utah

‘SOUVENIR’ HITS THE RIGHT NOTE AT PTC (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

As I stepped away from the Meldrum Theatre on Saturday, after having seen Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of Souvenir, I found myself wondering about the universality of the piece. What would happen if Florence Foster Jenkins lived today? Would she be the subject of derision and bullied away from singing or would she be an even bigger figure? Who knows? Would Florence and her terrible singing be a tiktok phenomenon in 2024? Maybe she was the Rebecca Black or William Hung of the 1930s? It’s interesting because we like to think we have progressed so much over the years but maybe we laughed at bad singing then and we laugh at it now?

Regardless, I like a play that makes me think without being heavy-handed or dogmatic and the Souvenir does just that. It’s also a welcome relief from the holiday fare (which I know I’m the queen of Christmas but it’s nice for some variety as well!) In the production Linda Mugleston plays Florence Foster Jenkins masterfully with a moral ambiguity that keeps us constantly guessing as an audience. How self-aware is she? We don’t know and I like that. The play’s author Stephen Temperley gives Florence one moment of shame or embarrassment but for the most part she doesn’t seem to hear the problems (or perceived problems) in her voice. Indeed, this does seem accurate to the actual historical figure who really did perform at Carnegie Hall despite audiences uproariously laughing harder at her than they did at actual clowns. One critic after this concert said “Florence indulged last night in one of the weirdest mass jokes New York has ever seen.” That’s what made me wonder. Is not most of tiktok a weird mass joke?

If one isn’t fascinated by modern comparisons there should still be plenty to entertain in Souvenir. Temperley’s script is consistently witty and both Mugleston and Bob Walton, who plays her pianist Cosme McMoon, are very funny together and have a wonderful friendship chemistry. It’s nice director Wes Grantom gives us a version of Mugleston singing correctly at the end so we see what a performance it was for her to sing all those bad notes all that time. I bet singing badly is even more difficult as a performer than singing accurately when you have the correct ability.

The costumes by KL Alberts are also excellent especially when they are quickly switched out for the concerts. For the big Carnegie Hall sequence she goes from being a bar wench to an angel, to the Queen of the Night. All the other aspects of the production were simple but excellent allowing us to focus on the actors, their immersive performances, and the message of the play.

If I was going to nitpick I don’t think they really needed to have prerecorded audience sounds at various scenes. It felt a little like an unnecessary laugh track in a sitcom. We are the audience and provided plenty of laughter and other responses to what was happening on stage.

If one is comparing this production to the film from 2016 with Meryl Streep the big difference is the film includes her common law husband St Clair Bayfield played by Hugh Grant. Because of the transactional aspect of their relationship it gives the movie a more melancholy tone than the play but Florence’s character is essentially the same as I think that was her real-life persona. I enjoyed the film (gave it an A back in 2016) but had more fun with this play.

Still, if looking to have a delightful night of theatre than head over PTC for their production of Souvenir. It’s not only a terrific comedy about a real-life person but it might make one think a bit like it did for me. If it does I’d love to hear other’s thoughts in the comments. It’s after all what Florence would have wanted!

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 9/30-10/7 (SOMETHING ROTTEN, ALICE BY HEART, JEKYLL AND HYDE) (RACHEL’S THEATRE LOG 59)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a great week. Its been a fun time for me because I started a new part-time job last week, which is always an exciting if overwhelming experience. Plus, at Hallmarkies Podcast we are gearing up for the start of Christmas season coming up on Oct 18th, so life is as crazy as you’d imagine it being. Fortunately I still have time to see a lot of great theatre. Some I will do full reviews for as a critic and others are just the short logs as a patron. Here’s what’s been happening on the stage:

SOMETHING ROTTEN- EMPRESS THEATRE, MAGNA

First up there’s a new production of Something Rotten over at the Empress Theatre in Magna. This is such a charming little community theatre that almost always knocks the productions out of the park and this is another great example of doing that. Something Rotten may be my favorite comedic musical and even though I’ve seen it many times I haven’t gotten sick of it like I have other shows in the genre. It’s just that funny.

What was interesting about this production directed by Kylee Larsen is how stripped down and simple it is. For example in “A Musical” the musical theatre easter eggs were stripped down to just the music and dance without the visual cues I usually see. In contrast, at the recent production at Music Theatre West they had the entire ensemble wearing different costumes from musicals for the scene. This takes the opposite approach and I found it quite refreshing. It helps also that Caden Terry gave my favorite performance of the night as Nostradamus. He has terrific comic timing and sold the song well.

The rest of the cast is up for the challenge of the piece and there were very few technical gaffes during the matinee that I attended. The only persistent problem is they could turn up the microphone on Shakespeare (Bradley Barker) who was a lot of fun in the role but at times the music was overpowering his vocals. This is probably the only production I’ve ever seen where someone is credited as “Egg Creator.” It’s Ashley Loewer and she did a great job making the costumes for “Make an Omelette.” They have both cracked egg outfits and omlettes and both are very funny. Like I said, it’s just a funny show, and I hope I never get tired of seeing it. Something Rotten is playing at The Empress until Oct 19th and tickets can be purchased here.

ALICE BY HEART- WEBER STATE ARTS, OGDEN

I love seeing college productions especially if they are doing something new and experimental. The energy of the students is just infectious and inspiring. This is why I jumped at the chance to review Alice by Heart for UTBA this month. What I didn’t know then was that this review would end up being my last review for the site as I am moving on to other opportunities. I’m proud of the work I have done for them and grateful for everything I learned along the way.

In a way Alice by Heart was the perfect show for this moment because it’s a show all about saying goodbye to the people and things we love. The creative team (music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Steven Sater and a book by Sater and Jessie Nelson) have moved Lewis Carroll’s iconic story to a 1941 bomb shelter and Wonderland is an escape from the horrors of war.

While there are definite problems with this material the creativity of the students was so much fun to watch. I particularly loved the giant Jabberwocky puppet they created. You can read my full review here. Alice by Heart runs until Oct 12th and tickets can be purchased here.

JEKYLL & HYDE- HOPEBOX THEATRE, KAYSVILLE

I honestly think Hopebox Theatre in Kaysville is one of the more underrated company’s in this area. They not only have a wonderful mission of helping support those fighting cancer but they have never missed for me in a production. Even if I don’t love the show I always leave thinking they did a fantastic job with it. Such is the case with their new production of Jekyll & Hyde.

I saw the Silver Cast on Monday 10/7 and they are all really strong. Dugan Brunker is particularly great at the Hyde part of the title character. He could almost be Batman with that low gravely voice. Chelsea Campbell is another standout as Lucy really nailing her signature song “Someone Like You.”

The set is very impressive for the small space. I love how director Sadie Day uses practical effects as opposed to the digital AI projections which are all the rage in community theaters these days. The backgrounds have a charcoal quality to them and the way the set folded out to Jekyll’s lab was brilliant. The costumes by Torrey Woolsey were also stunning with layers to each look, even minor characters.

There are also some really creative choices like when they do “A New Life (Reprise)” different couples dance as Lucy imagines the kind of love and life she could perhaps have some day. It’s also a pretty racy interpretation (for Utah at least.) “Bring on the Men” doesn’t shy away from the sultry elements but that’s true to the story so I really enjoyed it. It’s nice when conservative companies take a little bit of risk and honor the stories they are telling.

I will always recommend seeing a show at Hopebox and Jekyll and Hyde is no different. It’s a sexy, exciting, good time at the theatre playing until Oct 26th. 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.