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UTAH THEATRE LOG 11/10-11/14 (HOPE FOR THE FLOWERS) (RACHEL’S THEATRE LOG 71)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi friends. I hope you are doing well. I have just a quick update for you today. On Sunday I was able to see a new original musical Hope for Flowers at the Hart Theatre Company and it was a sweet and memorable production. I always love seeing new material and being a part of the workshopping experience. Sometimes shows can be more a work in progress than others but with Hope for Flowers there’s a lot of potential to have something special that really works.

Hart Theatre Co is in the Lightree Studios black box space and they have continually impressed me with the way they are able to manipulate and expand the small area and this is definitely the case here. They manage to have 2 levels of action happening and a 14 piece orchestra! I honestly could have just listened to the orchestra and been highly entertained. Talk about truly going above and beyond for a production to have so much live music.

I also enjoyed the overall aesthetic director Ben Henderson created with fluorescent colored sets and costumes (producer and costume designer Emily Wells.) The overall vibes reminded me of Seussical which is appropriate given it is also based on a children’s book (by Trina Paulus, music lyrics and script by Cathy Neff, stage adaptation by Henderson and Chase Ramsey.) It tells the story of a caterpillar who is trying to find his life’s meaning beyond his pre-destined role as a butterfly. Sunday night featured Geoff Beckstrand as Stripe, our questioning caterpillar, and Sam Torres as his love interest Yellow. They are both very talented singers and dancers with Torres doing very impressive work on the aerial silks.

While the story is cute I’d say the overall experience is more the appeal of Hope for Flowers. The dancing (and like I said aerial acrobatics) are exciting and dynamic and the orchestra is very impressive. If they wanted some advice on the overall show I would say to add a few more high tempo songs like “Sour Grapes” sung by Lisa Nicole Thurman (my favorite number.) A lot of the other songs meshed together as bland ballads and a show needs a mixture especially if it is trying to appeal to kids.

But I definitely think Hope for Flowers at Hart Theatre Co is worth seeing and would be a great way to introduce kids to live music, dance and sweet storytelling. It’s playing until Nov 24th and you can purchase tickets 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 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.

UTAH THEATRE LOG 10/15-11/9 (EVIL DEAD, THE WOMAN IN BLACK, THE ADDAMS FAMILY) (RACHEL’S THEATRE LOG 70)

| Rachel's Reviews

It’s kind of crazy and exciting that my last theatre log was almost a month ago ending on 10/14. This is not because I’m seeing less theatre but because more companies are asking me to review their shows and do full detailed reviews. I technically have written 6 reviews in between my last log, which is what I want to see happening! If you are part of a company that would like longer reviews than these logs (which I pay for out of pocket) just let me know and I’d love to watch and review your show.

Anyway, this log is a special one because the 3 shows I’m reporting on were part of my friend Jacklyn Collier’s visit to Utah. She is my co-host for City Girls Pod on Hallmarkies Podcast and also for the OnStage Blog Theatre Podcast and my best friend. I just wish she lived closer but it was super fun to introduce her to Utah and the Utah theatre scene. Even though she was only here for 2 weekdays we still managed to squeeze in 3 shows and it was super fun (she was here on Halloween week so all 3 were horror-themed.)

EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL- SANCTUARY THEATRE COMPANY, WEST JORDAN

I am by no means an expert on the Evil Dead movie franchise. I think I’ve seen the original film once in college and never watched any of the other entries. Nevertheless, when I heard Evil Dead: The Musical was coming to Salt Lake and the Sanctuary Theatre I was very excited to see it. In a world where I see the same shows on repeat (which I’m fine with) this was something fresh and new (to me at least) and the fact I would get to see it with my best friend was extra exhilarating.

Even with this enthusiasm I was a little anxious because Sanctuary is what I refer to as a ‘learning company’ meaning many of their cast are trying out acting for the first time and it can be amateur to the extreme there. I try to be forgiving because there are so few places in Utah for people to experiment and try theatre for the first time but it can be a rough sit.

