Hi theatre loving friends! I have 2 shows to log for you today. It’s been a very busy time for me with both the summer movie season starting and plenty of live shows to see as well. I you want me to do a full review of your show I’d love to do it. Just email me at rachelsreviews65@gmail.com or message me on instagram. We had a fun episode of OnStage Blog this week where we talked about our bucket list shows. Check it out and I’d love to hear about your bucket list shows.

Like I said, I have 2 shows to log quick responses for. These logs are for shows I attended as a patron and not full reviews as a critic.

PAPER WEIGHT- VICARIOUSLY STAGED AT HIVE COLLABORATIVE, PROVO

As much as I love the classics I also love supporting new works by local talent. Recently I saw the new play Paper Weight written and directed by Skyler Denfeld and while it didn’t quite work for me I think with some additional workshopping it has potential to be a great play.

The concept for the play is easy to relate with and powerful. It explores the journey of a character named Rosie who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. We start out the play seeing the end of the disease and then it flips around to different key moments of Rosie’s life all told with an intentional madness to mirror the chaos of Rosie’s mixed up state of mind.

Eden Bostrom is very good as Rosie but the production is trying to do too much in my opinion. In one show they want to be a dance piece, a poetry showcase, a family drama, a love story and more. It’s too much. In the end some stories feel undercooked- like a character is rescued from domestic abuse which probably deserves its own play but felt out of place with the main narrative. I felt like just as soon as I was invested with one element it would be taken from me or a time and we’d be moving on to a different element.

Still, if you like workshopping new voices and talent there are aspects in Paper Weight that will be worth your time. It is playing through May 24 and they do offer a live stream option. Tickets can be purchased here.

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS- COPPER HILLS THEATRE COMPANY, WEST JORDAN

The husband of a friend of mine is a teacher over at Copper Hills High School and she invited me to see their theatre department’s production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I love supporting the youth so jumped at the chance to see these teens, and I’m glad I did. It was a lot of fun and I hope the teens feel proud of their accomplishments together.

I was surprised to hear a high school taking on this musical because it does have quite a few mature moments but director Jordan Morrell did a good job staging them in high school appropriate ways so it feels more silly than racy. I also really appreciate that he kept the sets and props handmade by the students. It could have been easy to go with a lot of projections in this story but that robs students of the opportunity to design and build their own sets.

The 3 leads carry Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and have nearly every scene and these 3 teens are very talented with Asher Adamson as Lawrence Jameson, Jack Bowler as Freddy Benson and Grace Farnsworth as Christine Colgate. Jameson brings a nice swagger to the role of Lawrence (Michael Caine role in the movie) and Farnsworth is up for the challenge of the many personas Christine takes on over the course of the musical. She needs to be confident, shy, devious and innocent all at the same time. Plus the songs are not easy for any involved and they were all terrific.

All that said, I don’t think Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a good show for high schools. When I see a high school production I want to see a lot of ensemble involvement and this really is a 3 person show with almost no true ensemble scenes. There are a few dance sequences but nothing that uses the ensemble effectively. This robs students from the opportunity of learning new skills and discovering what they love. Right now Hadestown: Teen Edition is the big craze for high school and it makes sense because it has such a large and active ensemble and lots of characters with solos. I just saw Grease: Teed Edition and that’s another great choice because the ensembles both boys and girls are crucial to the story and there are so many characters with solos (also it’s about teenagers so makes sense.)

I attended the closing night for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Copper Hills High School but you can find out more about their theatre department here.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has music and lyrics by David Yazbek with a book by Jeffrey Lane. Paper Weight is an original play by Skyler Denfeld and a production by Vicariously Staged.

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.

Being a theatre critic and seeing as many shows as I do there are always going to be musicals and plays I like more than most and naturally the reverse. One show that I seem to like more than the average theatre fan is The Wedding Singer. This is probably due to my rom-com loving roots, but I really like the songs and the script is super funny. It’s just a fun night at the theatre and Draper Historic’s new production is a terrific iteration of this musical.

