Hi friends! I hope you are doing well and enjoying lots of great local theatre wherever you may be. I have 3 quick events to update you on today. In addition, I am seeing Flowers for Mrs Harris at The Ruth this evening and will post a review quickly after. After that I will be traveling to Toronto for 6 days to attend the Toronto International Film Festival, so there will be no theatre reviews or reactions for a week. Anyway, here’s a few experiences I’ve had recently.

Shrek- Draper Historic Theatre, Draper

I’ve said it many times in my reviews but Shrek the Musical is a million times better than it has any right to be and I’m genuinely amazed at the quality of the songs and story the creators were able to come up with for an animated film I think is just ok. Draper Historic is the 3rd recent version of the show I’ve seen and yet I still find it funny and sweet each time it is put on (even if productions vary slightly in quality.) I saw the Onion cast at Draper Historic and it’s a ton of fun.

Nathan Metcalf and Marion Pack are terrific leads as Shrek and Fiona and have excellent singing voices but it is Nathan Kristjanson who steals the night as Lord Farquaad. The kneeling walking can be a bit of a gimmick in any production but he really makes it work and I was dying laughing at his sniveling villainous glee in every scene. He’s one of the best Farquaad’s I’ve seen. I also was really impressed with Jackson Horman as Pinocchio and his performance of “Story of My Life.”

The production elements were all strong including the choreography which Draper Historic almost always nails on that small little stage. Director Melissa van Dam gets the most out of her cast (I’d shout out others but don’t have my digital program and can’t find the info on their website.) Shrek is playing through Sept 13th and worth your time. Tickets can be purchased here.

Daddy Long Legs- Centerpoint Legacy, Centerville

This will just be a quick log because I have already covered this production 2 other times. Yes, I saw Daddy Long Legs at Centerpoint Legacy 3 times and I loved it each time. I love this show and find it endlessly rewatchable (clearly…) The TThS cast had Mackenzie Turner as Jerusha and Jacob Coates as Jervis and I love the nerdy sweet takes they have on the characters. It is easy to feel their love for the characters and they have terrific chemistry together. I really appreciate director Liz Christensen’s choices in the piece particularly having Jervis not pin up the letters making him seem a little more grounded and relatable than other productions. I do think having the oil painting in the projections was weird but other than that I adored this production and would see it again if I could. Sadly it has finished its run. Next up for Centerpoint is Little Shop of Horrors and tickets can be purchased here.

Arturo Sandoval- Utah Presents, Kingsbury Hall, Salt Lake

My next report is a little bit different because technically I was comped my ticket but there isn’t much to critique in a concert (especially with my knowledge of jazz which is minimal) but I wanted to make you all aware of Utah Presents and the wonderful experiences it offers for our community. I was fortunate to attend the jazz concert of Arturo Sandoval who is a 10 time Grammy winner and musician. This is part of the Utah Presents season and these are all performances put on at Kingsbury Hall throughout the year including musicians and dancers of a wide array of genres and styles. Tickets go for as low as $13 for adults so this is an incredible opportunity to see top-tier live entertainment at an affordable price.

As far as Sandoval goes it was a really fun concert. He isn’t just a trumpeter but performed on a variety of instruments and even sung one song- “Smile” written by Charlie Chaplin. He seemed to have great chemistry with his band and they are also all very talented. I always appreciate it in a concert when the musician is personable and shares with us their process for writing and selecting songs and Sandoval did that in spades. He seems like a delightful human and that makes the overall concert experience even more enjoyable. I don’t get to see musicians like Sandoval often so am grateful for Utah Presents in giving me the opportunity. Next up is Ballet Hispánico, which looks great. Tickets can be purchased here.

So there you have it. Let me know if you’ve seen any of these shows and what you’ve been watching!

Shrek has music by Jeanine Tesori with lyrics and book by David Lindsay-Abaire based on the DreamWorks film and the novel by William Steig. Daddy Long Legs has music and lyrics by Paul Gordon with a book by John Caird based on the novel by Jean Webster.

These logged shows I usually pay for out of pocket, and I’d love to do that as much as possible. If you have a show you’d like me to take a look at and write a full review let me know. I also have my patreon which is a great way to support what I do and get some really fun perks. Find out more here.