Fortunately I did not need to worry and this production of Evil Dead: The Musical was by far the best thing I’ve ever seen at Sanctuary and a blast from beginning to end. Directors Connie Beaty and Joshua Garretson brought out the best in their cast and used the incredibly small black box space to its full potential and integrated all kinds of effects and video clips into the production. We were not in the ‘splash zone’ but at only one row behind it we still got some stray ‘blood’ which was really fun.

Hunter Williams was stoic and commanding as Ash but my favorite performance of the night was Ariel Tegan as Annie. She has a terrific comic timing and sold all her songs like “All the Men in My Life…” I also really enjoyed Gwen Anderson as Cheryl who was also very funny.

Sanctuary has already announced Evil Dead: The Musical will be back in 2026 and I know I will be first in line for a ticket. We have a whole episode of the podcast coming on it which I will share when it posts. If you have a chance to see it in your area it’s a truly great time that I highly recommend. The run this year has finished but you can find out more at Sanctuary here.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY- HALE CENTER THEATRE, SANDY

Because we had such limited time the only company that produces an afternoon show on Friday is Hale Center Theatre and as Beauty and the Beast isn’t running yet we went to see The Addams Family which I already did a full review of here. I was hopeful we might get the other cast given I saw the T/Th cast previously but it was a combination of casts given it was the 4pm time. I’m actually not even sure who we saw as the program was a little unclear but it was fun to see Dallin Bradford again as Uncle Festor. He brings the sweetness and energy the role requires.

I don’t have much additional to say. The Addams Family has its flaws as a show (I hate “Full Disclosure” song and sequence to end Act 1) but in the end it’s about a family and has a nice heart to it. My favorite song is “Happy/Sad” sung by Gomez and Josh Richardson sang that it beautifully here. I do wish Hale would give a discount for the Jewel Box seats that are off to the sides because you really do miss a large portion of the performance, but we still had a good time. I honestly think this is the best show Hale has done this year. It was fun to introduce Jacks to Hale especially after seeing such a small production at Sanctuary (we really saw the full spectrum of the Utah scene.) The Addams Family plays until Nov 16th and you can purchase tickets here.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK- PARKER THEATRE, SALT LAKE

After seeing The Woman in Black at The Covey in September I was really looking forward to seeing what Parker Theatre would do with the same material and was excited to show this incredible company and theater to Jacks. (It was really funny because the Covey performers all happened to be there that night as well as my friend Heidi and Steve, so I think Jacks thought I knew everyone there LOL.)

To my delight Parker did not let me down with this production and Jacks is a really fun person to watch a thriller with. She gets really into it and vocally shrieks at the surprises, which made everything more fun. It also helped this time I knew what was coming with the structure of the play (it’s a play within a play) so that wasn’t as jarring as at the first time. Director Brinton Wilkins did an incredible job creating atmosphere and pulling off the big scares and surprises. The lighting is always incredible at Parker and lighting designer James Parker kept up that tradition creating spooky environments and the right amount of darkness to pull off the surprise. The sound design by Spencer Hohl was also very effective.

But the true praise goes to the 2 actors Michael Hohl and Lucas Charon. Particularly Charon gave an unforgettable performance because so much of what he must do as Kipps is imaginary. He has to make us believe he’s driving a trap or chasing after a dog and he did so with seeming ease. It was as an equity-worthy performance that I only wish more people could have seen. If you haven’t gotten season tickets to Parker I can’t recommend it more highly. They truly think of every detail down to the themed concessions to go along with every show. It was such a fun night. I highly recommend their A Christmas Carol which starts November 23rd and you can purchase tickets 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 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.

‘PETER PAN’ NATIONAL TOUR IS SURPRISINGLY MAGICAL (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

Of all the classic stories of childhood I have never been that drawn to the story of Peter Pan. Whether film or theatre I would way rather watch something on The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland and certainly Cinderella than Peter Pan. With this background when I saw the national tour of Peter Pan was coming to Eccles I wasn’t very excited. Nevertheless I always try and go into any play or musical with an open mind and it’s a good thing I did. To my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed this production and hope people will give it a chance as it comes to a city near you.

