Hello theatre lovers! I am here to give you 2 quick updates on shows I saw this last weekend- both shows that have a lot of nostalgia for me, which always makes for a fun watch. I also had a great time interviewing my former teacher Dave Smith on Theatre Tuesdays. He is the director of education at Hale Center Theatre in Sandy and used to teach me for voice lessons at Hale Center Theatre Orem. We covered a lot of ground including my great love for Daddy Long Legs and Hale’s production of Singin’ in the Rain from 2022. We also solve the mystery of the Hale water tank so it’s a good listen!

Newsies- Hale Center Theatre Sandy

Not only did I get to interview Dave, but I also got to experience his latest directorial efforts at Hale Center Theatre Sandy with their new production of Newsies. Perhaps this connection makes me a little bit biased, but I thoroughly enjoyed this musical and as someone who loved the movie growing up (even though it got tons of hate!) this show at Hale brought me all the Newsies feels I could ask for.

The Broadway rendition of Newsies took the film and refined it making it the best version of itself it could be. It has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman and a book by Harvey Fierstein (he less successfully updated Funny Girl recently on Broadway.) My favorite part of this production is the comradery the boys had together. Led by Weston Wright playing Jack Kelly and Ethan Freestone playing Crutchie this felt like a group of friends, which is something sometimes missing with the sleek productions at Hale Sandy.

I also appreciated the creative use of the stage and how they integrated real life headlines into the video clips shown in the background. Hale provides a spectacle that no other theatre in Utah can match and Newsies used every inch of that stage to its full potential (scenic design by Jenn Taylor.) They had a few sound hiccups on my night of performance, and they were still finding their home with some of the choreography, but I still had a great time with this wonderful, energetic take on a show I admittedly love. The highlights were probably the group numbers like “Carrying the Banner” and “King of New York.” The cast chemistry amongst the young men and women was able to shine in these numbers.

It will be interesting to watch it at Lehi Arts Council next week as I’m sure it will be an equally great but more intimate take on this wonderful show. If you are interested in getting tickets to the Hale production you can do so here.

Les Miserables national tour- broadway at the eccles

My regular readers will know how important Les Miserables was to the formation of my love of both theater and music. Outside of The Little Mermaid it was the first piece of media I ever truly loved and there was a point in my high school years I knew literally every word to the show. Even now seeing the national tour at Eccles I was silently mouthing the words as it was being sung by the actors (I would never sing out loud like a group of teenagers rudely did when I saw Beetlejuice on Broadway!) I do think, however, because I have such nostalgia for Les Miserables and I’ve seen it so many times I am perhaps a little more nitpicky than I might otherwise be. This was a decent production and the show with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and a book by Schonberg and Alain Boublil still holds up to this day.

My favorite part of this Les Miserables National Tour is the cast particularly Haley Dortch as Fantine and Christine Heesun Hwang as Eponine. Preston Truman Boyd was also strong as Javert and I loved his rendition of “Stars.” Nick Cartell was mostly strong as Jean Valjean although I felt after nailing “Bring Him Home” his voice kind of lost him and he had some weak moments (understandable especially after that long high note in “Bring Him Home”.) This production has the new staging without the rotating stage and I must admit I don’t care for it. I miss being able to see the entire barricade and get a full sweeping look at what is happening. Also they make the bizarre decision to have “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” in the abstract without chairs or tables and little memory balls that the departed friends pick up as the song commences. This was so strange and really took me out of the otherwise well-sung moment. This version also uses projections to create the effects of the sewers and other sets which is fine but did feel a bit generic at times.

Other than that it’s Les Miserables. It’s a great show with a powerful message of hope and redemption. I will see it any time it is performed; although, I do think the version at Hale Center Theatre Sandy in 2021 (which is the first show I saw after being vaccinated) was better across the board. At the end of the day (see what I did there…) it’s Les Miserables, and I will always enjoy seeing this show, even if it’s a flawed production. If you want to find out more about this production check out their website here.

