Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I suppose I should give a quick update from my last post about The Empress. I have decided to support the new leadership of the theatre and the cast of Bright Star who have worked so hard and some of who were the whistleblowers for the whole unfortunate situation. I will definitely have my eye on them but I feel good about this decision and look forward to seeing my favorite show this Saturday.

If you missed it make sure to check out my latest episode of Theatre Tuesdays. I was privilege to host local directing team Howard and Kathryn Little who are a true powerhouse of the theatre. Their love story is beautiful and I loved hearing about their experiences behind one of my favorite local theatres- the Pleasant Grove Players at the Pleasant Grove, Library.

PEABO BRYSON

One of the best deals in entertainment in Northern Utah is the Summer season pass to the Scera Shell in Orem, Utah. You not only get to see 3 theatrical productions but there are 7 live concerts and 6 outdoor movies. Some of the concert performers I’m very familiar with and others are new to me which can be fun. One new entry this year is the R&B singer Peabo Bryson. I admittedly went to hear his 2 big Disney hits- “A Whole New World” and “Beauty and the Beast” but was curious for the rest of the set list.

Overall it was an enjoyable concert. While some of his selections felt a little too long and his backup singers and duet partners could use some work he is clearly a pro and was fun to listen to. Of course, the highlight was the Disney numbers but again his singing partner felt amateurish for such iconic songs. Still I enjoyed the night and seeing someone I’ve never seen before.

JEREMY JORDAN

Also at the Scera in Orem we had the much hyped (and very well attended) concert from Broadway star Jeremy Jordan with the Utah Valley Symphony. This concert was a bit reason I bought the pass and it didn’t disappoint. Jeremy is super charming and puts on a wonderful show. I also appreciate the symphony did approachable sets from Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera for their numbers. Some of his choices were a little weird like singing “Soliloquy” from Carousel which is such an exposition plot-heavy song that it feels out of place in a concert setting. I also thought his medley of Oscar standards sung by Andy Williams could have been more modern. It would have been nice to hear him sing something from Little Shop of Horrors since he is returning to that show.

Like I said he was very personal and engaging as a performer and it was super fun to hear him sing favorites like “Santa Fe” from Newsies and “Moving Too Fast” from The Last Five Years. I also appreciate it wasn’t a perfect performance. He had to fight for some notes and that made the experience more memorable and endearing. Overall, it was a super fun concert and I’d definitely see Jeremy again.

Also I find it impressive how Scera keeps everything organized and well run. Compared to other outdoor venues like USANA or Deer Valley it’s such a better more pleasant experience. To purchase tickets for the indoor Scera season here.

CLUE- HALE CENTER THEATRE OREM, OREM

There are a couple of comedic straight plays that seem to be making the rounds amongst the local theatres here in Utah: The Play that Goes Wrong, The 39 Steps, See How They Run and Clue seem to be the favorites. These plays are popular for a reason because they are funny and relatively family-friendly so they find a home in this state. Clue is probably my least favorite of that group but it’s enjoyable and since I am a season ticket holder at HCTO I went down to see it last Friday. I did review a production at WVPAC for Utah Theatre Bloggers in February which I think was overall stronger but they have the advantage of a much bigger stage (you can read my review of that production here.) Still, the production at HTCO was a lot of fun and certainly anyone who hasn’t seen Clue will have a great time with this energetic production.

My biggest praise for the show has to go to the brilliant direction by Rodger Sorenson who found a way to make the tiny stage work for multiple rooms and set pieces for the mystery. This is not easy to do as there are clues in each of the rooms and sometimes multiple storylines within a particular scene that have to make sense. I also really enjoyed Jon Liddiard as Wadsworth and Bryson Smellie as Mr Green. They worked in some improv into their scenes and had a winking charm to the audience that brought a lot to the mystery and overall enjoyment of the production.

Some of the casting felt a little off to me. Particularly Mrs White and Mrs Peacock are usually cast with older actresses which seems to make sense for their characters but the cast did have a nice chemistry together and worked well off of each other. They also did a good job integrating sound effects and props (like a gun shot going off at the right time or a chandelier crashing down) to maximum effect for the mystery story.

I could probably go without seeing Clue again for a while but if you are in the area it’s a fun time, and I always love supporting HCTO and their wonderful productions. I hope they don’t lose what makes them special in their new grand theatre opening next year. We’ll see… Clue plays through Sept 23rd and tickets can be purchased here.

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