utah-theatre

THOUGHTS ON ‘THE BOOK OF MORMON’ NATIONAL TOUR FROM A RETURNED MISSIONARY CRITIC (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and returned missionary I of course have heard much about the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon. I had heard some of the songs and that it is super raunchy, but I had never had the opportunity to see it until last week. Now having seen it my response is a decided ‘meh.’ I am sure there are some who will dismiss this reaction as a biased member who can’t take a joke. While there might be some of that (we can’t completely separate our lives from our responses to theatre), I honestly I found the whole thing to be quite bland and wish it had gone harder on the unique aspects of my faith.

In 2003 the creators of The Book of Mormon musical, Trey Parker and Matt Stone (with Robert Lopez) did an episode of South Park on Mormonism that in my opinion was a lot more biting and funny than anything we get here. Most of the jokes in this musical are jokes that could be made about any Christians. In fact, it sometimes felt like they wanted to do a show about evangelicals but that’s not financially viable so put a Mormon skin over it and you’re good.

The biggest example of this is the song “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream.” This song made no sense as Mormons don’t believe in Hell. We certainly don’t believe in a Hell with horns and a devil and damnation. In fact, Mormons believe almost everyone will get some kind of glory in the afterlife with most people who lead good and honest lives getting a pretty high degree of glory. You know who does believe in Hell with a devil with horns? Evangelicals.

It also goes without saying that most of what they show about missionary work is completely ridiculous. Missionaries don’t get assigned a companion for their entire mission out of the MTC. They don’t just make up what to teach on their own. They don’t get to request a transfer to another mission because they don’t like it. The list goes on. None of this would matter if I was laughing but like I said most of the jokes felt bland and expected so I wasn’t laughing.

It also doesn’t help with laughs that the portrayal of the Ugandan people is bizarre and dehumanizing. I understand it’s an over-the-top comedy but humor usually comes from painting a contrast. Something stupid with something smart. Something stable with something high strung etc. Here everyone but maybe Elder Price is a simpleton so it feels pretty cringe-worthy. None of that would matter if I was laughing, (I always say funny saves all) but I wasn’t so it just made me uncomfortable.

The highlights of the musical are the sharp “Turn it Off” which brings the biting satire to the Church I was looking for, and Elder Price singing “I Believe.” The talent is all good in the tour with Sam McLellan as Elder Price and Diego Enrico as Elder Cunningham. The choreography throughout (choreography by Jennifer Werner with original choreography by Casey Nicholaw) is bouncy and energetic and the other technical aspects are all excellent.

It goes without saying that a show like The Book of Mormon has lots to offend including frequent uses of profanity, references to raping babies and other vulgarity. If that doesn’t sound like your thing than I would avoid it. If that doesn’t bother you I can’t say I’d recommend it either but it is a musical enjoyed by millions so what do I know? It is playing at Eccles until January 26th and you can purchase a ticket 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.

‘LUCKY STIFF’ DELIVERS THE LAUGHS AT HERITAGE (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

I love seeing the classics of musical theatre as much as anyone else. That said, it’s exciting when I get the chance to see a show I am unfamiliar with. Such was the case last Friday when I saw Lucky Stiff at the Heritage Theatre in Perry Utah. This is a favorite company of mine that operates out of a restored church in the middle of nowhere Box Elder County. There’s no better word for the experience they provide but charming. It’s charming and that’s exactly what one wants in a homey community theatre experience. So, I was thrilled to see they were able to install all new chairs (I missed the holiday show unfortunately.) What a wonderful improvement to the theater!

New chairs!

Even though it has been around since 1988, Lucky Stiff is a show I had never seen or even heard of before this production. I know the writing team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and to be honest they have mixed results. I really don’t like Anastasia or Suessical but Ragtime is impressive. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a comedic musical by them and especially one so over-the-top and zany like this show.

I saw the Monte Carlo cast at Heritage, and it’s a small group of actors, but very effective and skilled in their comedic timing. I was laughing throughout as was the audience surrounding me. The women of the piece are particularly funny with Nicole Frederick playing Annabel Glick, Ashlee Giblette as Rita La Porta and Kimberly Webb-Zimmerman as Dominique du Monaco. They are all excellent in their roles.

