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Weaknesses of Witch were on my part not Pygmalion (Review)
One aspect I struggle with as a critic is when my own weaknesses and biases as a human unfairly influence my feeling about a theatrical production or film. I try my best to be as fair as possible but there are times when my humanity makes it hard. I might be sick or having a bad day making my absorption of a story more challenging. If such a thing happens I try to let my readers know so my biases are acknowledged and up front. Last Saturday was such an experience,
I went to the new play by Pygmalion called Witch, and I was tired. The black box at Rose Wagner was also very warm (they kindly gave water bottles to the audience to help us from getting dehydrated.) Plus there was a massive traffic jam causing me to be 20 minutes late for the play. Basically what I’m trying to say it is it was all not ideal or conducive to the type of analysis I normally provide in a review.
This play is written by playwright Jen Silverman who also penned The Roommate which I was not a big fan of (review here) That play felt phony and I didn’t buy the characters choices. Witch, on the other hand, I enjoyed more because it had more of a sense of whimsy to it, almost like a fable. It reminded me a little bit of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, which is a book I very much enjoy.
The story revolves around a devil that has come to a small town and promises to trade the citizen’s darkest wishes for their souls. It reminded me of Something Wicked This Way Comes which I think is massively underrated book and film. Both stories focus on individuals who let their secret wishes out to a demon-type to unexpected results. Witch is more of a comedy but that sense of desperation can be found in the characters of both stories.
McKell Rae plays the devil Scratch with the right level of mischievousness and energy, getting a lot of laughs from the audience. But my favorite characters are Cuddy played by Amona Faatau and Frank played by Pedro Flores who are friends but are they more than friends? Their tit-for-tat with each other can be very amusing.
The production is directed by Morag Shepherd and and she does a good job, along with her team, of creating the feeling of a Rembrandt painting. The sound design also done by Shepherd also helps the experience feel immersive and gives a sense of urgency to the more comedic scenes. It may be light and silly but it is actually very heavy and important stuff we are dealing with after all.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find the pacing of Witch to be a little bit of a struggle but like I said, I was tired so that’s part of it. I wish the story was more focused. Each scene felt like a skit more than a cohesive narrative but they are amusing skits so I didn’t mind it. However, I did prefer over Silverman’s last play that I saw, and if you are in the mood for a small intimate play that amuses and contemplates the greater questions of life than I’d recommend it. Witch is playing at Pygmalion through October 17th and tickets can be purchased here.
Witch is a play by Jen Silverman based on the English Jacobean play The Witch of Edmonton by John Ford, Thomas Dekker and William Rowley. It first premiered in 2018
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. Right now I am crisis with my channel being removed so I could really use your support. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.
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It’s impossible to not love Hopebox’s Cinderella (Review)
People that are new to my content might not know that I love the story of Cinderella. In fact, when I first started my youtube channel one of the first things I did was review every iteration of Cinderella on film including the Disney Channel version with Brandy and Whitney Houston from 1997. Here’s a playlist with all of my Cinderella content over the years:
That Brandy Cinderella is based on the Rodgers & Hammerstein Cinderella and it was originally written for TV with Julie Andrews in 1957 and then with Lesley Ann Warren in 1965. It had a new book in the 2013 Broadway revival (sometimes called the Topher version,) and I adore any chance I have to see it on the stage. The latest staging of Cinderella is at Hopebox and big surprise: I loved it!
If you are new to Hopebox they have a wonderful mission where each production has a Wall of Hope Recipient who is fighting cancer and the company fundraises for this recipient throughout the production. If you ever get a chance to see closing night at Hopebox it is a wonderful experience where the recipient if possible is there and they have a ceremony of sorts. It’s a lovely community moment.
One of the challenges at Hopebox is their stage is so small- almost feeling like a black box at times. This can make shows like Cinderella difficult that have elements of magic or whimsy to pull off. Director Marinda Maxfield and set designer Ashley Collins-Dowse have overcome these challenges with a hand-painted set that helps the audience feel like they are stepping into an animated film. It looked like they might have been inspired by the great Mary Blair who helped animated the Disney classic Cinderella from 1950. They were kind enough to let me take a picture in front of the carriage and I wasn’t the only one who wanted to do this! It’s adorable and the only shame is that it isn’t on stage for very long given how cute it is. Ashley actually told me that she was tired of seeing AI in community theater sets and wanted to do something real (Hopebox is usually pretty good about avoiding AI) and she really delivered. I love the panels that could be easily moved back and forth to create the different settings- all hand painted in the cartoony style. What a wonderful, magical set! The costumes by Shelbi Rynor were also whimsical and bundled up in a way that made the quick transitions from work clothes to ballgowns in a small space possible.