I saw the Punks Cast at Draper (and will see the alternating Posers Cast) next week. This cast is strong with Tyler Rasmussen in the lead as Robbie Hart and Janelle Olsen as Julia Sullivan. I particularly appreciate how Rasmussen wasn’t trying to ape or copy Adam Sandler from the movie as I sometimes see with this musical. He gives his own take on the character and is quite charming having good chemistry with Olsen. Cyra Jensen and Eli Carrillo also give entertaining performances as Holly and Sammy respectively.

I also appreciate how director Cassidy Ross mixes together projections and practical sets and props for an effective take on the material. I’d say Draper in general uses projections some of the best of the area community theaters in this area. It was also fun how the performers came out to into the aisles to make everything a more immersive experience. For how small the stage is I really enjoyed the bubbly choreography throughout the show.

The highlights of the night are probably “Someday,” “The Casualty of Love” and “Grow Old with You.” The Wedding Singer at Draper Historic would make for a great date night. This musical does contain some mature content and would probably get a pg13 rating like the movie did. It is playing through May 31st and tickets can be purchased here.

The Wedding Singer has music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin with a book by Beguilin and Tim Herlihy based on the film script by Tim Herlihy

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.

Hi friends! I hope you are doing great and enjoying lots of local theatre. I am doing more and more full reviews which I am very grateful for but I have 2 local shows to do my quick logs for you today. Make sure you are following me on instagram for my out of theater reactions for all film and theatre I see but also on youtube I have been putting a compilation of each week of all of those reactions. Here is last weeks:

LITTLE WOMEN- LEHI ARTS COUNCIL, LEHI

I’m a big fan of the musical adaptation of Little Women. Aside from the operatic tragedy sections being a bit too long I think it is a fantastic retelling of the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott. The book was the first big book I ever read and I’ve always loved it and it has translated into many wonderful films and this charming musical. I also love everything they are doing over at Lehi Arts Council (especially when they are in the smaller Lehi Arts Center space) so I jumped at the chance to see their production of Little Women. It did not disappoint.

Directed by Rex Kocherhans they use a very small space effectively to create all the classic scenes from the novel (they are very smart about how they put sheets on couch to make the scenes go from Aunt March’s house to the family attic with ease. The cast has the family feel you want for this story and the highlights are Taylor Ann Jaeger as Amy (it was particularly impressive how she kept soldiering forward despite her hair falling apart on several occasions) and Vicki Bushnell as Aunt March (she brings a lot of humor to the crotchety role!)

Bo Chester is everything you could want in a Jo and I was particularly impressed with her acting in scenes like when she’s grieving for Beth before Marmee (Shawnda Moss) sings “Days of Plenty” which is my favorite song of the musical (that and “Some Things Are Meant to Be”.) I also really enjoyed Felicia Kelso as Meg beautifully singing “More That I Am” with Timothy Quesenberry as John Brooke.

Tickets for Little Women at Lehi Arts Council are as low as $12 and they even had a BOGOF offer the night I attended. I think you will find it is well worth such an investment and should make for a great way to introduce your kids to this classic story and to a quality night of musical theatre. It runs through May 17th and tickets can be purchased here.

Little Women: The Musical has music from Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and book by Allan Knee based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott.

HARVEY- BLUFFDALE ARTS ADVISORY BOARD, BLUFFDALE

I am a big fan of the play Harvey and will jump at any chance I get to see it. It very well might be my favorite straight play. If you haven’t seen it (or only know the movie starring Jimmy Stewart) there is a charming version put on by the Bluffdale Arts Advisory Board in Bluffdale. It’s actually in Bluffdale City Hall in a makeshift ‘theater’ put together with 2 sets on platforms. I love make-shift theaters like this and the production is spirited and sweet.

Directed by Julie Fox, Harvey at Bluffdale, stars Jason Bills as Elwood P Dowd a man who is blissfully unaware that he is driving his family crazy with his insistence on his best friend a giant pookah rabbit named Harvey. Bills is younger looking than I normally see the role but he brings an innocent sweetness that works well for the part. I especially love his attentions to the nurse Ms Kelly (Melinda Fox) noticing her in small ways that nobody else does (you think he would notice his sister Veta (Ann Sharp) and niece Myrtle May (Katherine Stolpe) and their frustrations more but you can’t have it all!) The script is so funny and Elwood is such a likable character one can’t help but root for him and his rabbit friend.

