As much as I enjoy a classic show I also love any chance I get to see something new and original. Such is the opportunity with Pioneer Theatre Company’s latest musical entitled Ten Brave Seconds. It’s a coming of age story that I see a lot of potential in although like anything new there is room for improvement and growth. If this review seems a little stacked on the negative side it’s only in an attempt to be helpful as they are developing the material (and I really do see the potential there.)

Ten Brave Seconds tells the story of a young man in 2015 named Mike who is trying to navigate his coming out experience with his friends and family while also trying to deal with his departed Mother’s birthday. The strength of the show is in the cast who are all strong singers and have a nice believable chemistry together. The standout is Will Blum as the Dad, Carl. His song “Sally at the Park” is probably my favorite of the night as it has a real narrative arc within the song that paints a vivid picture of what the character has been through emotionally. It reminded me of “Soliloquy” from Carousel, the way it told a story through the song.

The show at PTC is directed by Ellie Heyman and she with scenic designer James Noone have made everything flow smoothly with double-sided sets that flip around making the transitions from locker room, to class, to home easy. This keeps the momentum going and the tension building as things get harder for poor Mike.

Speaking of Mike, Carson Stewart brings a warmth and awkwardness the role needs although the music doesn’t give him the stand-out solo I would have liked to see. There is “Citizen” in Act 2 but it was underwhelming for an iconic 11 o’clock number.

While I am sure teens who attend Ten Brave Seconds will feel seen, (especially queer young people that are struggling to come out) it doesn’t feel like the musical has much to add to the coming out conversation that hasn’t already been portrayed so frequently over the last 2 decades. That’s not to say it doesn’t need to be told but the book oddly doesn’t feel very brave in it’s storytelling both with the portrayal of Mike’s struggles and with the responses he receives.

There is also a problem with the conflict feeling redundant. The reaction to his news by his father (who says ‘guess I’m not getting any grandkids’ when told, which seemed like a highly unlikely thing for him to say) and his girlfriend Gabby are very similar. I would encourage them to find a more interesting response for Gabby than betrayal and “but I’m in love with you” (which she probably wouldn’t say at that moment even if that’s how she actually felt.) The teenager discussion should feel different than the parents and yet it really didn’t.

The best scenes in the show occur between Mike and his gay teacher Mr G played by John Cariani. This is partly because it is a distinctly different response than the other 2 main characters but it also felt the most difficult to pin down and a perspective I haven’t seen as often (he’s a realist teacher who is blunt but kind. He also speaks to the evolution of the gay movement and his experience as a gay man vs a modern gay teenager.)

Whether it is fair or not a show like Ten Brave Seconds is almost inevitably going to be compared to Dear Evan Hansen. This is probably especially true for PTC audiences because they just put on a popular production of that musical last Fall. DEH has its issues but it also has some of the best music and lyrics of modern musical theatre, so the comparison is a challenging one. If it were up to me I would make this show stand out more by amplifying the themes of space, the galaxy and Star Trek. This is minimally used in the book and songs and more would help make Mike and Evan’s journeys feel different (the social media component is also a big factor in making DEH work and nothing like that really stands out for Mike’s story.)

All that said, I do see potential here and the earnestness with which Ten Brave Seconds is presented by PTC make it hard to not embrace. It’s definitely worth taking the time to support, and I look forward to seeing how it evolves and grows over the years. If you get to see it I would love to hear what you think (I’d especially love to hear any teenager responses.) It is playing through February 14th and tickets can be purchased here.

Ten Brave Seconds has music and lyrics by Will Van Dyke with book and lyrics by Jeff Talbott. Karen Azenberg is the artistic director of PTC with Adrian Budhu as managing director.

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.

We all enjoy going to the theater to be challenged and confronted with the problems we are facing today but it’s also nice to simply be entertained. Such is the experience one can have at The Ruth with their new production of Forever Plaid. This bright and sunny jukebox musical is really more of a revue or a concert but it’s completely enjoyable on that level.