Hi friends! So I’ve had another busy week of theatre and the arts and I thought I would update you on what I’ve been able to watch.

RELATIVE SPACE

First, I was able to see a new musical Relative Space at Creekside Theatre Festival and you can read my review on UTBA here. I don’t think it is close to being ready for NYC but it was fun to see something new

SARA EVANS

I’ve been a big fan of Sara Evans for many years. She has such a unique quality and timbre to her voice, so I jumped at the chance to see her in this year’s Scera Shell in Orem. Fortunately she did not disappoint. At first I was worried she was only going to do new songs from her album Copy That but then she ended the concert with classics like “Suds in the Bucket” and “Born to Fly.” She was personable and engaging on stage and it was fun to have her daughter Olivia not only sing back up but a full song. It was very entertaining. The Scera Shell season (including outdoor movies- I saw Mulan last week and it was a blast) is one of the best deals in Utah County and worth investing in even if you can’t attend every event in the package (if you can it’s definitely worth it!) You can learn more about it here.

PUFFS (WVPAC)

I have never been that big of a fan of parody. A lot of times it doesn’t strike me as clever and is more a bunch ‘this looks like something you know.’ I’m also not a huge Harry Potter person, although I do enjoy them. So Puffs really wasn’t made for me and it didn’t win me over. I found it very looks-like in the humor, and I wasn’t laughing. I must admit I left at Act 1 intermission because I had a very busy day, and I just wasn’t enjoying it (I never do this but I could tell it wasn’t for me). If you like parody and/or are a big Harry Potter fan than you may like it more than I did. Puffs is finishing up this weekend but then they have West Side Story coming up Aug 3rd. That will be amazing so don’t miss it!

MACBETH (TOOELE VALLEY THEATRE)

Saturday was a special day because with Puffs and my evening show, Macbeth at Tooele Valley Theatre, it marked my 200th live theatre performance attended since getting vaccinated in April 2021. Fortunately I picked a great show to mark this occasion with TVT doing a special performance of Macbeth that I thoroughly enjoyed. Tucked away in a small cement amphitheater literally in the mountains (a deer came up to the stage just before the performance. That’s how wooded it was!) I was treated to outstanding performances and an intimate, simple production of perhaps Shakespeare’s most accessible play? PJ Stinson and Zel McAllister were very compelling as Lord and Lady Macbeth but the star of the show was Steven Argyle as Macduff. When he finds out what has happened to his family it is devastating, and we are invested in him getting his revenge on Macbeth. I am sure some could find flaws in this production but it was so neat to be out in nature hearing these time-tested words performed well. I absoloutely loved it. Unfortunately I also saw Macbeth on the last night but you can find out more about TVT here.

OLIVER! (HALE CENTER THEATRE OREM)

It’s always a fun experience to see musical with a member of my family and this week I got to do just that at HCTO’s Oliver!. I saw it with my sister and niece. It’s not a perfect show by any means but has some real entertaining songs and the staging was excellent as always at Hale. I really appreciated how director Ashley Gardner Carlson expanded the small stage with platforms for the actors to move about on. This added layers for the acting and showcased the energetic choreography. The whole cast is excellent with John Wakley as an endearing Oliver and Stephen Kerr as a charismatic Fagin. Bryan Harper did such a good job as the evil Bill Sikes that the crowd booed at his curtain call. If I were that actor I’d take it as a big compliment that people were so invested in my performance to boo! Nancy’s arc in the story is frustrating but accurate to the novel and some of the side characters like the Bumbles get more time than they need but it’s still overall a classic show well told. Oliver! is playing at HCTO Aug 5th and tickets can be purchased here.

