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.
The novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first big book I ever read. The first book I was proud of for finishing at around 8 or 9. I think as the oldest daughter in a family which would come to include 4 girls and having an independent streak like Jo I easily connected with it and have loved almost all adaptations of this material I’ve seen film or stage (we don’t talk about the modern version from 2018…) I’ve seen Little Women: The Musical many times over the years and really enjoyed it each time. The latest version is at the Ideal Playhouse in Heber and it’s a production worth your time and effort.
Little Women: The Musical came to Broadway in 2005 and helped Sutton Foster receive a Tony Award nomination for playing Jo. It has music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and book by Allan Knee. The production at Ideal is directed by Steve Anderson with music direction from Karyn Anderson.
One of the aspects that makes Ideal Playhouse so unique is the screens surrounding the viewer on all sides. I hope to see a concert or event film there soon because it adds a special element I’ve never seen before in a theatrical production. This was particularly neat in operatic tragedy numbers of this musical with the audience being surrounded by action and excitement. It is a cool way to differentiate the space from the many other local theatre companies.
They also have a terrific cast for this production with Ashley Bates as Jo, Lisa Blaser as Marmee and the great Michael McLean as Mr Lawrence. He mentioned on social media this is his first time playing a different character outside of his own material. I’ve seen McLean in The Forgotten Carols several times but it was super fun to see him stretch his acting wings here. I actually got to interview him during the pandemic and he is as friendly as you’d expect.
The highlights of Little Women: The Musical are the beautiful duet between Beth and Jo “Some Thing are Meant to Be.” It’s such a lovely song and performed with skill and chemistry at Ideal. I also love Marmee’s song “Days of Plenty.” The rest of the songs are fairly generic Broadway ballads and bops but certainly pleasant enough and well performed.
The costumes feel a little more Regency than mid-19th century but my favorite of the night was worn by Nicole Cable as Aunt March, and she is the costume designer for the production. All the other sets and transitions worked with the projections to create a warm and comforting atmosphere on stage.
There are times when the music overpowers the performers and there was a problem with the mics not being turned off when actors are off stage. You could hear little whispering off stage which can be distracting to what’s going on on stage.
Other than that, I really enjoyed Little Women: The Musical at Ideal Playhouse. If you are in and around Heber I recommend seeking it out. They also listened to my advise and lowered prices to under $30, which I appreciate. With children at just $14 this could be a great family activity especially young girls will love. Go out and watch something that’s astonishing! This show plays through Oct 12th and you can purchase tickets 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.
Way back in 2005 a little jukebox musical first premiered on Broadway telling the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons called Jersey Boys. This musical became a huge critical and financial success going on to win 4 Tony Awards and have over 4000 performances. Despite becoming a phenomenon it somehow eluded me and I had never seen it until this Friday with Pioneer Theatre Company’s new production. While I don’t have anything to compare the it to I left feeling energized and entertained, and I can see why it sets the standard for biographical jukebox musicals.
Jersey Boys has music by Bob Gaudio (the Bob from the band) and Lyrics by Bob Crewe. Of course it features the many hits from the The Four Seasons like “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” which are all a lot of fun to hear performed on stage; however, the real standout of the show is the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. The problem a lot of biographic jukebox musicals have is they are so predictable in their rags-to-riches formula and then take themselves far too seriously. Jersey Boys sets itself apart from these copycats by being consistently funny and endearing throughout.
At PTC our 4 leads seem to understand this strength of the show and lean into the humor creating a believable chemistry as a group that makes us invested in what is happening to them. While they are all more convincing as older versions of the characters in act 2 they delivered the dialogue with terrific comic timing and the charm someone like a rockstar should have. Trevor James pulls off the falsetto needed for Frankie Valli but my favorite is Brent Thiessen as Nick.
I think Nick works the best because his section of the story is the most clearly defined. That’s one thing director Karen Azenberg could have emphasized more is making more obvious who is narrating each of the 4 acts. Nevertheless, they are all great in their roles, and like I said, the comedic elements kept it from feeling tired and cliched.