The plot for Lucky Stiff is quite outrageous. It is based on a novel but it feels like something old school comedians would do like the Marx Brothers or Buster Keaton. It has that energy a good farce should have. In the musical, a man named Harry Witherspoon (Quin Geilman) receives word that a long lost uncle has granted him a large inheritance in his will; however, in order to get said money he must treat his uncle to a vacation in Monte Carlo- as a taxidermal dead man! As you can imagine all chaos erupts with such a scheme and it’s quite funny.

I do wonder if this material needs to be a musical but there are some fun songs. Frederick gives just the right energy for “Nice” and Giblette is funny with a strong voice in “Fancy Meeting You Here.” Darin W Draper is also quite brilliant as our dead man never breaking character once. I never thought that playing dead would be difficult but it really was a feat to watch.

The production is directed by Amber and Spot Beecher and it does have some more mature moments but everything is staged with taste and to make the audience laugh. The set design by Spot and Jess Tarbet are simple but help the settings change quickly as the characters zip around Monte Carlo and other locations. The costumes by Amber were also just right for this kind of silly farce.

Lucky Stiff is playing at Heritage until February 1st and it would make a great date night, maybe a pre-valentines activity or a good break from serious films at Sundance to have some laughs. Either way it is definitely worthy of your time. Season tickets are very reasonable at Heritage. If I lived closer I would definitely get them. One can find out more and get 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.

‘HADESTOWN: TEEN EDITION’ IS ANOTHER EXCELLENT PRODUCTION FROM LIAHONA THEATRE (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

It’s always an interesting thing reviewing high school theatre. While I certainly can be constructive my main goal is to be encouraging and help the programs be the best they can for the students. I must be doing something right because I have received a lot of requests from high schools and I’m always honored to do it (I have 3 more coming up in the next few months.) One of the most popular high school shows right now is Hadestown: Teen Edition. Of course, I reviewed the incredible production at Riverton High last fall, have another one coming up soon and there are at least 2 other locally that I did not see that I’m aware of. Today I am taking a look at the Liahona Theatre at the Liahona Preparatory Academy and their production of Hadestown.

Going into this show my expectations were high as Liahona did one of my favorite productions of 2024 with their Starlight Express and now they have another excellent offering with Hadestown. My favorite part is director Jordan Long clearly encourages a lot of students to participate with huge ensemble scenes covering the stage with choreography by Joleah Long. The Workers numbers were particularly impressive with the students looking appropriately robotic and angry. I believe strongly that high school theatre should be cut-free giving everyone the opportunity to be involved and this is certainly the case with productions like this and Starlight Express.

The stage at the Liahona can sometimes be prone to audio and other technical problems so I was very relieved everything went off without any issues. The set by scenic designers Brian and Canon Hadfield is outstanding with a 2-story subway platform with lighting and sound to give the feel of a subway. It was also interesting that the lighting only had the iconic Hadestown mining lights underneath smaller platforms that they used to move the actors around the set. It was very effective especially in the “Road to Hell (Reprise)” to end the show. The costumes by Melody Hadfield particularly on the 3 Fates are beautifully fit and tailored- perfectly designed for each role.

Compared to the Riverton production this cast did feel younger, which can be a little jarring for the darkness of the content but in some cases it added to the characters. In particular Brigham Ker brings a warmth and tenderness to Orpheus I haven’t always seen. He has a very lovely tenor voice and songs like the “Epic” songs he is a real stand-out. Eurydice, on the other hand, played by Amera Davis can really nail those low notes in songs like “Flowers.” The other leads are all terrific teen performers.

There’s still one more chance to support these wonderful teens in their production of Hadestown: Teen Edition. I think you will definitely find it worthy of your time. 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.

‘DIAL M FOR MURDER’ AT PTC IS HALF A GOOD MURDER MYSTERY (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

There’s no question that the mystery genre is incredibly popular. In fact, I read the other day that Agatha Christie, for example, has been outsold only by William Shakespeare and The Bible. If readers are looking for a murder mystery on the stage Frederick Knott’s Dial M for Murder is now playing at Pioneer Theatre Company. While uneven, particularly in the first act, it should be able to scratch that sleuthing itch for fans of the genre.

The biggest strength of Dial M for Murder lies in the detective Inspector Hubbard who comes in and starts to put the pieces together for the case. In a way he kind of reminds me of Columbo in his unassuming mannerisms. The biggest problem, however, is he doesn’t arrive until Act 2. This leaves us wading through tedious exposition with clues that the inspector ascertains with ease. I honestly think you could just see Act 2 of this play and be perfectly entertained without any of the build up to the murder.

