors that includes a musical foundation," he said.
The Empress — listed on the National Register of Historic Places — has a long history on Salt Lake County's west side. It opened as a burlesque theater in 1917 to serve those working in the mining operations of nearby Kennecott.
The theater remained open showing silent movies until 1930, when it closed.
Although the Empress reopened briefly in 1970, it closed again until purchased by Leo Ware, who began a renovation with grants from Salt Lake County, the National Park Service and Utah State History.
Ware eventually leased the structure to the Oquirrh Hills Performing Arts Alliance. The group opened the theater in 2006 and operates it today.
Rod Walgamott, a former chairman of the theater board and a benefactor, said the theater has been good for Magna. "Nine years ago, when we moved to Magna, Main Street was like a ghost town," said Walgamott, who purchased four other properties on the street with hopes of turning the area into an arts complex. "What the Empress can do is make Magna to be a destination to bring people to the town."
He and his wife invested in the 167-seat theater after touring it and seeing the renovations started by Ware, who died shortly after the Empress reopened.
Eric Barney, who works for Zions Bank in the town and acts in productions, said the theater offers an excellent opportunity for actors, especially from high schools, to get some experience on their budding résumés.
"[The theater] is one of the best-kept secrets in the valley," Barney said.
He said the theater has an ambitious schedule offering performances throughout the year. "When we are in production with one show," he said, "we are already preparing for the next one."