music

Sun shines on Terrace Plaza’s Bright Star (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

Anyone who has followed my writing for any amount of time knows how much I love the musical Bright Star. It is quite possibly my favorite musical, and I have seen it over 20 times at this point. So I was naturally very excited when I heard Terrace Plaza was going to be putting it on and even more excited when I heard the amazing cast they have assembled. Last night I had the chance to see the Zebulon cast and unsurprisingly I loved it!

The biggest challenge within Bright Star is finding talent that can sell Alice Murphy and Jimmy Ray as both young and mature versions of the characters. Often I leave feeling one side works better than the other but Teaira Burge and Porter Beesley are believable in both versions of the characters and have terrific chemistry together. I also really liked Bryson Wanner and Riley Plott as Billy and Margo. They are very flirty together from the beginning which helps make their friends-to-lovers dynamic all the more effective.

Given I have seen this show so many times it was interesting because I happened to be seated next to two women who were completely unfamiliar with the material. Watching their shocked expressions particularly at the close of Act 1 was a lot of fun and reminded me of why I love this show so much to begin with. This production is directed by Bryant Larsen and he puts his large ensemble to work with dynamic and energetic choreography throughout (choreographer Kaylee Wheeler.) I also really appreciate the period accurate costumes (Jacci Olsen Florence) and hair (Jamila Lowe.)

The most effective sequence of the show is that Act 1 finale with “A Man’s Gotta Do (Reprise)” Lighting designer Laura Crossett uses red and white lightning bolts to create the feel of a speeding train and like I said the shock of the women sitting next to me added to the immersive feeling of the scene. David Storm brings an extra level of manipulative villainy to the role of Mayor Josiah Dobbs and he owns the pre-meditated coldness of that song.

I do prefer when Bright Star can have some live music. It doesn’t have to be a full band. Some community theater productions I’ve seen have had a trio performing and that would have added a layer to the experience at Terrace Plaza. I also wish they hadn’t felt the need to use the AI projections. I understand when dealing with a fantasy setting like Urinetown but when royalty free stock images in a real-life setting could be used that would be my personal preference. In fact, I didn’t really see the need for the projections at all? The wood frame that surrounds the back of the stage is beautiful, and like I said with the close of Act 1, I was fully immersed and on that train just with lighting, sound and choreography.

One of the more challenging numbers of this show is “Another Round.” I understand why the makers felt a need to break the heaviness at that moment but it can come across as jarring in the wrong hands. I like the way Larsen stages the song here with tables in the Shiny Penny and then we have dancers on top of the tables. It helps make the sequence more memorable and unique to this production. Also Kirsi Jarvis is believable as little tipsy Lucy which isn’t always the case with Utah performers (we sometimes don’t do drunk that well in the Beehive state.) Jarvis particularly delivers the lines about her dreaming of becoming a censor with nice comedic timing.

At the end of the day Bright Star comes down to the journey of Alice Murphy and Burge delivers that full life of the character. When she sings “At Last” at the end we feel the relief because we have been on this journey with her from beginning to end, young to old. This is the experience one gets with Terrace Plaza’s beautiful production of Bright Star and it is playing through November 14th. Tickets can be purchased here.

Bright Star has music and lyrics by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell with lyrics by Brickell and book by Martin. It premiered on Broadway in 2016 and was nominated for 5 Tony awards (it would have won some if it wasn’t up against Hamilton I’m convinced of that.)

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.

There’s no mystery as to why Edwin Drood is so much fun at Timp Arts (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

As I was watching the latest musical from Timpanogos Arts Foundation, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, I realized musical theatre loves itself a murder mystery. From Gentleman’s Guide, to Curtains, to Clue: the Musical and many more there’s a lot of murder mystery musicals. Within all of those entries one of the most entertaining entries is Edwin Drood mostly for how interactive it is. As they always do, Timp Arts has put on an impressive version of this mystery musical and they make it a great time for the whole family.