It’s funny that I describe it as bright and sunny because the setup is actually quite grim. A doo-wop group from the 1950s dies before they are able to produce albums or become famous. Fortunately in the spirit world they are given the opportunity to return to earth for one final performance and that is what we get in the musical. We hear songs like “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Perfidia” and the highlight of the night with “Heart and Soul” which is performed with a volunteer from the audience at the piano.

Speaking of the piano, the pianist Kelly Dehaan is one of the highlights of the night. Not only is he an incredible musician but his chemistry with the boys shines through and he becomes a character in the piece along with Trevor Watson at the bass.

I was at the MWF performance so I enjoyed Chase Petersen as Smudge, Andrew Walker as Jinx, Justin Ravago as Sparky and Carter McEwan as Francis. Their harmonies are beautifully executed and they all have the nerdy energy needed for these parts.

The production at The Ruth is directed by David Eggers and he smartly doesn’t let anything get in the way of his cast and the songs. Sometimes the best choice a director can make is keeping things simple and that’s what they do here. The costumes including our iconic plaid tuxedos are well done by Dvorah Governale and the lit circle backdrop by set designer Jason Baldwin kept that 1950s aesthetic going strong (and made it easy to put the CBS logo on stage for the Ed Sullivan sequence.)

At the end of the day Forever Plaid is all about the guys and the songs and that is all done very well in this production at The Ruth. It’s one of those musicals that would make for a nice date night as anyone who likes 1950s music will enjoy this show. You don’t have to be a Broadway musical fan to have a good time with it. I saw it on my birthday and it was a great time! It is playing through March 28th in their Lindsay Legacy Theater and tickets can be purchased here.

Forever Plaid has music and lyrics from various artists with a book by Stuart Ross. It was first performed in New York in 1989. It’s very popular here in Utah but I’ve actually only seen it one other time at Hale Center Theatre as their debut show for their Sandy location.

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.

Anyone who has followed my reviews knows I have seen and reviewed The Play That Goes Wrong many times and for the most part enjoyed it; however, the gags certainly aren’t as fresh or as funny as the first time I saw it. It is for this reason I was pretty excited when I heard Hale Center Theater was doing a different play written by the same team (a spin-off you might say) called Peter Pan Goes Wrong. It is of course the same basic concept of a community theatre production becoming a mess but put to the classic Peter Pan. The ironic element is the night I attended (MWF cast) a bunch of elements actually did go wrong but the team at Hale handled it like champs and it didn’t prevent me from having a thoroughly good time with this zany comedy.

I have never seen this show so I’m not sure if it is always part of the script, but I appreciate they took a second to explain why the The Cornley Drama Society had an infusion of capital to make such elaborate sets and visual effects as one sees at Hale. This production is in their Jewel Box Theater and director Ryan Simmons and scenic designer Jenn Taylor has created a rotating stage that changes from the Darling’s bedroom, to Hook’s pirate ship, to the Peter Pan’s house in the woods with ease. Of course, this being a Wrong play each element from scene-to-scene is a mess and doesn’t go as our poor drama society wishes it would, but the set is very well done.

Like I said, the ironic thing is the night I attended I believe there was a problem with the flight equipment and they had to pause the show for a long break (at least 20 minutes) to make adjustments. I do think a little more clarification from the company might have been nice because I didn’t know whether this was a bit in the play or an actual pause for technical reasons. The only reason I gathered it wasn’t a planned break is because it was so long but also because the wife of one of the actors happened to be sitting near me and was texting with the actor giving us updates. If that hadn’t been the case I would have been quite confused, which I suppose is on theme for the show but there can be too much of a good thing!

Fortunately the cast is all top rate and up for any improving and the demands the physical comedy requires. Keith McKay Evans is the standout as the show’s director Chris and he also plays Captain Hook/Mr Darling. Most of the chaos revolves around a showmance love triangle between Sandra who is playing Wendy (Twyla Wilson,) Jonathan who is playing Peter Pan (Jacob Chapman,) and Max who is playing Michael (Colton Hattabaugh) but only got the job because his family is the benefactor who allows the production to have such fancy sets. The back and forth between these 3 actors is very funny and keeps enough of a through-line to give some story and not just be a series of antics.