Of course the cast in Cinderella has to have chemistry and deliver the fairytale with charm and grace and that’s what they do here. Jennica Johnson is everything you could want in a Cinderella- warm, kind, comforting. John Derington is her Prince Topher, and he needs to be! Emma Rosenlund is a hoot as Gabrielle, the nerdy stepsister in love with activist Jean-Michel played by David Loveland. Alexa Thomas probably gets my favorite song of the musical with “Stepsister’s Lament” as stepsister Charlotte and she’s a lot of fun in her exasperated villainy. Hillary McChesney is our evil stepmother and she camps it up having a good time with the role (I also loved her hair and she was the Wig Team for the show!)
The only part of the production at Hopebox that surprised me is the ensemble seemed small for this kind of fairytale musical. Maybe part of it is I just saw Anything Goes there and adored it and that cast was massive with dancers filling up the stage but this often the ensemble consisted of 3 or 4 actors. I’m not sure if they just didn’t have enough interest in Cinderella or what happened but it was surprising. I also thought it was a little strange that they didn’t have the mantle set for “In My Own Little Corner.” That makes the most sense to me rather than the overall kingdom set but that’s just me.
Cinderella is obviously a great show to take the family to. Kids will love it, and it would make for a fun date night as well. The wonderful mission of Hopebox makes for a production worth supporting. I loved it! It is playing through October 30th and tickets can be purchased here.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was first written for television in 1957 starring Julie Andrews. The 1997 version starring Brandy had these same songs. In 2013 it came to Broadway with a new book by Douglas Carter Beane based on the French version of the fairytale Cendrillon. It starred Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana and was nominated for 9 Tony Awards.
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. Right now I am crisis with my channel being removed so I could really use your support. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.
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Utah Theatre Log 8/13-9/29 (West Side Story, Noises Off and More) (Rachel’s Theatre Log 344)
Hi theatre friends! I hope you are doing well. Sorry this log is late. I’ve just been so busy with my trip to Toronto and everything else plus I’ve been writing full reviews for most of what I see so it’s been delayed. Anyway, here are a few quick thoughts on what I didn’t get to review. This log will be even more brief than my usual logs because I have long since lost the digital playbills of these shows and a bunch of them were rewatches so I have full reviews for you to read at your leisure.
First up I want to talk about West Side Story at Draper Historic. This was an ambitious show for this company to try and mount and for the most part I feel they succeeded. The most interesting choice was having a bilingual and multi-racial cast with Yunnie Kim playing Anita and other cast members appearing to be Filipino or Asian backgrounds. This is not blind casting as they do add in dialogue with Asian slurs along with the anti-latino rhetoric thrown at the Sharks. I’m not sure it all 100% works particularly for Anita who is singing about Puerto Rico and her island home but I appreciate the swing and trying something new. Also, the dance was outstanding with them filling up the stage with movement. Gabriella Zuniga was also strong as Maria with Cade Marshall as Tony. This production has finished but they have Little Shop of Horrors coming up next, which should be a nice change of pace from the intensity of West Side Story. Tickets can be purchased here.
The next grouping is all shows I have reviewed or logged previously on this site. I saw them again as part of playing host to my friend Jacklyn Collier who is also my co-host for the Onstage Blog Theatre Podcast (see above for the episode.) Because her time was so limited we saw 5 shows in 2 days which was pretty epic. In addition to seeing the shows the talent for almost all of them greeted us and we even got to participate with the cast preshow meeting at Hopebox and get a behind the scenes tour of Hale Center Theatre. It was a wonderful weekend I will never forget. So here’s what happened:
First up we saw Joseph... at Hale Center Theatre. This was the same cast as I saw for my review (I’m going to see it again with my sisters and see the other cast.) While I have my critiques of the direction it’s still a ton of fun and delivers on the spectacle you want from Hale. Jacks was blown away by it which was fun to see her response. Joseph plays until October 24th and tickets can be purchased here.