Like I said, the set at Bluffdale on platforms in a room at City Hall and it is divided into 2 parts- one side is the Dowd home and the other the Chumley Rest where Veta tries to send Elwood for mental health treatment to very funny results. My favorite part of Harvey is the speech Elwood gives to the doctor: ‘”In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.’ Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.”

Such beautifully written prose by Mary Chase in 1944 is reason enough to see Harvey. It’s one of those plays that’s hard to screw up, and they don’t at Bluffdale. And not only is it a ton of fun but it is only $5 to attend! It is playing through May 17th and tickets can be purchased here.

There are some times when seeing a play or musical that I have a complex and deep response to what I am seeing. I can look at it from many angles and have lots of discussion about a piece. I love these experiences but it is not the only way to appreciate theatre. There are times my response is more simple. I can often walk away having had a nice evening with a pleasant group of people and that’s ok too. Such was my experience at the musical Threads at Ideal Playhouse. It’s really more of a musical concert than a true musical but it’s very sweet and endearing that people of any faith will enjoy.

This production is the creation of Michael McLean and he is our narrator and musician for the night along with Lisa Blaser as our actor and lead vocalist. The conceit is McLean has had a dream about the women in his life and through telling their stories he hopes to inspire us to live as authentically as possible. This is a faith-based message that anyone could enjoy of any religious persuasion sticking to simple values of faith, forgiveness, hope etc. It’s all very sweet and heartwarming.

I actually interviewed McLean a few years ago (Dec 2020) which was a wonderful experience as I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for his The Forgotten Carols Christmas show. In many ways Threads is similar to The Forgotten Carols in that it has a narrator and then tells a variety of different stories to prove a point. Threads isn’t as memorable but it would be hard to duplicate the theatricality and poignancy of the traditions of Christmas. Things just ring differently at Christmas!

There are projections that go along with the various stories in Threads and they do bring those projections out into the walls of the audience at Ideal, which is fun. There were times when they used a background track that I didn’t really think was necessary. I would have been fine with just the piano and other instruments played by McLean.

All that said, if you are looking for a pleasant way to spend an evening check out Threads at Ideal Playhouse. There are only 6 performances and tickets can be purchased here.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.

It’s always fun when I get the chance to check a much talked about show off of my list and even better when that show proves to be a great experience. I recently had the chance to do so with Hale Center Theatre’s new production of Finding Neverland. This magical night of theatre combines heart and soul with the spectacle and fun only Hale can provide in this state.

Most people grow up hearing the story of Peter Pan, Wendy and Captain Hook and all the imaginative fun of Neverland. Finding Neverland, on the other hand, dives a little deeper telling you the backstory of the playwright J.M. Barrie. It is based on a play called The Man Who Was Peter Pan and of course the Oscar nominated film of the same name from 2004.

Going into this production I was honestly worried it would be on the dry side. I’m not the biggest Peter Pan person and it all sounded a little bit boring, but I was pleasantly surprised with how engaging the story is. A lot of credit has to go to the book writers Allan Knee and James Graham who expertly combine together the whimsical side of the creation of Peter Pan with the more grounded story of Barrie’s widow friend Sylvia Llewelyn Davies getting sick and dying with 4 young children to care for. That’s not an easy combination to make work but they do.

Presented in the larger Young Living Centre Stage director Dave Tinney has mostly used the bells and whistles of the big stage to its advantage and to help telling the story. There is one set that had a pole obstructing the view of the couple singing “What You Mean to Me” which was frustrating. I understand they need to have the platform for the dancers to perform on but I wish they had made the poles thinner or come up with some other solution for that scene. Nevertheless, the stage was mostly quite effective in combining elements of dance, aerialists and large setpieces like a giant crocodile’s head that was quite exciting.

The cast at Hale is all excellent with Keith McKay Evans leading the large ensemble as Barrie and Bre Welch as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (they aren’t usually together but were the night I was there.) Some of the highlights musically are “We Own the Night,” which had almost a Tim Burton Beetlejuice quality to it, “When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground” is a very pretty number and “Play” made me smile. The 4 child actors are all wonderful, but I was particularly impressed with young Flynn Mitchell who has the emotional climax of the show when he tells Barrie to stop lying to him about his mother. He owns that scene.