That said, the antics are very funny. Some times it’s the big over-the-top scenes with trees falling on the stage frightened Lucy (Ali Bennett) and other times it’s smaller gags that are stretched out and repeated to great effect like when the narrator Francis’ (Ben Parkes) automated chair keeps malfunctioning. I do think the show doesn’t use the Cornley Society crew as well as the traditional Wrong. Also because the sets keep changing it’s harder to pull off smaller gags like how the original has the jokes with the mantle or the various wall-hangings. One of my favorite gags in the original is when the props get messed up and each actor has to pretend a book is a key, a cup is a telephone etc. There aren’t as many smaller jokes like that in this Peter Pan version.

Still it is very funny and at the end of the day that’s what matters most in a comedy. I was laughing throughout and the cast was all selling the jokes well. It does have some more saucy humor particularly with the love triangle but nothing beyond a PG-13 type level. It is playing through May 9th and worthy of your time and money. There’s so much actually going wrong in the world head up to Hale and have some laughs with fake things going wrong. It’s quite cathartic really! Tickets can be purchased here. Frozen at Hale is also fantastic at their other larger theater.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong is written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields of the Mischief Theatre Company. It first premiered in London in 2013 (just a year after The Play that Goes Wrong premiered.) It recently had a run on Broadway in 2023.

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.

In the world of the jukebox musical there are shows that rise above the genre (usually because of a captivating book) like Jersey Boys but then there are others that are just for fans of the musician being profiled who want to his or her songs performed by a Broadway pro. The new Neil Diamond musical A Beautiful Noise is strictly the latter but as his songs are quite catchy it’s an entertaining enough night of theatre. Your mileage may vary depending how big of a Neil Diamond fan you are (I kept thinking about that quote in What About Bob? “There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t. My ex-wife loves him.” Everyone at Eccles theater where the national tour of A Beautiful Noise is performing definitely likes Neil Diamond, and I guess I do too because I had a good time.

The best way to look at this musical is as an extended concert. In fact, I wish they took the Ain’t Misbehaving route and just went full-on musical revue because that’s what works in the show. Diamond has a lot of hits stretching over many decades and it’s a lot of fun to hear the songs, well sung by young Neil played by Nick Fradiani. The highlight is of course “Sweet Caroline” which we find out literally saved him from a deal with the mob. “Cherry, Cherry” and “Cracklin’ Rose” are also highlights (btw I hate that the program has the songs in alphabetic order not in order sung.)

The ensemble seemed a little wasted and outside of his wives and a few managerial type roles, I didn’t really need any other performers on stage. Director Michael Mayer delivers the big spectacle on the concert scenes and the costumes by Emilio Sosa are very impressive with some extremely quick costume changes.

My big gripe with the production is the decision to surround the songs with an annoying narrative device of older Neil (Robert Westenberg) telling his problems to a therapist (Lisa Renee Pitts.) There’s no other way to say it but this was completely cringe and I hated every time they went back to it. Worst of all they kept trying to sell these great insights about loneliness and somehow kept bringing up frogs and kings and I had to work to contain my groans. Luckily they get back to the songs rather quickly but what an unnecessary and ineffective aspect of this musical! The songs are of course by Neil Diamond with a book by Anthony McCarter.

Still, if you are a fan of Neil Diamond than the music will definitely entertain you, which is the main point of going to a show like A Beautiful Noise. It is playing at the Eccles until January 25th 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.

When they first announced that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic Broadway musical The Phantom of the Opera would be available for high schools to put on I was skeptical. I doubted whether teenagers could pull off the opera required in numbers like “Think of Me” and “Prima Donna” nor did I think high schools would be able to mount the sets and props required for it to work. Now I have seen 3 productions over the years and I am delighted to be wrong. All of them have been outstanding including the latest put on by Ziegfeld Arts. It truly was an unforgettable night of theatre.