Next, we saw Anything Goes at Hopebox. Like I said, this was neat because they invited us into their cast meeting and I got to see the other cast with Lindsey Stephens as Reno and Savannah Ruiz as Hope. Daylen Bills played Billy in both casts and was delightful. The whole cast was great and I’m so glad I got to see it a second time. The most impressive aspect was the amount of dancing packed into that small space. If this was in Draper I probably would have seen it even more. That’s how much I enjoyed it. Hopebox has Cinderella next and I will be seeing that this weekend. Tickets can be purchased here.
The next morning we saw Pride and Prejudice at The Ruth. This was the same cast as I reviewed except for we had the understudy for Darcy played by Dustin Farmley. He was great and managed to have chemistry with Lauren Pope which can be challenging sometimes with understudies. I did get to see Elena Belen Shill as Lizzy and she is also commanding in the role. I know they say it is only 2 hours and 20 minutes which would have worked perfect for our 3 show day but we didn’t get out until almost 3 hours making us late for the next show but it all worked out so that was fine. The addition of Anne Post Fife as a deaf Mrs Bennet adds a fresh new approach to the material that I really enjoyed especially since they just did this show in 2023. Pride and Prejudice plays at The Ruth until November 7th and tickets can be purchased here.
Next we had Cyrano at Parker. We were actually at their last day of performances and because it has 5 acts we arrived at the interlude after Act 1, which was perfect timing. Roger Dunbar is an incredible actor and I loved seeing him as Cyrano again and Russ Maxfield was perfectly cast as the sweet but oafish Christian. I felt proud to show Jacklyn this production as I think it holds up with anything she might see Off-Broadway in New York as far as the acting, fight choreography, production design and overall experience. The Parker has To Kill a Mockingbird next but I won’t be seeing that until October 17th (I’d love to review their shows but no luck so far on that front.) Tickets can be purchased here.
Finally, we saw Curtains at Heritage but I was reviewing that show so there is the full review here. Like I said, it was a weekend I will never forget and I know Jacks feels the same way. Thanks to all who made it so special.
The last show I will quickly log is Noises Off at Scera. I love this play and jump at any chance I have to see it. This production proved to be an interesting experience because the audience felt low energy and were not responding to the slapstick humor. While not perfect the actors were doing a good job with the broad comedy but it was just not landing well with the audience. I was surprised how much this was impacting my enjoyment considering how much I love this play. Fortunately for Act 2 they started to loosen up a bit and by the chaos of Act 3 it was more of a lively audience. My favorite part of Noises Off is almost always Garry played here with a funny fatigued expression by Carson Davies and the ditsy Brooke played by Chloe Barrus. The set is also very impressive with 2 stories and the double sides that is flipped around for the different acts. This is playing through October 10th and I’d recommend it but hopefully you’ll have a more energetic audience than I did. Tickets can be purchased here.
I also got to attend the opening season event put on by Pioneer Theatre Company. I was honored to be included at that party. Make sure to support their new season here.
West Side Story has music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim with a book by Sarthur Laurents based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics and book by Tim Rice based on the Biblical story. Anything Goes has music and lyrics by Cole Porter. Pride and Prejudice is based on the novel by Jane Austen with the adaptation penned by Melissa Leilani Larson. Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written by Edmond Rostand in 1897. Noises Off is a play by Michael Frayn written in 1982.
These logged shows I pay for out of pocket and I’d love to do that as much as possible. If you have a show you’d like me to take a look at and write a full review let me know. I also have my patreon which is a great way to support what I do and get some really fun perks. Find out more here.
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My full disclosure is I loved ‘The Addams Family’ at The Ruth (Review)
One of the problems I sometimes face as a theatre critic and pundit is my loud and vocal opinions are out widely known and circulated making it difficult for me to approach a show in a new way or have a change of heart about a particular material. I like to think I have an open mind for any show but there are times when I feel like I am fighting back against past me and my big mouth. Such an example of this experience happened on Friday when I got a chance to see the new production of The Addams Family at The Ruth (in this sense theatre criticism is very different from film because I am unlikely to see films I’m lukewarm on multiple times where that is not the case with theater.) It might sound like hyperbole, but I truly believe this team has crafted the best version of this musical possible (and I’ve seen it many times) but it is one of the best musicals I’ve seen this year in Utah.