You might be surprised to hear me say family friendly with this musical but they do a good job taming things for a family audience here. There was even a moment where one of the actors reminds the other of the 2 children in the front row watching, which was very funny. Anyway, if you don’t know Edwin Drood is an interactive musical that allows the audience to help tell the story. This works because it is based on Charles Dickens’ unfinished novel so the murderer, detective, and lovers are left up to the audience to vote. The night I attended I could tell the winners of the audience votes were more unusual and that gave such fun energy to the proceedings. In fact, I Beck Mercury who plays Bazzard said it was his first time getting selected for the lover along with Krstysan Williams as Princess Puffer.

One of the challenges of Edwin Drood is its interactivity makes it a little jumbled and all-over-the-place when it comes to story. Luckily the cast at Timp Arts makes this work with their energy and charisma. There isn’t a weak link in the group with Wayne Keller III keeping everything together as The Chairman. Mark Gordon is hilarious as the villainous John Jasper and Lily Shepherd wears many hats (literally) as Edwin Drood.

I really enjoyed how director Andrew Jefferies made use of the entire large Valentine Theater including both of the side platforms and having the actors go out into the audience quite a bit (I love when shows do that!) The sets by Williams was also easy to move around and manipulate into different settings making the transitions quick. I also admire the lighting by Caleb Wallengren which gives everything a professional feel and keeps the atmosphere going even if the script is a bit of a mess. The costumes (particularly for Rosa Bud) are professional quality Victorian era clothes by Brooke Holahan (they always have such amazing costumes at Timp Arts.)

I don’t think the songs are super memorable in this musical. It could be just as fun without the songs but Taylor Ann Jaeger probably has the most beautiful voice of the cast as Rosa Bud. Her rendition of “Moonfall” is gorgeous. Mercury is a hoot with “Never the Luck” and Williams camps it up with Princess Puffer’s saloon-like songs “The Wages of Sin” and “Don’t Quit While You’re Ahead” and more. This musical gets a real jolt of energy in Act II when it starts to become interactive. If you aren’t feeling it to that point keep with it because it certainly left me with a smile by the end.

The sound at the Valentine theater can be a bit of a challenge, and I recommend sitting further back if you can. Also there are times the actors seemed to struggle to be in sync with the backtrack (especially the very fast songs) but other than that this is a great production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. If I had time I’d see it again just to see what it would be like with different results. It is playing through October 24th and tickets can be purchased here. (Also anyone thinking of doing Gentleman’s Guide do Edwin Drood instead! I like it so much better)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood features music, book and lyrics by Rupert Holmes. It is based on the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens and first appeared on Broadway in 1985 and then in the West End in 1987. It had a revival in both locations in 2012. It won 3 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

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. Right now I am crisis with my channel being removed so I could really use your support. 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.

Tuck Everlasting at Sandy Arts Guild is worthy of your time (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

There are some musicals I fall in love with instantly and then there are others that have to grow on me over time. Tuck Everlasting: The Musical is the latter. The first time I saw it I thought it was a real bore but each time I’ve seen it since it’s improved and while I still think it is a bit bloated I find it to be a very sweet and fulfilling musical. In their new production of Tuck Everlasting Sandy Arts Guild continues its outstanding tradition of prestige community theater with a lovely, tender version of this show that is well worth your time.

With direction from Lisa Noyes they tell the story of young Winnie Foster who stumbles upon the Tuck family- a family with a mysterious secret. As she spends time with them (particularly brother Jesse) she learns they mistakenly drank out of a fountain of youth and are immortal. Winnie thinks this is a great idea at first having recently lost her father but she quickly learns this has been mostly full of pain for the Tuck family.

I’m always amazed what Sandy Arts Guild can do with a school assembly hall stage (The Theater at Mount Jordan Middle School.) Auditoriums like this are notorious for being big and boxy and difficult to perform in but they put on such lavish productions you hardly notice. Here they have one beautiful setpiece after another (set design Ricky Parkinson.) I loved the circles surrounding the stage that looked like bubbles coming out of the spring. The carnival set was also bright and colorful. The boat for the fishing scene moved smoothly across the stage. You don’t expect those kind of visuals from a show done at a school like this.

Fortunately the cast lives up to the beautiful stage with Paige Hochhalter capturing all the unbridled optimism of Winnie. The role of Jesse can be on the weird side since he basically propositions a child and tries to get Winnie to agree to join him in immortality in 6 years but Jonah Blaney brings a softness to the role making it palatable. Jennifer Kroff has some devastating moments as Mae Tuck- one can sense her deep loneliness immortality has caused her to feel.

