Smoky Mountain Opry Theater

The Smoky Mountain Opry Theater (formerly known as The Miracle Theater and Louise Mandrell Theater) is a theater established in 1997.

Smoky Mountain Opry Theater in 2012

History

In Fall 1997, the theater was opened as stage for country singer Louise Mandrell.[1] In 2005, the theater was purchased by The Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, while Mandrell performed her last show on New Year's Eve that same year.[2] After a $15 million installation,[3] the theater was reopened as "The Miracle Theater" on April 13, 2006.[4] Its main play, "The Miracle" was performed from its opening in 2006[4] to its closing on October 22, 2011.[5] The musical was about the life of Jesus Christ.[3] The musical consisted of live animals, sword-fights, and wire-harnessing angels[6] and was composed by David Legg and written by Linda Nell Cooper.[4] Other shows that were performed at the Miracle Theater included the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.[7] In September 2007, the Miracle Theater received national attention when it spent about $90,000 on an USA Today advertisement, which indirectly criticized Kathy Griffin's Primetime Emmy Award acceptance speech.[8] On March 15, 2012, the theater re-opened as "Smoky Mountain Opry Theater".[9] At the end of 2018, World Choice Investments, the owner of Dolly Parton's Stampede, purchased Fee Hedrick Entertainment (and therefore the Smoky Mountain Opry) for an undisclosed amount.[10]

References
  1. Battle, Bob (December 17, 1996). "Louise Mandrell to add theater to Pigeon Forge". Nashville Banner. In the latest in a series of major entertainment features in the Smokies, singer Louise Mandrell plans to open her proposed 1,400-seat theater in the Music Road Entertainment Park at Pigeon Forge, Tenn., in the fall of 1997.
  2. "Louise Mandrell witnesses "A Miracle"". Seymour Herald Newspaper. July 3, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  3. Price, Jennifer (February 10, 2008). "Refining the religious message". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  4. "In Brief". Knoxville News Sentinel. April 8, 2006. The Miracle Theater in Sevierville (formerly the Louise Mandrell Theater) will open its headlining show "The Miracle" Thursday. "The Miracle" is an original musical production based on the life and miracles of Jesus Christ. The Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment Group, owners of Comedy Barn Theater and Black Bear Jamboree Theater, collaborated with the winning team of playwright Linda Nell Cooper and composer David Legg to produce the show.
  5. Hodges, Dereck (October 21, 2011). "'Miracle' nears final performance". The Mountain Press. “The Miracle” has three more showings left, scheduled for 8 p.m. today and Saturday, and 3 p.m. Saturday. Fee says the possibilities for new life for “Miracle” include Christmas season matinée shows at Smoky Mountain Opry, the name of both the theater and the new show it will host starting Nov. 4, and even the chance for a traveling production.
  6. Considine, Austin (January 15, 2009). "Gatlinburg, Tenn.: Return to Kitsch Mountain". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  7. "New Narrator for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" - PigeonForge.com". PigeonForge.com. April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  8. Eckstrom, Kevin (September 22, 2007). "Make Fun Of Faith? Sure. Jesus? Uh, No". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  9. "Smoky Mountain Opry to Open Largest Musical Variety Show in Pigeon Forge". Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment. March 12, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  10. "World Choice Investments Buys Fee Hedrick Entertainment". QSR Magazine. February 4, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.