The first aspect we have to discuss is the stage design at The Ruth. Director Jennifer Hill-Barlow and scenic designer Kacey Udy have expanded the stage beyond where it normally extends to with seats with tables surrounding it. The actors then interacted with these patrons and moved up and down the rows frequently making the entire experience feel immersive (I know that’s become an over-used buzz word but it’s true in this situation.) Sometimes this stage can feel a little bit like a giant black box but it didn’t with this design. It felt more like a theatre-in-the-round just with a smaller circle.
I also love how choreographer Sayoko Knode Peterson keeps the actors continuously moving throughout each song. The Ruth has become my go-to theatre company when it comes to innovative choreography and The Addams Family is no exception. They even bring movement into the “Full Disclosure” sequence which is a song that I loathe but them not sitting at a table reciting the dialogue made it as tolerable as that slog of a song can be. I also love how the ensemble adds movement to almost every scene in the form of the ancestors who dance in and around what is happening with the characters.
They have seemingly thought of every detail like they even give out little finger lights for “The Moon and Me” so when Fester sings about the Moon we are literally glowing as an audience along with him. Speaking of Fester there’s a reason why they have single casted the role with Joseph Paul Branca. He stole the show and is absolutely hilarious in the role. My pen wasn’t working so I wasn’t able to write down some of his wise cracks but he had us laughing throughout at some pretty-saucy-for-Utah jokes he told along the way. In fact, the entire cast seemed open to ad-lib and sarcastic asides that again make us all feel more invested than the book for this show normally allows.
Another single casted role is Benjamin J Henderson as Gomez and he has fun chemistry with Brittany Sanders as Morticia. He also gets my favorite song from the show “Happy Sad” and sings it with the sincerity the song requires. The cast can also be seen in video that is integrated seamlessly into the show that makes for a very memorable experience.
Now there are aspects of this show that still aren’t my favorite like the Beinekes get way too much time devoted to them but they did all they could to make even them entertaining at The Ruth. My only major critique was why they didn’t make Wednesday’s dress more yellow (it looked off white to my eyes) but that’s a nitpick.
If you are at all considering attending The Addams Family at The Ruth I highly recommend it. Like I said, it is the best version of this musical I have ever seen, and I left feeling way more entertained than I expected to be. The use of choreography and direction is particularly exceptional. It’s a night fit for even an Addams family member! This musical is playing through October 31st and tickets can be purchased here.
The Addams Family has music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice base don the comic strip by Charles Addams. It first opened on Broadway in 2010
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. Right now I am crisis with my channel being removed so I could really use your support. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.
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Cursed Child national tour delivers magical spectacle over story (Review)
Back in 2016 I read the printed play for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and I was underwhelmed. The story with Albus and Scorpius was weak and the plot point of Voldemort having a daughter makes no sense. Here is my review from that read (at the time I was reviewing all the movies on my channel)
With such weak source material I was honestly surprised when the Broadway production came out to rave reviews concluding with it winning 6 Tony awards including Best Play (in 2018.) Then the high school edition became available and while I loved the teens I was again not the biggest fan of the play itself (particularly the run time.)
The whole time this was all happening friends and family kept telling me ‘the Broadway spectacle is unbelievable’ and insisting I would like it when I saw the professional production.
Well, now I have seen the national tour and…
They are mostly right. The spectacle really is amazing to watch.
The production of this national tour is directed by John Tiffany and the way the set combines physical set pieces like staircases and frames with projection videos is seamless and magical. I’ve heard the Broadway stage is even more immersive but they bring out the best of the Eccles for this national tour experience (set design by Christine Jones and video by Finn Ross and Ash J Woodward.) But what really impressed even more than the big spectacle was the smaller visual effects. When fire would come out of a wand or people would transform into another person it almost feels like actual magic is happening before your eyes (illusions by Jamie Harrison.) I don’t know how they pull off certain effects like shooting fire across the stage multiple times!
Fortunately these visual effects are constant enough that it allows us to forget about the bland and uninteresting story they picked for some unknown reason for Harry’s son Albus to go through in this sequel. The fact this tale is 6 hours in London makes me want to die. I will definitely never be reviewing that version. I can promise you that much.
As weak as I think the story is I do actually think the teen versions are a little more poignant in selling the emotions of the father/son dynamic between Harry and Albus. Being actual teenagers I feel their pain a little more acutely than I did with the national tour. I also felt the actors playing Albus (Adam Grant Morrison) and Scorpius (David Fine) are a little shouty in delivering their lines. While this makes sense for the action sequences it was harder to be invested in the performances in what should be softer more tender moments. I wanted to say stop shouting and just talk. The rest of the cast is entertaining and up for the physical demands of the long show but my favorite is probably Ryan Hallahan as Draco Malfoy and Katherine Leask as Professor McGonagall.
