| rev:text
| - Since I have now attended three different productions at Hale Theater, I can safely say "I'm a big fan!" The location is great... right near downtown Gilbert's landmark water tower. Free parking is immediately adjacent and plentiful, and there are tons of great places within walking distance to eat--many of them new. Folks from the Phoenix metropolitan area who turn their noses up at destinations in the PHX East Valley need to take another look at downtown Gilbert and the Hale Theater.
The three productions I've seen here are Bye Bye Birdie, The 39 Steps, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Bye Bye Birdie has always been close to my heart since performing as Randolph MacAfee (the kid brother) in a community theater production in Holland back in the early eighties.I know all the songs (as does my entire family), so it was a rare treat to see such a well-orchestrated, well-choreographed performance with friends and family. I have to admit, the experience was so engaging and emotional that it left me (sniff!) a bit dewy-eyed. But then I'm a sucker for musical theater--and I'm man enough to admit it, goddammit!
One really important thing to note about the Hale Theater is that it is an ampitheater, or theater-in-the-round style, by which I mean that the auditorium (although technically square-ish) features the stage on the lowest level, and the audience surrounds the action in stadium seating. This makes for a unique experience, since the actors sometimes will break through the "fourth wall" and interact with the audience. This can be especially fun during some of the musical comedy bits that incorporate physical humor. This is why the choreography of the stage productions here are so fascinating! Set design is minimal, but between scenes, the actors, crew and ensemble cast themselves will wheel in furniture and props under the cover of darkness from the very entrances the audience members used when first seating themselves. And it is done quietly and efficiently, effectively transforming the stage within mere moments to another time and place!
Only consummate professionals could pull off such great performances in an intimate yet perfect-sized venue (the Hale Theater seats 380, according to on-line resources). This is why you will notice that you rarely have to stare at the back of an actor's head for long. The direction of the plays is such, that equal exposure to all sides of the arena is choreographed into the stage directions. I encourage everyone to check out the Hale Theater if they get a chance. And know full well that great eats (BBQ, pizza, and tacos, to mention a few nearby restaurants) are a hop, skip, and a jump away... perfect for the after-theater crowd.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)