When I saw 12 Angry Men on this year’s Hale Center Theatre schedule I was surprised and intrigued. Hale is usually known for doing big spectacle musicals even on their Sorensen Legacy Jewel Box Stage. So, I was curious to see what they would do with a one-room, character piece like this. Now I have seen it, and I hope they are encouraged to take more risks like this in the future because it is an outstanding production and one I highly recommend.

Of course, I am very familiar with the 1957 film version of 12 Angry Men starring Henry Fonda as our brave Juror 8. Before that film it was a teleplay in 1954 starring Robert Cummings, which is kind of interesting. I can’t think of that many works that started as a TV movie and then went to stage and film (Cinderella comes to mind which debuted in 1957 so maybe it was a TV movie movement at the time?) All the versions were written and adapted by Reginald Rose so I suppose that is why they are all so effective. In addition, 12 Angry Men is a virtual showcase for actors, particularly character actors, to shine. In the film giving talent like Ed Begley, Lee J Cobb and Jack Warden a spotlight is incredible to watch (insane that nobody in the cast was nominated for Oscars that year!)

At Hale the cast is up for the legacy and gravitas this piece demands. Paul Cartwright and David D’Agostini have probably the most flashy parts as the racist/xenophobic Jurors 3 and 10 respectively, but the other actors have equally impactful if less bombastic moments. For example, Randy Honaker is really lovely as the tired weary older man of Juror 9. Morgan Gunter brings just the right amount of likability with a little smugness to our lead Juror 8. I noticed in the program a lot of actors making their Hale debut, which I love to see. A company like Hale should be cultivating new talent and widening their acting pool beyond the same expected faces.

This production at Hale is directed by Stephanie Breinholt, and she does a good job creating an atmosphere of heat and tension that boils over as the men talk. She has clearly brought out the best in her cast and in a play like this that is essential to its success. The set by Jenn Taylor is incredible in its attention to detail even making sure to account for the bathroom seen behind the door in the courtroom. It is also amazing to watch the projection of the city behind the windows with the rain changing throughout (video/projection design Madeline Ashton.)

The themes of 12 Angry Men are interesting to consider. In truth there are no perfect cases without any holes given to juries. Yes there needs to be beyond reasonable doubt but that’s not no doubt. If we held all evidence to such exacting standards we might never convict anyone (if every witness is wrong, every testimony false etc) But in the end, it’s an underdog story and who can’t root for that? Especially when it involves saving the life of a young man who obviously was in a bad situation. It also tries to show what 12 ordinary men might act like if placed under a microscope. It’s set in 1957 but would it be any different today (although juror 3 and 10 really should have been eliminated in the juror selection process)? Maybe? Maybe not? I suppose that is why it still rings true today and the production at Hale is as effective as it is. It’s truly a must watch of this theatre season. I may try to see it again with the other cast. I was that impressed.

With 12 Angry Men and Finding Neverland both playing I can’t think of when Hale has had a stronger 2 show line-up than what they are currently offering. Season ticket holders are definitely getting their moneys-worth there this May and June. 12 Angry Men plays through July 26th and ticket 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 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.