I did attend the play with a friend who is a die-hard Harry Potter fan, and she liked it but agreed about the weaknesses of the story. Like I said, it is more a play to be enjoyed for the spectacle of it and the immersive experience rather than for the story or profundity of the message. I suppose your mileage may vary depending on how much you enjoy theatrical spectacle. I had a fun time but I think it’s a one-and-done experience for me and unless teens ask me to see their new productions I will probably check Cursed Child off of my theater bucket list and be done with it. Let me know if you see it what you think. It is playing at the Eccles through October 11th and tickets can be purchased here.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is written by Jack Thorne with a story by J.K. Rowling, Thorne and John Tiffany based on the Harry Potter novels by Rowling. It first premiered in 2016 in London with a Broadway production in 2018. That production was a two-parter over 6 hours in length which is still running in London. The current Broadway production is just under 2 hours like the national tour production I saw.
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. Right now I am crisis with my channel being removed so I could really use your support. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.
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Centerpoint brings a shattered honesty to Dear Evan Hansen (Review)
If someone was going to ask me for the definition of a mixed bag show I might respond with the coming of age musical Dear Evan Hansen. The songs are so catchy and it means well that I enjoy watching it but let’s just say the plot is strange. Anyway, I really appreciate when a company can take a mixed bag show like this and elevate it to something more than the sum of its parts and that’s what Centerpoint Legacy has done with their Dear Evan Hansen. It is one of the best staging of this musical I’ve seen and that includes the Broadway touring company.
One of my favorite parts of Centerpoint Legacy is how they repeatedly use projections to help add to the storytelling not replace it. There is no better example of this than in Dear Evan Hansen. This is a show that has a tradition of a social media presence on stage (sometimes behind, surrounding them on pillars, I’ve seen many different ways.) Here director Bre Welch incorporates that social media but makes the projections appear to be on triangles- as if it is on shattered glass. This is a brilliant way of adding context to the cracked world of the story and these inspirational moments are based on lies and half-truths. It helps us as an audience to deal with the problematic nature of the story in a way I’ve never seen before, which is a again a brilliant choice (projection/video design Alex Young is so talented!) I also love the lighting work by Jordan Fowler with bright colors framing the shattered glass or the stage to help add dramatic impact to what is happening on stage. It adds so much to the story, which again isn’t the strongest by itself.
This cast is wonderful with Josh Call playing Evan and Anna Kocherhans as Zoe. I appreciate both of them felt like teenagers. Sometimes when seeing this show it feels like we are watching 30 year-olds pretend to be teenagers but these two felt like believable teens. I also really liked Ryan Munsey’s take on Connor. He’s usually played as a big athletic bully type but Munsey has more of an emo rebellious read on the character which is interesting. This version of Connor feels more similar to Evan which is good because we need it to believable that people would think they could have been great friends.
Some of my favorite moments of this production are songs like “You Will Be Found,” “Words Fail” and “Requiem” which on the surface are inspirational ballads but because of the shattered glass dynamic it adds a layer to the soaring melodies. “Waiving Through a Window” is a terrific start of the show but again because I was so immersed in the production design it quickly was eclipsed by the other numbers, which is saying something because I love that song.
My only real critique is these songs are deceptively difficult and the young performers should work on supporting their notes as much as possible. There are times when I felt they could have pushed through the ending of sentences a little more and thereby really driving home the hopeful message. Otherwise I loved this production of Dear Evan Hansen. It truly elevates the material in special ways and especially if you have teens it is a cracking night of theatre. It is playing at Centerpoint through October 15th and tickets can be purchased here.
Dear Evan Hansen has music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul with a book by Steven Levenson. It first premiered on Broadway in 2016 and it won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical.
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. Right now I am crisis with my channel being removed so I could really use your support. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.
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‘Big Fish’ at Ideal Playhouse deserves big applause (Review)
For the most part I am perfectly content with my modicum of influence and success. I’m not dying to go viral or gain a lot of attention. The only time I wish I had more of a draw is when I see really quality stuff whether film or theatre and I wish I could do more to get people to see those things I love. What an incredible thing it must be to be the Mr Beasts of the world with such an audience? Anyways I only mention this because I really wish I could get more people out to support the good folks at Ideal Playhouse and their wonderful production of Big Fish. I know going to Heber can be a challenge for many but it is worth your time (plus it’s a charming town. Make a day out of it!)
