Salt Lake MSA Development Thread

[RFPCME]

Ignoring better judgment, I have decided to open a can of worms concerning the "race" between SLC and Sandy to build a Broadway theater.

First, I think a race between the two cities is inviting disaster, potentially drying up scarce capital between the two projects so neither gets built.

Second (and this is the wormy part), I think a big piece of the argument is being side-stepped. A Broadway theater Broadway productions, many of whom will offend the sensibilities of the people in the South County and the northern part of Utah County. I vividly remember a few years ago insisting that a long-time, dear friend of mine, who lives in Alpine, see "Mama Mia" the next time he was in New York. He did...and walked out halfway through. When I asked him about the show, he gave me a very rationale explanation why he left, which made perfect sense. Not my taste, but I respect his. The point is that much Broadway theater is not going to be well received by the local patrons of the arts in Sandy.

Next is the economics of the argument...Broadway tickets are expensive, usually the province of people who do not have kids at home or young, urban professionals. Yes, there is a lot of people of both ilks in the South Valley and Northern Utah County, but the proportion of this group to the overall population is much higher in SLC. And people who live close to the DT area will want to dine as well as go to the theater. The dining options in Sandy are not great (with the exception of Tiburon and a few others). Finally, If you eliminate shows like "Rent" and "Mama Mia" from the playbill, you will lose a significant audience as well.

I hope I am not offending anyone with this argument. That is not my purpose. But I think the questions I'm raising are valid. If I am wrong, please show me where I've missed the boat.