Peter Pan is of course based on the classic play by J.M Barrie (1904). Music was added in 1954 and it has had many film and television adaptations including the iconic 1953 animated Disney film. In general the songs in the animated film are better, although at times more problematic, than this musical but they both have their entertaining moments and capture the escapism of Neverland. My favorite version of Peter Pan is actually the 2003 version starring Jeremy Sumpter and Jason Isaacs but most of them have their fans.

The most successful aspects of this production land where it embraces both spectacle and tradition. Most companies are using a lot of video projections these days often with AI-inspired or created graphics. This can create a plasticy and cheap looking effects but this production used the projections beautifully. Particularly in the flying sequences the projection work by designer David Bengali took my breath away. I also appreciate the nearly gratuitous glitter usage to add to magic of the flying effects. The flying was just incredible (Did I mention I liked the flying?)

The direction by Lonny Price in general is super impressive. I couldn’t believe how quickly they made scene changes and maneuvered their large cast around. The cast is also wonderful in their roles especially Cody Garcia as Hook/Mr Darling (although his accent did wander throughout the night.) He nailed the comedy of the character and that’s what’s most important. I also enjoyed Nolan Almeida as Peter and find it refreshing they went with a young man over the traditional middle-aged female casting to the character. It was a little strange to have Hawa Kamara as Wendy when she is clearly an adult and John and Michael are  children but I got used to it fairly quickly and her singing is lovely.

My main quibble with the production is the needless attempts to modernize the script. It’s frankly lazy and groan-inducing when we hear references to viral videos and social media in our Peter Pan retelling. I also see no reason to get rid of Nanny the dog in favor of a gen-z babysitter. It’s also not more empowering for Wendy to be super into medicine and want to become a doctor as opposed to being a mother (the Disney version we get a whole song about her being a mother which I love.) Stuff like that takes me out of the moment and is distracting when stories like Peter Pan should be timeless.

That said, I still really enjoyed the national tour of Peter Pan. It is the perfect combination of magic and big-hearted storytelling. If it is coming to a city near you I’d definitely check it out. It would be a great way to introduce kids to their first Broadway musical. Peter Pan is playing at the Eccles until 11/10 and you can purchase tickets here.

Peter Pan has music by Jule Styne, Mark Charlap, and Trude Rittmann with lyrics by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Carolyn Leigh. Based on the book by J.M. Barrie.

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. Please take a look here.

‘WAIT UNTIL DARK’ BRINGS THE THRILLS AT PCT (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

There are some plays and musicals that just work. They are so carefully crafted and simple in structure that it becomes almost impossible for a company to really screw them up. Wait Until Dark is such a play. I have seen it many times over the years and I always leave having had a great time. The recent production by Payson Community Theatre is no exception. They do a terrific job for a community theatre staging of what may be the best thriller play ever written.

First performed on Broadway in 1966, Wait Until Dark,(play by Frederick Knott) is not only entertaining but it somehow manages to feel fresh in a world where horror and thrillers feel played out and unoriginal. It even has quite possibly the most iconic jump scare in the history of theatre (or the 1967 film adaptation.) One watches it and outside of the landline phone pretty much every other aspect could still happen today to a blind woman liked Susan.

At PCT Adam Cannon directs with a high attention to detail. I particularly enjoyed how the set up of the apartment (set designer Victoria Larsen) is used to add tension to each scene. It is staged as a basement apartment and the window (which favors into the plot) on the back wall allows us to get a peak of who is about to come to the door and knock. It’s like a little hint before the blind Susan can be ready.

Speaking of Susan, Ester Slaeker is excellent in the role. She makes sure she accounts for every piece of furniture and challenge a newly blinded person might experience. Craig Gardner also has just the right amount of camp as Harry Roat. Jane Champion is a likable rascal as Susan’s neighbor little girl Gloria.