Tuck Everlasting is a show that lives and dies on its dancing. The ballet at the end celebrating Winnie’s life is my favorite part of the whole show (and I’m normally not the biggest dance person so it’s unusual for that to be my favorite.) I love how it captures the highs and lows of life and I loved how they showed the way people joined Winnie’s life and then left along the way. The ensemble also does a great job with the dancing throughout helping make transitions and some of the less exciting musical numbers easier to watch (choreographer Abigail Baugh.)

I still think this musical would be a lot better edited down. Like I’m not sure I need Hugo and the Constable to have songs or the Man in the Yellow Suit to have multiple numbers. It’s too much!

Still, I’d recommend Tuck Everlasting at Sandy Arts Guild for the tender storytelling and striking sets and dance. It’s a big auditorium so we need to fill up those seats! It is playing through October 17th and tickets can be purchased here.

Tuck Everlasting has music by Chris Miller and lyrics by Nathan Tysen. The book is by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle based on the novel by Natalie Babbitt. It first premiered on Broadway in 2016.

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. Right now I am crisis with my channel being removed so I could really use your support. 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.

Centerpoint brings a shattered honesty to Dear Evan Hansen (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

If someone was going to ask me for the definition of a mixed bag show I might respond with the coming of age musical Dear Evan Hansen. The songs are so catchy and it means well that I enjoy watching it but let’s just say the plot is strange. Anyway, I really appreciate when a company can take a mixed bag show like this and elevate it to something more than the sum of its parts and that’s what Centerpoint Legacy has done with their Dear Evan Hansen. It is one of the best staging of this musical I’ve seen and that includes the Broadway touring company.

One of my favorite parts of Centerpoint Legacy is how they repeatedly use projections to help add to the storytelling not replace it. There is no better example of this than in Dear Evan Hansen. This is a show that has a tradition of a social media presence on stage (sometimes behind, surrounding them on pillars, I’ve seen many different ways.) Here director Bre Welch incorporates that social media but makes the projections appear to be on triangles- as if it is on shattered glass. This is a brilliant way of adding context to the cracked world of the story and these inspirational moments are based on lies and half-truths. It helps us as an audience to deal with the problematic nature of the story in a way I’ve never seen before, which is a again a brilliant choice (projection/video design Alex Young is so talented!) I also love the lighting work by Jordan Fowler with bright colors framing the shattered glass or the stage to help add dramatic impact to what is happening on stage. It adds so much to the story, which again isn’t the strongest by itself.

This cast is wonderful with Josh Call playing Evan and Anna Kocherhans as Zoe. I appreciate both of them felt like teenagers. Sometimes when seeing this show it feels like we are watching 30 year-olds pretend to be teenagers but these two felt like believable teens. I also really liked Ryan Munsey’s take on Connor. He’s usually played as a big athletic bully type but Munsey has more of an emo rebellious read on the character which is interesting. This version of Connor feels more similar to Evan which is good because we need it to believable that people would think they could have been great friends.

Some of my favorite moments of this production are songs like “You Will Be Found,” “Words Fail” and “Requiem” which on the surface are inspirational ballads but because of the shattered glass dynamic it adds a layer to the soaring melodies. “Waiving Through a Window” is a terrific start of the show but again because I was so immersed in the production design it quickly was eclipsed by the other numbers, which is saying something because I love that song.

My only real critique is these songs are deceptively difficult and the young performers should work on supporting their notes as much as possible. There are times when I felt they could have pushed through the ending of sentences a little more and thereby really driving home the hopeful message. Otherwise I loved this production of Dear Evan Hansen. It truly elevates the material in special ways and especially if you have teens it is a cracking night of theatre. It is playing at Centerpoint through October 15th and tickets can be purchased here.

Dear Evan Hansen has music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul with a book by Steven Levenson. It first premiered on Broadway in 2016 and it won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

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. Right now I am crisis with my channel being removed so I could really use your support. 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.

