Regional Premiere of "Curtains"
Paul Cartwright as Lieutenant Frank Cioffi and Debra Stewart as Niki Harris in HCT’s regional premiere of “Curtains”
HCT TO PRESENT REGIONAL PREMIERE OF BROADWAY’S “CURTAINS”
Tony-Award-Winning Murder Mystery Plays on Musical Theatre through Comedic Characters, Vintage Sets and Big Production Numbers
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (Sept. 24, 2009) — Hale Centre Theatre (HCT), Utah’s premier family theatre, will present the regional premiere of the recent Broadway hit, “Curtains,” Oct. 5 through Nov. 21, 2009. This Tony-Award-winning murder mystery occurs in the backstage of a 1950s western musical and spins the whodunit tale through comedic characters and original song and dance.
“Curtains” is the final production of Broadway’s longest-running musical team, Fred Ebb and John Kander, who also wrote Tony-, Grammy- and Academy Award-winning numbers for “Cabaret,” “Chicago,” and the American standard, “New York, New York.” Although written in 2007, “Curtains” music is composed in more traditional 1950s Broadway-style with rousing choreography and spirited group numbers. The comedic script and lyrics highlight theatre humor and the antics that occur between actors, writers, directors, critics and producers during a show.
HCT’s original sets and costumes for this production mirror vintage mid-Twentieth Century Broadway. HCT set designers incorporate flies, trapdoors, catwalks and even the sound booth and sound engineer into the show within the production. Costumes, some authentic 1950s pieces, follow the era’s polished and classic style.
“From the moment we saw ‘Curtains’ on Broadway, we knew we needed to bring this to Hale and started pursing the rights even before the show closed,” said HCT Executive Producer Sally Dietlein. “Every line and song pays homage to those who work in and love theatre through intelligent humor and a hilarious plot. This will become a quick favorite for those who are unfamiliar with the show.”
The plot follows the murder of a leading lady that occurs during curtain call on opening night of a new musical in late 1950s Boston. The cast of suspects is investigated by a musical enthusiast detective who also gives pointers for improving the show. The detective works to solve the mystery while reworking numbers and staging of the flailing production.
“Curtains” features music by Ebb and Kander and is based on the book by Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone. During its run on Broadway, which concluded June 2008, the show garnered nominations or awards for eight Tony Award, nine Drama Desk Awards and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
HCT’s “Curtains” is directed by Jennifer Hohl and stars Paul Cartwright as Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, Debra Stewart and Cecily Ellis-Bills as Niki Harris and Camille Van Wagoner and JaNae Cottam as Carmen Bernstein. The music director is Kelly DeHaan; choreographer is Marilyn Montgomery; head costume designer is Tamara Clayton; technical director, prop master and set designer is Kacey Udy; lighting designer is Spencer Brown; and the sound designer is Dan Morgan.
Performances are Monday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with matinées each Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. with occasional weekday matinées. Ticket prices are Monday through Thursday evenings and matinées, adult $22, child (5-11 years) $15; Friday and Saturday evening shows, adult $26, child (5-11 years) $16. Tickets may be purchased online at www.halecentretheatre.org, via telephone at (801) 984-9000 or at the Hale Centre Theatre box office, 3333 South Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City, Utah.
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