Hi theatre friends! We are nearing the end of the month so I have some theater to update you on that I attended as a patron not a critic (or I have already reviewed the production and I saw a different cast.) Here are my quick thoughts on these shows:

Xanadu- West Valley Arts, West Valley City

Honestly I debated about whether I wanted to see Xanadu at West Valley Arts. I had previously seen it at the University of Utah and found it quite dull and difficult to connect with. However, I decided to give it another chance and I’m glad that I did. Director Brooklyn Kohler did a good job creating an immersive experience and using the theatre-in-the-round set up to its fullest (this is a critique I’ve sometimes had with WVA productions.) But most importantly they brought out the humor of Xanadu making it fun to watch even if the plot is on the convoluted side. I also love Ariana Bagley who was perfectly cast as Kira. I do wish there was more rollerskating in this show but it’s fun the amount we do get (nothing will ever top Starlight Express at Liahona in that department!) WVA has Newsies coming up next and tickets can be purchased here.

Ancestral Voices- The Hive Collaborative, Provo

I love any chance I have to attend live readings especially with talented people like Matthew De La Fuente, Star Hermann and more. I had been invited to this reading for Ancestral Voices by director Heidi Mendez Harrison when she was on my podcast about senior focused productions (listen here) They only had one performance and it was free to the public so I’m glad I had the chance to see it when I did. This play is by AR Gurney and it tells the story of a family in the 1940s and how they looked at the divorce of the family grandparents. It definitely has that nostalgic feel which makes for a pleasant night of theatre. I hope I get to see it fully staged some day but this was still a very enjoyable staged reading. Make sure you are following Heidi for all the cool stuff she is involved with and the many performances held at the Hive.

Once On this Island- The Ruth, Pleasant Grove

I was so excited when I went to see Once On This Island at The Ruth in May. I hadn’t seen it since I was in high school so it was such a treat to get to see this incredible staging with one of the most impressive sets I’m likely to see this year (my review here.) Because it is so rarely performed here I wanted to fit in seeing the other cast which I did on their final performance! Everything I said about the other cast was still true especially with the dance and how immersive the experience was. The standout on this other cast was Aria Love Jackson as Asaka. The highlight of the night was her rendition of “Mama Will Provide” to close out Act 1. It was incredible. I also got to mee the talented AJ Nielsen that night who was single cast in the show as Man 1. He will be in their upcoming production of Frozen which I am greatly looking forward to.

The Ruth is currently performing The Scarlet Pimpernel which is wonderful. Tickets for that can be purchased here.

Hadestown: Teen Edition- The Ruth, Pleasant Grove

Speaking of The Ruth I have also reviewed their teen production of Hadestown: Teen Edition (read that review here.) However, members of the other cast reached out to me so I really wanted to make sure to see both casts. The Ruth was kind enough to allow me to see the other cast on their closing night. First of all, it was such a brilliant choice by The Ruth to take the set of Once On This Island and transform it for Hadestown. The vibes are very similar with Hadestown being set in New Orleans all they needed to do was add a railway sign and it remove the sand/water and it worked great. Both teen casts were incredible but I loved the rawness of this MWF cast. There was mania that Jackson Marsh, Claire Hendershot brought to their performances of Hades and Persephone respectively. I also LOVED how director Brighton Sloan integrated dance into the production. It was truly stunning. Ezekiel Binkerd brought an emotion to the role of Hermes I rarely see. He literally cried at the ending, which was incredible. The next teen production at The Ruth is going to be Beetlejuice Jr and I’m sure it will be worth a watch. More information can be found here.

My Fair Lady- Hale Center Theatre, Sandy

I absolutely loved Hale Center Theater‘s production of My Fair Lady and they were kind enough to let me see both casts of this wonderful show (can read my review here.) I loved both casts but this one the Eliza played by Lisa Zimmerman was basically perfect in her acting for this role. She was so good at songs like “Rain in Spain” making it seem like she was actually doing vocal exercises and her sound was actually changing and evolving. She even put her hands on her face like she was doing the exercises. Keith McKay Evans brought a manic energy to Professor Higgins I really enjoyed. Particularly in Act II he was very unhinged which made him more endearing and likable as a character. I also really enjoyed Daniel Hess as Alfred P Doolittle even though he is my least favorite character in the show. Hess is such a charming actor he even makes Alfie likable. I just loved this production and am so glad I got to see it twice. Director Ryan Simmons and the team at Hale knocked it out of the park. Hale has Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on the big stage which I am seeing next week. Tickets can be purchased here. Also make sure to watch Our Town and Harmony on the other stages.

Utah Shakespeare Festival shows- Cedar City

I am grateful I was able to review 3 shows at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. However, there were 3 shows I attended that I was not able to review unfortunately. Here are my quick thoughts. The first was Something Rotten which was fun to see a spoof of Shakespeare at the festival but I wish the execution had been on the professional level I had hoped for. The cast is very talented and I’ll never have a bad time seeing Something Rotten but it felt underwhelming with a minimal set that changed only a panel and costumes that aside from the eggs felt used from other shows. Still a fun show but disappointing.

Then that same cast did She Loves Me and it was so much better. This had a substantial rotating set that portrayed both the storefront and insides of the Maraczek’s store. They also had sets for the backroom of the store, restaurant and Amalia’s room. The cast was all the same for Something Rotten and they are all very talented with Ali Ewoldt and Matt Koenig having great chemistry as Amalia and Georg respectively. The whole cast was delightful and with the set and choreography I felt like I got my moneys-worth with a professional production.

The final show was See How They Run which I have become very interested in with my assistant directing it next year at The Empress (I love the show anyways. It’s so funny.) My favorite part of this production was Caitlin Wise as Miss Skillon. She threw her entire body into the performance literally flinging herself over loveseats and into closets, really selling the physical comedy of her character. It made me realize how important Miss Skillon is to the success of the show. I definitely will be paying extra attention to that casting next year. I would take any chance to see See How They Run no matter where you see it but it’s a lot of fun at Utah Shakes.

So there you have it! That’s everything I’ve been watching as a patron over the last month. What have you been seeing? I hope you’ve seen some great stuff.

Xanadu has music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar with a book by Douglas Carter Beane. It is based on the movie from 1980 and the classic Greek mythology. Once on this Island has music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics and book by Lynn Ahrens based on the novel My Love, or the Peasant Girl by Rosa Guy. My Fair Lady has music by Frederick Loewe with lyrics and book by Alan Jay Lerner based on Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. Hadestown has music, lyrics and book by Anais Mitchell based on the greek mythology. Ancestral Voices is a lay by AR Gurney. She Loves Me has music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick with a book by Joe Masteroff based on the Parfumerie play by Miklos Laszlo. Something Rotten has msuic and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick with book by Karey and John O’Farrell. See How They Run is a play by Philip King.

These logged shows I pay for out of pocket unless otherwise noted 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.