Being an amateur production there are little foibles here and there but nothing that hampered my enjoyment. My main critique is I wish they had kept the total darkness just a hair longer so the light from the fridge has the huge impact it is meant to have. Also the performance is at Payson Junior High and the chairs there are of the folding medal variety which can be hard on ones back. I recommend bring a back pillow or seat cushion to help with this problem.

That said, if you like a good old fashioned thriller you’ll love Wait Until Dark at PCT. There are moments you’ll be tempted to grab the hand of the person next to you and squeeze it to relieve the tension. It’s a night of thrills and chills. To be sure!

Wait Until Dark runs through Nov 9th 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. Please take a look here.

‘4/20/99 A STORY OF COLUMBINE’ REMINDS US OF A CHILLING DAY IN RECENT AMERICAN HISTORY (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

Most of the time as a theatregoer and critic I look at a piece through a lens of entertainment. If I’m watching a musical I ask myself how engaged I was with the music and dance elements? If it’s a straight play how engrossed am I with the story and performances? However, there are times when an experience at a theatre takes on more of an educational role helping us to engage with historical events and social issues on a more visceral and artistic level. Such is the experience at the recent performance of 4/20/99: A Story of Columbine at the Regent Black Box at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake. It is a grueling experience but powerful and worth experiencing and remembering a violent day of American history.

In this play writer and director Autumn Marie Cazier takes us to the days before the Columbine High School Massacre as perpetrated by teens Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. Evidently these 2 made the Columbine Tapes before their decision to stage a mass shooting at their high school and which much of their dialogue in the play is based off of. These events are particularly poignant to me because I graduated from high school in 1999 (I was attending community college for my senior year) so I was the same age as the Klebold and Harris and vividly remember seeing the events play out on the news.

The most impressive aspect of 4/20/99 is the performances from the mostly young cast. Ryan Munsey and Andrew Myers are realistically chilling as Klebold and Harris. The way they talk about blowing up their classmates as some kind of dare in a movie (Natural Born Killers is a particular favorite) is chilling and unforgettable. Anell Gathercole is also excellent a Robyn Anderson who is making understandable decisions for a simple teenage girl not realizing they will have disastrous consequences. We as the audience know what horrible mistakes she’s naively making and can only watch in horror.

The actual events of the massacre play out in Act 2 and Cazier uses sound (sound technician Ian Bengyzen) to take you to the high school and that moment as well as making sure the emphasis is on the victims with photos and words in memoriam for each of them. For the most part these scenes are played out without much artistic license with one exception. In a portion of the tapes Dylan talks about a halcyon girl who will welcome him into the afterlife. At one point he dances with this girl and because everything else is so grounded and real I found it confusing and strange. It just didn’t fit tonally with the rest of the play in my opinion.

I also worry the play loses some of its efficacy when it becomes too much of a trauma dump. Perhaps such issue-oriented violent plays would be better as one acts or smaller skits? It’s a lot to take in such anger and hatred especially from teens. It would also be nice if such performances were more action-oriented. What I mean by that is we as the audience are put through a traumatic experience and surely the creators must have something specific they want us to do with that trauma? They present a bunch of statistics for violent crime but what’s their hopeful solution? A lot of things have been attempted to help with gun crime over the years but to no avail. A specific call to action could help transform the play from something upsetting to empowering.

That said, if you get a chance to see 4/20/99: A Story of Columbine I recommend it. It’s brutal but also a searing and extremely well acted reminder of what two bitter hearts can do to others if left unchecked. The human heart is truly capable of some horrible actions and that is terrifying and humbling. The play’s run has finished at the Regent but you can find out more about future productions 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. Please take a look here.

