Phantom to visit revived Robinson Center in '17

Construction workers tape up new limestone steps Monday during a news conference about Celebrity Attraction’s forthcoming productions at the Robinson Center in Little Rock. mel
Construction workers tape up new limestone steps Monday during a news conference about Celebrity Attraction’s forthcoming productions at the Robinson Center in Little Rock. mel

The $68 million renovation of Robinson Center in downtown Little Rock is on time and on budget to host its biggest Broadway production yet in the spring of 2017.

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Celebrity Attractions CEO Ed Payton announces the 2017 showing of Cameron Mackintosh’s Phantom of the Opera at the Robinson Center on Monday in Little Rock.

Officials announced Monday that Phantom of the Opera will be the premiere Broadway musical performance in the updated auditorium, which previously couldn't accommodate a production of that size.

Robinson Center closed in July 2014 and is scheduled to reopen in November 2016. Phantom of the Opera will open in March 2017.

On Monday, about 10 construction workers have started laying the new limestone steps to Robinson Center's front entrance off Markham Street while a dozen other workers operated cranes inside the building, constructing the new tiered balcony seating.

The improved theater will have better acoustics by moving the seating closer to the stage and leveling the sections.

Taxpayers approved using a portion of the city's 2 percent hospitality tax to fund the renovation of the 76-year-old building. About $30 million has already been disbursed.

"For the construction phase, we are finishing up the interior and exterior steel and glass erection, as well as waterproofing and replacing the front steps. The exterior restoration has also begun. The plan is to be completely [working] inside the building by the first of the year," said Gretchen Hall, president and chief executive officer of the Little Rock Convention and Visitor Bureau.

The facility's layout previously prevented some Broadway productions from touring in Little Rock due to their size.

March 2017 will be the first time Phantom of the Opera has come to the city. Its 20-truck, 52-cast-member production couldn't be accommodated before.

It will be the largest production to ever come to Little Rock, and that includes Les Miserables, Cats and Wicked, said Ed Payton, chief executive officer of Celebrity Attractions, which books the Broadway shows in Little Rock and six other cities.

There will be a chandelier in the Phantom of the Opera production and it will drop into the airspace above the audience, Payton said.

After renovations, Robinson Center's back loading dock will be expanded and the stage will be lowered to ground level so that equipment and props can be unloaded directly onto the stage level. The equipment had to travel up a flight before.

"We have been hampered by the fact that the Robinson Center music hall didn't have the kind of dock area that we needed, the back stage area needed and the stage technical support that was needed to bring the very, very best of Broadway to Little Rock. That's all changing," Payton said.

Payton said his organization recently booked Phantom of the Opera in Oklahoma City and according to their trade association the two-week production had an economic impact of more than $11 million in the area. He didn't elaborate on how that figure was arrived at.

"We anticipate the same kind [of spending] here in Little Rock," Payton said.

Large events such as the production planned at Robinson -- for a two-week period -- help increase consumer spending at hotels and restaurants, which increases the sales tax revenue generated for the city.

Hall said it's "incredible" that with the complexity and size of the Robinson renovation project that construction remains on time and on budget. There were difficulties designing the improvements since Robinson Center is a historical building and officials wanted to keep the character on the outside.

Hall is confident that the center will reopen on time. The construction company is under contract and will face financial penalties if it doesn't meet a certain deadline. Given that the opening of Phantom of the Opera is several months after the center's reopening, Hall said she doesn't foresee anything causing that to be rescheduled.

There have been no major surprises during the construction so far, she said. The demolition phase is complete and progress is being made during the construction phase.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola touted the impact the renovated Robinson Center will have on the city as a great amenity. He said people will be "blown away" when they see the new interior the first time they go to a show, ballet or concert at the center.

Cultural arts truly "round out a person's education," he said.

In addition to the improved theater sound and seating, Robinson Center will also have an added ballroom that overlooks the Arkansas River on the back side of the building. That area will have a glass front.

"Performing Broadway is a huge piece of the quality of life and the cultural amenities that we have here in Little Rock," Hall said. "We are so blessed to have an abundance of them, and when Robinson Center reopens, it will be the show piece for arts in Central Arkansas."

Metro on 09/15/2015

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