OCR Text |
Show FOCUS 4D October 14, 1981 The Curtain Rises Once Maybe a theater doesn't have to be old to be great but I suspect it helps. Itseems as though there is something cumulative about the spirit of drama, which saturates the walls and reverberates from audithe stage. Newly-buitoriums may have impressive acoustics but the aura is missing. In an old theater the elegance of a bygone day is apparent as soon as you walk into the lobby and it enhances the feeling of being swept away into another world. The Egyptian Theater in Park City, most recently known as The Silver Wheel, has always had that power. It opened on Christmas Day in 1926 on the former site of the Dewey Theatre, which collapsed during a snowstorm. Hence the dramatic karma of the site has been clearly established. The Egyptian specialized in silent movies and vaudeville acts. There is a persistent rumor that Jenny Lind once performed there. It was renamed the LuAnn for a brief stint in the 1940s after the manager's twin daughters but most locals continued to refer to it as the Egyptian. Money night was a popular social event in those days with a weekly drawing;.;, from among the ticket stubs. lt The kitty increased from week to week and needless to say, seats were harder and harder to obtain as the kitty increased. Movies were pretty much the standard fare at the Egyptian until 1963. That year it was renamed the Silver Wheel and the Melodramas presented there became a favorite of both residents and tourists. Mr. and Mrs. Bob Lee directed, acted in, and even wrote many of the "boo hiss" villianous talcs in which the damsel in distress was always saved by the Yippee, hurrah, yeah' hero. Audiences delighted in the group participation of the event cheering, sipping and singing along at half time. Don Gomes credits the Silver Wheel with reviving a genuine American tradition but he couldnt help feeling that the stately old theater. Park City's only real playhouse, was being underused. In February, of 1981, he received word that the building had been purchased by Silver Mill of Park City, an investment group including Mike Doilney, Randy Fields and Jon Krass. The group asked Gomes, who sas-paril- la , a'l t' Continued on Page 5 |