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Utah Theatre Log 11/25-12/14 (She Loves Me, Elf) (Rachel’s Theatre Log 227)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hello theatre lovers. I hope you are having a wonderful December and getting in those wonderful holiday themed shows. Most of what I have seen have been my full detailed reviews as a critic; however, I do have 2 shows I attended as a patron I’d love to catch you all up on. Make sure you are following my instagram for out of show reactions to every show and movie I see (plus other fun content.) I did recently see my 200th show for 2025, which I think is a cool accomplishment for a busy critic like myself. Thanks to all the companies who have let me view their work. It’s something I never take for granted.

She Loves Me- Lehi Arts Council, Lehi

I was thrilled when I found out Lehi Arts Council (one of my favorite arts councils) was putting on She Loves Me for the holidays which is one of my favorite shows. I was even more thrilled when I found out Josh Egbert is playing George because he’s a wonderful local actor. Fortunately the production did not disappoint and it’s one I highly recommend seeing in its final week coming up.

Camilla Curtis plays Amalia and they tell the classic Perfumerie story of 2 coworkers who hate each other in real life but are secretly falling in love over their pen pal letters. While their antics play out on stage we are treated to wonderful songs and a delightful cast including Madison Fitzgerald as Illona and Ed Eyestone as Mr Maraczek (the only time I’ve seen Maraczek with an accent, which is perfect because the musical is supposed to be set in Budapest.) I was particularly impressed with how the cast brought out the humor of the piece making me laugh with their comedic timing and chemistry together. It’s not even a show I think of as particularly funny, but they sold every humorous interaction. Curtis and Egbert have terrific chemistry and they make a couple we are rooting for throughout the story.

She Loves Me at Lehi Arts is directed by Brett Jamison and he makes use of every inch of the tiny space at the center making beds work for multiple scenes or having the store be easy to move around and manipulate into other scenes like the restaurant scene. I loved She Loves Me at BYU last month but this is wonderful as well and well worth your time. It is playing through December 20th and tickets can be purchased here.

Elf: The Musical- Draper Historic Theatre, Draper

Meanwhile over at Draper Historic they are putting on a different fun bubbly holiday musical- Elf. If you have seen the feature film starring Will Farrell than you will enjoy the musical adaptation. It sticks pretty close to the movie with of course songs added in. The songs I think are fairly uninspired but they get the job done I suppose. (If you want to see a fun take on the material check out the underrated stop-motion animated special based on the musical. It’s really nostalgic.)

Anyway, the production in Draper Historic is everything I could want in a community staging of Elf. Director Derrick Cain gets the most out of the tiny stage and large cast. I saw the Twinkle Jingley cast (although it was labeled incorrectly in the program) and while Nathan Krist Janson is a lot of bubbly energy as Buddy (it didn’t feel like an imitation of Farrell which I always appreciate,) the entire Hobbes family stood out the most with Eric Smith as Walter, Katrina Smith as Emily and Sebastian Long as Michael. I particularly liked Katrina Smith and Long in “There is a Santa Claus” in act 2.

They use a lot of projections at this theatre (also designed by Cain) but they do a good job of using them to add to the immersion not as a cheap substitute for practical sets. For example having a screen of Central Park with Santa’s sleigh along with snow coming down and other practical elements adds to the effectiveness of the closing scene or at least doesn’t detract as projections sometimes can do.

I also really enjoyed the costumes by Brooke Holahan and the choreography by Yunnie Kim. Like I said, it’s amazing how much and how many people they get on to the stage in so many scenes. Elf is playing through December 20th at Draper Historic but you’ll have to try standby because it is sold out. The tickets are very affordable and I highly recommend getting a season pass to this wonderful community theater. You can find more information here.

So there you have it 2 quality shows to see this holiday season! Enjoy!

 She Loves Me has music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick with a book by Joe Masteroff. It is based on the Parfumerie play by Miklos Laszlo and first premiered on Broadway in 1963. Elf: The Musical has music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin with a book by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan based on the 2003 feature film. It first premiered on Broadway in 2010 and had a successful revival in 2024

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.

‘An American in Paris’ is a triumph of dance and artistry at The Ruth (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

Of all the performance arts dance is probably my least favorite. I think it’s an incredible skill and the dancers are unbelievable athletes but if I had to pick between a concert, ballet, opera, or play I would definitely pick ballet last. That’s why I was a little hesitant to see An American in Paris which just opened at The Ruth this weekend. I know this is a dance-heavy show because I actually saw it back in 2015 on a quick trip to New York I took that year. Fortunately my worries were put to rest as this new production of An American in Paris at The Ruth is as good as anything I saw on Broadway and a special event in this year’s Utah theatre landscape.

With An American in Paris being so dance-centric it is essential the choreography be compelling and executed well and it is at The Ruth. Director Jennifer Hill Barlow and choreographer Penny Saunders make every scene a stunning work of art where the movement of the human bodies transfixes the audience with its beauty and storytelling abilities. And it’s not just ballet but we see contemporary, ballroom and tap numbers throughout (I am not a dance critic but they all looked incredible to my eye.) The lighting by Ryan Fallis is also stunning with bold red backgrounds and mood lighting particularly standing out. The costumes were made with the assistance of Ballet West Artistic Director Adam Sklute are incredibly well done and almost another character in the dance sequences.

The story is pretty simple with a love triangle between artist Jerry Mulligan (Jonathan Tanner), composer Adam Hochberg (Jordan Briggs), dancer Henri Baurel (Thomas Wood) and the young Lise Dassin (Ella Bleu Bradford.) They go back and forth between who Lise is going to pick and who ‘deserves’ the girl. It’s all perfectly serviceable because it’s all just a setup or framework for the dance.

The only downside I can see with An American in Paris at The Ruth is it is a long show at nearly 3 hours and might try the patience of some who aren’t as impressed by the dancing and want more story. Sometimes I might include myself in that group but when it’s so well executed as it is here I couldn’t help but be impressed. I really wish they had a live orchestra for such an incredible production but I get it. That’s not what they do. It would just add the perfect finishing touch to hear live musicians playing those classic Gershwin tunes.

Many people will be aware of the classic film starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron. That is also a movie that is all about the dance. Tanner has Kelly vibes in his performance. Same with Bradford and Caron. Teaira Burge is also stunning as the rich Milo Davenport. My favorite numbers are the longer ballet dance sequences like “Concerto in F” at the beginning, “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise” and the final “An American in Paris” ballet.

I really can’t recommend this show more highly. I will be seeing the TTHS cast which has Rylee Rogers from Ballet West as Lise, so I’ll be back! All involved in this An American in Paris should be very proud. It is playing at The Ruth through July 19th and tickets can be purchased here.

An American in Paris features music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by Craig Lucas based on the 1951 film.

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.