The technical elements of Jersey Boys at PTC is kept streamlined and simple with most of the backgrounds being stages, brick walls or a warehouse. The costumes are mostly various suits that are swapped in and out of quickly, but I wouldn’t have wanted anything more because the simplicity kept me focused on the actors on stage. The ensemble is also small but capable as they swap in and out of various roles. I particularly liked Timothy Aaron Cooper as ‘Joe Pesci and others’ who skillfully brings out the humor to any scene he is in.
The orchestra conducted by Phil Reno is always a standout at PTC, and they do an excellent job with these classic songs. There are times when the actors on stage are more convincing in “playing” the instruments than others but the actual orchestra is fantastic.
Adam Enrique Hollick and Daxton Bloomquist are also very strong as Tommy and Bob respectively although it feels like Tommy should have been far more grateful for Frankie literally saving him from prison than he was. Bloomquist did a good job capturing Bob’s subtle awkwardness so when he says he wants to stop performing in the band and just produce and write it isn’t a huge surprise.
Evidently down at Tuacahn they did a version of Jersey Boys with cleaned up language. While I have only seen this I prefer the more mature version as it feels authentic to the characters.
In the end, I’m grateful to Pioneer Theatre Company for giving me a terrific first time experience with Jersey Boys. The talented cast brought Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons to life with humor, humanity and terrific singing. You won’t want to take your eyes off of the stage! Jersey Boys is playing through Sept 28th and tickets can be purchased here.
Also the humor in this show makes it abundantly clear why the Clint Eastwood directed film adaptation failed so badly…
If you’d like me to review more theatre and appreciate what I do please check out the patreon here. You will find the patreon has many benefits including watch alongs with writers and actors of TV and films and more. Please take a look.
Hi theatre friends! I hope you are all doing well and surviving this crazy July heat. It’s been rough for me because the AC isn’t working in my car so some of these long drives to see a show are a test! If I show up a mess that is why. It hasn’t stopped me, however, from seeing a number of shows but most of them I’ve done full reviews for for UTBA. One week I did 3 reviews for them which is a lot even for me! If you’d like me to do a full review for your show I can do it right here on this site. Just send me an email to rachelsreviews65@gmail.com and I’d love to set it up! Also this is my first post using my new graphics! Thanks to Joan for making them. She is an incredible designer you should totally check out here.
So here’s my latest log:
ANASTASIA: THE MUSICAL- TIMPANOGOS COMMUNITY THEATRE, AMERICAN FORK
Most people know I am not a big fan of this adaptation of the animated film Anastasia. I think it is a very weak retelling of the story where they over-corrected from the problems of the animated movie and made it all super dull. Therefore, it is saying something when I give such high praise to a production like I did for what they did at Timpanogos. Everything from the costumes to the talent involved was top notch. I was especially impressed with Dylan Bradford as Gleb. That part is such a nothing role they wrote for the show replacing Rasputin from the movie and yet he brought so much to it. His voice is absolutely beautiful and he made me feel for a character I had previously cared less about. You can read my full review at UTBA here. This run is finished but they sold out the remaining shows which makes me very happy and keep an eye out for what they have next because it is always top-tier community theatre here.
SEE HOW THEY RUN- BLUFFDALE ARTS, BLUFFDALE
Next up I reviewed See How They Run at Bluffdale Arts for UTBA. This is one of my favorite plays and what’s fun about Bluffdale Arts is their summer plays are free in the park for anyone to enjoy. I love they do this as a gift for the community and See How They Run is so hilarious. It can’t be beat. I think it is so smart for arts councils to do the straight plays. They are so much simpler for them to execute and let the actors really get to hone their crafts, which is what they did here. It was such a fun night!
