Hi friends! I hope you are all having a wonderful 4th of July and enjoying some local performances wherever you might be! Since I started chronicling my musical theatre patron journey I have given a mid-year best of the year analysis along with one at the end of the year. This year I did it a little later than previous years going all the way through June. I ended up with 105 shows seen, which is pretty good considering that’s 180 days in that time period. Out of 105 shows I whittled things down to a top 10, and I only have one show for each venue profiled. I would like to give an honorable mention to Grease Jr at Hopebox which was the best youth theatre I have seen this year (I have loved every chance I’ve gotten to review youth theatre, and I hope I have done so in a way that has been positive and encouraging for the teens.) I would also like to give an honorable mention to Cats at Centerpoint. In particular Jessica Andrus and her amazing Grizabella. She should be on Broadway.

Anyway, let’s go over the top 10

10. You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Silver Hair Edition)- Covey Center for the Arts, Provo

I really respect they opened this musical to me in a whole new way. This senior citizen cast was not only talented but they gave the script a humanity I hadn’t seen before.

9. Dogfight- Sentinel Theatre, American Fork

I must admit this material is a little darker than I usually prefer but what a ballsy bold introductory musical for Sentinel. The quality of the acting/singing was outstanding as were all the other aspects.  Alison Gordon as Rose gave a particularly devastating performance. Now I can’t wait for their Bright Star!

8. Beautiful– Pioneer Theatre Company, Salt Lake City

When I first heard PTC was doing Beautiful I didn’t have high hopes for it. Especially considering it is almost 3 hours it sounded quite boring and derivative. Fortunately it turned out to be one of the best jukebox musicals I’ve seen diving into deeper themes than expected and having so many songs not only the ones Carol King wrote. Underrated show well portrayed by PTC (also was a crazy weather day the night I saw it so that was memorable)

7. A Tale of Two Cities– Ogden Musical Theatre, Ogden

Being unfamiliar with the musical A Tale of Two Cities (I have read the book of course but didn’t know any of the songs of the musical) I was a little anxious going to a concert as my first experience with the show. I didn’t need to be because of the quality of the singing and how everything was staged. I said at the time it could have been at Lincoln Center and I stand by that.

6. The Wizard of Oz– Heritage Theatre, Perry

This year everyone seems to be doing The Wizard of Oz which makes sense given Wicked fever that is sweeping the land. Some of my favorite parts of this production were Hayley Bell playing the Wicked Witch (especially when she broke character when Toto was just too cute.) Also the incredible staging of “Jitterbug” with black light and fluorescent costumes. They even had an animatronic Oz puppet made out of shipping crates. Very inventive!

5. Bat Boy– SLAC, Salt Lake

Bat Boy is a show I hadn’t even heard of before I started to hear some buzz about the production at SLAC, and I was so impressed with it. The show does have some horror elements which might be too much for some but I really enjoyed it. The acting and singing at SLAC was great and the atmosphere they created drew me in to the story. I’d say it is a hidden gem

4. 12 Angry Men– Hale Centre Theatre, Sandy

Hale Center Theatre in Sandy has had a wonderful 2025. I loved their Little Women and saw it twice and Finding Neverland was outstanding, but I have to give the best of their season to 12 Angry Men. What an acting masterclass for all involved especially Paul Cartwright and David D’Agostini as the problematic Jurors 3 and 10 respectively. They also created atmosphere very well and I hope Hale feels encouraged to do more grown-up plays like this in their Jewel Box theater.

3. Emma– Sandy Arts Guild, Sandy

Everyone knows I am a huge Jane Austen nut, and love most adaptations of her work, but Emma at Sandy Arts Guild really took things to a new level. I loved basically everything about it including the casting, costumes, acting and wonderful script. I even had the adapter (and director) Laura Bedore Lerwill on my podcast. It was fantastic!

2. An American in Paris– The Ruth, Pleasant Grove

I really loved Cinderella at The Ruth but I have to give my top spot for this new venue to An American in Paris. What an achievement in especially choreography and dance! Both casts were exquisite but Rylee Rogers took things to a new level as Lise. I’ve seen this show on Broadway and this took my breath away. It still has a few more weeks if you haven’t seen it I hope you do.

1. The Sound of Music– Centerpoint Legacy Theatre, Centerville

I’ve said many times The Sound of Music is one of the rare cases where I actually prefer the movie over the stage musical. I particularly think the songs they cut for the movie are real slogs in the musical. Well, even with all that the production at Centerpoint blew me away. They made so many bold choices like the background artwork featuring mountains the entire show and then when they are fleeing they literally climbed over the set. What was especially impactful was using clips from Germany 1930s in between scenes including a haunting clip of Hitler speaking to a crowd before the big concert scene. It contextualized the show in a powerful way that I’ll never forget. Incredible!

So there you have it. That’s the best I’ve seen in 2025 so far. What about you? Have you seen any of these shows? I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for supporting what I’m doing and the arts in your community. God bless!

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.