If you are new to the world of Big Fish it is a musical based on the 2003 film from director Tim Burton, which is based on the novel by Daniel Wallace. It tells the story of a young man named Will who is about to get married and have his own son to start off the musical. Will always wished he was closer to his father Edward, but he is frustrated by his father’s whimsical nature. His father loves telling tall tales about his many adventures and Will wants to know what is true and an exaggeration. The musical then takes us through many of Edward’s stories and we, along with Will, decide what is true and what kind of legacy a man can live.
I must say it was particularly nice to see this musical because I was mentally drained from losing my youtube channel but I had also seen 2 shows with mixed to negative portrayals of men in John Proctor is the Villain and Dear Evan Hansen. It was nice to go to Ideal and see a musical about 2 good men trying their best with Big Fish. Not that either men are perfect but they are both trying to make the world a better place in their own ways and I needed that on Saturday.
One of the hardest parts about Big Fish is because it is about a storyteller it has so many setting changes. It goes from a college campus, to a circus, to town getting flooded with a mermaid present and much more. At the Ideal directors Julie Dowd and Steve Anderson overcome this challenge by having layers to the stage and using projections in interesting ways. I especially love how they project images and colors out into the theater. They also have several layers of forest that make the stage feel bigger than it actually is (set design Steve and Micah Anderson.)
The cast at Ideal helps bring this endearing story to life. Edward is played by Todd Christensen and he reminds me of a young Jeff Bridges- very sweet and sincere. Will is played by James Longhurst who has a lovely voice along with Jenn Iverson who plays Sandra Bloom. The rest of the cast of 13 are kept busing wearing so many different hats (literally) as they bring all of Edward’s stories to life.
I’d say the songs of Big Fish are on the forgettable side but they aren’t bad. It’s a perfectly pleasant group of songs even if you probably won’t be singing them on the way home in your car. “Be the Hero” is the most well known but my personal favorite is “Time Stops.”
It’s nice to have a musical one can take the family to and have a good conversation after. It would make a great family home evening and talking about fathers and sons, parents and children of all kinds and how do we make a difference to the world around us. Also how honest should we be or is it ok to tell some stories to inspire and entertain? Either way I really enjoyed this production of Big Fish. It brightened my day which is what I needed on a lousy weekend. It’s a wonderful night of community theatre. It is playing at Ideal Playhouse until Sept 26th and tickets can be purchased here.
Big Fish is a musical with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa with a book by John August. It is based on the 2003 film directed by Tim Burton with a script by John August. That film is based on a novel by Daniel Wallace called Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions. It first appeared on Broadway in 2013
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.
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Men and feminism are useless in PTC’s John Proctor is the Villain (Review)
I must admit I came to PTC’s John Proctor is the Villain on Friday having had my own tough day as a modern woman trying to make something for myself in this hard world. My youtube channel has been hacked and it has currently been eliminated from existence. It’s beyond discouraging to see something I’ve worked at for over a decade just gone as if it didn’t even exist. Anyway I came to this play feeling physically exhausted and mentally drained, which isn’t ideal but it’s just the reality of life sometimes. I did my best to focus on the new-to-me play and the production from PTC and overall I enjoyed the experience.
While I do wish there was more nuance to the men in John Proctor is the Villain the playwright takes aim at feminism and supposed advocates for women as well, which helps make the experience interesting and enlightening. There is also a lot of humor and that helps make any preachiness more palatable and entertaining to watch.
This look at feminism comes with a re-examination of the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller which was written in 1953 as a critique of the “red scare” of that time but is set during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. As is clear from the title John Proctor is the Villain takes this play from the 50s and analyzes it with a modern ‘me-too’ lens. This is interesting to see what group think and womanhood looks like from a 1692, 1953 and 2018 perspective.
The woman in the modern play are high school students in rural Georgia who are reading The Crucible under the guidance of their seemingly charismatic teacher Mr. Smith (Colby Strong.) At the same time the girls are forming a feminist club which is supposed to be helping them (although it is never clear what the purpose of the club actually is.) While there are boys in the club as well as girls it becomes a safe space for the girls to vent their frustrations with their lives.