At PTC the cast is all excellent in their roles with Peter Howard standing out as Hubbard. I just wish that we got him sooner because that first act is tough to sit through. I have no idea why Knott felt we needed long scenes of the conspirator Tony talking to the hitman Lesgate. Do we really need to know about their schooling and backstory? No, we just need to know that he’s the guy Tony hires to kill his wife Margot, and here’s where he hid the key. That’s it.

That said, once Hubbard arrives and the story starts going it’s pretty entertaining. At PTC, director Michael John Garces keeps his actors moving across the stage and uses light and shadow well to create mood and atmosphere (lighting by Tom Ontiveros.) The set by James Noone is interesting with a red and chrome feel to everything. I’m not really sure what era they are trying to evoke but it almost had a Tim Burton aesthetic to it at times.

They do make the choice to gender swap the person Margot has had an affair with, turning Mark into a Maxine. Margot is played by Awesta Zarif and Maxine by Lucy Lavely. Zarif and Lavely have believable chemistry and one can understand why Hubbard is initially suspicious of everyone’s stories involving the murder.

The problem is that first act. I know I’ve said it a few times but it really drags the play down. As far as a recommendation goes, it depends on how much you love mysteries. If you are a big fan, the good ingredients, once Hubbard arrives, may be enough to be entertaining. If you are lukewarm on the genre I’d probably pass on this one.

If you get to see it let me know what you think. You can read my first review of Dial M for Murder at the Covey here. The play is going through January 25th at PTC with special ‘pay what you can’ showings on Jan 21st. You can find more information 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.

BEST OF UTAH THEATRE 2024 (JUNE-DEC)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi friends! The time has come for me to give my best of theatre awards for 2024. I did a midway post in June and some of those are still in my favorites. Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet at Pioneer Theatre Company, Spring Awakening at Hart, Pride and Prejudice at Parker all stand out as some of the best of the year.

In the second half of the year I saw over 100 shows and that includes an NYC trip. I obviously didn’t see everything but of those 104 here are some of my favorites.

Best Professional Musical-

While I loved Death Becomes Her on Broadway my favorite professional musical I saw here in Utah is the national tour of Peter Pan. I don’t even consider myself much of a Peter Pan fan but this production is full of magic and charm. I absolutely loved the flying scenes and the Captain Hook is very funny. I was very skeptical when I saw it on the Eccles program this year but it ended up surprising me.

I also really loved the Jersey Boys at Pioneer Theatre Company.

Best Professional Play

The best professional play I saw all year has to be Much Ado About Nothing at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. I loved it so much I saw it twice in one trip. Everything about this production was incredible but particular Walter Kmiec as Benedick will forever be my Benedick. He is such a talented actor but the production was also very well directed making already funny scenes even funnier. For example, in the famous gulling scene where Benedick listens to the women talking about Beatrice he gets a pail stuck to his foot which he then can’t get off making the whole scene hilarious. This is one of those productions I wish was a permanent residency so I could see it again and again.

Best Community Theatre Play

I saw many great community theatre plays but the best has to be the incredible intimate experience I had watching Misery put on by Immigrant’s Daughter Theatre and Lil Poppet Productions. It truly was a life changing experience. The entire play was done for a small crowd in the ceramics room at Westminster University meaning our characters were up close and personal. In the wrong hands this could be cringe but Tyson Baker and Stephanie Stroud were brilliant in the main roles of Paul and Annie and I don’t know when I’ve been more engrossed in a story as that experience.

Other wonderful plays I saw A Christmas Carol at Parker Theatre, Arsenic and Old Lace at Hale Orem, The Seagull at Sting and Honey, The Woman in Black at Covey, Harvey at PG Players, and Persuasion at Snow College.

Best Semi-Professional Musical

During October I ended up seeing Jekyll & Hyde twice in one week and they were both terrific productions but what they did at WVPAC was next-level outstanding. Rhett Richins was transformative as the title character and Jessica Knowles Andrus has an incredible voice as Lucy. But it was the direction by Shelby Ferrin that stood out the most with creative choices like having evil be personified with dancers surrounding Jekyll and literally overtaking him in various scenes. I don’t think I will ever see a better version of this musical.

