Update on Uihlein Hall repairs
Uihlein Hall during an MSO Pops concert in Dec. 2010. Photo by Brian Jacobson, TCD.
Update April 9: Marcus Center Uihlein Hall remains closed this weekend, as staff and consultants go about repairing damage that occurred when the 27,000-pound ceiling of the orchestra shell fell to the stage floor Tuesday (April 5). The Milwaukee Symphony is playing its Cole Porter Pops concerts to the Riverside Theater this weekend. Greg & Steve children’s shows planned for 10 a.m. and noon Monday, April 11, have been canceled. The Marcus Center box office has started refunding money to ticket holders for Greg & Steve, which was almost all group sales.
“It’s day to day,” Lofy said. “We’re working closely with the MSO. The goal is to have them back by Friday. We’re working through the weekend.”
She said that rumors about major damage that might close the hall through the spring season are not true. Damage to the stage must be fixed, but the underlying structure is sound. Lofy said that engineers are still determining the cause of the problem and will soon submit a report detailing it. Preliminary reports suggest failure in the winch or counterweight system.
Prior stories on this matter:
Wednesday, April 6: The Milwaukee Symphony will play this weekend’s Cole Porter Pops concerts at the Riverside Theater, 116 W. Wisconsin Ave., instead of Marcus Center Uihlein Hall.
A malfunction in the mechanism that lowers the orchestra’s acoustical shell occurred Tuesday afternoon and forced the late change of venue. The ceiling portion of the 27,000-pound shell is stuck in mid-stage position. Steve Walker, of Walker & Associates, a New York engineering firm that specializes in mechanical design for theaters, is consulting with the Marcus Center. As of Wednesday afternoon, Walker had identified the problem and he and a crew are working on it. The failed mechanism lowers the shell ceiling all the way to the stage floor, to allow easy access for repair and maintenance.
The problem is limited to Uihlein Hall and does not affect events in the Marcus Center’s other spaces, the Todd Wehr Theater, the Bradley Pavilion and Vogel Hall.
The last-minute move to the Riverside is a better alternative than canceling the concerts, but it causes problems for the MSO. The orchestra usually rehearses on the Uihlein Hall stage. Instead, guest conductor/pianist Marvin Hamlisch will hold piano rehearsals with vocalists Jody Benson and Gary Mauer Wednesday and Thursday and will work with the orchestra Friday at the Riverside. One plus in all of this: The Riverside’s acoustics are decent for orchestral performance.
MSO school concerts Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings and afternoons moved to the nearby Pabst Theater. Pabst management also books and controls the Riverside. Wednesday, MSO marketing VP Susan Loris expressed her organization’s appreciation of the Pabst/Riverside team, led by Gary Witt: “They’ve been fabulous partners in allowing these concerts to go on.”
Heavy advance sales for the Pops concerts limited the MSO’s alternatives. Loris said that pre-sales of 1,800 for Friday and 1,600 and 1,400 for the other two concerts required a large theater. The Riverside seats 155 more than Uihlein. The remaining seats are on sale at $40 each at the MSO website and ticket line, 414 291-7605. MSO personnel will be at the Riverside to handle any walk-up business.
Seat assignments at Uihlein do not translate straightforwardly to seating at the Riverside, which has a very different house configuration. Because of that and the short lead time, all seating at the Riverside will be general admission. Patrons must bring their Uihlein MSO tickets to the Riverside; extra ushers will be on hand to help. MSO management would appreciate the patience and understanding of its audience and requests cooperation in a seating process that is likely to be slow. Management suggests an early arrival. Call the MSO ticket line, 414 291-7605 with any questions. The most convenient parking venue for the Riverside is that of the The Shops at Grand Avenue lot.
As a consolation, the MSO will issue all ticket holders a voucher for a free admission to any one regular MSO concert in the future (excludes special concerts, Basilica events and Messiah performances).
Meanwhile, the show must go on. The Pops Cole Porter tribute concerts are set for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 8-10.
The Riverside will do in a pinch, but I’m sure that everyone at the MSO will feel this Cole Porter sentiment as they think of Uihlein Hall this weekend:
April 5: Original announcement of the problem, issued by the Marcus Center issued at 5:01 p.m. Tuesday:
A complex mechanical system used to set up components of the acoustical shell in Uihlein Hall malfunctioned today while the Marcus Center Staff was moving the shell into position on the stage. The shell consists of four large pieces, 2 side sections, a back wall section and a ceiling section. This shell is extremely heavy and is moved into and out of place with a sophisticated mechanical system.
During the moving of the 27,000+ lbs. ceiling portion of the shell, a mechanical malfunction occurred causing the ceiling piece to become stuck in a mid-stage position. Engineering experts will be evaluating the situation to determine what caused the problem and what can be done to correct it. Fortunately, no one was injured during this incident. The Marcus Center will be temporarily suspending events in Uihlein Hall until the problem can be safely resolved.
“We will not reopen Uihlein Hall until we can ensure patron, employee and performer safety, ” said Paul Mathews, President of the Marcus Center. “We expect to have a better understanding of how long the problem will take to correct after the engineers have completed their inspection of the shell.”
Groups who may be impacted by the situation have been notified and will communicate details of potential programming changes to their patrons as necessary.
Performances and events scheduled in the Marcus Center’s Vogel Hall, Todd Wehr Theater, Peck Pavilion and Bradley Pavilion will not be impacted by this incident.
I hear there was also damage to the floor and the I Beam supporting the cloud. It sounds like the hall may be out of commission for a while. Have they said anything about plans for the sold out Les Miz shows?
Hi Dan,
Everything I know is in the story. No one has an ETA as yet. — Strini