Hi friends! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying live theatre wherever you might be. I have 3 shows to log from the last few days but also make sure you check out my full review for The Addams Family at Hale Center Theatre and The Secret Garden at Payson Community Theatre. I would love to do full reviews on every show I attend (let me know I’m available!) but I also enjoy these little logs so you know what I’ve been attending on my own dime.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF- THE EMPRESS THEATRE, MAGNA

When a theatre company misses with a production I’m always hopeful the next show they can rebound and do something I love. Such is the case with the Empress Theatre and their new production of Fiddler on the Roof. While it is not the best Fiddler I’ve seen this year it was an enjoyable night of classic musical theatre and a significant improvement from their recent The Little Mermaid, which was not for me.

Fiddler on the Roof is of course the classic musical with book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. I recently saw an unforgettable version by High Valley Arts and the production at Hale Center Theatre was also solid so it’s been a good year for Fiddler productions in Utah. It has such beautiful songs and has the right balance of humor, drama, romance and emotion. Something for everyone.

At the Empress the community spirit shines through with everyone doing their best and the large cast having chemistry together. The highlights wereMarie Roe as Golde and Makayla Porter as Tzeitel. It was very carefully directed by Candice Jorgensen and my favorite parts were “Tevye’s Dream” where they brought in black light and fluorescent paint for the spirits (it sounds weird but it really worked!) I also really enjoyed the Chavaleh dance where they had both adult and child versions of Chava dancing to the piece.

They were also extremely fortunate that opening night went off without a hitch. No microphone gaffs to speak of which is a win for any community theater! There is some overacting they could work on- sometimes subtle and softer is the best way to go- but overall I enjoyed the production and would encourage anyone to check out Fiddler at The Empress. It is playing until Sept 14th and you can purchase tickets here.

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE- THE GRAND THEATRE, SALT LAKE CITY

I must say I consider myself a bit of an expert when it comes to The Drowsy Chaperone. I first saw it when it was just in previews back in 2006 and have seen it countless times since. Just this year I have seen it 2 other times. It’s a show that might be too inside baseball (or inside Broadway) for the casual viewer but for a veteran patron like myself it’s a both sentimental and hilarious.

Being an original work with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and a book by Bob Martin and Don McKeller it seeks to poke fun at the tropes and traditions of musical theater while also making a case for the good they can do in giving the audience a song to hum when they’re feeling blue. Such combination of humor and heart is what makes the show work.

A The Grand they have a very strong cast for all the leading roles Jason Campbell making a particularly snarky Man in Chair lead. As he tells the story of The Drowsy Chaperone the scenes come alive in his apartment and we get lots of laughs. I particularly enjoyed Lauren Slagowski as the Chaperone real life couple Morgan Fenner and Clayton Barney are a lot of fun as Janet and Robert respectively.

My only complaints with the production is they could have used the apartment more. Characters primarily came through the doors and with all that space they could have come up with more interesting ways for them to enter and exit. (In the Broadway version characters came out of stoves and ironing boards, which kept things surprising.) I also wish they would lower the price at The Grand. As it is $35 is cost prohibitive for so many who would enjoy it and the space is so large it always feels sparsely attended even if it is a decent crowd. I was also happy to see they did the monkey not bunny version of “Bride’s Lament.”

The Drowsy Chaperone is directed and choreographed by Jim Christian and will be playing until Sept 14th. Ticket scan be purchased here.

JANE EYRE- THEATRE RALEIGH, VIRTUAL PREMIERE

One of the coolest parts of the pandemic (that sounds weird to write but it’s true!) was how the arts was forced to get online and join the streaming scene. As such I was able to enjoy film festivals and theatre companies from around the globe from my home. While nothing will beat in-person attendance, streaming is a wonderful service we should not give up on as we strive to rebuild the arts and make it fulfilling for all involved. This weekend Theatre Raleigh in Raleigh, North Caroline hosted a live stream broadcast of their production of Jane Eyre. I jumped at the chance to watch this because I love this musical and it’s rarely performed but also I had just interviewed the composer and lyricist Paul Gordon a few months ago. You can watch that interview here.

Jane Eyre is based on the classic novel by Charlotte Bronte and has a book by John Caird. The last time I saw it was when Hale Center Theatre Orem did it in 2016 so it’s been a long time and I don’t know why it isn’t done more because it’s a beautiful piece. Theatre Raleigh went all out for this production with Julie Benko playing Jane and she is such a gorgeous singer and moving actor. Matt Bogart makes for a very attractive Rochester although they could have given him a little more makeup for the final scenes. He’s almost too good looking post fire! Ada Manie is the other standout. She is truly incredible as the Young Jane/Adele even playing characters with different accents in the same show effortlessly.

It was also a well filmed proshot with different angles and close-ups of the actors when it required. If it was available to purchase I totally would do so. My only real complaint was in the 2 most romantic scenes, the proposal and reunion, the director Megan McGinnis kept Jane and Rochester apart for most of the scene. They are such intimate scenes that having them on separate parts of the stage was an odd choice.

Nevertheless, I applaud Theatre Raleigh for doing this live stream and I will definitely make sure to attend their theater in person if I ever get the chance. I hope more companies around the globe follow their example and we see many wonderful productions like this wonderful Jane Eyre. To learn more about Theatre Raleigh click here.

All of the shows logged here I paid for out of pocket. I’d love to cover as many local shows as possible 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. You will find the patreon has many benefits including watch alongs with writers and actors of TV and films and more. Please take a look.