Other semi-professional productions I loved are The Addams Family and Beauty and the Beast at Hale Center Theatre Sandy, Kiss Me Kate at Centerpoint (the best choreography I saw all year), Something Rotten at Music Theatre West, and School of Rock at Centerpoint.

Best Community Theatre Musical

It’s almost impossible to narrow down my favorite musical. I saw so many incredible ones but Mamma Mia at Sandy Arts Guild was remarkable. I honestly am sometimes bored with Mamma Mia but this was so well done if I had been able to find a ticket I would have seen it a second time. Every aspect of this was well done from the performances, to the choreography, to the 2 story immaculately made set.

Other incredible productions I want to shout out is Hunchback of Notre Dame at Timpanogos Community Theatre, Heathers: the Musical at Mad King Productions, Oliver! at Hopebox, and Bandstand at the new DoGood Theatre Company and Evil Dead: The Musical at Sanctuary were all amazing.

Best High School Performance

I didn’t see many high school performances but I can’t end this post without giving a shoutout to the unforgettable production of Hadestown Teen Edition at Riverton High School drama. Every aspect of this was incredible from the singing to the choreography to the lighting and live band. I know many other high schools are doing this edition but the bar has been set high by Riverton. Ethan Hull as Hades has a voice I am sure we will be hearing more from in coming years. What a talent!

There were so many wonderful productions I saw this year. I am thankful to everyone who has supported my career and allowed me to review their shows especially as I am stepping out on my own away from UTBA. It’s an honor and a privilege and something I don’t take lightly. I am so fortunate to be here in the greatest state for community theatre in the country, Utah. Thank you for letting me be a part of it!

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 12/24-12/30 (THE NUTCRACKER, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, ANASTASIA) (RACHEL’S THEATRE LOG 82)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi theatre friends! I hope you had a wonderful December. As we finish off 2024 I will have my traditional best of the year posts as well as finishing off a couple stray Broadway reviews I still need to finish. Before that, however, I have a log to update everyone on the last shows I saw in the year here in Utah.

THE NUTCRACKER- BALLET WEST, SALT LAKE CITY

I must admit I am not the biggest ballet fan. Nothing against the very talented dancers and creators involved it just tends to not engage me the way other performing arts does. However, when I heard Ballet West was celebrating their 80th year of The Nutcracker I had to attend. Believe it or not Salt Lake City was the first place to ever perform The Nutcracker in US. Even though I don’t love ballet whenever I see anything at Ballet West it is always a world class production. I am not knowledgeable enough in ballet to tell you what was done excellently or less proficiently. All I know is it all looked incredible to me and they make everything look effortless (of course it is not. It takes great effort but that’s the skill level they have.)

I was happy I had Rylee Ann Rogers as the Sugarplum Fairy because I follow her on instagram and think she’s an incredible talent, which she was. I do think the second half of The Nutcracker when you have the various dancers performing for the royalty is more entertaining than the first half. There’s just a little more variety to the dancing and music in that segment, which I find more entertaining.

All the other production elements like the sets and costumes were perfect and make a trip to Ballet West well worth the investment. They are one of the finest ballet companies in the world and we are lucky to have them in our city. Here’s to 80 more years of The Nutcracker.

You can find out more about Ballet West here.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL- HALE CENTER THEATRE OREM, OREM

I have very mixed feelings about the changes happening at Hale Center Theatre Orem. After 35 years they are shutting down the Orem location and opening a new huge complex in Pleasant Grove they are naming The Ruth. As a long-time season ticket holder (and former voice lesson student) I am going to miss the intimacy and unique atmosphere of HCTO but I hope for the best and wish them all the best.

Anyway, it was bittersweet to see A Christmas Carol at HCTO this year because it is the last production at the Orem location. I went with my parents this time and we all had a wonderful time and it was nice they had some performances after Christmas as things get so crazy those days leading up to the holiday (especially for me with Hallmarkies Podcast.)

In previous years they had done some interesting things with A Christmas Carol but for this production they went back to the traditional version by Cody Hale. This makes sense as a tribute to the many years they used this version but it honestly isn’t my favorite. Particularly the original songs I’ve never loved. I also felt Daniel Hess as Scrooge was better as the show went along. When he was supposed to be angry Scrooge it felt somewhat phony and like he was reciting lines rather than really believing what he was saying.