The Devil has never been as fun as in ‘Possessive: The Musical’ (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

I’ve said it before but I’m not the most experimental of theatre critics. While I can appreciate seeing something in different phases I don’t know if I’m the best person to capture the vision of what a project is going for. That’s why I am often hesitant to critique a new work like the new musical Possessive: The Musical. In the case of this musical, however, they invited me, my friend Dylan had seen and loved it and it did well over at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. So I drove up to Heber to see Possessive: The Musical performed at Timpanogos Valley Theatre, and I’m so glad I did. What a fresh, exciting, unhinged evening at the theatre!

The story behind this musical is quite diabolical. A family in the early 2000s led by parents Carl and Hannah (David Thorpe, Kaushay Ford) are stressed-out dealing with an unruly child named Darian. Then one day Darian starts behaving better but also in very strange ways. It turns out he has been possessed by a devil which of course is very concerning but the parents are tempted to keep their child behaving well for as long as possible. This is made even more complicated when their relationship also improves with their rebellious daughter Lisa (Yasamin Marashi) and she becomes friendly with the demon’s minion (Connor Thompson.) It’s all as ridiculous and off-the-wall as that premise sounds and even more so!

It’s hard to not compare Possessive to Beetlejuice. They even make a joke about that comparison themselves but I have to be honest I found Beetlejuice to be much more annoying than what we get in Possessive, so I prefer this. Beetlejuice I feel like the characters are constantly shouting at me where this has a variety of expressions along with the big over-the-top laughs. Jessica Wall, who plays Darian, deserves much of the credit. She lip-syncs her demon dialogue who is standing behind her as played by Derek Wayman. The two of them work seamlessly together and seeing Wayman’s big booming voice coming out of Wall’s petite frame is hilarious.

Everything the night I saw the production was directed by David Thorpe with sound design by Emily Wayman, and like I said it’s the coordination between the different elements to make Darian become a demon that worked so well. Plus, other characters switch places or are inhabited by other characters. It brings the biggest laughs of the night. Plus, the dialogue is very funny with a lot of nods to the early 2000s and things like dial up modems and bands like Blink 182.

I also really enjoyed how the scenic design they used making the background look like a giant book and each scene change looks like the moving of a page in said book. This is a smart way to make transitions fast and add a bit of whimsy into the low budget production.

Even though I liked the songs better than Beetlejuice I do wonder if it actually needs to be a musical? The songs are fine but it’s really the dialogue and the effect with Darian/demon that makes the show work. I think I’d like it just as well as a straight play, but I understand those aren’t as marketable especially for comedies. I do think it would be fun for Darian/demon to get a real showstopper introducing themselves in the vein of “Sweet Transvestite” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The parents have most the memorable songs in this current version of the show.

If they were going to ask me for advice going forward I’d suggest adding some interactivity to the show. It has a cult-following feel to it and something like the splash zone in Evil Dead: The Musical might really work. Especially towards the end when you have blood and windex and other that could potentially be brought into the audience.

Obviously the most important aspect of any comedy is did it make me laugh and with Possessive: The Musical it definitely did. It has loads of potential and I can’t wait to see how it evolves and grows over the years. If you do get a chance to see it it’s a great ghoulish good time.

Possessive: The Musical has book, music and lyrics by Spencer Ford with orchestrations by Alec Lowe. It was first performed in 2023 at a Hart Theatre Company production and there is a cast album available to listen to from 2023 on Spotify.

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.

Enter the club, witness a legend at Lady Day… at The Grand (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

I would never consider myself a jazz aficionado but I am familiar with the work of legendary singer Billie Holiday. She lived from 1915 to 1959 when she passed away at the age of 44. The musical Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill takes us into one of the singer’s last performances and the good folks at The Grand have fashioned this musical into a truly immersive night of theatre.

First of all, director Toni Byrd has taken the back of the stage at The Grand and made a small black box environment I’ve only seen one other time at The Grand when I saw Assassins there years ago. As the name would suggest usually The Grand is a large booming space so it was a refreshing surprise to have such an intimate environment, and I hope they do this type of space more often. With this production they try and make the Emerson Bar and Grill club Holiday is performing on down to the marque outside the entrance. There are also tables where some got drinks adding to the club atmosphere. Scenic designer is Keven Myhre.