42ND STREET (CENTERPOINT LEGACY THEATRE)

42nd Street is one of those musicals I’ve heard about but actually never seen until last night where I got the chance to see it at Centerpoint Legacy Theatre. I love CLT, and they have never missed in terms of production and the quality of the singing. This was no exception. 42nd Street is not a show you go to see for the plot (barely any exists and its one we’ve seen in many other musicals like Thoroughly Modern Millie and Crazy for You) but the song and dance are exciting and classic songs like “Young and Healthy” and “Lullaby of Broadway” are catchy. The choreography by Bailee DeYoung is the real star here with fun and energetic numbers with lots of tap dancing. Also I appreciate the casting of Danna Facer as Peggy who had an enthusiasm that fit the hopeful wannabe Broadway star character. I also really enjoyed Judy Binns as the veteran actor Dorothy Brock. The incredible costumes were also a standout by Brianna Taylor. I particularly loved a sparkly rainbow dress in the finale of Act 1. 42nd Street does feel long especially with how little story there is, so I don’t know if I’d jump to see it again. But as always they did a fantastic job at CLT. It is playing until July 11th and you can get tickets here.

Theatre Tuesdays

Hi friends! I clearly have gotten behind on my theatre logs. I did review the amazing Somethin Rotten from Midvale Arts for UTBA here. Then I went to Christmas Con so that was super fun and I have been keeping up my Theatre Tuesdays over on my channel (make sure you are subscribed!) Above you can see the Tonys recap with Marc Bonanni who was actually at the ceremony!

Then today I had actress Caitlin Olsen on the pod for Theatre Tuesdays. She performed as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde at OPPA in 2022 and really inspired me. I now wills see anything she performs in and it was so much fun to get to know her better.

Theatre recap

So I saw 5 shows over this last long weekend I’d like to update my readers on. All were wonderful experiences and I feel so fortunate to live in a state that gives me such incredible theatrical opportunities.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAl- murray city arts

There are some shows that are just a joy to watch and I’d say High School Musical is one of those. It’s bubbly and energetic and a ton of fun. This version was done at the Murray Ampitheatre and it’s where I have seen amazing shows like Shrek: The Musical and Little Women. As is appropriate most of the cast is teens or young adults and they had a wonderful chemistry and were up for all the choreography and singing. My friend Amber Kacherian played Ms Darbus with a lot of humor and even came out and chatted with the audience. It was also very impressive they had a full band for a small community show like this. Unfortunately they had tons of microphone issues which I know they were very frustrated with. Still, I had a blast with this show and recommend checking out their future shows Cinderella and Seussical. More information here.

WAIT UNTIL DARK- HOPEBOX THEATRE (SILVER CAST)

Hopebox Theatre in Kaysville has quickly become one of my favorite local venues. I love the mission of the theatre in helping a cancer patient with each show but have also found the quality of the productions to be uniformly excellent. Fortunately Wait Until Dark was no exception. I love the movie with Audrey Hepburn and have seen the play one time before at Hale Center Theatre a few years ago. The first half can be a bit dry as they build up all the details of Suzy’s life and her vision abilities (the world’s greatest blind woman.) Then it all pays off in the second act when her life becomes threatened. Jillian Joy is outstanding as Suzy and Spencer Mack is chilling as Mr Roat. The production design is also outstanding- really capturing a 1960’s apartment and creating a completely dark atmosphere when it is needed. I appreciate they took a risk at Hopebox doing this show and it is playing until July 1st so go out and support it here. You won’t see a better version of this play even on Broadway.

KINKY BOOTS- THE ZIEGFELD THEATRE

Before their production of Kinky Boots started at Ziegfeld in Ogden they received an unwarranted amount of attention from trolls online upset they were putting on a drag queen show and that they offered a ‘student night’, which they do for all their shows! I definitely wanted to make sure to support them after such a ridiculous outcry (if you don’t want to see it folks don’t go!) and I was very pleased to see a full house!

This was my first time seeing Kinky Boots and for the most part I really enjoyed it. I did find the book to be a little uneven especially in the 2nd act when Charlie gets uncharacteristically angry and that seemed to come out of nowhere. But aside from that the show has a very positive message and “Raise You Up” is the stand out song. I was most impressed with Sydney Lorraine Vance as Lauren. I loved her singing voice and she rocked the fashion so well. Awesome. Andre-MarQuis Mitchell was also strong as Lola. The production design was all excellent and the whole experience was life affirming and wonderful. It closes this weekend but can get tickets here.