The Jacob Marley reveal was spooky and very well done as was Adrian Alita’s performance in the role. I also really appreciate they got actors who looked like actual teens to play Young Scrooge (Cameron Ward) and Dick Wilkins (Parker Smith.) Marshall Lamm was endearing as Bob Cratchit and I particularly loved his rendition of “What Child is This” in the Future section. Overall, this was a very entertaining version of A Christmas Carol and I’m glad I got to see one last show at HCTO. Cheers to some great memories over the years.

You can find out more about The Ruth and their upcoming season here.

ANASTASIA- DRAPER HISTORIC THEATRE, DRAPER

The last show that I saw in 2024 I can’t fully log. I saw Anastasia at Draper Historic Theatre. Everyone probably knows by now this is not my favorite adaptation. I just feel like the team took all the energy and fun out of the animated film and made it quite dull. Nevertheless, obviously if I am going to see a show I am going to give the company a fair shot. Unfortunately I had a blow of air conditioning on my head, and I started to get a quite bad headache. I almost never do this (only 2 other times this year out of 171 shows,) but I decided to leave at intermission because I just wasn’t feeling well.

As far as what I saw it was another terrific production for this small community theatre. Mira Hulme has a beautiful voice and fits the part of Anastasia perfectly and Mathew Davids was a standout as Vlad. The production was more sparse and reliant on projections than some of their other shows but it was certainly more than sufficient as were the beautiful costumes and hair/makeup.

If you are looking for where to get some of the biggest bang for your buck I would seriously consider Draper Historic Theatre. They have a really fun season coming up for 2025 including my favorite show, Bright Star (I’m so hyped for that.) So even though I had to leave early on this one I highly recommend taking a look at DHT. You can find information 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 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.

UTAH THEATRE LOG 12/4-12/23 (2 A CHRISTMAS STORY, PAGEANT MUSICAL, HERE’S LOVE, WHITE CHRISTMAS ) (RACHEL’S THEATRE LOG 81)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi friends! Merry Christmas! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and been enjoying the best of live theatre in your area. Here’s some quick

thoughts on some holiday shows I’ve been able to see.

A CHRISTMAS STORY- SCERA, OREM

I saw 2 versions of A Christmas Story: The Musical this month and the first at Scera in Orem was my favorite. I’m a big fan of the 1983 classic film, but I think Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have done an excellent job with the music and lyrics for this show as has book writer Joseph Robinette. It captures all the childlike wonder of the movie with heart and a lot of catchy tunes. The folks at Scera have done this show multiple years in a row and they have it down to near-professional levels. It’s very impressive.

It starts with an excellent and large cast that is up for the choreography by Rebecca Boberg. My favorite acting of the group came from Cassidy Gunderson as Mother. Especially her song “What a Mother Does” is sung with empathy and tenderness. it will make most viewers want to call and thank their own mothers.

I also love bops like “When You’re a Wimp” and “A Major Award” all executed well. The 2-story set by Zippy Hellewell is very impressive and the amount of costumes by Kelse Seaver (due to Ralphie’s many fantasy sequences) is daunting to say the least.

Unfortunately A Christmas Story: The Musical finished up its run on 12/21 but keep an eye out for it next year. It’s definitely worth supporting. You can find out more about Scera and their shows here. This is definitely the highlight of the 5 shows logged in this post and one of my favorites of the holiday season.

A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL- HOPEBOX THEATRE, KAYSVILLE

I will only say a few words about A Christmas Story: The Musical at Hopebox. Their theater not only has a wonderful mission, helping an individual fighting cancer with each show (their Hopebox recipient), but they are one of the most consistently reliable community theaters in the state. Unfortunately this production was an off night for them and not up to their normal quality. Everything from the singing, to the sets, to the directing was much more amateur than they typically offer.

For example, when the big fight happens between Ralphie and Farcus they have Ralphie get himself up and then he is standing flailing his arms around swearing. This was such an odd choice as the whole point is he loses his cool and his Mom stops him from fighting. Him walking around and then she stops him is anti-climatic. There were just a lot of strange choices like that and like I said the performances were not on the caliber I expect from Hopebox.

