The audience at the newly constructed George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater was full and glittering on the evening of Friday, Oct. 21. Inside the theater, beautiful star-lights twinkled above the house. The great red curtain stood along the stage, waiting to reveal the incredible performances stored behind. Then the night began.
Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski and County Mayor Ben McAdams introduced the theater as a landmark feature, saying it was a component of the ever-growing downtown art scene and a paradigm of Salt Lake’s rich cultural future. The duo brought to the stage Spencer Eccles, the chairman, and CEO of The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.
Eccles continued this line of praise by saying the theater “embodies the steadfast dedication of the Eccles Family in Utah…To foster the continued vibrancy of downtown Salt Lake City and the arts in Utah today and throughout the future.”
Rita Moreno, a theatrical icon and demonstrably successful performer on Broadway, London’s West End, television shows and more than 40 feature films hosted the events of the evening. Moreno has won at least one of the most prestigious awards in show business as well as other merits and achievements for her contributions to the arts.
One of the performances Moreno introduced was the Ballet West Orchestra, directed by Kurt Bestor and comprising nearly 60 extraordinary musicians. Bestor is an award-winning composer perhaps best-known for his holiday classic “Prayer of the Children” and an Emmy-winning collaboration on ABC’s coverage of the 1988 Winter Olympics. The first performance of the night was Bestor’s original “Fantasia For Theater And Pianists.” His composition featured solos by Rita Moreno, Josh and Lindsey Wright, Jeffrey Price, Scottie Edwards, Whitney Przybyla and Alek Jones. Three soloists rose, quite literally, to the stage playing grand pianos, emerging from the below-stage orchestra pit.
The opening performance was indeed grand.
Following Bestor’s original composition, Moreno introduced to the stage the 50-piece Utah Opera Chorus. The group performed Wagner’s “Tannhäuser Entry Of The Guests” accompanied by the Ballet West Orchestra.
Then, the audience received a special treat: a sneak preview of a still-untitled piece from local legend, Ballet West. Their world premiere comes to the Eccles stage on May 19, 2017, as part of the studio’s National Choreographic Festival. Accompanied by the Ballet West Orchestra and pipa soloist, Yang Wei, the 16 dancers illuminated the stage with their graceful movement and emotional performance.
The critically-acclaimed Tony-nominee Megan Hilty performed songs from her iconic roles in the hit Broadway musicals “Wicked” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” Hilty is also known for her recent portrayal of Ivy Lynn in NBC’s musical drama “Smash.”
Salt Lake City is home to two of the nation’s oldest and most respected modern dance companies: the Repertory Dance Theatre and Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. Together, the companies performed a set entitled “Accelerando.” Music was provided by Philip Glass and choreography by Daniel Charon.
The University of Utah played a part in the performances as well. The U’s own Department of Theatre presented a song from the Broadway show “Bring It On,” which was recently performed at the U as part of the DoT’s theater season.
Adding to the star-studded cast of the Premiere Performance, Brian Stokes Mitchell performed. His set featured an imaginative rendition of Michael Bublé’s “Feeling Good” and songs from hit musicals “The Wizard Of Oz” and “Les Misérables.” Mitchell has won several awards including the illustrious Tony Award and was dubbed The Last Leading Man by the New York Times.
Mitchell and Hilty performed a duet together with the entire cast as part of the finale arranged and conducted by Bestor.
The 2500-seat Delta Performance Hall and the Black Box theater are scheduled to host a wide variety of artists, performers, musicians and comedians beginning as soon as early November.