At PTC director Karen Azenberg faced a challenging situation with their stage being flooded and the play having to be performed at Westminster University. I am sure this has been a very difficult time for the production I do think the smaller venue provided an intimacy which works quite well for this small human story. My only complaint is it was very warm in the theater the night I attended, which makes sitting through the experience more difficult.
The cast for this play is excellent being led by Skye Alyssa Friedman as the energetic nerd Beth who is leading the club and Alex Humphreys as Raelynn who probably has the biggest growth arc of any of the girls. As I said, the men are all fairly one-note with Mason played by Gage Martinez probably having the most nuance as the dumb lug of the group.
I suppose I would be more annoyed by the portrayal of the men as all suspect and predatory if feminism was being presented as a great answer to all of these problems but it isn’t. The play does not have any such easy answers. It all could be seen as quite cynical especially given we see so little societal grown throughout time but the play is funny enough that it keeps the audience from feeling discouraged.
Especially knowing they had a venue change the scenic design by Jo Winiarski is very impressive. It looks and feels like a classroom with a wall of chalkboards that is used by the students with desks and chairs that are moved into different configurations throughout the play. They also have music cues and other sound design by E.E. Bradman
At the end of the day, the message behind John Proctor is the Villain is we cannot lean on any philosophy or movement to dictate how we treat others. Those of ill-intent will manipulate the vulnerable every time whether it be now, the 1950s or 1690s. We have to look at the individuals and decide for ourselves whether the person should be helped or condemned. It’s the only way actual human progress happens- on a case for case basis and we can’t do that without listening effectively. While I do wish there was more nuance it is a message and a play that should inspire a lot of discussion especially if any teens are in attendance. I would love to hear what younger audience members think of it. I’m certainly glad I saw it even on what was a very difficult day. It is playing at PTC through October 3rd and tickets can be purchased here.
John Proctor is the Villain is a play by Kimberly Belflower and it was first performed in Washington DC in 2022 and on Broadway in 2025.
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.
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The Devil has never been as fun as in ‘Possessive: The Musical’ (Review)
I’ve said it before but I’m not the most experimental of theatre critics. While I can appreciate seeing something in different phases I don’t know if I’m the best person to capture the vision of what a project is going for. That’s why I am often hesitant to critique a new work like the new musical Possessive: The Musical. In the case of this musical, however, they invited me, my friend Dylan had seen and loved it and it did well over at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. So I drove up to Heber to see Possessive: The Musical performed at Timpanogos Valley Theatre, and I’m so glad I did. What a fresh, exciting, unhinged evening at the theatre!
The story behind this musical is quite diabolical. A family in the early 2000s led by parents Carl and Hannah (David Thorpe, Kaushay Ford) are stressed-out dealing with an unruly child named Darian. Then one day Darian starts behaving better but also in very strange ways. It turns out he has been possessed by a devil which of course is very concerning but the parents are tempted to keep their child behaving well for as long as possible. This is made even more complicated when their relationship also improves with their rebellious daughter Lisa (Yasamin Marashi) and she becomes friendly with the demon’s minion (Connor Thompson.) It’s all as ridiculous and off-the-wall as that premise sounds and even more so!
It’s hard to not compare Possessive to Beetlejuice. They even make a joke about that comparison themselves but I have to be honest I found Beetlejuice to be much more annoying than what we get in Possessive, so I prefer this. Beetlejuice I feel like the characters are constantly shouting at me where this has a variety of expressions along with the big over-the-top laughs. Jessica Wall, who plays Darian, deserves much of the credit. She lip-syncs her demon dialogue who is standing behind her as played by Derek Wayman. The two of them work seamlessly together and seeing Wayman’s big booming voice coming out of Wall’s petite frame is hilarious.
Everything the night I saw the production was directed by David Thorpe with sound design by Emily Wayman, and like I said it’s the coordination between the different elements to make Darian become a demon that worked so well. Plus, other characters switch places or are inhabited by other characters. It brings the biggest laughs of the night. Plus, the dialogue is very funny with a lot of nods to the early 2000s and things like dial up modems and bands like Blink 182.
I also really enjoyed how the scenic design they used making the background look like a giant book and each scene change looks like the moving of a page in said book. This is a smart way to make transitions fast and add a bit of whimsy into the low budget production.