Even when they aren’t doing free shows they are very reasonable and have a ‘cast anyone’ approach which led to their 200+ The Little Mermaid this year I will never forget. They are definitely one of my favorite arts councils. You can find out more information here as they have Newsies coming up in August! You can read my review of See How They Run here
THE MUSIC MAN- KAYSVILLE CITY, KAYSVILLE
I’ve developed a fun little tradition the last few years of always seeing The Music Man on or around the July 4th holiday. It’s such a festive show with parades and 76 trombones and all it is perfect for this holiday and this year I was fortunate to see the huge community production from Kaysville City. I couldn’t believe at the July 4th 2:30 matinee the huge Davis High School auditorium was packed! Practically every seat sold!
And with good cause because it was a wonderful production of this classic show. This is one that has a lot of sentimental value to me even though I know quite a few folks who don’t care for it. David Simon plays the slick but nerdy version of Harold Hill I prefer (HCTO did one that was too goofy last year. I like the more used car salesman variety for Harold.) Megan Derrick is wonderful as Marian and Jessica Rampton steals any scene she is in as Eulalie Shinn. The many moving parts to this show are directed b Kristin Pettingill Callor and I loved the painted backgrounds by Cynthia Klumpp and Meish Roundy. Everything looked the peak of professionalism with period accurate costumes by Lauri Storey and Janell Roundy. There were some microphone issues but that’s to be expected in such a big auditorium. Other than that it’s a delight and reminds you to stop piling up those “empty yesterdays” and “make today worth remembering”. The Music Man is still playing until July 10th but tickets are going fast here.
THE NUTTY PROFESSOR- HALE CENTER THEATRE, SANDY
Reviewing The Nutty Professor at Hale Center Theatre in Sandy was an interesting experience for me. I typically attend the theater alone and have never had a problem being by myself in a live performance or at the movies. Well, that changed at Hale not by any fault of them but because of the bizarre behavior of the man sitting next to me. There I was minding my own business when he reached over to me and said his daughter didn’t want to “cuddle with me so would I do it.” I was shocked at what I suppose was an attempt at humor but what a gross thing to say to a complete stranger. Anyway, I mention this because I was pretty proud I was able to pull myself together and write a pretty solid review for UTBA.
It’s a bummer because the experience was ruined by this idiot and it was a fun experience (my personal uncomfortability was not reflected in my review.) It was just hard to enjoy what I was seeing sitting next to a creep (who also kept rubbing his daughters back. The whole thing was just incredibly strange.) I know some of my friends deal with this kind of harassment a lot. I’ve been relatively sheltered from it I think because I’m not conventionally attractive so it keeps the creeps away but what a horrible thing to deal with and anyone who behaves this way should be ashamed of themselves. You aren’t funny or amusing. You’re just ruining the experience for other people.
But as far as the show it is probably the strongest premiere Hale has done in this little experimental season they’ve tried this year. Most of my friends seem pretty down on it but I’ve enjoyed the premieres flaws and all. This is of course based on the classic film starring Jerry Lewis and I adore Spencer Hohl who played the lead and it was so fun to see him act with his Mom, Jennifer Parker Hohl. I love when companies cast family. You can read the rest of my review here. The Nutty Professor plays through August 17th and you can purchase tickets here.
Experience gets a not for me. Show a go see it!
CHRISTMAS IN JULY CONCERT- DEER VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL, SNOW PARK OUTDOOR AMPITHEATER, PARK CITY
As the host of the Hallmarkies Podcast of course I am primed and ready to celebrate Christmas in July so when I saw they were doing a Utah Symphony concert up in Deer Valley I jumped at the chance to attend. The website promised a chance to “listen to classical holiday favorites” and unfortunately they didn’t really deliver on this promise. What instead we got is Vivaldi’s Winter, a summer piece and the Nutcracker for an entire act (I get that’s holiday themed but they couldn’t have done a medley?) It was just disappointing to only get 2 carols the entire night. We did have Santa but the whole thing was underwhelming and lots of kids were there that got rambunctious with the songs selected.
It’s still fun to listen to the beautiful music but I was just hoping for something more festive and also they didn’t deliver on transforming the space into “a winter paradise” or having “Christmas themed goodies” except for one cupcake with red sprinkles. The gift exchange was fun but it could have just all been better. I’d probably pass on this next year and wait for a different concert. If you want to participate in the music festivals you can find more information here.
