Hi theater friends! I have some quick recent shows to log for you all. If you are new to my site a log post is like a diary entry for shows I am not reviewing as a critic but just attending as a patron. I would love to review for any of these companies but also enjoy supporting the arts any way I can.

SEE HOW THEY RUN- CENTERPOINT LEGACY, CENTERVILLE

Since starting my reviews I have seen the play See How They Run a bunch of times and it’s honestly one of those pieces that’s hard to screw up. It’s just so darn funny that I will never tire of seeing it. My most recent production is at Centerpoint Legacy and they did a great job like they always do.

The biggest challenge director Jennifer Westfall has is the large stage is not the typical environment for this play. Most of the other times I’ve seen it have been in black box or small stage type environments. With lots of space it makes it more challenging to get that feeling of chaos so they can really sell the physical comedy. Fortunately the impressive apartment set creates areas for the action to take place in and the actors are always big and broad enough in their performances to match the size of the stage.

The highlights of the performance I saw (TThS cast) is Sierra Lutz as Ida and Drew Saddler as Sergeant Towers. Lutz has an impeccable accent and delivers the naive Ida antics perfectly and Saddler brings a lot of energy to a small role as the police officer trying to corral all the madness. I’d go back and see the MWF cast which to me is always a good sign at Centerpoint (I almost always do go back and see the other cast because they are so outstanding.) See How They Run is playing through Feb 26th and tickets can be purchased here.

PETER PAN- BALLET WEST, SALT LAKE

I always like pushing myself out of my comfort zone by trying new things and honestly ballet is just something I don’t see very much. Outside of the Nutcracker I can’t think of when I last went to a ballet, which is a real shame as Ballet West is one of the best companies in the entire world. When I saw they were putting on Peter Pan I decided to give it a watch because I thought the combination of ballet and flying would be neat. In the end while it was a bit of a challenging experience because of it’s length I’m glad I saw it.

One of the interesting aspects of this ballet is Peter Pan (William Lynch) is portrayed as a wild character with wild hair and a feral personality. I didn’t really understand why Captain Hook (Tyler Gum) had horns on his head but it is definitely different!

The sets by scenery designer Thomas Boyd are very impressive, particularly the large pirate ship in Act 3. This is a long sit with 2 intermissions and I must admit I did grow weary of it after a while. Still I’m glad I saw something different It is playing through Feb 21st and tickets can be purchased here.

SENSE & SENSIBILITY- PARKER THEATRE, SALT LAKE

You all know I love any chance I get to see a Jane Austen adaptation whether film or theatre. I love the tradition Parker Theater has been continuing where they do an Austen work, adapted in house, each year. I hope next year they will do Northanger Abbey because I think that one has so much to offer the stage. Anyway, I really enjoyed their Sense and Sensibility and would definitely recommend checking it out.

Jasmine Hohl and Isabelle Purdie play our sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood with Truman Schipper as Edward Ferrars, Spencer Hohl as John Willoughby and Jordan Palmer as Colonel Brandon. It’s a terrific cast and they all have good chemistry.

It is a script that zips along rather quickly particularly in Act 2 Spencer Hohl is the director of the production and he lets his cast and their chemistry do most of the heavy lifting for the story keeping the other production elements as simple as possible. I did like the rolling set designed by James B Parker that allows settings to change quickly so the girls can move from a ballroom to a house to outdoors easily. The script could have given scenes and characters a bit more time to breathe so we could become invested in their story but I’d still recommend this production. Sense and Sensibility is playing until March 7th and tickets can be purchased here.

NEWSIES- ON PITCH PERFORMING ARTS, LAYTON

There’s some theaters I lovingly refer to as ‘learning companies’ and what I mean by that is they are a chance for amateur actors to get their first taste of theater and develop their skills. These productions usually don’t have the polish of the semi-professional companies (although they can surprise!) but the learning spirit is part of the fun of it. Such was my experience seeing Newsies at OPPA. It is far from perfect but the bubbly energy of the ensemble is irresistible and I had a lovely evening watching it.

This production is directed by Leslie Barrett and she did a good job using every inch of the small stage and filling it up with bubbly choreography by Ashley Ramsey. The highlight of the cast musically is Camille Bassett as Katherine Plumber and performance-wise Sarah Heiner as Race. I also really enjoyed Laxx Everton as Les, Peter Davis as Crutchie, and Holly Day as Henry. It was not a perfect night when it comes to the singing but the personality of the performers makes it not matter. Newsies is always a great way to teach kids a lesson about unions and activism in this country (although our showing was nearly sold out so don’t wait to get your tickets.) It is playing through March 7th and tickets can be purchased here.

So there you have it! 4 shows. What have you been seeing? I would love to hear in the comments. Happy theatre going!

See How They Run is a play by Phillip King and it was first performed in 1945 in the West End, London. Sense and Sensibility is adapted by Spencer and Jasmine Hohl based on the novel by Jane Austen. Peter Pan: the Ballet has music by Sir Edward Elgar with adaption, arrangements and incidental music by Niel DePonte. It is of course based on the play by J.M. Barrie was first performed in 2002 in Houston. Newsies has music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman with a book by Harvey Fierstein based on the 1992 film. It debuted on Broadway in 2012.

These logged shows I 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.