Shuttered theater in Oro Valley not offering refunds

The theater closed Monday after its landlord locked the owners out of the 9,000-square-foot theater. The move came after the theater and landlord, NAI Horizon, were unable to agree on lease terms.

“We have a list of names of people who have bought tickets,” said Great American Playhouse artistic director Sean MacArthur, who ran the theater with Nancy LaViola. “But we are at the mercy of the bank.”

MacArthur would not comment on whether he and his partners planned to file bankruptcy for the theater.

Betty Cook bought 10 tickets in July for the theater’s holiday production, “Planes, Trains & Sleigh Bells.” The show was in its final week of rehearsals and was set to begin its run next weekend.

“I had 10 tickets, and that’s almost $275,” said Cook, a Catalina resident who was a regular to the theater. “My friends have paid me, and I’m out of pocket giving that back to four other couples.”

Since the theater opened in August 2013, Cook has attended several shows, usually with groups of three to six friends. She said she left a message on the theater’s phone Wednesday morning but had not heard back as of late in the afternoon.

“I used to patronize that (theater) a lot, and it’s not fair that they are not giving refunds. They already have my money,” she said.

MacArthur said he has not been able to access the theater to retrieve messages or get records with patrons’ contact information.

“It is our desire to give refunds, but we don’t know at this time,” he said. “Unfortunately we are at a place where our hands tied.”

Marana retiree Bob Goldberg said he is going through his credit card company to see if he can get a refund for two tickets he bought for Thursday night’s performance of “Whodunit or They Haven’t a Clue,” a show that was supposed to run through Saturday, Nov. 14.

“I was shocked. If I didn’t read the article in the paper I wouldn’t have known it closed, and I would have shown up Thursday like other people,” said Goldberg, a retired salesman who moved to Marana from Chicago five years ago. “I don’t know if you can get blood from the turnip, but we’re going to try.

“We’re disappointed as patrons more than anything else. My wife and I enjoyed going there,” he added. “It was a nice place. The staff was friendly. The shows were pretty professional.”

Great American Playhouse opened in August 2013 in a converted section of the former Ike’s Farmers Market. It put on melodramatic productions rich with silly, over-the-top storylines and equally over-the-top acting. The theater also had a casual restaurant that served a limited menu of pizza and sandwiches.

Its final show was Sunday night.