That said, the only reason I have such expectations is they usually deliver on such a high level. Every company has their off night and weaker production. I still highly recommend Hopebox and they have a very fun season coming up. You can find out more here.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER: THE MUSICAL- LEHI ARTS COUNCIL, LEHI

I love all things The Best Christmas Pageant Ever from the book, to the play, to the 1983 TV movie, to the new feature film (I even interviewed the director Dallas Jenkins here.) When I heard there is a musical and it was being put on by one of my favorite art councils, Lehi Arts Council, I had to take the chance to see it. Overall it was cute but there were a few things that kept me from loving this version of the show.

The main problem was one of seating. It’s a very small space, which I normally find quite charming but this seat was so obfuscated by the wall it hurt my overall enjoyment of the story. They really should have some kind of warning on the site that you are purchasing an obfuscated seat. It’s common courtesy.

Other than that the show is cute although I think I would prefer to see the one act play over the musical. There was nothing that stood out about the songs that justified an additional hour to the stories. The cast is very talented with a wonderful community spirit and the message of inclusion and hope is moving. Lehi Arts Council has Little Women coming up next and that should be a wonderful production. You can find out more here.

HERE’S LOVE- SANCTUARY THEATRE COMPANY, MIDVALE

When I get a seat at Sanctuary Theatre Company I know I am seeing what I like to refer to as a ‘learning company.’ This is a theatre company with a lot of first time participants both performers and in the technical categories. Sometimes that leads to inspired work such as Evil Dead: The Musical and their Avenue Q. Other times it can be a rough sit. Such was the case with their production of The Miracle on 34th Street (or Here’s Love.) And it’s too bad because this musical isn’t performed often so I was really looking forward to seeing it.

I think Sanctuary may be better off doing edgier material like Evil Dead: the Musical. That seems to suit their performers and space better than something sincere and sweet like Here’s Love. My favorite aspect was their use of the projections to create the parade in the opening numbers. Most of the other aspects just didn’t work for me. This is a learning company and I know they were all doing their best, so I won’t be too hard on them. It just wasn’t for me.

WHITE CHRISTMAS, THE OLD BARN THEARE, FIELDING

It’s always fun for me to try out new to me theater companies. I love the Broadway adaptation of White Christmas and when I saw a company up in Northern Utah, The Old Barn Theatre, was putting it on I had to get a ticket. I

To my surprise, The Old Barn Theatre has been putting on shows for 25 years and it seems to be the main project of the Hull family with director Laura Lee Hull, assistant director Marvin Hull and choreographer MarleeAnn Hull all having multiple roles including being in the cast.

One can definitely sense the family and community spirit with this show and while it is an amateur production it has heart and effort to be enjoyable. I was particularly impressed with the tapping numbers in “Blue Skies” and “I Love a Piano.”

Some of the roles are double cast so I am not sure which actor for Phil Davis I had but he and MarleeAnn as Judy were the highlights of the cast and Marc Jensen had good comedic timing as Ezekiel Foster. I do think that Marvin Hull is too old for the role of Bob Wallace. I know he is supposed to be older than Phil but it was too much and hurt the chemistry.

If I go to another show at the Old Barn Theatre I’ll make sure to sit on the east or west side because a pole blocked my view on the north side. I wish they had more of the action staged in the middle of the stage as opposed to the corners because then any seat could adequately see what is happening. Still, this production of White Christmas was sweet and I’d see something else there if given the chance (I saw the last performance.) You can learn more 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.

‘KIMBERLY AKIMBO’ NATIONAL TOUR IS NOT THE GREAT ADVENTURE I HOPED FOR (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

One of the interesting experiences of being a film and theatre critic is occasionally having unpopular opinions. From time-to-time something that is widely praised will not work for me and I hope I have the ability to explain my difference of opinion as competently as possible. Some people, however, will always feel threatened by this difference of opinion and that’s just a reality every critic has to deal with. I say all this because I definitely had an unpopular opinion after seeing Tony Award winning musical Kimberly Akimbo and I hope I can explain why I left feeling underwhelmed rather than charmed and moved as I was hoping for.

Let’s start with some strengths. First of all the premise is endearing and heartfelt. We have the lead Kimberly who has progeria that makes her age rapidly so at 16 she has the appearance of a 60 year old woman. This causes her to not only grapple with her own mortality (she has already lived longer than doctors predicted) but have a different appearance than her peers. I also appreciate how raw and authentic the characters are with everyone who surrounds Kimberly being flawed human beings who make messy choices. This adds a degree of unpredictability to a story that could otherwise veer into maudlin sentimentality. The book by David Lindsay-Abaire can also be quite funny and insightful.

