Hi friends! I hope you are doing well and enjoying some great local theater wherever you might be. I have been busy starting 2 new part-time jobs but never too busy to support the arts. Here’s what I’ve been watching:

KISS ME KATE- CENTERPOINT LEGACY THEATRE, CENTERVILLE

I know some people bristle at the thought of seeing classic shows like Kiss Me Kate, South Pacific, Bye Bye Birdie etc. They definitely have their outdated elements so I can understand some reticence but there’s still a lot of good that can be gained from watching them. Such was the case with the amazing production of Kiss Me Kate over at Centerpoint Legacy Theatre over in Centerville. They are a theater consistently producing shows on a semi-professional level for a bargain price. I highly recommend getting a season pass for them.

So Kiss Me Kate was written (music and lyrics) by Cole Porter in 1948 and it is a take on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Of course Taming has its own set of outdated elements but the switching back and forth between a 1948 contemporary setting and the play in Padua keeps things fresh and engaging. My favorite songs in the show are “Too Darn Hot,” “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” and “Where is the Life that Late I Led.” All were performed well by the Centerpoint cast but my favorite was actually Isaac Carrillo as Bill/Lucentio. He’s a terrific dancer and his “Bianca” was a showstopper. Michelle Blake and Addison Welch were also a lot of fun as the leads.

Like 42nd Street, which Centerpoint also recently did, Kiss Me Kate does feel a little long in the tooth, but I still would highly recommend it to any classic musical theater lovers and like I said a season ticket to Centerpoint is a no-brainer. This is one of many wonderful productions from one of our best local companies. Kiss Me Kate is playing until July 12th and you can purchase tickets here.

Verdict- See it

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA- KENSINGTON THEATRE, SOUTH JORDAN

It may just be my impression but it seems like to me that most of the critics and hard-core theater fans I know are real down on Andrew Lloyd Weber and his musicals. I know recently he had a big flop with Bad Cinderella but I personally have a hard time hating him as his music was my introduction to the joys of musical theater. I get he is big and brassy but I almost always have a good time at one of his shows. In fact, the very first big musical I ever saw of his was going to The Phantom of the Opera in San Francisco with my Grandma.

Anyway, I was really excited when I heard Kensington Theater was going to be one of the first regional theaters in my area to be putting on Phantom and I was even more excited when I heard it was going to be one of their youth productions. They so far haven’t missed for me as a company and I even liked their Into the Woods which you all know isn’t my favorite.

Now I have seen the production and I had an absolute blast with it. Sure it has the foibles and imperfections of any youth production but it was exciting to see the performers grow in confidence as the opening night jitters melted away. In particular DaCoda Helm really came to his own as the Phatom in Act 2 and “The Point of No Return” blew me away. Anna Bella Petersen brought a sweetness and innocence I really admired in Christine and she was up for all the challenging vocals in songs like “Think of Me” and “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.” Malea Hyte was also really impressive as Carlotta. To have such a mature opera voice at such a young age is unbelievable. Plus she also brought a lot of comic timing to the role.

Everything else about this Phantom is outstanding. Everything from a full orchestra (in an orchestra pit under the stage!), to immersive direction (director Toni Butler) where the cast frequently came out into the audience, to ballet dancers on toe, to sets that would impress productions with double and triple the budget. It’s well worth your time. Interesting that the most outstanding youth productions I’ve seen this year have both been Andrew Lloyd Weber with Liahona Academy’s incredible Starlight Express earlier this year. Don’t miss out on this one. It plays through June 24th and tickets can be purchased here.

Verdict- See it!

SILENT SKY- EMPRESS THEATRE, MAGNA

I have to admit the first time I saw Silent Sky at Hale Center Theater I was a little bit underwhelmed. While an admirable story and I was glad to learn about Henrietta Leavitt I found it kind of dry and dull. However, I have season tickets to Empress so I decided to give it another shot and for the most part I had a better experience this time. It could be I was just less tired or perhaps the more intimate space of Empress helped the story work better who’s to say?

Silent Sky is a play written by Lauren Gunderson and it tells the story of real life scientist Henrietta Leavitt who worked at Harvard mapping out the stars in the early 1900s. The play tries to flesh out her story by having Henrietta’s sister Margaret as a character painting a contrast between her family life and her career. It can still feel too workmanlike at times but I did find it more compelling this time. The cast at Empress are all up for the challenging amount of dialogue with Stacy Mayren pulling off a convincing Scottish accent for Williamina Flemming.

The production for the play was very simple with only a couple desks and podiums. The only choice I didn’t love is they had all the props be pantomimed or imagined. I could understand that for a telescope or even the slides which might be hard to make but for items like a book or letter it was a distracting to see the actors pretending to read something that could easily be there. Overall, Silent Sky is an edifying play about a woman worth knowing something about. I’d recommend it especially if you have young girls who could use some inspiration in their scientific studies. Silent Sky is playing until June 22 and you can purchase tickets here.

Verdict- See it

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY- ECCLES THEATER, SALT LAKE, NATIONAL TOUR

First I will state outright that I decided to leave Girl From the North Country a little early. I didn’t enjoy the first act and getting into the second my back was really starting to hurt me and I was just not having a good time and as I am not formally reviewing the piece I felt it was ok to call it a day. I am sure some people will really appreciate the different approach this musical takes but it just wasn’t for me. It is based on music and lyrics from Bob Dylan with a book by Conor McPherson. It is set in the 1930s and is about a Black woman who becomes pregnant and has to resist her white adopted father’s attempt to marry her to a rich friend of his.

Honestly it’s not worth hardly mentioning the plot as the musical doesn’t do much with it. Characters come in and out spouting folksy wisdom but there is no real narrative thrust to what is happening which makes it hard to feel emotion for our characters or get invested in what you are seeing on stage. This problem is amplified by the total disconnect between what is happening to the characters and the songs which are not integrated into the plot in any way. I would have preferred it just be a concert of Bob Dylan songs than this inconsistent unsatisfying mixture I experienced.

The cast is all talented but again I’d rather just hear a concert of them singing than whatever this was. I also didn’t think the musical was well directed with so much happening on stage that what was already muddled became more confusing. Frequently actors are on stage that don’t seem to be doing much and the sets are so full of clutter that it makes it hard to connect with what is happening. Like I said, I know a few people who liked Girl From the North Country but most of my friends left early like I did. Oh well. You can’t win them all!

Verdict- Not for Me

So there you have it! What have you seen lately? I’d love to know your thoughts on any of these shows if you’ve seen them at venues near you or on Broadway. Thanks!

Most of the logged shows I pay for out of pocket. 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