Over the last week my mind has been on Shakespeare a lot! Not only did I go to Cedar City for the Utah Shakespeare Festival for the first time in years, but also I saw the hilarious musical satirizing Shakespeare Something Rotten at Centerpoint Legacy Theatre. So here are all my thoughts on all this Shakespeare:

somethinG rotten- centerpoint legacy, centerville

Seeing the show at Centerpoint last Wednesday marks my 3rd time seeing Something Rotten in the last 2 years. I saw it at Pioneer Theatre Company and then reviewed it for UTBA at Midvale Arts in June. They were both excellent productions and I do think there is something that makes comedies harder to impress on the repeat. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed the production at Centerpoint and as always they excelled at the dancing, singing and other production values.

With music and lyrics by brothers Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten tells the story of 2 brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom who are trying desperately to compete with the foppish and conceited star of the Renaissance William Shakespeare. Obviously nothing in this show should be taken for historical accuracy but they get a lot of laughs playing Shakespeare as a pompous superstar and lampooning musical theater as the Bottoms discover the future of the artform.

All the leads are strong in the cast but the standout for me was Scott W Butler as Nostradamus. He brought a manic energy to the role that really worked. I also loved Annie Ferrin as Nick’s wife Bea and Isaac Carillo is appropriately hamming it up as Shakespeare. They did make some alterations to the script but it still has some bawdy humor. My favorite songs were probably “A Musical” sung by Nostradamus and “Hard to Be the Bard” by Shakespeare.

Like always the production at Centerpoint is strong with energetic choreography by Heather Sessions-Gaillard and costumes by Tammis Boam. Something Rotten is playing at Centerpoint until Sept 2nd and I highly recommend it. Tickets can be purchased here.

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG- UTAH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, CEDAR CITY

Along with Something Rotten, one of the best comedies to come out of Broadway in recent years is the farce The Play That Goes Wrong. Created by a group called The Mischief Theatre Company (Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields) this show is now part of a franchise of ‘Goes Wrong’ plays including Christmas Carol Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong. I do admit the shock factor on some of the gags is lessened the more times I’ve seen it but it’s still a lot of fun and the production at Utah Shakespeare is excellent.

The gimmick for the show is the Cornley Drama Society is putting on a mystery show called Murder at Haversham when everything (and I mean everything!) that could go wrong, goes wrong (as the play’s title would suggest). The whole cast was strong and they all commit to physical comedy giving just the right expressions when their hands are stepped on or they get hit on the head by a door. It’s all very over-the-top but a lot of fun.

The set by Jason Lajka does a ton of heavy lifting for the production. Mantles and paintings have to fall at just the right moment, elevators have to stop working, clocks have to fit a person and yet be moveable etc. It all works great and feels effortless, which is the sign of a great set. Director Geoffrey Kent clearly has a tireless attention to detail and a skill at getting the most out of every joke from his actors that it’s a delight to watch.

The Play That Goes Wrong plays through Oct 7th and you can get tickets here.

EMMA, SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL, CEDAR CITY

Anyone who follows my content knows what a big Jane Austen fan I am. I’ve read her books countless times, seen all the movies and series and adore any chance I get to see an Austen adaptation on the stage. I am also a huge fan of lyricist and composter Paul Gordon. In particular his show Daddy Long Legs is a favorite of mine. This is why I was so disappointed the first time I saw his adaptation of Austen’s Emma at HCTO in 2021. Nevertheless, I decided to give it another try at Utah Shakespeare hoping more measured expectations would help me enjoy it more. Unfortunately I still left thoroughly underwhelmed.

The production of Emma is strong and it was hard for me to believe it is the same stage I had seen The Play that Goes Wrong just the day before. I don’t know how they get such complicated sets taken down and reassembled so quickly. Jason Lajka brings a lot of regal charm to his sets here and Lauren T Roark’s costumes feel expensive and accurate to the regency time period. I also thought it was funny how director Valarie Rachelle stages the actors to come out as a silhouette in the background when they are being discussed by other actors (for instance, Robert Martin in the background when they sing “Robert Martin”)

Aside from the thoroughly bland and unremarkable songs, my main problem with this production is the casting. Cedar City is a college town so I don’t know why they couldn’t have found a younger actress to play Emma and Harriett. Allie Babich and Laura Brennan bring a lot of humor to the roles respectively and have nice voices but they both felt too old for the characters- who’s immaturity are essential to their character arcs.

I love supporting Jane Austen adaptations but I will probably pass on seeing this particular musical again. It just doesn’t do it for me and I find it to be an overlong and tedious watch. I’d rather watch the straight play version of Emma I saw at Parker Theatre earlier this year any day!

a midsummer night’s dream- utah shakespeare festival, cedar city

Despite my experience with theatre and so many productions over the years, I am actually far from an expert on Shakespeare and his plays. Of course, I know the basic stories, but I can’t give the kind of detailed analysis some scholars of his work can do. Nevertheless, the production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Utah Shakespeare Festival was truly outstanding especially under the unique circumstances we experienced on the night of August 19th.

The first 2 acts of the play were a mild drizzle but by the 3rd act moving forward the rain had turned into a torrential downpour. I thought for sure the staging would be canceled, and we wouldn’t get to see the rest of the show but in the grand theatrical tradition of ‘the show must go on’ the actors pushed forward and it made for a very memorable night of theatre.

All the actors were outstanding, many playing dual roles, but the particular standout was Topher Embrey as one of the acting troupe members (or mechanicals.) He brought a ton of humor to his performance and even broke character to comment on the rain several times. It was very impressive. I also really enjoyed Kayland Jordan’s Helena as she is fought over by lovesick Lysander (Aamar-Malik Culbreth) and Demetrius (Ty Fanning.)

The set by Jo Winiarski for this Midsummer was also outsanding with beautiful pillars of light that changed colors as the story grew and changed and a forest backdrop that delivered all the whimsy we needed for a story with Gods and magic. Ann Closs-Farley’s costumes, particularly for Hippolyta, are awe inspiring and often allowed the characters to easily morph and change losing fabric to create new looks right before our eyes.

I do think the mechanicals section almost feels like a different play than the forest plot and I was getting a little fatigued after a while but it still was an outstanding retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and one I’d recommend to anyone attending the festival- especially if you can get to see it in the rain! What a treat!