As I said, the production elements are very strong with beautiful costumes by Joy Zhu and some inventive work with light, shadows and silhouettes by lighting designer Jaron Kent Hermansen. No matter the tastes Finding Neverland at Hale should have something for everyone! It is playing through June 14th but tickets are selling fast. They can be purchased here.

Finding Neverland features music by Scott Frankel, Gary Barlow, Eliot Kennedy with lyrics by Michael Korie, Barlow and Kennedy and a book by Knee and Graham.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.

When I first heard they were doing a musical adaptation of the film Waitress I was confused. Nothing in that fairly forgettable indie film screamed musical to me but I was intrigued about the project as soon as I heard Sara Barielles was doing the music and lyrics. I’m a huge fan of Sara and I even have a signed poster of hers on my living room wall! I then got to see her in Waitress in October of 2021 (my return to Broadway after the pandemic.) Now Pioneer Theatre Company is putting on the show and it manages to take a challenging story and give it heart and humanity with some good songs too…

Normally I’m not a big fan of adultery stories. I don’t like feeling manipulated by a piece of media into siding with the adulterers. Often they make the spouse a monster as a way to justify the affair in the minds of the audience and characters. My view is two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because something is bad doesn’t make something else bad good (like The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a book I loathe.) Anyway, the thing about Waitress (as a musical at least. The film not as much) is it never really tries to justify Jenna’s infidelity as a bold or great decision. She’s obviously very unhappy and stepping out of her marriage is a symptom of that unhappiness.

At PTC Claire Saunders captures this depression of Jenna beautifully. I honestly was a little unsure of her performance at first because one could see the emptiness in her face. But as the scenes unfold that emptiness became a clear character choice as she began to dive into her seemingly lack of attractive options for happiness. For Jenna, at least this relationship provides some moments of joy, which is something she can’t say about much else in her life.

Thankfully Waitress book writer Jessie Nelson has given us enough breaks from the sadness to make for an overall thoughtful and heartwarming experience. My favorite is the comic relief from Dawn (Lexi Rabadi) and Ogie (Daniel Plimpton.) They are hilarious and a much needed positive love story to counterbalance Jenna’s sad story.

Everything about the PTC production directed by Melinda Pfundstein is as high a quality as the Broadway production I saw back in 2021. There were a few little hiccups but the set by Yoon Bae looks great and the props including all the pies look completely edible and delicious. The backgrounds on Jenna’s house and the doctor’s office looked a little modern for our homespun story but nothing too jarring.

At one point Cal (Aaron Arnell Harrington) says to Jenna that he’s “happy enough” which becomes the emotional question of Waitress: Is “happy enough” good enough for a fulfilled life? Waitress‘ answer seems to be yes and no. The musical highlight of the show is the song “She Used to Be Mine” powerfully sung by Saunders at PTC. In this song Jenna says that she’s fine being ‘happy enough’ but only when it’s on her terms when she decides “to bring back the fire in her eyes. That’s been gone, but used to be mine.” Who can’t connect with that feeling? I know I can.

That’s what works with Waitress and the production at PTC brings all of these feels and more. It’s a wonderful way for them to finish off their season and one I recommend to anyone who enjoys heartfelt stories with good songs. Go see it! It is playing through May 17th with a Pay What You Can night on May 12th and tickets can be purchased here.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.

Hi friends! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying some local theatre. I hit an exciting milestone this week. With Cinderella at The Ruth I saw my 500th show since the pandemic! I had a cake to honor the occasion and did a live stream with my friend Jacks.

It’s crazy my little goal to help get theaters back up and running after the pandemic closures has turned into 500 shows! I never would have guessed that but what an incredible experience and gift. I’m so blessed.

