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SANDY — Hale Centre Theatre is celebrating a new space with an old favorite.
Four guys in a doo-wop group, similar to those in the 1950s and 1960s, are literally out of this world in "Forever Plaid." The numbers, "Remember" and "Shangri-la," have charmed Hale audiences for years and director Marilyn May Montgomery said the new theater will simply add to that.
After years in the planning and construction, it's opening night for the first of two stages at the new Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy.
From the chandelier to the carpeting, the statement is, "We're open for business in Sandy."
The cozy experience in the theater brings audiences close to the action. The singers from time to time go into the audience and bring volunteers to the stage to be part of the act.
"So, there's an immediate sense of we're in this together, we're going to have a great time in this new space," said actor and singer Keith Evans, who had never even seen "Forever Plaid" before the audition. "And I think that's a perfect way to kind of christen the Jewel Box Stage here."
KSL was there when music director Kelly DeHaan first sat down at the piano on stage. He felt the magic.
"I walk out on the stage and the guys start singing, I start playing that big piano and it just feels like home, even though we just got here," he said.
The vision for the new Mountain American Performing Arts Center goes back decades and construction has taken years. The 467-seat theater is now open thanks to public and private funding.
Sally Dietlein, Hale Centre Theatre executive producer, said the theater's name came from the feeling you get when you open a jewel box: You know you will find a treasure.
"It may be a bit smaller but what's inside is absolutely priceless. And that's what they will feel when they walk in, too.”
"Forever Plaid" performances at Hale Centre Theatre continue through Nov. 15. Ticket prices range from $18 to $39.
