Hey everyone! I hope you are doing well. I’ve been busy with the Sundance Film Festival, a trip to DC and some more great local theatre here in Utah. As always I love to keep you all up to date on what I’ve been watching.

CHICAGO TEEN EDITION, H-B WOODLAWN, ARLINGTON VIRGINIA

Naturally I was thrilled to get to see my niece Nelle Lloyd in a musical while I was in town for my DC trip. Living so far away from my nieces I don’t often get to participate in their events or activities. That said, I was a little skeptical of how Chicago could get adapted for a teen audience in Chicago: Teen Edition. However, after seeing it I can say I’m impressed with the adaptation. I’m not an expert on Chicago, having only seen it the one time (along with the movie) but I think they did a great job toning it down for teens and the production allowed the whole cast to participate in the dancing and singing experience.

With teen productions the most important aspect is if the cast appears to be having a good time and a large group of students gets to join in the fun. I hate it when schools pick shows that only a few students get to be involved in. How can a young person know if they like something if they never get a chance to try? I was a little surprised by some of the cursing left in this cleaned up version but they still did a pretty good job making it teen-friendly. Lead Avery Seligman stole the show as Velma with David Myers putting in a charismatic turn as Amos Heart. It’s often a worry in theater for youth that I won’t be able to hear the performers (both because of poor microphones and big halls) but for the most part the sound worked here and it made the entire evening a jazzy good time.

I hope the cast is inspired by their experience to keep pursuing the arts and exploring their creative sides. That’s what these type of experiences should give our students.

TICK TICK…BOOM- KENNEDY CENTER, WASHINGTON DC

One of the reasons I felt inspired to plan a DC trip in February is to see a staging of tick, tick…Boom! at The Kennedy Center. I mentioned the idea to my sister and she very kindly helped make this all happen for me (thank you Megan!!) I absolutely adore the movie version from 2021 and as it’s not performed very much I jumped at the chance to see this production. You can read my review for Utah Theatre Bloggers here (I loved it!)

A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER- CENTERPOINT LEGACY, CENTERVILLE

One of the most consistently excellent theatre companies in Northern Utah is Centerpoint Legacy in Centerville. Not only are they routinely equity quality but their prices are a bargain especially when compared with the likes of the Hale theatres. Their latest production is A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. I have now seen this show 5 times (I think I will take a break from this one for a while) but this was one of the finest stagings of this musical I’ve seen. Director Shelby Ferrin does an excellent job using her cast to the best of their abilities and bringing out the humor in each scene. It’s, of course, a black comedy and a big factor of its enjoyment depends on the casting, particularly with whomever they get to play the D’Ysquith family members. In this case it was the incredible Danny Inkley.

The costumes and other production values were also very strong. My only gripes are with the show itself which of course they have no control of at Centerpoint. I think it is a show that would be better as a straight play instead of a musical. The songs are largely forgettable and I just think it would be more entertaining as a play akin to The 39 Steps. It feels really long and the gimmick starts to feel tiresome. However, that is also probably a fact of my seeing it 5 times.

If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend this production of Gentleman’s Guide. It is funny with great performances and production values. Another winner for Centerpoint. This show is playing until Feb 17th and tickets are as low as $20 with great season ticket rates. More information can be found here.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE- PARKER THEATRE, SALT LAKE CITY

One of my most anticipated plays of 2024 was Pride & Prejudice at The Parker Theatre in Salt Lake. I have loved to liked everything I’ve seen from there and I love the novel/story so I was pretty confident I would love this, and surprise I did! This was an outstanding production from top to bottom. I highly recommend if you are in the area to see it while you have the chance. I may even see it another time I enjoyed it so much.

Of course, we all know the story of Pride & Prejudice but this adaptation sparkled with energy and a cast with loads of chemistry. Director Jennifer Hohl says in her note she is new to Jane Austen but you would never know it for how much of the novel is packed into this play and how well it is executed. It’s always a good sign when I start to wonder if the lead couple in a romance is actually a couple in real life. Maryn Tueller and Spencer Hohl made me ask that question as Elizabeth and Darcy here. Their chemistry is so strong!

The rest of the cast is equally strong with Tyler Hanson owning every scene he is in as the buffoon Mr Collins. The scene where he can’t dance was particularly funny. If you are worried this is a dry and stuffy Austen play that is not the case here. The Parker has inserted as much humor and levity as possible and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t recommend it more highly.

My only critique is the beautiful costumes sometimes looked wrinkled and messy which was a little distracting considering the time period. It’s a small nitpick but something they could easily fix so I thought I’d mention it. Like I said, I’d consider going again I enjoyed it so much.

Pride & Prejudice runs through March 9th and tickets can be purchased here.

So there you have it! I’d love to know if you’ve seen any of these shows. What local theatre have you been supporting? Please share!

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