‘MISERY’ IS A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE AT IMMIGRANT’S DAUGHTER (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

As a theatre critic and patron of the arts I am always looking for new and exciting productions I can experience. Such is the case with the latest from Immigrant’s Daughter and Lil Poppet Productions and their staging of the play Misery. It is unlike anything I have ever been a part of before, and definitely one of the theatrical highlights of 2024.

Misery is a play adapted by William Goldman from the popular novel by Stephen King. It was made into an Oscar winning film starring Kathy Bates and James Caan and adapted into the play in 1992 for a premiere in the West End in London.

The premise is simple (which most good horror is simple in my experience.) A man Paul wakes up from an accident finding he has been ‘rescued’ by a woman named Annie who claims to be the ‘world’s biggest fan’ of his writing. As it turns out she has crossed that bridge from fan to psychopath and we spend the next 2 hours with mostly these two characters in a tit-for-tat over control, manipulation and obsession.

Director Morag Shepherd is brilliant to stage the play in the ceramics room at Westminster College. The small setting allows for the actors to be in close contact with the audience so it becomes an immersive experience. I think I had the best seat in the entire group and many times Tyson Baker looked directly into my eyes as he desperately tries to figure out how he can get out of this insane situation. I can’t think of a time when I have been more connected to a performance in my life as a theatregoer.

Stephanie Stroud is also brilliant as Annie. She has the cadence and mousiness the role requires but it feels totally believable when she transitions into her darkest tendencies. Both actors put their entire body and souls into the performances, and I find it hard to believe they have the mental strength to do what they did on a daily basis and sometimes twice a day.

Unfortunately today is the last day for Misery but I know I will definitely have my eye on Immigrant’s Daughter and Morag Shepherd in the future because this was truly an unforgettable experience. I only wish the run was longer so more could experience it. You can find out more about the company 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. Please take a look here.

‘PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC’ AT PTC CANT RECOVER FROM A BLOATED SCRIPT (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

When I was setting up this site I was very thoughtful about the scoring ruberic I would use. At first I considered the smile and frown worthy system I have for movie reviews (for that site), however since I review so much community theater giving anyone a frown didn’t feel right. What I came up with instead was ‘go see it’ and ‘not for me’ and the latter is how I feel about today’s play. Prayer for the French Republic is not a bad play and will probably resonate with many theatregoers. Indeed much about the production at Pioneer Theatre Company is praiseworthy and handsomely mounted but it is definitely not for me. It might be for you, and I celebrate that but let’s talk about why the experience was not as edifying as I might have hoped.

To begin with I do admire PTC artistic director Karen Azenberg’s ambition for adding such a fresh and difficult to market play into their season. The length and topics discussed are not going to be for the average casual theatregoer and that’s what keeps people coming back to PTC time and again. It may not have paid off for me but I do appreciate big swings and that’s what they took. She also directed the production which was effective in spite of its many moving pieces.

The cast is all uniformly strong with Salt Lake royalty Jayne Luke stealing every scene she is in as the 1944 section of the script. I just saw her in Arsenic and Old Lace and it was delightful to see a totally different type of character from such a talented actress. I also enjoyed Kim Taff as 2016 daughter Elodie Benhamou. She has a monologue to open Act 2 which while it goes on far too long was delivered with a dry sense of humor. None of the actors attempt a French accent which I found surprising but I guess that was the case with the Broadway play as well.

The set by Bryce Cutler is also very impressive with them creating a kind of black box on stage with black curtains surrounding an apartment framed in by a white box with lighted walls going way high into skies. They also used the middle of the stage to swap out different apartments creating the 1944 vs 2016 settings including at different points a bedroom, a full kitchen and more.

My problem with Prayer for the French Republic comes down to Joshua Harmon’s script. It’s not just that it is 3 hours with 2 intermissions (I enjoyed The Lehman Trilogy at PTC last year that’s also long with 3 acts.) The problem is the flipping back and forth between the 2 eras makes it difficult to invest fully in the narratives of the characters. This is especially a shame with the 1944 section because the perspective of a post-Holocaust Jewish family is interesting and one I haven’t seen much of in theatre or film. I have felt the same way in other split time narratives like The Joy Luck Club (book and film) where the modern section feels so much less compelling than the older one. Why does it seem like modern characters spend most of their time in these narratives complaining? This is exemplified by Elodie’s monologue which while funny did become ponderous after a while.