FOOTLOOSE- KENSINGTON THEATRE

I must admit that Footloose is not my favorite Broadway musical. Some of the songs are fun but the story of this entire town banning dance is a little silly for my taste. Nevertheless, I love Kensington Theatre (so underrated) and wanted to support them, so I went out and saw it Monday night. I’m glad I did. Not only was the production value outstanding with professional quality sound and a dramatic bridge set but all the performances were excellent. I particularly enjoyed Lucas Morley as Ren, Isaac Butler as Willard and Elizabeth Birkner as Rusty. I challenge anyone to find a more competently produced version of this show than the one you can see at Kensington. They even have a live band to accompany the show, which makes a world of difference. The show plays until the 6/26 and you can get your tickets here.

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I have to admit I am not the biggest fan of the musical Hello Dolly. It has a few standout songs but I mostly prefer them in Pixar’s Wall-e than in the actual musical. I also find the story to be on the bland side and it just doesn’t do much for me as a piece of musical theatre.

That said, Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy is always excellent at big spectacle productions so I knew this version of Hello Dolly would be outstanding and it actually was! It’s still not my favorite show but they did about as good a job with it as can be done. Director Ryan Simmons has filled the stage with incredible sets including a large full scale moving train and enough confetti to rival any New Years Eve celebration (set design Kacey Udy)

I saw the MWF cast with Jennifer Parker Hohl playing Dolly Levi and she was good in the role. I appreciated how she and the other performers brought out the comedy in the show. I’ve never thought of Hello Dolly as that funny of a show but they proved me wrong by interacting with the audience and making everything as funny as possible.

There was also a sense of Victorian whimsy to the costumes, sets and other production details (costumes by Joy Zhu.) I particularly liked Dolly’s iconic red dress we get for her iconic “Hello Dolly” number.

As is always the case with Hale the singing in Hello Dolly is top notch. Also the choreography by Afton Wilson is outstanding. Sometimes in theatre in the round you can end up seeing the backside of most of the characters if you get unlucky (recently happened to me at Hale Orem’s Once) but that wasn’t the case here. The multi-layered circular sets moved around enough to make sure everyone got a good view of the action.

Hello Dolly will never be a favorite show of mine but I do respect its role in musical history and it has a couple of bops. However, I would still recommend heading out to Hale to see the show because of the incredible spectacle and quality singing. Plus, they brought out the humor of the show, which was fun.

Michael Hohl is good as Horace Vandergelder but he’s written as kind of a pig so I don’t know how I feel about him and Dolly ending up together. I particularly don’t like his song ”It Takes a Woman.” Gross

It says sold out on many of their shows but there were a lot of empty seats when I went so don’t be afraid to go standby or call the box office to see if any late cancellations. Hello Dolly plays through June 10th and you can find out more here.

Avenue Q is one of those shows I’ve always been intrigued by but never got the chance to see it. I honestly knew it for the fact it beat Wicked at the Tonys winning Best Musical, Book, and Score. Of course, I also knew it is a raunchy musical with puppets and you don’t see those every day. This last Saturday I got the chance to see Avenue Q at The Sanctuary Theatre Company in Salt Lake and it was a fantastic experience!

Sanctuary Theatre is a very small black box style theatre that focuses on diverse and blind casting boasting ‘talent above looks.’ Some of the Avenue Q cast had more experience with puppetry than others with the most seasoned pro being Tobias Flenderson who performed puppet Rod. Emma Thomas was also great as Kate Monster who has my favorite song of the show “It’s a Fine Fine Line”

I recommend if you go and see Avenue Q that you arrive early. The way the seating is arranged you will want to be as close up as possible to have the best experience and there also isn’t a ton of parking at the theatre. A few of the songs were probably funnier in 2004 when the musical was written (Music & Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, Book by Jeff Whitty) but feel more awkward than funny today particularly “If You Were Gay” and “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” but I still enjoyed them. The cast for the most part is energetic and great with the puppets so it all works.

