Hi theatre friends! I have 4 recent shows to give my quick logs on. I hope you are doing well and seeing lots of great local theatre near you.

High School Musical- East High School, Salt Lake

I really enjoy both the movie and stage version of High School Musical. The songs are catchy and the story is charming. So naturally I jumped at the chance to see the musical at East High where the movie was filmed and it was extra special because this year is its 20th anniversary.

I can’t find my program but the lighting was excellent and the casting spot on. I saw the Leopard cast with Elias Larson as Troy Bolton and Ava Webley as Gabriella Montez. However, my favorite performance of the night was Kee Paw as Ms Darbus. Very funny. It was a special experience to be a part of. I saw the show closing night but one can find out more about East High here.

Hallmarked- Hale Center Theatre, Sandy

I had the chance to see Hallmarked again and it was a blast. I think I liked it even more the second time. This was the MWF cast except I had Bo Chester again as Julie instead of Dawn Dietlein. I really enjoyed Derek Smith as Monty and he is extremely charismatic in the role. Honestly he could probably be in Hallmark movies if he is interested. Hallmarked is a pleasant, funny musical that any Hallmark fan will enjoy. It’s playing until June so there is plenty of time to see Hallmarked at Hale. Tickets can be purchased here.

Emma- West Valley Arts, West Valley

Next up I saw the newest production of Emma at West Valley Arts. I really try to not be a traditionalist in the adaptations of novels I love. I’m a huge fan of Clueless and that’s certainly a fresh take on the material. However, I wasn’t super fond of this adaptation of Emma. While the cast and crew are very talented it strayed too far from the source material in almost every scene for me to love. The most baffling moment is when they turned Emma’s insulting Miss Bates into a moment of feminist mantra about the education of women. In so doing they remove the learning moment from Emma and her character and reduce the tension between her and Knightley. The romance in general was as minimal as possible, which of course I’m not a fan of. I appreciate they tried something new but it just wasn’t for me. This is directed by Kristi Curtis and stars Morgan Fenner as Emma. Like I said, they did a very good job but I just didn’t love the adaptation. Emma has now closed but find out more about West Valley Arts here.

The Last Five Years- Empire Theatre, Salt Lake

I always love checking out a new theatre company in my area. The most recent new addition is called Empire Theater and the musical was The Last 5 Years. I had recently seen a version of this musical I wasn’t a big fan of so it was nice to see it done right at Empire. It’s such a simple show that the little details make a big difference. I really enjoyed both leads with Tearza Foyston as Cathy and TJ Thomas as Jamie. Of course they are separate for most of the show but they had just enough chemistry to buy them as a couple. They had a 6 piece orchestra which is always a plus in this area and everything went off without a hitch. I saw the show closing night but you can find out more about Empire theatre here.

High School Musical features music and lyrics by Matthew Gerrard and company. It is based on the Disney Channel original movie and keeps pretty close to the script. Hallmarked is directed by Dave Tinney with music and lyrics by Michael Fox, Cameron Dietlin along with Dawn and Quinn Dietlein. Emma is adapted by Kate Hamill from the novel by Jane Austen. The Last Five Years has music, lyrics and book by Jason Robert Brown and first premiered off-Broadway in 2002.

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.