My seatmates told me they only had 5 weeks to put on this show, which I’m not sure why it was so limited but holy cow! I do not know how director Kristin Parry made this all work so seamlessly. I really have very few notes that could be improved. I saw the Opera cast, and I wish I had time to see the other one because it’s hard to believe there’s a whole different group of teens doing this material. Kayleigh Eagle should submit for the Jimmy Awards with that voice. She didn’t miss a note the entire night but she also invested us all in emotional journey of Christine especially when she is grieving in “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” and feeling sympathy for the Phantom at the ending.

I can’t explain it but there is a little bit of a nerdy energy to Landon Fugal’s portrayal of The Phantom (I’ve always thought that was the case especially with his confidence in his terrible opera and portraying himself as Don Juan.) They put a lot of scar makeup on him and it was starting to fall off by the end but he soldiered on and did a terrific job. The rest of the cast is excellent and the crew managed the set transitions very well. The costumes (including all the opera gowns) by Karly Van Komen would be at home in any permanent production.

The only major item they could work on is the lighting sometimes provides a glare on the screen which obfuscates the projections making it look like a white background or rainbow colored background. If we are going to all the effort to design projections as part of our sets than we want to make sure we can see them clearly. Unfortunately tonight is the last night of this The Phantom of the Opera (the Opera cast was crying as they took their vows and it honestly made me tear up. What a cool experience to be part of!) but I will definitely be on the look for more Arts Academy shows at the Ziegfeld in the future. It’s been a while since I have been at this venue but happy to be asked back. One can find out more about them here.

The Phantom of the Opera has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe with a book by Stilgoe and Webber based on the classic novel by Gaston Leroux. It first premiered in London in 1986 and then on Broadway in 1988.

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.

I love any chance I have to support teens in the arts whether it be a youth production or at a high school it is a privilege to see emerging talents blossom. This weekend I had the joy of seeing the teens at Liahona Preparatory Academy in their latest production of Children of Eden and they once again knocked daunting material out of the park. What director Jordan Long pulls off with these talented teens is always outstanding and this was no exception.

First of all it should be clarified that this was not Children of Eden Jr. No it is the full adult version with 33 songs! They could easily have done the teen version and nobody would have questioned it so it’s pretty impressive they took on the complete version. It also has an absolutely massive cast with most of the actors taking on multiple roles (the first act is the Adam/Eve story and the second act is Noah.) I was very excited to see this musical because the last time I saw it was when BYU did it way back in 2009! It’s such a daunting show that it’s not tried often. Plus, not every company wants to take on such overtly Christian material (Stephen Schwartz says it’s not a Biblical musical in the director’s notes but I think that’s kind of ridiculous. Just because it is also a father story doesn’t mean it’s also not Biblical.)

I love the fact the ensemble at Liahona is so large and involved in the production. The choreography by Joleah Long is varied from contemporary to tap and so many of the students get to have solos and play named characters. The Storytellers were particularly impressive along with Brigham Ker as Father and James Fox and Lily Bennion as Adam/Noah and Eve/Mama Noah respectively. The set for act 1 is kept on the simple side (set design Brian and Canon Hadfeild) but then the ark in act 2 is large and impressive. The most awe-inspiring scenes of the night are the rain sequences on the ark with Yonah (Katira Davis) singing “Stranger in the Rain” and Japeth (Ryker Trumble) and Yonah singing “In Whatever Time We Have.”

The only major thing I would change about the night is I wasn’t crazy about the backtrack they were using. It sounded synthesized and electronic. I guess I prefer something with a little more of a traditional orchestral sound. It’s also a long show and there will probably be some who wish they had done the Jr version! But I was very impressed with the students and Jordan Long for continuing to push his teens with bold ambitious projects. I will always be first in line to see what they are working on! There is one more night to see Children of Eden at Liahona and tickets can be purchased here.

Children of Eden features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John Caird based on the Biblical book of Genesis. It first premiered at the West End in 1991 but has shockingly never been in New York- not on or Off-Broadway.

