One of the downsides of being a theatre critic that is not in New York or London is I do not get the chance to see many new productions. Often even a ‘new to me’ show by the time it arrives to Salt Lake already has baggage of expectations from their initial Broadway run. That’s why it is especially exciting when a company does get to premiere something new and fresh, and even if it is flawed I try to give some grace that the performance is part of the workshopping and testing phase. That’s why I have really appreciated the premieres Hale Center Theatre in Sandy has been doing over the last year or so. I’ve felt the company really pushing themselves and their audience which I find very admirable. And while their latest the US premiere of The Magician’s Elephant is probably my least favorite of their recent premieres I do appreciate the swing.

The Magician’s Elephant is a new musical based on the novel by Kate Di Camillo created by Nancy Harris and Marc Teitler. It was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company in England and this production is directed by Hale favorite Dave Tinney. I have not read the book or seen the Netflix film but the plot about a town who find themselves blessed with a magical elephant and all the adventures that go around with that.

The reason I am being rather vague about the plot is because I honestly found it to be the most confusing aspect of the whole experience. The musical suffers from a wandering protagonist. One scene it seems to be Peter (Hyrum Smith) a young man looking for his sister. Then another scene it seems to be Leo (Keith Evans) who wants to have a baby with his wife but then there is a villain countess, a woman who becomes wheelchair-bound by the elephant, Peter’s sister Adele (Hailey Burnham) gets her own arc, and many more. At one point the Count (Brett Myers) get a whole song and I had no idea who he was or what was happening. Unfortunately this muddled plot caused me and the audience around me to be disengaged. A lot of people were visibly nodding off and one young lady gave up pretense and put her head in her lap to sleep

That said, if you can stomach the weak book the visual delights are very impressive. In particular the elephant might be the most stunning puppet I’ve seen on stage since The Lion King on Broadway. What was particularly amazing is how much emotion they were able to get out of this giant puppet as he gets more frail as the magic is weakened. He slumps down and the sounds get more frail and desperate. I was shocked how absorbed I was in the elephant’s story despite being less than interested in the humans around him! They even have a pink light in the center that pulses to show the elephants heart beating at different levels depending on the scene. The puppeteers behind the elephant deserve the highest of praise (Benjamin Tate, Miranda Renee Smith, Jessica Zoe Bird, Josh Durfey)

I also love the lighting design by Jaron Kent Hermansen with the blues and greens and the way the team uses the stage to create visual interest and has the action happening on any different levels at the same time. The singing is also across-the-board excellent even if the songs aren’t particularly memorable. My favorite song of the show is probably one called “Real Magic” sung by Peter, Leo and more.

Honestly I feel a little torn on whether to recommend The Magician’s Elephant. On one hand the elephant is just that great it’s worth a ticket but on the other hand the ticket price at Hale is so high I wish the story around the spectacle was more engaging. I guess one might consider this a mixed review but I give them full credit for at least trying something new and ambitious. The Magician’s Elephant plays at the Young Living Centre Stage at Hale Center Theatre in Sandy until Oct 19th and you can purchase tickets here.

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