Hi friends! I hope you all have been doing well. I have admittedly gotten behind in my theatre reviews but am still seeing lots of shows. Make sure you are following me on instagram to get my out of theatre reactions to everything I see.

I also have been busy with my film reviews here and been keeping up my weekly Theatre Tuesday series on my podcast/youtube channel. This week I had local actor, the very talented, Matthew DelaFuente on to talk about his path to being an actor and the several great performances I’ve seen from him. It’s a lot of fun.

I have seen 6 shows over the last 2 weeks so let’s talk about all the fun!

the music man- high valley arts

I had a blast seeing The Music Man at High Valley Arts- out under the stars in a wonderful community environment. You can read the rest of my thoughts in my UTBA review here. High Valley Arts is such a breathtaking way to see a show. This production has concluded but you can learn more about future productions here.

THE SECRET GARDEN- KAYSVILLE CITY

When I was interviewing friend Caitlin Olsen about her dream role she told me how much she loves The Secret Garden and how she almost auditioned to play Lily in a new production in Kaysville City. I had never seen a show there, and I’m sure glad I took a chance because it turned out to be an outstanding production. I am fully convinced this is the best you could do The Secret Garden from all aspects. Everything from the lush production design (production designer Kristin Pettingill Callor) to the stunning costumes, to the beautiful singing were first rate. The highlights were “Lily’s Eyes” and “A Bit of Earth.” The only complaint I had was the little boy Colin had a strong lisp that made him difficult to understand at times. I’m not sure if that was an acting choice or just his natural voice but it was a barrier to the performance. I was so impressed with everything else, and will make sure to see any future productions in Kaysville. This is done but you can find out more here.

THE LION IN WINTER- CENTERPOINT LEGACY, CENTERVILLE UT

It’s always fun to see a classic play with good performances that I’ve never seen before. Such was the case with The Lion in Winter. This ran through July 9th and I saw one of the last performances. It tells the story of the family of King Henry II and his family drama during the Christmas season of 1173. This is a story I wasn’t familiar with and the actors were all top notch especially Leslie Barrett as Eleanor. She captured well the desperation inherent in the character. Some of the other casting felt a little off- like Phillip (Ryan Kinville) seemed the same age as Alais (Isabella Giordano) and she talks about carrying him as an infant. That didn’t make much sense. What was most shocking, however, is it was the first time in my life a patron has picked up her phone and answered in the middle of the play! Especially in a small blackbox this was shocking. Don’t do that folks! Still it was a very engaging story that went to darker, edgier places than I expected. They finished the show on July 8th but I highly recommend getting out to CenterPoint for their future blackbox productions. More info here.

OKLAHOMA, SCERA SHELL OREM UTAH

Oklahoma is one of those shows I feel like I’ve seen more than I actually have. It’s such a part of musical and pop culture but it’s not performed that often. Fortunately I was able to see it at the Outdoor Scera Shell in Orem. This was a wonderful outdoor theatre production starring a married couple IRL Jeff and Hailey Bennett Sundwall as Curly and Laurey respectively. The strength of this show was the dancing particularly the “Dream Ballet” choreographed by Janessa Ramsey. I also really enjoyed McCall Brainard as Ado Annie and Ty McQuiston as Will Parker. There were times the transitions between scenes felt a little rushed and there are definitely some outdated segments of the show- particularly involving how everyone treats Jud. Curley basically telling him to kill himself in “Poor Jud is Dead” (he’s a bad dude but arguably driven to it by the way he is treated.) It’s definitely a show that is darker than its wholesome reputation and cheerful songs would imply. This weekend is the last of Oklahoma at Scera but they have one more Summer show you won’t want to miss with one of my favorites: Singin in the Rain. You can purchase tickets here.

JEKYLL & HYDE- OPPA, LAYTON

OPPA or On Pitch Performing Arts in Layton is a wonderful place to see true community theatre. Their focus is on education and providing a nurturing environment for all who participate to learn and grow. Their shows do not have the polish of a Hale or CenterPoint but that has its own charm. I also appreciate they are braver than other companies in their selections. I’ve seen everything from Rent to Legally Blonde there and their latest production is Jekyll & Hyde. I did just see an outstanding version of this show at Draper Historic but I still enjoyed this more imperfect version. The women were particularly strong with Cariel Goodwin and Caitlin Olsen killing it as Lucy and Emma. Them singing “In His Eyes” was the highlight of the show. I also enjoyed Tyler Neil who played Emma’s father Sir Danvers. The costumes by Stacey Hastam were a lot of fun and I appreciate they weren’t afraid to zoosh it up a bit with “Bring on the Men.” Austin Payne has a nice voice as Jekyll/Hyde, but I wish they had just used his regular hair instead of the atrocious mullet-styled wig they gave him. It was awful but the performance was nice. Jekyll & Hyde has finished its run but you can get tickets to OPPA shows here.

NEWSIES- LEHI ARTS COUNCIL, LEHI

Last up is the wonderful staging of Newsies by the Lehi Arts Council. This production is held at Skyridge High School which is a totally different environment than the very small normal Lehi Arts Center. Fortunately they are up for the challenge of a large stage and fill it with wonderful singing and dancing (I just saw Newsies at Hale Sandy and this was every bit as good for much less cost). The large cast is up for the energetic choreography by Rebecca Boberg and every scene is skillfully directed by Kathryn & Howard Little (they are local legends here and I hope to have them on Theatre Tuesdays one of these days!) The cast is top notch with Luke Ellison shining with charisma as Jack Kelly and Cairo McGee as Davey. With 2 major strikes happening in Hollywood what a perfect time to take your family to see Newsies and have an important conversation about labor and its value in the past and today. I admit I have huge nostalgia for the Alan Menken music and lyrics by Jack Feldman but it still has to be performed well and it is here. “King of New York” and “Carrying the Banner” are probably the highlights but there wasn’t a bad number in the show. For only $15 for adults and $12 for kids/seniors that’s a tremendous bargain for the quality and energy of a wonderful production. Newsies is playing through the 29th and you can get tickets here.

So there you have it! Let me know if you have seen any of these shows and what local theatre you’ve supported in July. Thanks!