The way they did the Christmas Eve character wasn’t my favorite but McKenna Jensen is a lot of fun as Gary Coleman (although less funny since he’s passed away in 2010.) This show is obviously for adults only but it does give a fair amount of sweetness along with the shocking content! Director Connie Beaty stages everything so you become invested in both the puppeteer and the puppet which is not an easy task to achieve!

I definitely recommend checking out Avenue Q at The Sanctuary Theatre Company, which plays until the 27th (it’s a small theatre so its selling out.) It’s funny and unique and would be a great show to go to with friends and have a rousing discussion with after the show. You can purchase tickets here.

I’ll be honest with you my loyal readers- sometimes I don’t feel like seeing a show I have booked. Especially with this new job I can end the day exhausted and wanting to just crash but I have tickets to a show I scheduled weeks ago for that very night. 9 times out of 10 I get out there and use my ticket and I’m always glad I did. Even if the show isn’t great I rarely regret making the effort to support local theatre. Such was my experience yesterday at Draper Historic Theatre’s produciton of Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical. I was tired after a long nearly 8 hour shift and wondered if I should just eat the ticket. Well, I went and I’m so glad I did because it was an amazing experience!

Despite being in my hometown I had only been to DHT one other time and it was years ago to see a production of A Christmas Carol. They have a reputation of doing a lot of parody theatre which isn’t my favorite so I hadn’t given it much thought. Now after seeing what they did with Jekyll and Hyde they are on my radar and I will be seeing more shows there.

This was also my first time seeing Jekyll and Hyde on stage. I’m a big Linda Eder fan so I had heard the songs many times but never actually seen it. I know it doesn’t have the best reputation as far as its book (and I can see why. It takes forever to introduce Hyde) but the spectacle and theatricality of the songs and story provide a lot of great opportunities for actors to really go for it in their performance. It was a ton of fun.

For a small stage (sold out crowd which I love to see) director Melissa Van Dam uses the areas they have well even bringing the actors out into the aisles, which I love in theatre. There’s one point where Jekyll was practically singing to me all covered with blood and it was a blast! I also thought the costumes by Katrina Smith and Rachel Edlund were strong for the entire cast and how they created a distinct identity for both Jekyll and Hyde was brilliant.

All that said, the real standout of this production is the unbelievable performance by Tanner Tate who I don’t think I’ve seen before. It is shocking to see such a gorgeous belting voice in a humble little theatre in Draper. Especially as he is increasingly torn between Jekyll and Hyde his performance grows and becomes so manic and intense it’s honestly better than this material or venue deserve. I don’t give hyperbole lightly but I was blown away by him. Whether it is the power ballad of “This is the Moment” or the sexy “Dangerous Game” Tate and his beautiful voice and tremendous acting are outstanding and worth making the trip to Draper if you can (He’s in the MWF cast, and I feel bad for the TTHS guy because there’s no way he’s as good as Tate.)

The girls are also good particularly Rachel Olsen who plays Lucy but Tate was just on another level. I hope he keeps performing and I will see anything he is cast in the future.

As far as critiques there were some microphone issues but mostly the backtrack wasn’t the best. I wish they could have had a better one but when the singing is great I can forgive a weak backtrack.

Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical is playing at Draper Historic Theatre until May 27th and you can purchase tickets here.

Like most Broadway fans I love Hamilton (of course) but I also love Lin Manuel Miranda’s first musical to hit big In the Heights. In fact, I think musically it’s as strong as Hamilton with Hamilton having the edge in the book department (although this is still an entertaining book.) I’ve seen In the Heights a number of times and loved the 2021 movie that deserved much more love than it got. Today I got the chance to see a new production of the musical at The Grand Theatre at SLCC. It was a preview performance so it will probably grow and develop throughout its run but I still thoroughly enjoyed this production and highly recommend you check it out.

