Hi friends! I hope you are doing well. Just thought I would give a little update on my recent theatre activities. I just got back from a trip to NYC to attend the NYFF (see my film update here.) I also saw 5 shows while I was there and got the chance to write about the experience for my first piece at OnStage Blog. I am super proud of the piece and grateful they let me write something so personal for their site (I am going to be writing a monthly column for them going forward!)

To sum it up it was a great group of 5 shows without a dud in the mix. You can read my brief thoughts on all of them in the OnStage piece above and my longer review of Gutenberg: The Musical for UTBA. I would probably rank the 5 shows as follows:

1. Back to the Future: The Musical- fantastic spectacle, charming cast, brings back all the feels from a favorite movie of mine
2. The Shark is Broken- need to be a Jaws fan to fully appreciate but meticulously recreates the boat of the Jaws shoot and the 3 actors are tremendous.
3. Merrily We Roll Along– these 2 are basically tied. Really enjoyed getting to finally see this “Sondheim flop” with a unforgettable performance by Jonathan Groff
4. Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors– funny parody that actually includes a lot of the Dracula novel. James Daly steals the show as Dracula.
5. Gutenberg: The Musical– a serviceable satire on musical theatre and history that is made engaging by the chemistry of its leads Andrew Rannells and Josh Gadd. (The theatre this one was in is very uncomfortable. I’m not even that tall and my knees were up against the seat in front of me and the seats were tiny.)

So there you have it for New York. Now I have 2 local shows to recap

SWEENEY TODD- THE GRAND THEATRE, SALT LAKE CITY

It was super fun after seeing Merrily on Broadway to see another Sondheim classic Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Utah at The Grand (located in the SLCC Grand Theatre.) I have yet to be disappointed in a show I’ve seen there and while the old theatre is literally grand it does present the company with unique challenges of being such a large cavernous space to fill with performances.

For the most part this production of Sweeney Todd succeeds. It’s strongest qualities are its remarkable cast including a former teacher of mine Dallyn Vail Bayles as the title character. I’ve seen him in a number of roles over the years including Archibald in The Secret Garden and Emile in South Pacific but I have never seen him play such a dark role and he was up for the challenge. He has done national tours but I’m convinced if he wanted to live in New York he could have a leading man Broadway career. Tamara Howell is also strong as Mrs Lovett and Patrick Kintz as Judge Turpin.

My main gripe with the production is the 2-story set, (designed by Halee Rasmussen) while impressive, pushed all the action to the back of the stage, leaving large sections left unused. This is a particular problem at The Grand because it is such a large stage so you feel the wasted space. Also because all the action was pushed to the back of the stage and most on a 2nd story it was harder to see the emotion the actors were working so hard to develop. It just all felt like it was at a distance. I would have much preferred a simple set with the actors moved forward so we could see what was happening more effectively.

The costumes by Shannon McCullock (with wig and makeup by Erin McCullock) were all outstanding and everyone had their British accents down perfectly. If you have never seen Sweeney Todd this is a well done version and worthy of your time and investment. It runs through Oct 28th and you can purchase tickets here.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY- TIMPANOGOS COMMUNITY THEATRE- AMERICAN FORK

I wasn’t going to see The Addams Family at Timpanogos because I wanted an evening to refresh from my trip but when they reached out to me I decided it was worth my time, and I’m glad that I did! I can’t find the program at the moment so I will be brief but I was very impressed with this production. For a community theatre the quality of the sets, costumes, and other production values is oustanding. I also really enjoyed Mackenzie Tolk Houmand and Gregory Rampton as Morticia and Gomez. They have tremendous chemistry and are fantastic singers and actors. I honestly would put their performances up with any professional companies putting on this show.

There are some problems with the book- particularly the long “Full Disclosure” sequence that ends the first act but there are good moments like “Happy/Sad” and “Live Before We Die” where Morticia and Gomez get to show off their dancing chops! If you are in the area you can still see The Addams Family this weekend and I highly recommend it. You can purchase tickets here.

So there you have it! Let me know what you have been watching and if you have seen any of these shows.