Unfortunately the problems with Kimberly Akimbo take away from the strengths making for an uneven viewing experience. My biggest issue was the songs with lyrics by Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori. Before being released as a musical Lindsay-Abaire released this story as a play and I’d be very curious to see that if I ever got the chance. I bet I would enjoy it more. Almost across the board the songs felt generic and lifeless. Honestly this wasn’t completely surprising as I hadn’t been impressed by the original cast recording but with all the praise I assumed it’s one of those shows you just have to see live to get. Not so much. The only song that I would independently listen to is “Great Adventure” and this is a problem because its the last song of the show!

The other problem is the moral murkiness of the characters, while appealing in some ways it can create tonal whiplash especially when we consider most of the characters are teenagers. While I enjoyed Aunt Debra (Emily Koch) it does strain credulity that she would involve teenagers in her check cashing scheme. Teenagers who are both extremely unreliable and would receive little of the blame if the plan came to light, which it almost certainly would. I think the narrative wants us to root for Debra as an anti-hero but it’s pretty hard when she is being so thoughtless and unkind.

I am sure Victoria Clark (who I have seen on Broadway in The Light in the Piazza) was incredible as Kimberly but Carolee Carmelo didn’t quite do it for me in the role for the national tour. Even her voice and mannerisms felt like a caricature of a teenager rather than an authentic young person who happens to have an old body.

Everything else in the production was fine. The direction by Jessica Stone gets the job done and the scenic design by David Zinn feels appropriately midwest. The most impressive section of direction was the way the “Skater Planet” scenes felt like actual ice skating. I also enjoyed the video projections by Lucy Mackinnon particularly in the finale when we get to see the “Great Adventure” Kimberly and Seth (Miguel Gil) go on.

Perhaps if one can go into Kimberly Akimbo with more moderate expectations one can appreciate the risks it takes and the heartfelt message it is trying to convey but even with those good aspects I can’t recommend it. The lead performance didn’t work, the tone is all over the place and most importantly the songs are uninspired. I hope my readers enjoy it more than I did but it’s a definite ‘not for me.’

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.

‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’ RADIO PLAY IS WONDERFUL AT PG PLAYERS (REVIEW)

| Rachel's Reviews

One of my favorite parts of embracing local theatre is discovering hidden gem theaters I never would have found otherwise. Nowhere is that more true than with the Pleasant Grove Players in Pleasant Grove. They are run out of the Pleasant Grove library and I’ve now seen many productions on the little stage and they’ve never missed. It is such a wonderful company. Speaking of wonderful they have a new unique offering for this holiday season with It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Adapted from the beloved film it’s a fresh and highly entertaining way to ring in Christmas.

Most of us know the story of It’s a Wonderful Life but this production is very special because it has our cast playing actors as if they were doing an old school live radio recording complete with commercials and a large foley table with 2 foley actors (Johanne Perry and Dennis Purdie.) As much as I love It’s a Wonderful Life I was a little nervous going in this might be a little boring simply watching people read the script. I thought it might be akin to a staged reading but it is really more than that. It is a full performance with actors taking on multiple voices and characters and the foley is a character unto it self (I love foley so much!)

Directors Howard and Kathryn Little have nailed it once again and the cast is uniformly charming. L.D Weller is the standout playing Freddie Fillmore who is the narrator, God talking to Clarence, Uncle Billy and Mr Potter. My favorite sequence is when he had to play both Potter and Billy having a conversation and had to flip between both. With the movie being so iconic I also I appreciate Jared Cloud didn’t try and copy Jimmy Stewart in the lead role of Jake Laurents or George Bailey in the play.

I do think the adaptation by Joe Landry is a bit too long. Ideally this type of performance makes more sense at around 90 minutes with no intermission but it’s such a classic story I wouldn’t complain. I just don’t think we needed nearly every scene from the film minus the swimming pool dance for obvious reasons.

If you are looking for something unique and heartwarming to see this holiday season the PG Players production is well worth your time. It’s emotional and touching and brings all the holiday feels you could want. There are a few more chances to see It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play 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.