Today I have 2 shows to log about that I saw but am not doing full reviews. Let me know what you have been watching:

CINDERELLA- THE RUTH THEATRE, PLEASANT GROVE

I had the chance to see Cinderella again at The Ruth. I had previously logged my seeing the T/Th/S cast, which I thoroughly enjoyed. They seemingly thought of everything for this production including bringing in puppetry and unforgettable costumes. The most special part of the MWF cast is it was a bit of a family affair with Hailey Bennett Sundwall and Jeff Sundwall, a couple in real life, playing our leads. To add to that Michelle Sundwall, mother of Jeff, is playing Marie or the Fairy Godmother character in this version. That’s just fun and helps with the chemistry to see.

Of the 3 shows done at The Ruth Cinderella is by far my favorite. It was magic and I’m so glad I got to see it twice. It was the perfect show for my 500th! You can find out more about The Ruth and their upcoming shows here.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD: HIGH SCHOOL EDITION- LIAHONA ACADEMY, PLEASANT GROVE

Speaking of productions that seemingly thought of everything I have to give the same praise to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: High School Edition at Liahona Academy. They are an incredible teen theatre company and this production is outstanding. I’m not the biggest fan of the story of this play or the pacing (I can’t believe it is LONGER on Broadway and at one point was 6 hours long KMN) but I do appreciate some of the opportunities it gives a high school company. It’s a show that has a lot of speaking roles, requires a lot of ensemble scenes and speaks to issues teens will likely relate with.

Director Jordan Long has helped his students give their best performances and there honestly wasn’t a missed line or opportunity for emotion within the show. The standouts for me are James Fox as Harry Potter with Ian Hadfield giving a very mature performance as Draco Malfoy.

I was particularly impressed with the amount of practical sets they use in the production. Other performances of this play I have seen recently have been very projection-reliant and I think that is a missed opportunity for the teens to show forth their creativity and learn new skills in set building, painting and designing (set design by Brian and Canon Hadfield.)

It is also amazing how many visuals effects they work into the story and them all coming off quite seamlessly. All the students should be very proud of what they have accomplished. Tomorrow is the last day of this production and I’d highly recommend it (even if I find the script a little dry.) Tickets can be purchased here.

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.

As much as I enjoy seeing the classics on stage it’s also nice when I see something that’s new to me. Such is the opportunity presented by Pygmalion Productions in their new play at Rose Wagner Black Box called Be Here Now. This is an entertaining little play that balances both humor and heart well making for a pleasant evening at the theatre.

The premise for Be Here Now is a simple one. It focuses on a middle-aged woman named Bari who lives in a small town in upstate New York and is disenchanted and frustrated by the world. She in many ways is like Jack Nicholson’s character in As Good as It Gets or if you saw a little movie called Hard Truths from last year the lead characters are very similar. Bari is a cynical character and she is struggling to find the motivation to finish her doctorate dissertation so she can continue teaching classes on nihilism at the community college. You have to be pretty cynical to be cynical about nihilism!

Things get messy when Bari starts getting seizures which cause her to have flashes of brilliance and hope. Then she is left with the question of does she fix the problem for her health or keep having the seizures which make her happy?

Such a straightforward black box play is very reliant on the material and the ability of the actors to translate said material to the audience. All of the actors are terrific at Pygmalion especially April Fossen playing Bari. She reminded me a lot of Oscar winning actress Kathy Bates. She is sarcastic and even a little rude but there’s always a little more going on in the background of her performance and the other actors help bring that out with their performances.

The set by Allen Smith is relatively simple with a wall of junk that is transformed to a yoga studio, fulfillment center and home to name a few settings. They also have sound (Mikal Troy Klee) and lighting (Chad Henwood) elements that are worked in quite seamlessly into the story by director Jason Bowcutt.

I do think the play tries to tackle too much for 90 minutes with the severe trauma that is behind the scenes with Mike (Matthew Sincell) who Bari goes on a blind date with. I don’t know if the script can adequately deal with all of Bari’s issues and Mikes. It’s too much and starts to feel like a pile-on after a while. Also Bari’s sarcastic humor gets a little old after a while.

But Be Here Now at Pygmalion comes down to the script by Deborah Zoe Laufer that is both funny and thoughtful and the performances by Fossen and others. It’s definitely worthy of your time and should give you some laughs and a few things to talk about as you leave the theater. It is playing through May 17th and tickets can be purchased here.

If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look here.