Hey everyone from DC! I am here in town to see my family but also to see the new production of Tick, Tick… Boom at the Kennedy Center (thoughts to come) but before that I wanted to give my update on some of the shows I saw in January. Naturally due to the Sundance Film Festival and watching 28 movies in 10 days I didn’t see as much live theatre as I typically do but I managed to squeeze in some good stuff.

ANNIE JR- DRAPER HISTORIC THEATRE, DRAPER

Even though Annie has been an institution and fan favorite since it premiered on Broadway in 1977 I sometimes don’t think it is given the credit it deserves for how good a show it actually is. Its songs are extremely catchy and it has a wholesome and positive message at its core. Miss Hannigan is also an extremely fun, dishy villain character that can be played with a ton of pizazz. This month Draper Historic Theatre put on a production of Annie Jr and it was a great time with an absolutely wonderful leading child performance.

Stella Davies was a delight as Annie with a clear, confident voice and effective acting choices. Elizabeth Stotts was also a hoot as Miss Hannigan. The cast had a wonderful chemistry together and you could tell they were all having a great time, which is what you want to see in a show for children. I liked how they used the projections to create atmosphere with minimal sets (it’s a small space there) and there was some enjoyable choreography. Basically everything you could want out of Annie you got here (Annie Jr is not much different than Annie btw. The only reason they did Annie Jr was because the show is technically on tour and unavailable to produce at the full version but it doesn’t matter in the slightest.) Director Katie Davis deserves a ton of credit for getting the best out of her cast and making it a seemingly positive experience for all involved.

Draper Historic has Newsies coming up in March and I bet it will be a blast. Definitely get your tickets here.

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER- KENSINGTON THEATRE, SOUTH JORDAN

It’s always fun to check a popular show I’ve somehow missed off of my bucket list and that was what I was able to do in January when I finally saw Peter and the Starcatcher. This is a play by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson that takes the classic Peter Pan mythology and gives us a prequel of sorts about the origins of Peter, Captain Hook and everything else in Neverland. At Kensington Theatre this production was part of their ABC (Adult Boot Camp) program where adults get the chance to mentor teens in theatre and encourage their growth in the artform. I have yet to see a miss at Kensington and this was no exception (I even liked their Into the Woods!)

Director Toni Butler did an excellent job getting the most out of the small black box space by using projections and an adaptive set that could morph into anything the script needed. The cast was all energetic and having a good time led by Tevan McPeak in the Hook named Black Stache. He was very funny and I would definitely see him in anything he does going forward. It was also fun to see performers I’ve come to know over the years in their roles like Dallin Remund and Rebekah Price playing Mrs Bubrake and Smee respectively.

My only gripe with the show is I found the book to be rather confusing especially in the first act. I’m not sure if it was because of the small black box where a larger stage might allow for clearer scene delineations but I found the plot to be muddled and I was genuinely lost with what was happening for most of the show. It was still a good time because of the great performances but I will probably read up on the plot beforehand if I ever see it again.

Kensington next has Steel Magnolias which you won’t want to miss. Get your tickets here.

I’M A BIG GIRL NOW TOUR- OPPA, LAYTON

Finally we have a fun concert event I was able to attend on January 27th. It’s the start of the Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now tour that Broadway Hairspray allum Kerry Butler, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Laura Bell Bundy are putting on (kind of cool they started the tour in Utah.)

I will say upfront that the night got off to a bit of a bad start for me because they never notified patrons through email or social media when the VIP portion of the event was to begin despite my reaching out to them on both portals (I guess my emails were lost and they didn’t see my DMs.) I assumed the VIP must be happening during intermission or after the show, but I missed the meet and greet which was very disappointing. They have refunded my ticket and were very sorry so it’s just one of those things that happens. I hope next time they make sure to put any of that kind of information in the email when people buy their tickets. It’s always better to over-share information rather than make patrons have to hunt for it.

Anyway, the concert itself was a ton of fun with all 3 ladies having wonderful chemistry together and them each getting a chance to sing the best from their careers in music and the stage. Naturally we get a bunch of songs from Hairspray and it was really fun to hear their stories about how they were cast in the iconic musical, what their audition process was like and the early phases of rehearsing and beginning to perform the show.

If this tour is coming near you I recommend it and you can find out more information here.