Naturally everyone knows I love romantic comedies and this week was a real treat to get to see 2 of my favorite genre on the stage- Pride and Prejudice at The Grand and Legally Blonde at Draper Historic. They were both excellent and I hope that if you are in the area you seek them out and support such excellent productions.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE- THE GRAND THEATRE, SALT LAKE

First up we have Pride and Prejudice at The Grand Theatre in Salt Lake City (at SLCC) and if there was ever a sure thing at the theater that I would definitely like it is this. Obviously I love the novel and have read it many times but I have seen this same adaptation by the incredible local playwright Melissa Leilani Larson (who I have been lucky enough to interview twice- here and here) at HCTO last year- both casts. I LOVED the adaptation at Parker Theatre this year (and saw that twice) but had to get my ticket the moment I heard they were putting Melissa’s adaptation on at The Grand and it did not disappoint. I attended the preview performance but it was a clean run-through with no interruptions.

In some ways I think it is hard to do Pride and Prejudice wrong. It’s just a good story but the most key elements to get right is the chemistry between Lizzy and Darcy. This they had in spades at The Grand with Niki Rahimi and Gordon Dunn working so well off each other. It’s essential in this story that we feel the connection between the 2 even before they both recognize it in each other and they did this so well. Even in the big proposal scene there is a moment where Darcy obviously wants to kiss Lizzy but she is rejecting him! It was great.

The stage at The Grand is massive (especially in comparison to HCTO) so what they have done is kept things very simple using minimal sets and props mostly consisting of plastic blocks rearranged in different ways. This might be a problem in a story myself and most of the audience are less familiar with but since we are it worked great and helped us focus in on the characters. Director Mark Fossen gets the most of out his actors and the costumes by Shannon McCullock and wig/makeup by Erin McCullock bring you straight into Jane Austen without elaborate sets (also the dresses were ironed which is sometimes lacking in these period plays!)

I also loved the supporting cast with Darrin Burnett and Viviane Turman stealing the show as Mr Collins and Lady Catherine De Bourgh respectively. I also really enjoyed Taylor Wallace’s modern free-spirited take on Charlotte Lucas (also Larson’s script helps expand on her character quite a bit, her and Jane.) Jane Austen would love this adaptation!

I can’t tell you whether this production is better than Parker. I adored them both. I can say go see it! You definitely won’t regret it. Pride and Prejudice is playing at The Grand until June 8th and tickets can be purchased here.

LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL- DRAPER HISTORIC THEATRE, DRAPER

I think Legally Blonde: The Musical has to be one of the biggest surprises to ever come out of Broadway. So many movies are made into musicals and often they are uninspired and bland but in my opinion Legally Blonde took the good things about the movie and made it even better. It is funny, sweet and full of incredibly catchy tunes. I absolutely adored a production they had at OPPA a few years ago but I haven’t had a chance to see it again until Draper Historic put it on and it was also outstanding. I liked it so much I am going to see the other cast on next week! (I can’t believe they have enough talent to double cast this thing!)

Anyway, this iteration of Legally Blonde is directed by Mindy Eckroth and has music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and a book by Heather Hach. The musical has all the major scenes of the movie but the songs capture Elle’s journey so well and are very catchy with numbers like “So Much Better,” “Positive,” and “Chip on My Shoulder.” I love the way they use the projected AI backgrounds at Draper Historic. It’s a small stage and it allows them to create so many different settings with ease. They also have a huge cast that nail the bubbly choreography.

I saw the Fuschia cast and they were all outstanding with Ellie England as Elle who seems perfect for this role with a beautiful voice to match her bright positive performance. Autumn Walton was also a standout as Paulette with a terrific belt voice (they should give her the lead next!) and Bradley Baker makes for an endearing Emmett. But honestly the whole cast was excellent. You couldn’t ask for a better group from a small community production. The costumes by Rachel Wright also deserve a shoutout with some quick costume changes that are executed without a hitch.

Like I said, I enjoyed this enough to want to see the other cast next week. It is a joy to watch on stage and I highly recommend it. I don’t’ know what else you could really ask from a community production like this? They even had confetti come from the ceiling in the first act! You can see Legally Blonde: The Musical through May 25th and get tickets here.

All of these logged shows I paid for out of pocket (if I am comped I do a full stand alone more lengthy review.) If you would like me to be able to see and write about more shows please consider checking out patreon which has some really fun perks. More information here. Thank you