Hi everyone! I’ve had another super fun couple weeks of enjoying local theater here in Utah. There honestly hasn’t been a bad show in the mix. I’m so grateful to live here and have so many wonderful opportunities to be a patron of the arts. Here are my thoughts on some shows

A CHORUS LINE- OPPA, LAYTON

A Chorus Line is an interesting Broadway show because it is one of those shows that while considered a classic I don’t think it is given the respect it actually deserves. I’ve been able to see it twice, and I really love it. I love the songs, characters and energy of the piece. It’s rarely done by community theater because it is so demanding with so many roles, male roles and so much dancing. So when I saw that OPPA was putting it on I knew I had to make my way up to Layton to enjoy their heartfelt wonderful production and of course it was just that.

In some ways I think seeing A Chorus Line in a community theater makes the most sense. It’s about struggling dancers who aren’t perfect trying not to get the lead but to get in the ensemble. This production at OPPA was directed by Jared Daley and he wisely kept things simple and allowed the actors to shine. The standouts were Paul (Gabriel Barrett) and his moving monologue and Niamh Helwig as Val with her hilarious “Dance 10 Looks 3” number. Sadly A Chorus Line has finished its run but OPPA always has something on the horizon (even if their next show is Into the Woods!) You can get tickets here.

MAY WE ALL- HALE CENTRE THEATRE, SANDY

I haven’t been able to review many productions for UTBA at Hale Centre Theatre Sandy (only one in fact) so it is random that I actually have 2 in May to cover. First was May We All– a country jukebox musical that was basic but fun and full of the energy I expect from Hale. If you want to read my full review click here.

THE HELLO GIRLS- HALE CENTRE THEATRE OREM, OREM

As much as I enjoy seeing a classic like The Music Man or Fiddler on the Roof it is always fun when a company takes a risk and does something new. Such was the case with The Hello Girls at Hale Orem. This is a musical about a group of women who assisted the army in WW1 by manning the telephone stations.

The standouts in this production are the performances of the women in particular Megan Heaps as the leader Grace Banker. The costumes by Kim Wright were outstanding and felt very authentic as was the sound design that used the intimate space to create a feeling of war and tension of the moment. I do think the musical gets way better in the 2nd act. It’s when most of the action is happening and most of the memorable songs occur. There is a song called “Twenty” about going to war that I thought was the best of the night. I’m also glad that for the most part they stuck to the friendships and relationships of the women with no real romantic subplots of any substance. If they ever do try and take the show to Broadway I would work on that first act but I still really enjoyed learning about the Hello Girls and appreciated so many aspects of what they did at HCTO. I did have bad luck and a light was right in my face for multiple scenes which was challenging but not everyone will have that problem. Oh well! The Hello Girls is playing through June 1st and you can get tickets here.

DADDY LONG LEGS- LEHI ARTS COUNCIL, LEHI (CAST A AND B)

If you have been following my criticism for any period of time you know how much I love the musical Daddy Long Legs and will jump at any chance I have to see it. This month I saw it at Covey Center, have a viewing later in the month in Logan and saw it twice at Lehi Arts Council (because I wanted to make sure to get both casts.) I also had the chance to interview Paul Gordon who did the music and lyrics for it and I will post that interview as soon as it is posted. Needless to say he’s a wonderful human being and it was an honor to get to talk to him.

This production in Lehi was so well executed for a community theater. They thought of everything with convincing but flexible sets for both Jerusha and Jervis to play off of with wooden slats in the background and a mail slot to communicate with. They also had projections with some of the letters displayed and live musicians up for the challenge of the difficult score.

It’s always special when you can see Daddy Long Legs with a married couple in real life and Cast B gives us that chance with the immensely talented Sydney and Bronson Dameron. It obviously adds to the chemistry for the leads to have that chemistry and they are both fantastic singers (I admire anyone who takes on these roles but these 2 were some of the best I’ve seen.) I particularly admired how Bronson elevated the more humorous sections when Jervis is getting jealous or responding negatively to a letter.

Cast A was also a lot of fun with Kelsea Smellie shining as Jerusha. It’s a real treat and I highly recommend either casts of Daddy Long Legs. It is playing through May 18th and tickets can be purchased here.

What have you been watching in the world of live theatre? I’d love to hear all about it!

None of the shows in logs like these are comped which is hard to do on a substitute teacher salary! If you’d like me to showcase more theatre and appreciate what I do please check out the patreon here