Hi theatre friends! October has come and gone and with that has come some fun theatre I’ve been able to see that I didn’t get to write a formal review for. This actually was a little bit lighter of a month than some because I started a new job and had family in town for my brother’s wedding. I sadly missed a lot of the Halloween shows which makes me very sad but sometimes family comes first.

I will start out with Something’s Afoot that I saw at the delightful Pleasant Grove Players. I normally review their shows but I wasn’t able to get to this until the end of the run so I just went as a patron. I actually didn’t know this is a musical when I went and it proved to be a lot of fun. It’s similar to your standard murder mystery story where nobody is safe in the spooky manor. This is directed by Howard and Kathryn Little who are so good at getting the best out of their cast. Meg McCoy stood out as the maid and Craig Maire as the butler (never trust the butler or the maid in these stories) I’m always amazed what they can do with this tiny stage in the Pleasant Grove library. Next up they have Miracle on 34th Street the radio play which will be delightful. Tickets can be purchased here.

Next up I had Spring Awakening at Weber State Theatre Department. This was done in their black box and it was neat to get to see after the sudden passing of composer Duncan Sheik. If you haven’t seen Spring Awakening it is a very depressing coming of age story about the 19th century teens who are ill equipped to deal with emerging sexual desires and the pressures of success. The music is unique and stirring and while it’s not the kind of show I would want to watch on a regular basis I was glad to see it as it is very special. This production was directed by Andrew Lewis and I loved the simple set (set design Cully Long) and costumes by Casey Soderquist. The lighting by Caden Schaefer felt like a rock concert especially for numbers like “I Don’t Do Sadness” which is my favorite song of the show. Some of the ways they tried to tamper the rapey aspects of Wendla (Julia Green) and Melchior’s (Ezekiel Binkerd) relationship didn’t really work for me and some of the performances were inconsistent but it’s a school so I am very forgiving. Overall I’m certainly glad I saw it and RIP Duncan Sheik.

With family still in town they wanted to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Hale Center Theatre and so I saw it for a third time. Even though I had my issues with the direction of this production I was glad to see it again especially because I got to see the other cast featuring Ethan Kelso as Joseph, who is one of my favorite local singers. The interesting thing about this night is the stage wasn’t working so we got the pared down version of the show and while it was too bad my family didn’t get to see the full version it was interesting to see a different take on this show- especially since it was the 3rd time I had seen it. Some numbers I actually didn’t mind simplified without the distraction of the stage particularly in Act 2 songs like “Grovel, Grovel, Grovel” I didn’t miss the set one bit! They did get to see the aerialists which is a highlight of this venue at Hale. After a long day it was very nice of Ethan to stage door greet my family after the show. Thanks! Hale still has Moriarty playing for a few weeks and tickets can be purchased here.

Next up I saw To Kill a Mockingbird at the Parker Theatre and it blew me away. This was a professional quality production with incredible sets, lighting and sound as is always the case at Parker. I much preferred this version over the Aaron Sorkin penned adaptation that came around in a national tour a few years ago. That version turned Atticus into a country bumpkin simpleton and over-corrected any heroic moments in fears of white saviorism. That tour also had the children played by small adults which I didn’t care for. At the Parker they had children who were all outstanding including Lizzie Kintz as Scout and Lincoln Oliphant as Jem. The whole cast was great with Brinton Wilkins as the perfect Atticus. This was directed by David Morgan and is a highlight of the 2026 Utah theatre year. They have The Woman in Black playing for a few more days (which is also brilliant) and tickets can be purchased here.

An interesting experience I had at the theater is getting to see 2 Noel Coward plays in different formats. The first was seeing Blithe Spirit as part of a dinner theater production with Farmington City and Hopebox. Everyone knows Hopebox is wonderful so I was intrigued to see what they would do in a traditional space with a dinner theater element added. Fortunately, it proved to be a lot of fun. This was directed by Katie Plott and I saw the Silver Cast led by Madison Moretti as Ruth and Shelby Mair as Elvira. This is a funny play I’ve long had an affection for since I saw it as a little girl at the Utah Shakespeare Festival (way back in 1992.) It’s a show that gives the women a lot of juicy dialogue to dive into especially as they are becoming more irritated with each other along the way. Hopebox next up has Annie which will be delightful. Tickets can be purchased here.

The other Noel Coward play I saw was the Broadway proshot of Fallen Angels and I must admit I was quite disappointed with this production. I’m not sure what I was missing but I just didn’t find this play to be very funny. The big joke seemed to be women getting drunk and cheating on their husbands, which I guess could be funny but it wasn’t. Despite the talented cast of Rose Byrne and Kelli O’Hara it barely got a laugh out of me. It’s always strange the shows they decide to preserve in proshots because surely there were better plays last year they could have recorded? Fallen Angels is available on Broadway HD but I don’t recommend it unless you are committed to seeing every proshot that is released. More information on Broadway HD can be found here. (ad)

Finally, the last show to report on is I saw the other cast of Bright Star at Terrace Plaza. I gave my full review of the production here but I’m glad I got to see it a second time with this other cast. Jessica Andrus is an incredible talent and I loved seeing her as Alice Murphy. What a beautiful voice she has. The highlight of this production is “A Man’s Gotta Do” (Reprise) with them creating a train effect with lighting and sound. It is very well done. Both casts are terrific and there’s still time to see it as Bright Star runs through Nov 14th. Tickets can be purchased here.

So there you have it! That’s everything I’ve watched in October. Have you seen any of these shows? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Something Afoot has music by James McDonald, David Vos, Robert Gerlach, Ed Linderman with lyrics and book by McDonald, Vos and Gerlach. It first premiered on Broadway in 1976 and had a new studio recording in 2019. Spring Awakening has music by Duncan Sheik with lyrics and book by Steven Sater. It first released on Broadway in 2006. To Kill a Mockingbird is adapted by Christopher Sergel from the novel by Harper Lee. Blithe Spirit and Fallen Angels are by Noel Coward. Blithe Spirit was written in 1941 and premiered on Broadway that year. Fallen Angels first premiered in London in 1925. Bright Star has music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell with Brickell doing the lyrics and Martin doing the book. It first premiered on Broadway in 2016.

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.