Hey everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful April. I’ve been busy attending theatrical productions all over the state of Utah, and it’s been a great month!

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS- HOPEBOX, KAYSVILLE

First up we have Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Hopebox. I admit to start this adaptation of the classic film is not my favorite. It only has 4 songs from the movie and the new songs are very forgettable but that is obviously not Hopebox’s fault. Fan of my content Allison was in town doing some acting and wanted to see a show and knowing Hopebox’s quality productions I knew it would still be a fun time and it was!

The key to making Seven Brides work is leaning into the absurdity and they did a good job with that here. The kidnapping, for example, is done with slapstick and is never felt threatening or all that serious. Of course if taken seriously the show can be problematic but I don’t.

The leads were both strong with Spencer Mack playing Adam and Anna Peacock as Milly. The biggest praise goes to Ginny Spencer as the choreography fitting so many people dancing on to the small Hopebox stage. Scenes like the barn dance are especially entertaining.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers plays at Hopebox until April 27th and tickets can be purchased here.

BITTER LEMON- PLAN-B THEATRE, SALT LAKE

Next up I was able to catch Bitter Lemon at Plan-B theatre in Salt Lake. This is a creative little play by Melissa Leilani Larson who I have been a big fan of for many years. In fact, she was one of the first interviews I did way back in 2016 about her feature film Freetown. Bitter Lemon was completely sold out (small black box) but I decided to risk it on Saturday afternoon to see if they had any no-shows and to my delight they did. Not only that but they gave me the ticket for free! Thanks so much to Plan-B for doing that.

Bitter Lemon is an interesting exercise where Larson has taken a minor character from Macbeth named Lady Macduff who in the spirit world is given Lord Finley Macbeth as a companion. Neither is sure why they are there or what they are supposed to accomplish to move on to the next phase but as they discuss their situation processing of life and forgiveness become clear.

This is a bare-bones black box production with stone blocks and panels with different lights that at times had a purgatory-esque vibes. The main standout is the script by Larson and the performances from Yolanda Stange and Bobby Cody as our 2 leads. Even though they are angry at each other the chemistry the actors have together makes the drama compelling.

Bitter Lemon is playing through the 28th and you can get tickets here (or go to the box office. Maybe you’ll get lucky like I did)

THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE- TIMPANOGOS, AMERICAN FORK

I love when a play or musical surprises me and is a lot better than I expect. Such was the case with The Pirates of Penzance at Timpanogos Community Theatre. I reviewed it for UTBA and you can read my review here. Pirates plays at the Valentine Theater until May 4th and tickets can be purchased here.

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE- WVPAC, WEST VALLEY

A few years ago I was blessed to attend a staged reading at BYU of the movie to stage adaptation of the Oscar winning film Shakespeare in Love. I really enjoyed the staged reading (can read it here) so I jumped at the chance to see it produced by WVPAC. They’ve been on a bit of a miss streak for me lately but fortunately they knocked this play out of the park. I loved it and the only thing that made me sad is how small the audience was.

It’s always discouraging when you see people doing their best to mostly empty seats but especially so when it is such a great production as this is. This version of Shakespeare in Love is a straight play and it is pretty much beat for beat from the movie (which is a movie I think gets a bad rap because of its bought and paid for Oscar campaign leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths.)

Of course the story is a fictionalized account of William Shakespeare falling in love with Viola de Lesseps who is betrothed to the mean Lord Wessex. What she truly wants to do is act but that is forbidden in the Elizabethan era. So she pretends to be a man and meets the dynamic playwright and the 2 form an attachment which is meaningful but destined for a sad end.

The key to this play working is the chemistry between the two leads and they have that in spades at WVPAC. I completely bought that Josh Egbert and Jillian Joy were crazy in love with each other and it attaches you to the journey of the couple. I also enjoyed all the supporting performances especially Sonia Inoa-Rosado Maughan as Queen Elizabeth. All the costumes by Emma Stringham are outstanding and the fight choreography is very well done.

I think even if you don’t like Shakespearean plays much you still might like Shakespeare in Love at WVPAC. The chemistry is so good and the story so compelling that I can’t imagine not being entertained by it. It’s playing until May 4th and I couldn’t recommend it more highly. You can purchase tickets here.

I try to not ask for comps whenever possible (and paid for 2 of these shows) but I need your help to do so. If you’d like me to review more theatre and appreciate what I do please check out the patreon here