Hale Centre Theatre

My boyfriend and I just experienced the production called The Pirate Queen. Let me say it was well written, the actors were believable, the music and dances were entertaining, and the plot was intriguing. I found myself clapping after every scene because they were that well done. The seats were a little close but we still felt great. The stage was amazing! I recommend this to anyone of any age. There was something for everyone in this story.

The seating is unusually uncomfortable. I’m 6’5 and was in pain through the entire performance. There is ZERO legroom, maybe even negative legroom for me.
Yes, the show was great from a technical perspective. But the cast still seemed very amateur and made odd choices. One of the main characters blew lines that were supposed to be jokes and made them serious… And the cast greeting patrons after the show? No, thank you. It made me feel like I was leaving a high school performance.

While the shows may be wonderful, the theater is horrible. Imagine the worst airline seating, cramped, packed, no leg room.
That sums up this theater. They cram 1,000 seats in space designed for 800. This is a modern theater, not something from the turn of the century. There’s simply no excuse for such seating other than pure and simple greed.
Remove a seat from each row, and spread out the seats. That’s the only way I’d ever return to this sardine can.

The Hale Center Theatre always impresses. I’ve seen many plays here such as Les Miserables, The Christmas Carol, Ghost, Tarzan (that one was especially cool), the Little Mermaid and several others. Each play has been phenomenal and entertaining.
The cast and crew really put on a great show. They know their parts well and really get into character. You can tell they have fun doing it with as much energy and enthusiasm that they have. They are also really cool about meeting you after the show for pictures.
It’s amazing how they use their set since it’s not a traditional stage set. It’s round and the floors and ceilings move up and down. The lighting is fantastic and they always have neat special effects. For the most part, you can see just about everything on stage except for some angles at some times. Whoever the choreographer is, they do a pretty good job at getting the actors to face each direction for enough time so you can see their faces.
If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate situation of sitting near annoying people, a fidgety child, or tall people, talk to the ushers there and they can sometimes find you a different seat. Also, try to go to the bathrooms before the play starts (lines get really long during intermission).
Hale Center Theatre is a great place to enjoy the arts and be entertained. 5 stars for quality entertainment.

This place is always awesome. The shows are great and way fun. The theater is small and intimate. We recently did not make it to a show and the staff was friendly enough to give us tickets to another showing for free. Way awesome!

A really well setup place for plays. You won’t find a bad seat in the house. Check it out sometime for sure.

This was my first visit to Hale Center Theater. Here are my thoughts.
— Beautiful lobby.
— Very helpful people
— Online ticket purchasing was very easy.
— Excellent acting
— Amazing set
So, why not 5 stars?
— The seat spacing was so cramped I couldn’t sit in the seat normally. I had to turn sideways to fit my knees in the space. I’m only 6’1″. I can’t imagine what a tall person would do. By the time the production was over I was so glad to just be able to stand up and stretch my legs that I almost forgot how good the show was.
We are season ticket holders at Centerpoint. It is a much better venue and they have much more comfortable seating.

Hale Centre Theatre is an interesting venue for theatre. As other reviewers state, it’s in the round so there’s not a bad seat in the house. As a result though, the seating is tight which mean little to no leg room for taller people.
Hale is extremely talented at what they do; putting on plays/​musical theatre that is just two ladder rungs below a show on Broadway. The sets are stunning, the sound is superb, and the actors fair well (only complaint is several of the actors are cast too frequently. –variety is the spice of life).
Tip: if you’re a student, show up on the day of performance you wish to attend to get student rush tickets (if available).

This theater is amazing. The shows are incredible, the facility is beautiful and state-​of-​the-​art, and the staff is always very welcoming. Thank you for an amazing experience again and again!

We are proud owners of season tickets to this theatre. Every show we have been to has been out of this world. It’s a round theatre so ever seat is a good one. The performers are top notch and the stage sets are phenomenal. We always like to grab a drink and snack during intermission and stretch our legs. We look forward to many more wonderful performances in the future.

We went to a Monday matinée and I thought nobody would be there. I was wrong it was packed. This is a great venue nice and intimate. We watched Mary Poppins and it was great. We will be getting season tickets. Location is great its surrounded by restaurants and close to the freeway. A great entertainment option in the Salt Lake Valley.

Great theatre experience! Went there for the first time a few months ago & saw A Christmas Carol and it blew me away! Don’t know if there is a bad seat in that place — such a great layout of seats surrounding the stage in the center. It was great & I would definitely go again!

Second time we have made it to the Hale in West Valley and I just HAD to Unilocal it to the world. These productions are A~Mazing!
Fortunate enough to be in the audience for the final performance of Les Miserables, we were thoroughly enraptured from the first second of the first scene… One if my favorite musicals if all time, we have seen various productions around the country. This ranks as on of my personal favorites!
I am only sorry we did not see it sooner in its run. Then we would have been back multiple times. Yes, it was that excellent.
As for the theater itself, kudos. It is a new, spacious, beautiful comfortable building. It is always intriguing to see how a production will take place on the round. We usually frequent the Orem Hale, which is older and much more intimate, but closer to family.
Hale yes! We are fans!

This is my second time watching a play here. Very talented cast each time. This time I enjoyed Les Mis. Very nice production– beautiful costumes.
It was cold when I got there and the theater has blankets to lend. Don’t despair tho– it warms up.
If you are looking for a nice caudal night out, this is a good place.
BRAVO!!!