The whole play feels bloated and to use a pedestrian term frankly boring. Particularly the modern characters aren’t sharing authentic experiences but are speechifying to each other and to the audience, which again, becomes tedious and bland. I know it was a very successful play on Broadway and has a lot of fans but at least in this iteration it did not work for me, and I left feeling more tired than intrigued. Others mileage on Prayer for the French Republic may vary so if it sounds intriguing check it out. It is playing at PTC until Nov 9th 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. Please take a look here.

‘SECRETS OF SLEEPY HOLLOW’ AT THE HIVE IS A NEW TAKE ON A CLASSIC GHOST STORY (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

As a patron of the arts and critic I am always rooting for local original productions and hopeful they will be great experiences I can champion. However, I was a little nervous going into Secrets of Sleepy Hollow at The Hive Collaborative in Provo. I love the Disney animated classic based on Washington Irving’s short story from 1820 but I really disliked a musical version I saw last year at WVPAC. I wondered if the actual story just isn’t for me and it has to be Disneyfied for me to enjoy it or if it was just the musical? Well, I saw the version at The Hive and while it is not perfect I enjoyed it much more than the previous one.

This straight play called Secrets of Sleepy Hollow is adapted by Mahonri Stewart and directed by Jason Purdie in the small intimate space of The Hive. My favorite aspect of the production was the use of thin muslin panels when lit to create silhouettes to tell the ghostly sections. There are 3 panels so the storytelling could go across the stage in shadows and that was a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed Act II more as the action started to build momentum and the plot became more focused and easier to follow.

The cast is very talented with Joel Ackerman bringing a charm to Ichabod and Darci Ramirez a quiet strength as Alice Hudson. My friend didn’t like the ‘silly girls’ of Guenevere and Gertrude Goosen played by Christina Craven and Alisha Laidlaw respectively, but I actually thought they were nice comic relief and were very convincing in their accents.

Perhaps because I am not as familiar with the Irving story as some, but I do think Stewart could work on making particularly Act 1 a little tighter with a clear story arc for Ichabod. I wasn’t really sure what his goals were as a character. There’s one moment where he talks about loving food, but we don’t get the building greed or superstitious nature of the animated short. I realize this is not the short but what that does well is it builds his character bit-by-bit until him getting spooked in our big finale makes complete sense. There’s honestly a lot happening plot-wise for a small cast. A part of me actually wondered if it would be better starting at the beginning of Act II and making it a one act?

Nevertheless, there is a lot to enjoy in Secrets of Sleepy Hollow. The production establishes a spooky atmosphere and mood, and I really did love the silhouette effects used throughout. If you are open to something a little more experimental than head over to The Hive for a ghostly good time at the theater! I actually think it could make a good date night because a lot of different relationships are portrayed. The play runs until Nov 2 and you can purchase tickets here.

Also I was on KSL’s Fan Effect program talking about Sleepy Hollow with my friend KellieAnn Halvorsen and Ackerman. You can listen to it 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. Please take a look here.

UTAH THEATRE LOG 10/12-10/14 (JEKYLL & HYDE, LITTLE WOMEN) (RACHEL’S THEATRE LOG 63)

| Rachel's Reviews

There must be something in the Utah air right now that everyone is feeling Jekyll & Hyde and Little Women! I’ve reviewed them both recently, and now I am logging them again. Luckily they are both shows I enjoy, so I don’t mind seeing lots of different takes on the material. So let’s talk about these fun shows:

JEKYLL & HYDE- WEST VALLEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, WEST VALLEY

Jekyll & Hyde is an interesting show because while I think it could be better as far as its book and pacing its overall entertaining in mood, atmosphere and some banger songs. My favorite version I ever saw was at Draper Historic where Tanner Tate blew me away as Jekyll/Hyde but this production at WVPAC was equally strong. I left with little to no notes. What impressed me the most is how original the interpretation is. It did not feel like a show I had just seen a very good version of on Monday when I saw this the same week Saturday. Director Shelby Ferrin deserves massive praise for seemingly thinking of everything when it comes to this production. It is dazzling.