The best part of the show at The Grand is the production design by Caroline Cain and the dancing with choreography by Vincent Ortega. The Grand stage lives up to its name and is a lot of stage to cover but they did a great job capturing Washington Heights with the various stores, hair salon and limo service. The cast is large and the choreography makes it feel like a community with big bold movements. At times the actors do forget to walk through established doors and walk through what are supposed to be walls but that’s a small complaint for a wonderful set.

I enjoyed all of the performances of In the Heights but my favorites were the female characters especially Sophia Morill Mancilla as Vanessa. She has fantastic chemistry with Armando Serrano who plays the lead Usnavi and her solo in 96,000 is gorgeous. Sonia Mairtza Inoa-Rosado Maughan is also strong as Abuela Claudia- the grandma for all the characters on the street.

Director Vincent Ortega has clearly worked with his cast to develop a sense of family and community and that works wonders in making this production work. Even if a few of the singers are imperfect it doesn’t matter because that’s the way communities are. We are imperfect, unpolished humans and a home is where we can be our flawed selves. In a way the imperfections make the whole experience more memorable and endearing.

I do wish they had been able to spring for a live band. That would have added a lot but I understand not always a possibility. I also loved the fireworks sequence at the end of Act 1. Lighting designer Paul Yeates pulled that off beautifully. Tickets are $24- $30 which is well worth it for the quality of the production. Get your tickets here

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One of my favorite local finds of the last 2 years is the charming and wonderful Empress Theatre in Magna. I had never even been to Magna before seeing my first show there and it’s a lovely little town and the Empress has been there since 1916! Recently they had to cancel 2 of their shows because of grant cuts so if you can support them please do. They deserve it.

The latest show at the Empress is Disney’s musical take on Freaky Friday. This is the 4th version of the body swapping mother/daughter story from Disney and it’s a show that makes a lot of interesting choices. I wish I could have gone with someone who has a teenage daughter because I’d love to hear their take. The Disney Channel has done a filmed version of this story and you can hear my thoughts on that and the other 3 versions on Hallmarkies Podcast with my friend Marisa.

It was quite brilliant of the Empress to have Freaky Friday in May to coincide with Mother’s Day and I was happy to see the seats mostly full. They always do such a great job there I hope the word continues to spread. Fortunately Freaky Friday is no exception to this excellent trend. The biggest strength to the show is the performances of Beck Skeen as Ellie (daughter) and Jen Kroff as Katherine (Mom). They are fantastic at embodying a teen in a mom body and a mom in a teen body- no small task but they are up for the challenge.

At first it was a little stressful because Kroff was wearing too big of shoes and I swear I thought she was going to turn her ankle about 100 times but she finally took them off and threw them to the side. There were a few mic problems but other than that their performances are allowed to shine and I bought them as mother/daughter.

The rest of the cast is also excellent with Eli Carillo standing out as Ellie’s boyfriend Adam and Parker Jones as young Fletcher (during “Parents Lie” he truly looks devastated as the song goes on.) I also enjoyed how director Beth Bruner used the entire stage including a platform area to tell the story and a scene with a wedding cake toppling over was very convincingly done (I gasped!) (props manager Jennie Jonsson did an excellent job with that cake)

To be honest, as a show Freaky Friday is a work I’m a bit torn on. It makes very interesting choices with the characters and story. There are 2 songs in particular that I’m not sure if they are brilliant or just plain weird:

First, there is a song called “Biology” which is sung by mom in teenager body which is very strange when you think it is sung by an adult.

But the really strange song comes in “Parents Lie” sung by teenager in mom body to her little brother. On one hand I like the subversiveness of being frank with children but it goes too far and I don’t think teen Ellie would be so mean to her brother- saying hugs are a lie is a lie and I don’t think she would be that bitter and again mean to her little brother. It feels weird to have an adult sing that to a child.

Obviously the Empress has no choice but to perform these songs as written but I just think it makes for a strange and uneven experience of a show. But it’s one that I would be interested to talk about with teens/moms to see how they feel.

If you’ve seen Freaky Friday on stage or the DCOM I’d love to hear what you think. In the meantime, it’s playing at the Empress until May 27th so get out there and see it! You can purchase tickets here.

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