I am a theater nerd. I like watching theater. I like participating in theater. My dream job growing up was to «be a singing movie star.» That did not happen, I am in accounting, but I digress. I still like the theater!
Hale Centre Theatre is probably the premier local «community» theater in the Salt Lake Valley. They are not a professional theater with equity actors, for that you need to look to Capitol or Pioneer Theatre Company. If you are looking for the best that Utah has to offer outside of Equity houses, then Hale is right up there!
Theaters can be divided up for reviews in a few different categories:
Shows
House
Staff
Cost
Stage
The shows at Hale vary. They vary in genre, talent, and believably. Theater, for me, must take me away from my ordinary and transport me elsewhere, somewhere fictional and fanciful. Tall order? You betcha! Hale chooses a nice variety of shows from musicals to plays. They usually have a historical piece each year, and often will have regional premiers. Their crowning jewel each year is A Christmas Carol in December. Usually Hale’s season will hold a show that will appeal to most everyone (who enjoys theater, too). In recent years Hale has worked to bring current Broadway shows to their stage. While I applaud Hale for these choices, one thing that Hale does which I do not applaud is they apply for permission to change language or content from the authors. This is done, I assume, to make the shows more audience/​family friendly. I get why they do it, but this practice is one that I personally wish the producers would not do. But that is me personally.
The house at Hale is just spectacular. They really have decorated their facility well overall, and often will put us seasonal decorations as well. I really enjoy the Hale house. The restrooms are generally well attended, the concession stands are clean, they have many options for treats for patrons. The lobby is a little crowded before show with patrons milling around, but I feel like the flow of traffic in the lobby is generally not a hindrance. My favorite spot in the entry way is just to the south of the stairs. They have a small sitting area with a fireplace. It is a nice, quaint space to relax prior to the show. It also offers some pretty epic people watching.
The staff of Hale seem to never change. I think that speaks volumes to the kind of company they try to run. The ushers, box office crew, and others seem to enjoy their job and stick around year after year. I generally find the staff to be friendly when I call, or in person when I attend a show. The owners of the theater can be found often in the lobby before or after a show mingling with the guests. I do have to say that I appreciate their accessibility to the public. I wrote an email to Sally Dietlein once about a show concern and was surprised that she replied to my email and took time to explain the theater’s position.
The cost of the shows are growing. Hale has raised prices recently for their shows so they are not cheep when compared to other local community theaters. But you are paying for a higher level of talent than is found elsewhere. Each ticket will cost between $ 15 – 30 (Christmas Carol was $ 35) depending on patron age. That is about double other theaters. The difference is that Hale pays actors where other theaters use volunteer actors. I certainly do not begrudge Hale this cost since they do put on a good show.
The stage is unlike any other you will find in the Salt Lake Valley. Hale does their show in the round, meaning the stage is in the middle surrounded by the raised seating. The patrons will look down on the stage. This offers Hale a lot of freedom in their show direction, but does cause some interesting trials as well. The actors do not face the audience at all times, sometimes the actor’s back might face a section of seats for an extended period of time. Sometimes the set pieces (which are sometimes raised from the stage or lowered from the catwalk area) will block certain views of the audience. These are small issues relatively, but I find it distracting as a patron.
The stage is sometimes the star of the show. It is a an amazing piece of engineering in theater. The stage is divided into 4 sections, basically, which can raise, lower, and spin. They change the look of the stage for every single show. I have seen LED disco lights in the stage, a trampoline, a ship, rocks, a fancy ballroom, and a pool. Yes a pool. What Hale is able to do with their stage is nothing short of inspiring! The sky really is the limit with the stage that they have. And they use it well.
Hale Centre Theatre really is a great organization for theater in Utah. I am often speechless leaving a show. Is it the best theater in Utah? Well, no. We have some houses that just put on fine Broadway quality productions. But Hale is the best of the little guys, I would say.

People go ape crazy for Hale. There’s plenty to get excited about, for sure, so it gets a good recommendation from moi. But it’s probably good to temper your expectations.
For production value, this is pretty fun. I’ve been to shows here and seen it rain on stage. And seen the stage rise. I’ve never seen it rotate, but that’s not your last few cocktails talking (purchased before the show, as there’s no booze available) but part of the impressive stage in this impressive facility.
As the talent goes, I’d put this at the top of the local talent food chain. You don’t really see out of town folks coming in (or being recruited) but they don’t pretend to be hoity toity about that kind of thing, either. It’s local talent, geared to the locals. You won’t see The Vagina Monologues staged here (I seem to use that show as an example in my local theater reviews a lot… perhaps I oughta find another archetype for un-​Utah shows, eh?) but it’s not all Joseph all the time. I saw Anne Frank which was not exactly all unicorns and rainbows.
Yes, they’re well done shows and probably on top of the local theater scene, budget and production-​wise. And it’s theater in the round so you’ve got good seats on all sides. It’s a pretty safe bet and a fun place to take the family. There are a few dining options around the area too, so you could grab some Bucket O’ Crawfish before the show. Actually, if you’re eating with your hands you may want to save that for after lest your sniff your fingers all show long.

This place never disappoints no matter what play they put on. What a great theater! It’s small so everyone has a good seat. The sound is great and the actors are always spot on. Every time I go there I’m never disappointed. My wife and I love it and it’s a great night out each of us enjoys.
Two likes…
1. Every seat is good
2. Different than just going and seeing a movie and in some cases is similar in costs
Two things they could improve on…
1. Parking lot always drives me nuts. I can always find a spot but for some reason people have a hard time in that lot
2. Serve Dr Pepper (it’s on the menu) before the show starts (yes, this is just a personal preference and probably isn’t a deal breaker for anyone)

AMAZING!!! We just watched Les Mis. Phenomenal. My husband could have used some more leg room, but he’s tall. I am a huge fan of Hale Center Theater!!!