So there you have it! What have you been watching? I’d love to hear about your experiences.
All of these logged shows not part of UTBA I pay for out of pocket. If you would like me to be able to see and write about more shows please consider checking out patreon which has some really fun perks like chances to meet Hallmark stars and more. More information here. Thank you
These days if a musical is not based on a movie more likely than not it is of the jukebox variety and this can be a bit of a mixed blessing. This was always the case with shows like Aint Misbehavin’ being critical and commercial big hits back in the 70s. However, the genre got a big bolt of energy in 1999 with a little hit called Mamma Mia and then in 2005 with the Tony Award winning hit Jersey Boys. Since then countless shows have been trying to imitate both of these shows to varying degrees of success.
Of course both Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia represent the two paths a production can take in using a performers songs. They can do the biographical approach like Jersey Boys or they can craft a story around the songs like in Mamma Mia. I’m inclined to think I prefer the latter approach because it leads to more originality but they can both be done for good or ill.
I was thinking about this because I recently saw 2 jukebox musicals that try both approaches to varying successes: American Idiot and MJ: The Musical. While I thought both shows were passably entertaining they also presented the problems the genre can have.
American Idiot takes the songs of Green Day’s American Idiot album and tries to weave a story through the songs. It purports to be about 3 disaffected young men in the early 2000s but I found the narrative to be confusing and I had little idea what was happening between the various songs. Granted I saw it in a tiny black box so that may have factored into it but the attempt to string together the songs into a plot was not very successful.
Then we have MJ: The Musical and this takes the more traditional biographical approach telling the story of Michael Jackson’s career through his big Dangerous World Tour and looking back at his childhood. Honestly given Michael’s controversial life-story this is about the safest, most crowd-pleasing way they could have gone for this musical. I might have considered the narrative approach for Michael Jackson’s songs since a surface level look at his music feels inconsequential but they are also trying to sell tickets so it can only be so dark.
The most impressive part of MJ: The Musical is how many songs they pack into the book with 3 different actors playing Michael at different ages. If you are a fan of Michael’s songs you’ll have a blast hearing his songs performed and seeing the amazing dancing. However, this approach lacks creativity and anything fresh or exciting and at 2 and ½ hours it starts to feel more than a little tedious.
What I wish is that more productions would take the approach of Million Dollar Quartet in crafting their jukebox musical. This show recreates the impromptu jam session between Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash in 1956. What makes this show fresh and exciting is you get music from not just one artists catalog but 4 and you get to imagine what it would be like for all 4 to interact together. It makes it feel like more than just a karaoke session and since it’s about just one night it avoids most of the cliches of the ‘rise to fame’ musical biography.
Another underrated take on the narrative jukebox musical is All Shook Up. Which takes the songs of Elvis and applies them to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. This gives the musical a narrative structure which something like American Idiot is missing while still giving us the songs we know and love. It ends up being a lot of fun. I know it got poor reviews from critics but I also enjoyed Head Over Heels. It took the music of The-Go-Gos and moves it to the 16th century and the plot of The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia. This was something new and inventive I’d never seen before.
I do think if I was forced to pick between the two styles of jukebox musicals I would lean to the storytelling variety over the biographical version. At least this style of musicals allows for fresh and new storytelling where the tough life of musicians and bands tend to follow the same basic patterns. If you’ve ever seen the movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story they poke fun at these tropes in the stories of bands and musicians. It’s the same in the stage versions. That’s why something like Million Dollar Quartet at least subverts the formula a little bit. Or perhaps like Walk Hard a musical could tell a musician’s story but also poke fun at the familiar tropes? That could be delightful.
I suppose we all have our favorite jukebox musicals but hopefully as they continue to get made we can get some variety in their production and better quality in how they bring our favorite songs to the stage.
What do you think of jukebox musicals? What are some of your favorites and do you prefer the biopic variety or the story types?
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Rachel Reviews Theatre 