Even though I liked the songs better than Beetlejuice I do wonder if it actually needs to be a musical? The songs are fine but it’s really the dialogue and the effect with Darian/demon that makes the show work. I think I’d like it just as well as a straight play, but I understand those aren’t as marketable especially for comedies. I do think it would be fun for Darian/demon to get a real showstopper introducing themselves in the vein of “Sweet Transvestite” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The parents have most the memorable songs in this current version of the show.
If they were going to ask me for advice going forward I’d suggest adding some interactivity to the show. It has a cult-following feel to it and something like the splash zone in Evil Dead: The Musical might really work. Especially towards the end when you have blood and windex and other that could potentially be brought into the audience.
Obviously the most important aspect of any comedy is did it make me laugh and with Possessive: The Musical it definitely did. It has loads of potential and I can’t wait to see how it evolves and grows over the years. If you do get a chance to see it it’s a great ghoulish good time.
Possessive: The Musical has book, music and lyrics by Spencer Ford with orchestrations by Alec Lowe. It was first performed in 2023 at a Hart Theatre Company production and there is a cast album available to listen to from 2023 on Spotify.
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.
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What fun fools these mortals be at ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at The Empress (Review)
I’ve said it before but I wish more community theaters would consider putting on plays rather than musicals. They are such a great way to train up new talent, build confidence and there’s less room for error when it comes to audiences. While companies can do plays from any era it is also entertaining to see different interpretations on plays within the public domain- Shakespeare being the most popular playwright even to this day. A great example of an entertaining take on Shakespeare is currently showing at The Empress with their Appalachian themed A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was lucky enough to attend on their Dolly Parton tribute night but any night is worthy of your time and patronage.
Also thanks to the good folks at the Empress for printing me a program. It really helps me a lot to enjoy the experience more There’s a reason why Midsummer is Shakespeare’s most produced play (It actually was the most produced straight play period by high schools in 2025-2026!) because its play-within-a-play structure allows for a lot of creativity and adaptation. A company can really make it their own which is harder to do with some of Shakespeare’s other works. Like I said, at The Empress they have an Appalachian theme but they are also working in dance any way they can. Director Dallyn Steenerson and choreographer Stormy Hintz even start out the evening with an extended dance of the fairies setting the tone for what we will experience.
We then alternate between the Mechanicals and their ridiculous theatrical antics and the 4 Athenian lovers who are played tricks on. If anything Puck and his fairy teams are a bit more understated than I’ve sometimes seen (I always feel sad when I see Puck because of stupid Dead Poets Society which is stupid but true.) The lighting design by Chris Peck adds a lot to the story with starlight covering the stage on multiple occasions. It creates the magic you need for these wonderous events.
I’ve always felt the events with the Mechanicals is where Midsummer loses me. It’s like Shakespeare only had enough story for a one act so he puffed it out with all of the meaningless antics of this acting troupe. However, Biz Sharp as the leader Bottom is very funny and brings a lot of energy to the part. She makes those scenes enchanting and fun to watch.
That said, my favorite cast of the night was the youthful energy of the 4 Athenians- Kami McDonough as Hermia, Tanner Larsen as Lysander (who is such an underrated local talent,) Jezory Munoz as Helena and Braxton Moore as Demetrius. They all conquered the Shakespearean dialogue very well and have great chemistry as a cast.
I do wish Steenerson had involved the Appalachian theme more. I think some accents might have been nice and in the final 2 acts of the Mechanicals performance we could have had more of a folksy feel. Particularly for Dolly night it might have been nice to play one of her song choruses during that section. I also am not sure why they had me seated where they did because I really couldn’t see much of what was going on on the top of the platform because of the angle I was at and the large ladder blocking my view. I am, however, happy they had a sold out show so can’t complain much. I do also wish they could have made the greenery over the entire back wall just to make it more immersive but I understand that is probably a budgetary item.
Sitll, I enjoyed my night in the fairy forest with A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Empress. I hope they have a good response and are encouraged to keep doing more plays like this. It is playing through Sept 12th and tickets can be purchased here. (Also don’t be afraid of it being in Magna. It’s just a hop up from the SLC airport. Not far)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the 12th play written by William Shakespeare. He wrote it sometime around 1595 in between Richard II and King John. The events of the play revolve around Greek mythology and the marriage between Theseus and Hippolyta. It is still incredibly popular to this day. It along with The Tempest are Shakespeare’s most fantastical stories.
If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.