Rhett Richins is remarkable as our lead Jekyll/Hyde. It is an incredible accomplishment to see him switch between the 2 characters in every way, voice, timbre of singing, posture, everything. He is as accomplished an actor as any equity actor I’ve recently seen. Jessica Knowles Andrus is also remarkable as Lucy with a beautiful belt for songs like “Someone Like You.”

I loved the scenic design by Morgan Golightly (what a perfect name for musical theatre!) They don’t miss a beat even making sure the chemical reactions actually happen in Jekyll’s lab and the large set for the Red Rat created visual interest for the dancers in “Bring on the Men.”

The most impressive aspect of this Jekyll & Hyde at WVPAC, however, is the creative choices. Most notably to have the demons haunting Jekyll portrayed by actual dancers who surround our actors and come out into the audience giving everything such atmosphere and tone. I have never seen that done before with this show and it is brilliant.

I read another review saying the actors weren’t syncing well with the backtrack. They must have worked on that because it wasn’t noticeable at my performance. The fact one can see a show of this quality for under $30 is incredible. They should be selling out. It is playing at WVPAC through Nov 2nd and you can purchase tickets here.

Jekyll & Hyde is based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and music by Frank Wildhorn.

LITTLE WOMEN- SANDY ARTS GUILD, SANDY

Moving up as far as setting to the 1860’s we have another adaptation of a classic novel in Little Women at Sandy Arts Guild. Being the oldest of 4 girls and it being the first big novel I ever read Little Women will always have a special place in my heart, and I am pretty easy to please when it comes to adaptations (we don’t talk about the 2018 modern film adaptation…) Fortunately this musical version is lovely, and I will jump at any chance I get to see it.

Of course everyone knows the story about the 4 March sisters during the Civil War trying to make the best of a bad situation. This production in Sandy is directed by Lisa Noyes and she manages to get the best out of her performers and they feel like a family unit- particularly the 4 sisters which is key to making Little Women work. The 2 story set by Cassie Smith and Megan Sternod is very impressive with little details like period accurate wallpaper and a very convincing fireplace we need for the infamous book burning scene.

The costumes by Karen Chatterton are interesting. She definitely embraces the hoop skirts of the era. One doesn’t always see that as the March sisters are usually portrayed as more grounded and earthy than we think of as the hoop skirts of the era. She also mixed patters and fabrics together in a surprising way. In one scene Laurie has a giant bowtie which is something I’ve never seen done quite that way before. I’m sure it must be period accurate but it was unique enough to be intriguing. The wigs are also excellent particularly with Jo’s long to short transformations. It truly looks like she cut the same hair from scene to scene.

My favorite performance of the night is Anne Jensen as Amy. Often times people forget Amy is the youngest of the family, not Beth, but Jensen captures this immaturity well making her a sweet and endearing character. She also manages to keep that young energy as adult Amy but is a believable love interest for Laurie (Rhett Butler.) Derrik Legler is also terrific as Professor Bhaer and extremely convincing with his accent.

My two favorite songs from this show are “Some Things Are Meant to Be” and “Days of Plenty” and both are beautifully performed by Emma Roberts as Beth and Tamari Dunbar as Marmee respectively. I do think the operatic tragedy portions of this adaptation drag and are too long but that’s nothing this production could control.

If you are looking for a great way to introduce your family to musical theatre and classic literature Little Women at Sandy Arts Guild is a great choice. It is playing through Oct 19th and you can purchase tickets here.

Little Women is based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott with music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and a book by Allan Knee.

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 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.