Even though the material can be quite sad, as Holiday is inebriated and sharing some tragic experiences, I actually think Lady Day would make for a good date night show. It’s short and the songs are mostly sultry and romantic. Could easily see the musical and then go to a nice dinner after. It’d be fantastic!

Of course, the atmosphere can only get you so far. The performance has to work for a small basically one-singer show to be successful and fortunately The Grand has scored with one of the best performances in Utah of the year by Noelani Brown as Holiday. Myles Anthony Mann plays her accompanist Jimmy Powers and he is great on the piano but it is Brown that shines in this challenging role. At first I felt she was a little bit too stuck to the microphone. I still think someone like her would have played the crowd a little more. However, she’s also clearly intoxicated and knowing that she died not far after it starts to make sense. We certainly see her spiral as the musical commences (it’s easy to see why Audra McDonald won her 6th Tony Award for this role. I’m sure that was incredible to see but Brown holds her own at The Grand.)

There is no intermission to Lady Day which helps us stay in the moment as Holiday unravels throughout the night while still singing some of her classics. The highlights are “Strange Fruit,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “God Bless the Child.” It’s too bad we couldn’t have a had a little jazz trio along with the pianist but maybe that would have taken away from the intimate feeling they are going for.

Still Brown gives such an emotionally true portrayal of a jazz legend at the end of her ropes that it quicky becomes one of the highlights of the Utah theatre year. I also really appreciate that The Grand is always pushing audiences with a variety of shows, many including this one that I have never seen live before. It is playing at until Sept 26th and tickets can be purchased here.

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill is written by Lanie Robertson. It is based on the experience of creators watching Billie Holiday performing at Emerson’s Ball and Grill in Philadelphia. It first premiered in Atlanta in 1986 and Off-Broadway also in 1986. It premiered on Broadway in 2014 winning Audra McDonald her 6th Tony Award. Even though it has lots of songs it was actually considered a play with music and so she won the Tony for Best Actress in a Play.

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.

Curtains brings the mystery and fun to Heritage (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

Everyone knows I love a genre specific musical. For example, some of my favorite recent musicals have been in the horror genre such as Evil Dead: The Musical and Heathers. I also love comedies, mysteries and of course romances. However, I also enjoy musicals that can manage to be mashups of several genres. This keeps me guessing as an audience member and can be a lot of fun to watch. Such is the case with the musical Curtains, which I finally got a chance to see at Heritage Theater this weekend. I love Heritage, and this is another charming night of community theater from them.

The story of Curtains is ostensibly a murder mystery but it becomes more than that because all the crime and detective work occurs behind the scenes of a Broadway musical being put on in Boston. The musical in question is called Robbin’ Hood of the Old West and this gives an old fashioned quality to any of the songs that are part of the show within a show such as “Wide Open Spaces,” “Thataway,” and “In the Same Boat” (the latter which we hear 4 different times throughout the show.) Then we have the songs about the crimes and investigation like “He Did It,” and “The Man is Dead.” Finally we have the songs about the company members themselves such as “Show People” and “It’s a Business.” One of my favorites is “I Miss the Music” sung by the show composer Aaron who misses writing with his wife Georgia.

As you can see Curtains has a lot going on so director Lindy Combe wisely keeps the production as simple as possible. I love that Heritage still uses all handmade where so many companies their size are using projections and AI. I also like that they use the entire space into the audience to help tell the story. I could have used even more of that to be honest. My favorite setpiece (set designer Jess Tarbet) was probably the old west saloon backdrop for “Thataway.” This uniquely captures not just a saloon but a saloon in a Broadway musical like Annie Get Your Gun.

In some ways this musical is ideal for community theaters because it gives so much for both the ensemble and individual soloists to do. The cast at Heritage is led by Spot Beecher as Lt Frank Cioffi and he’s a lot of fun in the role. Other standouts are Ali Arbuckle as Carmen Bernstein and R Henry Bennett IV as the snooty British director Christopher Belling. The nice thing about a show like Curtains is most of the songs are within the grasp of an amateur company and they sing them well here.

