fantasy

CHAC’s The Lightning Thief is as Electrifying a Production as Possible (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

This last weekend I had the chance to see a new production of The Lightning Thief by the incredible Cottonwood Heights Arts Council and even though I find the material they had to work with weak they put on a very strong piece of community theatre.

Of course, The Lightning Thief is a musical based on the books by Rick Riordan and it tells the story of Percy Jackson the teen kid who much like Harry Potter finds out he is special and even goes to a special school (or camp) that helps instruct the half-blood children of the Greek Gods.

The biggest problem with this show is the book of the musical is very weak. The narrative is choppy without a clear focus and characters are introduced and then forgotten about and then brought back out of nowhere. The scenes have little cohesive flow to them and aside from Percy the character development is confusing and poor.

All that said, the team at CHAC did everything they could to make this flawed show engaging and artistically interesting. It was a big step up from the last production of this show I saw in basically every aspect- from the acting, to the directing, to the singing. If you are a fan of this musical (which I know especially young people and fans of the books are out there) then you will love this production.

What impressed me the most is the control of the story director Lauri Baird is able to bring to an ungainly script. I love how she makes every scene visually interesting with elements like puppetry, action and dance (members of the Aerobatics Circus Center perform.) This helps so much because even if I’m a bit lost on what is happening with poor Percy I can still be entertained with what is occurring on stage.

I also found Garrett Stephenson to be a strong lead as Percy with Kat Tietjen and Austinn Le relishing the chance to take on many over-the-top roles. They also have a live orchestra at CHAC (director Robert Bedont) so one really could not ask for more from a piece of community theatre. The choreography by Karllen Johnson is visually interesting and helped me understand the mythical characters that had previously been confusing.

Much like Footloose which I just reviewed at Hale Center Theatre, The Lightning Thief provides a lot of points of conversation for parents to talk with their teens. Plus like I said, this production is a way to introduce them to so many aspects of musical theatre including dance, instrumental music, puppetry and more. All this for under $15? It’s a no-brainer! It is playing through July 19th and tickets can be purchased here.

The Lightning Thief has music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki with a book by Joe Tracz based on the The Lightning Thief novel by Rick Riordan.

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.

‘BETWEEN THE LINES’ SURPRISES AT THE EMPRESS (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

As much as I love seeing the classics of musical theatre it’s also exciting when I get the chance to see something new and fresh. Such was the opportunity I had this week at The Empress Theatre with their new production of Between the Lines. I had never heard of this musical but evidently it had an off-Broadway run back in 2022. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel I found it to be a charming coming of age story the whole family will enjoy.

While watching Between the Lines I couldn’t help but think of a few other shows that try to do a similar thing. In particular I thought about Freaky Friday which I have also seen at The Empress (among other places.) Both shows are about a mother and daughter and both interweave fantastical elements into a modern story. The problem with Freaky Friday is some of the ideas feel more awkward than effective, and I genuinely think Between the Lines gets the balance of tones right with more effective songs.

The story for this musical revolves around a teen named Delilah who is frustrated at school and dealing with her parents divorce at home. Her escape from these problems is to dive into a novel and in particular fairytale stories with princesses and heroes. Her latest discovery is a book from the library called Between the Lines. As she reads the characters literally come alive for her and one day she even ends up inside the story of the book.

With there being a real and fantastical setting there allows to be a lot of different types of songs with the actors getting to play a variety of roles. For example, Dusti Mulder plays the mean girl Allie McAndrews in real life but then plays Princess Seraphima in the fantasy world. Director Austin Kimbell and his team make these changes come off with ease and the writers of the musical do a great job balancing the various tones. I’m particularly amazed how quickly the actors changed costume and hair for the different roles.

Ashley Bates and Alex Parkin lead the strong cast at the Empress as Delilah and Prince Oliver respectively. Parkin is particularly endearing as our frustrated prince who wants to be free from the confines of his book. The highlight for him singing-wise is “Something to Hold On to” and a nice duet with Delilah “In My Perfect World.” I also really enjoyed a number the librarian Ms Winx (Katelyn Johnson) sings called “Mr Darcy and Me.”

As much as I enjoyed Between the Lines at The Empress I do think it is a long sit and the creators would be smart to give it a good edit. There were also some microphone problems the night I attended but nothing that hurt my overall experience. Some of the actors could work on enunciating better- something particularly important as these are all unfamiliar songs for the audience. At the end of the day I’d say it’s one of the more entertaining shows I’ve seen at The Empress and definitely worth your time. It is playing through March 15th and tickets can be purchased here.