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 theatre lover friends. I hope that you are doing well. The beginning of the year is always slow theatre-wise because of the changeover from holiday to other shows but I do have 2 performances to report on. Both of these were technically comped but I a choosing to just do the logs for various reasons. This upcoming weekend I have several teen shows I will be seeing so that should be a blast to write about. Anyway, here’s some thoughts on 2 recent shows I saw

The Last Five Years- Hart Theatre Company, Salt Lake

The main reason I am not doing a full review of The Last Five Years at Hart Theatre Company is frankly they never gave me a program. Pretty hard to write a review without a program! I’m a big fan of The Last Five Years, particularly the songs, so I attended the production with a lot of excitement. While it does have much good about it, particularly Rebecca Lichfield as Cathy, it didn’t quite come together for me as an interpretation of this musical. It’s certainly not awful but also a weaker version of this material than I have previously seen.

My biggest gripe with the production is Diego Rodriguez as Jamie. He lacked the swagger and confidence one needs for the character. Ideally we should dislike Jamie because he cheats on Cathy but we should also find him oddly compelling especially because he starts the musical young and in love.

That brings me to my other major gripe is the direction by Morag Shepherd forgoes the tradition of having Jamie and Cathy not interacting on stage until the wedding (if you don’t know they are telling flip sides of their love story.) Maybe I’m too attached to the way I’ve always seen it but having them touch, exchange clothing, be on a bed together etc takes away from the building tension and the importance of the “The Next Ten Minutes.” I guess you could say it’s a new take on the material but it didn’t really work for me.

Fortunately, like I said, I did like Lichfield and the musical itself is fantastic so there’s that to enjoy. It’s currently playing at the Regent Black Box at Eccles. The Last Five Years is currently playing until the 18th and tickets can be purchased here.

Now over to Heritage Theatre in Perry, Utah. Instead of a traditional musical or play they are doing a revue full of Rodgers and Hammerstein songs. This is all directed by Kaylee Nelson who also did the scenic design, choreography and props for this production (she is certainly busy!)

The production is more like a recital full of songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It has a small cast of only 5 but by the end of we get 33 songs from a variety of shows to enjoy. I appreciate they even include songs from lesser-known Rodgers and Hammerstein shows like Flower Drum Song. It’s also nice to enjoy the more dated songs from something like The King and I without the more outdated elements.

Some highlights are “The Gentleman is a Dope,” “I Enjoy Being a Girl,” “This Nearly was Mine,” and “Don’t Marry Me,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” and “I’m Goona Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair.” It’s by no means a professional production at Heritage but it is a charming amateur show and one I had a good time watching. It is playing through January 17th and tickets can be purchased here.

Please let me know what you have been watching in live theatre in 2026 so far. “Some Enchanted Evening” contains songs with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein with a concept by Jeffrey B Moss. The Last Five Years has music and lyrics and book by Jason Robert Brown

These logged shows I usually 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.

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great Christmas holiday and are enjoying the beginning of the new year. Make sure you check out my Best of the year post here but also I did an end of the year podcast for Onstage Blog here:

I do have a couple of shows in the final weeks of December to log (not full reviews just a few quick thoughts to shows I attended as a patron)

The Nutcracker- Ballet West, Salt Lake

I am not that much of a ballet person but Ballet West is one of the best ballet companies in the world and I will usually try and and at least see The Nutcracker during each holiday season. If you didn’t know Ballet West rendition of this ballet was the first full-length production in the United States- first in San Francisco in 1944 and then moving to Utah in 1950 with choreography by William Christensen. It just shows what a legacy of the arts we have in Utah that we had the first Nutcracker in the whole country!

The spectacle is incredible with beautiful sets and costumes throughout. The night I attended Dr Drosselmeyer was performed by Dominic Ballard with Loren Walton as the Nutcracker Prince and Lexi McCloud and David Huffmire as the Snow Queen and King respectively. Katlyn Addison and Adrian Fry really stand out as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier. My favorite section is the presentation of the Kingdom of Sweets to the royalty. I like the variety of the music and dancing in that sequence. If you want to introduce your family to ballet you can’t go wrong with Ballet West. They are world-class. More information can be found here.