I’m not sure what the folks at Heritage could have done because the transitions were pretty fast but the show did feel long. That said, I was also at the end of a 2 day, 5 show, marathon event with my friend Jacks in town, so fatigue in Act 2 may be more on me than them. There are times when the backtrack felt a little loud and overpowered the singers and like I said, they could have come out into the audience even more. In the end, however, I found Curtains to be a charming night of community theater. I’m grateful to Heritage for helping me check this show off of my bucket list. It is playing through September 12th and tickets can be purchased here.

Curtains is a musical with music by John Kander (who also wrote Chicago and Cabaret) and lyrics by Kander, Fred Ebb and Rupert Holmes. Holmes wrote the book based on the original book and concept by playwright Peter Stone. It first premiered on Broadway in 2007 and on the West End in 2019. David Hyde Pierce infamously won the Best Actor Tony for Curtains over Raul Esparza which I will never forgive the Tonys for…

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.

Go to the ‘Water for Elephants’ national tour for the circus more than the musical (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

One tricky part of being a theatre critic is not all musicals and plays offer the same types of entertainment. Some we go to for the story, others the great music, some the choreography and spectacle, as well as many other elements that can make a show special. I might say a show is great and someone else see’s it says ‘but the story was so trite’ but my praise had little to do with the story it was the spectacular dancing or singing. You get the idea. With the national tour of Water for Elephants what makes it special is the circus performers and acrobatics. The story and music is less memorable. I still enjoyed it because I’m a sucker for dance and acrobatics but your mileage may vary.

I should clarify upfront that I have not seen the movie or read the book Water for Elephants is adapted from so I can’t speak to its authenticity in that regard. The story is pretty thin gruel to go off of with hunky kind-of-vet Jacob meeting star circus performer Marlena in the 1930s. They hit it off immediately. The only problem is Marlena’s husband is the ringmaster of the circus, August. One of my least favorite plot contrivances is the ‘let’s justify an affair because the spouse is a jerk.’ Nope. It just doesn’t make me swoon when people are cheating even if they are cheating on a jerk. So that aspect of the plot was not going to work for me.

They also have an older version of Jacob (referred to as Mr Jankowski in the program) kind of narrating the story and that felt very poorly integrated and random. It wasn’t as bad as the old Neil Diamond at the psychiatrist element of the recent musical Beautiful Noise but it felt very out of place. I also didn’t love the way they integrated the animals into Water for Elephants. Some animals like the monkeys are played by humans in costumes but then others are puppets with the elephant being introduced in pieces. Sometimes we’d get a trunk, other times ears. When we finally get the big reveal of the elephant I was left thinking ‘why didn’t we have this whole time?’

Anyway, the entertaining part of the show is the circus performers. Particularly all the aerialists are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Yves Artieres plays a horse and that might sound strange but it was one of the more beautiful dance performances I’ve ever seen. He manages to capture the majesty of this animal perfectly and what he does with the silks is unbelievable. I also really enjoyed Tyler West as Walter the little person clown and all the rest of the ensemble of dancers and performers. They really make the show a delight to watch and the dancing is no small aspect. It’s a huge part of the show.

The songs are pleasant to listen to but not especially memorable. The highlights are probably Jacob singing “Silver Stars” and the company with “The Road Don’t Make You Young.” In the national tour Jacob is played by Zachary Keller with leading man charisma but he doesn’t have much chemistry with Helen Krushinksi’s Marlena but I can’t really blame them because the story makes it tough for them to develop that chemistry (I just don’t love cheater love stories!) Connor Sullivan is appropriately sinister and sniveling as ringmaster August.

The tour is directed by Ryan Emmons with Jessica Stone the original Broadway direction. The circus design is Shana Carroll and the choreography by Jesse Robb and Shanna Carroll. There is some beautiful lighting by Bradley King and the sound design by Walter Trarbach help the animals feel as real as they can especially when we are only getting a piece of said animal.

But when it comes down to it, Water for Elephants is all about the circus. Of course one could just go to a circus performance (we had Cirque du Soleil in Salt Lake this holiday season with Twas the Night Before and I’d say these performers were as good if not better.) If aerialists and dancers appeal to you than go see Water for Elephants. If you need more than that you can probably skip this show at the Eccles. It is playing through August 30th and tickets can be purchased here.

