Hello theatre lovers! I am here to give you 2 quick updates on shows I saw this last weekend- both shows that have a lot of nostalgia for me, which always makes for a fun watch. I also had a great time interviewing my former teacher Dave Smith on Theatre Tuesdays. He is the director of education at Hale Center Theatre in Sandy and used to teach me for voice lessons at Hale Center Theatre Orem. We covered a lot of ground including my great love for Daddy Long Legs and Hale’s production of Singin’ in the Rain from 2022. We also solve the mystery of the Hale water tank so it’s a good listen!

Newsies- Hale Center Theatre Sandy

Not only did I get to interview Dave, but I also got to experience his latest directorial efforts at Hale Center Theatre Sandy with their new production of Newsies. Perhaps this connection makes me a little bit biased, but I thoroughly enjoyed this musical and as someone who loved the movie growing up (even though it got tons of hate!) this show at Hale brought me all the Newsies feels I could ask for.

The Broadway rendition of Newsies took the film and refined it making it the best version of itself it could be. It has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman and a book by Harvey Fierstein (he less successfully updated Funny Girl recently on Broadway.) My favorite part of this production is the comradery the boys had together. Led by Weston Wright playing Jack Kelly and Ethan Freestone playing Crutchie this felt like a group of friends, which is something sometimes missing with the sleek productions at Hale Sandy.

I also appreciated the creative use of the stage and how they integrated real life headlines into the video clips shown in the background. Hale provides a spectacle that no other theatre in Utah can match and Newsies used every inch of that stage to its full potential (scenic design by Jenn Taylor.) They had a few sound hiccups on my night of performance, and they were still finding their home with some of the choreography, but I still had a great time with this wonderful, energetic take on a show I admittedly love. The highlights were probably the group numbers like “Carrying the Banner” and “King of New York.” The cast chemistry amongst the young men and women was able to shine in these numbers.

It will be interesting to watch it at Lehi Arts Council next week as I’m sure it will be an equally great but more intimate take on this wonderful show. If you are interested in getting tickets to the Hale production you can do so here.

Les Miserables national tour- broadway at the eccles

My regular readers will know how important Les Miserables was to the formation of my love of both theater and music. Outside of The Little Mermaid it was the first piece of media I ever truly loved and there was a point in my high school years I knew literally every word to the show. Even now seeing the national tour at Eccles I was silently mouthing the words as it was being sung by the actors (I would never sing out loud like a group of teenagers rudely did when I saw Beetlejuice on Broadway!) I do think, however, because I have such nostalgia for Les Miserables and I’ve seen it so many times I am perhaps a little more nitpicky than I might otherwise be. This was a decent production and the show with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and a book by Schonberg and Alain Boublil still holds up to this day.

My favorite part of this Les Miserables National Tour is the cast particularly Haley Dortch as Fantine and Christine Heesun Hwang as Eponine. Preston Truman Boyd was also strong as Javert and I loved his rendition of “Stars.” Nick Cartell was mostly strong as Jean Valjean although I felt after nailing “Bring Him Home” his voice kind of lost him and he had some weak moments (understandable especially after that long high note in “Bring Him Home”.) This production has the new staging without the rotating stage and I must admit I don’t care for it. I miss being able to see the entire barricade and get a full sweeping look at what is happening. Also they make the bizarre decision to have “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” in the abstract without chairs or tables and little memory balls that the departed friends pick up as the song commences. This was so strange and really took me out of the otherwise well-sung moment. This version also uses projections to create the effects of the sewers and other sets which is fine but did feel a bit generic at times.

Other than that it’s Les Miserables. It’s a great show with a powerful message of hope and redemption. I will see it any time it is performed; although, I do think the version at Hale Center Theatre Sandy in 2021 (which is the first show I saw after being vaccinated) was better across the board. At the end of the day (see what I did there…) it’s Les Miserables, and I will always enjoy seeing this show, even if it’s a flawed production. If you want to find out more about this production check out their website here.