A Christmas Carol- Hale Center Theatre, Sandy

Next up I saw A Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theatre in Sandy. I love Hale and even though it was my 5th viewing of A Christmas Carol this season I loved getting to see the production there with my Mom and sister. This is a classic staging of the Dickens story but it’s elevated with wonderful music and visual effects one expects with Hale. This is directed by John J Sweeney and David Weekes brings a sarcastic light-hearted take on Scrooge and the story. I particularly enjoyed what I call ‘crazy Scrooge’ when he gets all excited at the end.

Alex DeBirk was a sweet Bob Cratchit and Aioleoge Lesa stood out as our boisterous Ghost of Christmas Present. Like I said, the visual effect add a lot with Jacob Marley’s face giving a jump scare at the door and his chair getting literally elevated above the stage. Moments like that could only come at a place like Hale Center Theatre. Hale has a very promising 2026 coming up including an entirely new stage! More information can be found here.

Pride and Prejudice- Centerpoint Legacy Theatre, CEnterville

I’ve already logged Centerpoint‘s production of Pride & Prejudice here on the site but I had the chance to see the other cast before it closed on Dec 30th. The production sold out immediately so I felt quite lucky when tickets became available. My Dad, sister and niece ended up joining me and they all enjoyed it as much as I did. I love the way director Brighton Sloan worked in the projections into the black box space. It creates an immersive experience that is so much fun for fans of the material.

The TThS cast was all excellent but Andy Conlin as Bingley, Jordan Palmer as Mr Collins, Jessica Rampton as Mrs Bennett and Laurel Morgan as Mary Bennett especially stood out. I think I might have preferred the other Darcy and Lizzie better but I still really enjoyed Lily Hilden and Garrett Stephenson in those roles. It was just a wonderful production and I’m so glad I got to see it a second time. Centerpoint is a terrific bargain and their upcoming season is not to be missed. More information can be found here.

So that’s the last logs of 2025. Happy New Year and let’s hope we have loads of great theatre and the arts to enjoy in 2026.

The Nutcracker has music by Tchaikovsky and was first performed by Ballet West in the United States in 1944 with choroegraphy by Willam Christensen. A Christmas Carol is based on the novella by Charles Dickens with a book adaptation by Melany M and Richard G Wilkins with original musical score by Barlow Bradford. Pride & Prejudice is based on the novel by Jane Austen with an adaptation by Melissa Leilani Larson.

These logged shows I usually 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.

I also did a podcast ep on Rachel’s Reviews specific to the best of Utah theatre you should check out

I always love a chance to get to see something new at the theatre. Of course, I adore the classics as well but original material is always a treat. It’s also fun to see how a work evolves and changes as it goes through various iterations. The latest new show for me is Star of Wonder, a new holiday show at West Valley Arts. Naturally I love holiday shows but this is a touching story about grief, healing and the true message of Christmas.

This musical is written by local Utah playwright James Conlee and he does the music, book and lyrics (along with using many traditional Christmas carols.) He tells the story of the famous World War 1 Christmas truce where both sides of the battle stopped fighting and exchanged Christmas pleasantries together for a moment. I’ve heard of this story and even seen the excellent film Joyeux Noel about it but what was creative about this treatment is it focuses not on the event but on the PTSD of the soldiers who participated.

In Act 1 the friendships between the soldiers is built up all leading to the truce at the end and then Act 2 is the most reluctant Jack and his survivor’s guilt in returning from the war. Will Buhler gives a powerful performance as Jack with Kaden Conrad, Jake Oaklyn and Setu Lealagota as the other soldiers. They all have a nice chemistry together and feel believable as friends.

The production is kept simple by director Bruce Craven so we really can focus on the soldiers and their struggle. The costumes including convincing soldier uniforms are done well by Kris West and the lighting by Kai Sadowski captures the mirky war setting well in Act 1.

There are times the narrative drags a little in Star of Wonder, and they could probably cut at least one of the traditional carols out but I still enjoyed it. It’s nice to see something around the holidays that focuses on the religious tradition of it all and the healing that can come from hope and increased faith. I’m certainly glad I attended and it was a nice reminder of what really matters in this busy time of year. Unfortunately Star of Wonder finishes tonight but they always have interesting stuff at WVA so they are worth checking out and supporting. Find out more 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.