Water for Elephants is a musical with music and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co which is a indie folk band and theater company consisting of 7 musicians. They have been performing together since 2007. The musical book is by Rick Elice based on the novel by Sara Gruen. It premiered on Broadway in 2024.

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.

Take the Family to Terrace Plaza’s ‘Freaky Friday’ (Review)

| Rachel's Reviews

I know many theatre lovers grumble and complain about the various Disney family based musicals, and I understand the concerns. However, the Disney musicals are not all the same and one of the biggest outliers in their catalog is the musical adaptation of Freaky Friday. Not every choice the musical makes works, but it at least makes bold choices and has something to say to families. It is definitely worth seeing and right now Northern Utah audiences have the chance to see a wonderful production of Freaky Friday at Beverly’s Terrace Plaza Playhouse up near Ogden. It’s about an hour drive for me to get up there but well worth it for this wonderful night of community theatre.

There are some shows that live and die on its lead performances and Freaky Friday is totally one of those shows. The production is double casted but the night I attended had Isabelle Page as daughter Ellie and Lindy Combe as the mother Katherine. They not only both have a challenging group of songs but have the acting task of believably playing they are inhabited by another character- mom inside daughter, daughter inside mom. Fortunately both Combe and Page are up for the challenge and excel at the physical comedy and reacting the way the other would react when they are touched or spoken to in a particular way. It leads to a lot of laughs and effective scenes. It’s also impressive that Page can climb the rope in “Watch Your Back.” It’s really hard to do literal exercise while singing, but she and the whole cast do an excellent job during that sequence (it’s a PE testing day at Ellie’s school.) I also really enjoyed the supporting cast including the nerdy take on Adam by Trey Montgomery Cornell. He is very endearing particularly in the “Women and Sandwiches” number.

The other standout element of this production at Terrace Plaza is the lighting and use of projections. I mentioned this in my log about their recent Urinetown which used the projections so well to add setting and context to the story. While some of these in both musicals are definitely made with AI they aren’t lazy substitutes for hand-crafted sets but a way to enhance the story, which I love to see (projection design by Tyler Cahoon). For example, in Freaky Friday they use the projection to create the magic of the hourglass adding a layer to the storytelling that’s a lot of fun. I also really enjoyed the lighting that surrounds the stage and the way the lights were used in the hourglass to once again create the magic (lighting design Danielle Loveland and Emily Crow.)

While it’s always good to go to musical theatre to be entertained (and this show is entertaining) what director Whitney Cahoon and her team have put together could be even more powerful than just entertainment. This is a show that tackles a lot (arguably too much at times) and it would make a great family night activity and lesson where one could see it with children and talk about themes of loss, grief, forgiveness, and just the humanity of our family members. We think we understand what they are going through but do we really? Probably not and maybe walking around in their shoes metaphorically speaking would do all our families a whole lot of good.

As far as room for improvement at Terrace Plaza some of the choreography feels a little uninspired particularly in the “Biology” sequence, which in fairness, is my least favorite song of the show. Also they have the entire stage decorated including 2 platforms above the chairs but barely use most of the space, which feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.

Terrace Plaza is a company I often classify as a ‘learning company’ meaning it’s a place for people to go and try out theatre- where you don’t need to have an MFA to participate. I love that these companies exist but it can be a bit of a rough time for the audience as people are learning and growing as performers. However, with Freaky Friday and Urinetown I really didn’t have to make those learning company excuses. They have really stepped up their game, and I’m definitely more motivated to make the one hour drive than I might have been previously. I think you will also find it is well worth your time to see Freaky Friday. It is playing through August 1st and then they have another Disney musical Hunchback of Notre Dame coming next. More information can be found here.

Freaky Friday has music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey with a book by Bridget Carpenter. It is based on the book by Mary Rodgers and the feature films by Disney (1976 and 2003 being the most popular but I love the underrated 1995 version) There is actually a DCOM of this musical that was made in 2018 starring Heidi Blickenstaff and Cozi Zuehlsdorff. It’s not a perfect adaptation, but I enjoyed it. The musical was written in 2016 where it was first performed in Virginia.

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