Between the Lines has music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel & Kate Anderson with a book by Timothy Allen McDonald & Jodi Picoult based on the novel by Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer

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.

‘HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD: TEEN EDITION’ DELIVERS THE MAGIC AT RIVERTON HIGH (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

Last fall I had the chance to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Teen Edition at a local high school and while I was impressed with the teens I did not like the play itself. After this experience I was hesitant to review the play again but when Riverton High School invited me I decided to give it another chance. While still not my favorite play I did like it more this time and was thoroughly impressed with this production.

What I always look out for in a high school production is how many students are involved and is the director getting the most out of those students. Director Clin Eaton and his team at RHS seem to be achieving this in spades as the ensemble is massive and as many students as possible are given lines and moments to act in the play. For example, one of my favorite sections of the play is a long stretch where a ton of the kids perform magic tricks for the audience. Not only did they all excel at their tricks but it makes me happy to see so many students getting their moment to shine.

In my previous review of Cursed Child I mentioned the heavy use of projections over traditional hand-made sets. While this is still the case at RHS I had less of an issue with it as the students were clearly involved in other aspects. I don’t mind projections, but I just don’t want it to be a replacement for the positive experience building sets and painting backgrounds is for teens and the opportunities for more teens to get involved. This production had almost no practical sets but the visual effects in flying, quick costume changes were enough creativity for me to be impressed in these areas.

As far as our cast they all are excellent with Cade Snarr and Carter Reid leading the cast as Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter respectively. Other standouts in the large cast are Taya Faragher as Delphi Diggory and Tyler Summer as Harry Potter. The dynamic between Harry and Albus is definitely something that teens and parents of teens will connect with and it is the best part of Jack Thorne’s unwieldly play (I can’t believe it is even longer on Broadway and in other formats!)

Like I said, the visual effects they use at RHS for this production are a ton of fun. In one scene not only are deatheaters flying all around the stage but they came into the audience and even landed on my shoulder. That is a ton of fun and is guaranteed to get young students excited about theatre, which is the whole point of high school theatre. While I saw Cursed Child on its closing night I’d definitely keep an eye out for RHS and what they are producing next because between this and Hadestown (which was maybe the best high school production I’ve seen) they are doing outstanding things at this high school’s drama department.

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.

TEENS GREAT. PLAY NOT SO MUCH… THOUGHTS ON HARRY POTTER AT EAST HIGH (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

It’s always an interesting experience when I’m asked to review high school or youth productions. How do you offer constructive critique when learning and making mistakes is literally part of the purpose of the experience? High school productions should be inclusive and exciting with as large ensembles that give kids the chance to try something new for the first time. In this sense Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: High School Edition at East High School was a resounding success. The chemistry amongst all the teens was obvious and they clearly stretched themselves in many ways including the many strong performances.

That said, I was not a big fan of this play. I know on Broadway it has a lot of awe and spectacle but I can’t imagine sitting through an even longer version of this story. I’m told the West End production was a two day event. Kill me now. But I am also not a die-hard Harry Potter fan. I have enjoyed some of the movies and books but really disliked the parody play Puffs and the Fantastic Beasts movies were painful to sit through. So if you are on board for all of that maybe you will find more joy in this journey than I did.

As far as the cast I love how big it is and the polyjuice transitions are very well done as are the costumes, Some standouts are Maxium LaPlante as the Sorting Hat and Oliver Oviedo as Professor Snape. Chaudron Brock Beesley and Wesley Magda have terrific chemistry as the 2 leads Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy respectively and I really enjoyed Liam Riedelbach-Armer as Draco Malfoy. They all did everything they could to elevate the story and create believable characters.

While I do think the direction by Kevin McClellan and Lucy Law was stong in getting the most from their young performers they could have been a little more creative with the production details. Most of the sets and atmosphere are created through video projections. While I know this is all the rage at all levels of theatre it denies the opportunity for the students to learn how to build sets and props and makes the experience feel more generic when it could be a chance to express their unique creative voices. I have very fond memories of painting set panels for my high school productions and while I’m sure they didn’t look as polished as a projection they were ours, homemade by us. Maybe that’s nostalgia talking but it just seems like a missed opportunity.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: High School Edition is a play by Jack Thorne, based on an original story by JK Rowling, Thorne and John Tiffany. It’s not for me but I’m sure big time Harry Potter fans will enjoy it more. It has finished its run at East High School but you can find out more about their drama department 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.

‘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.