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Centennial Hall makes alterations to structure for 'Miss Saigon'

Centennial Hall underwent structural changes backstage as "Miss Saigon," the largest Broadway musical to go on the road, comes to the UA next week.

"There was enough room for the set, but not enough room for the cast," said Tappan King, associate marketing specialist for UA Presents.

A technical survey was taken of Centennial Hall's backstage to see if there was enough room for the show. There was enough room for the set, but not enough room for the cast members to move around the sets easily, King said.

Workers added another door in the back of the stage. They had to cut through two feet of brick wall to put in the door so the cast could exit the stage, King said.

The producer for "Miss Saigon" would not take the show on the road unless the scene could look just like the one on Broadway, King said.

"Miss Saigon" is the largest show ever to travel from Broadway, he said. There are 17 equipment trucks, which will be arriving early next week and will begin unloading the set. Opening night is Thursday.

"A show like 'Miss Saigon' represents, for Tucson, a great interest in the arts," he said.

Crew members had to prepare and reinforce the steal beams that would lower a scale-downed replica of a helicopter onto the stage, he said.

The crew also had to clear out technical appliances that were being stored for UA Presents and an additional power box was put in as well as reinforcing the loading docks, he said.

Shows like "Phantom of the Opera" might be able to come to Centennial Hall because of the renovation that was done, King said.

"I think it's a great thing that Tucson offers the campus community and the rest of the community a show of this quality," King said. "'Miss Saigon' represents excellence."

The renovation was paid in conjunction with "Miss Saigon" and Centennial Hall, as well as a $2 renovation fee added to the price of each ticket, King said. He said that the total cost of the renovation is not known.

At the beginning, they were surprised how many changes needed to be done, but the two crews made it work, King said.

"The installation will be successful," King said. "The staff from 'Miss Saigon' was very professional and so was our own team."