Why is the theater so large with approximately 2,400 seats?
The new theater must reflect the realities of the touring-Broadway musical market, not the smaller size of New York’s Broadway theaters. Of over 50 American cities that host touring shows, fewer than five do so in theaters with fewer than 2,000 seats. The Capitol Theatre and Kingsbury Hall each have around 1900 seats. They are wonderfully restored venues, but 400 of the Capitol’s seats have sub-optimal sight-lines and in both venues, to varying degrees, the load-in, lobby, backstage, seating, parking, concessions, and restroom space are challenging. As a consequence, blockbuster Broadway-touring productions such as “The Lion King” and “Wicked” appear in dozens and dozens of cities before appearing in Salt Lake City.
