I must admit I came to PTC’s John Proctor is the Villain on Friday having had my own tough day as a modern woman trying to make something for myself in this hard world. My youtube channel has been hacked and it has currently been eliminated from existence. It’s beyond discouraging to see something I’ve worked at for over a decade just gone as if it didn’t even exist. Anyway I came to this play feeling physically exhausted and mentally drained, which isn’t ideal but it’s just the reality of life sometimes. I did my best to focus on the new-to-me play and the production from PTC and overall I enjoyed the experience.
While I do wish there was more nuance to the men in John Proctor is the Villain the playwright takes aim at feminism and supposed advocates for women as well, which helps make the experience interesting and enlightening. There is also a lot of humor and that helps make any preachiness more palatable and entertaining to watch.
This look at feminism comes with a re-examination of the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller which was written in 1953 as a critique of the “red scare” of that time but is set during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. As is clear from the title John Proctor is the Villain takes this play from the 50s and analyzes it with a modern ‘me-too’ lens. This is interesting to see what group think and womanhood looks like from a 1692, 1953 and 2018 perspective.
The woman in the modern play are high school students in rural Georgia who are reading The Crucible under the guidance of their seemingly charismatic teacher Mr. Smith (Colby Strong.) At the same time the girls are forming a feminist club which is supposed to be helping them (although it is never clear what the purpose of the club actually is.) While there are boys in the club as well as girls it becomes a safe space for the girls to vent their frustrations with their lives.
At PTC director Karen Azenberg faced a challenging situation with their stage being flooded and the play having to be performed at Westminster University. I am sure this has been a very difficult time for the production I do think the smaller venue provided an intimacy which works quite well for this small human story. My only complaint is it was very warm in the theater the night I attended, which makes sitting through the experience more difficult.
The cast for this play is excellent being led by Skye Alyssa Friedman as the energetic nerd Beth who is leading the club and Alex Humphreys as Raelynn who probably has the biggest growth arc of any of the girls. As I said, the men are all fairly one-note with Mason played by Gage Martinez probably having the most nuance as the dumb lug of the group.
I suppose I would be more annoyed by the portrayal of the men as all suspect and predatory if feminism was being presented as a great answer to all of these problems but it isn’t. The play does not have any such easy answers. It all could be seen as quite cynical especially given we see so little societal grown throughout time but the play is funny enough that it keeps the audience from feeling discouraged.
Especially knowing they had a venue change the scenic design by Jo Winiarski is very impressive. It looks and feels like a classroom with a wall of chalkboards that is used by the students with desks and chairs that are moved into different configurations throughout the play. They also have music cues and other sound design by E.E. Bradman
At the end of the day, the message behind John Proctor is the Villain is we cannot lean on any philosophy or movement to dictate how we treat others. Those of ill-intent will manipulate the vulnerable every time whether it be now, the 1950s or 1690s. We have to look at the individuals and decide for ourselves whether the person should be helped or condemned. It’s the only way actual human progress happens- on a case for case basis and we can’t do that without listening effectively. While I do wish there was more nuance it is a message and a play that should inspire a lot of discussion especially if any teens are in attendance. I would love to hear what younger audience members think of it. I’m certainly glad I saw it even on what was a very difficult day. It is playing at PTC through October 3rd and tickets can be purchased here.
John Proctor is the Villain is a play by Kimberly Belflower and it was first performed in Washington DC in 2022 and on Broadway in 2025.
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.
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.
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.
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 withTwas 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.
As much as I love seeing my favorite shows on repeat I also love checking shows off of my blind spot list that I’ve long wanted to see but never had the chance. Such was my opportunity this weekend with Springville Playhouse’s wonderful new production of Nunsense. Oddly enough I’ve seen the sequel to Nunsense entitled Nuncrackers but never the original musical. Now I’m so glad I have as this is a very funny little musical well performed by Springville Playhouse.
The concept for the musical actually sounds quite grim. The nuns lost 52 of their numbers in a horrible accidental poisoning mistake. Now the Reverend Mother Mary Regina played by Robinne Booth is leading the remaining women to put on a talent show to fundraise for the burial of the remaining 4 women. Again this sounds quite morbid but the musical is in reality very funny. I guess you might call it a dark comedy but it’s mostly just a funny good time.
The production is directed by Michael Roberts and Julia Allen and they have created a very intimate space with only a couple of rows on each side of the stage (it’s basically a black box space.) The nun’s school is putting on Grease so the main backdrop looks like a high school production of Grease. It’s delightfully random. I also appreciate the performers are close enough to the audience that no microphones are needed. There were a few times the music drowned them out a little bit without microphones, but I loved the intimate feel the production has. I also enjoyed how the actors would peak out over the top of the set as if they were watching the performance right along with us. It feels authentic, which I appreciate.
My favorite of all the characters is Mary Amnesia played by Amber Roberts. She is a nun who, as the name would suggest, has forgotten who she is or what her real name is. Roberts has terrific comedic timing for the character and plays the dumb blonde in some very funny scenes. I really loved her songs “So You Want to be a Nun?” and ” I Could’ve Gone to Nashville.” I also really enjoyed Andrea Wardle as Sister Mary Robert Anne. She is given the most banter with Boothe, and they pull it off very effectively.
All that said a show like Nunsense is all about the laughs and fortunately the show is funny. It is honestly funnier than I expected- never feeling like it is putting down the characters or their religion which I appreciate. It makes for an endearing and sweet performance that I’m so glad I got to take part in. There are some adult jokes but nothing too bad. I think you could bring kids to this and they’d have a good laugh. Nunsense is playing at Springville Playhouse until Sept 5th and tickets can be purchased here.
Nunsense has music, lyrics and book by Dan Goggin. It premiered Off-Broadway in 1985 and it has spawned 6 sequels including 3 spinoffs.
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.
Hey theatre friends! I have a few shows to report to you all quickly that I attended as a patron not a critic. These are not full reviews but just a few quick thoughts on the productions. Make sure you are following me on instagram to get my out of theater reactions to everything, film and theatre, that I see. If any of these companies or others would like me to do full reviews DM or email me at rachelsreviews65@gmail.com. Here goes
Romeo & Juliet- Millcreek Community Theater, Millcreek, Utah
I love all levels of community theater but I especially love when a company leans into the community aspect. There’s no better example of this than the recent production of Romeo & Julietat Millcreek Community Theater. Not only was this classic well performed and directed but it was a free gift to the community. I hope that the community used this free gift as a way to introduce your kids to Shakespeare and this classic play or just enjoy it at no cost to yourself.
Of course, the show still has to be good even if it is free and this was. Director Traci Nelson got quality performances out of her large cast and Russell Jordan and Paige Sutherland had good chemistry as our leads. They could have done a little more with the 1950s setting update to the play but the way they used scaffolding and the outdoor amphitheater at Canyon Rim Park was effective. My only critique would be to give more directions next time because I parked on the wrong side of the park and I wish I’d brought my folding chair. Still, I really enjoyed this classic story well told. This production of Romeo & Juliet has finished its run but keep an eye on Millcreek’s facebook page for more information here.
Cyrano de Bergerac- Parker Theater, Salt Lake City
When Parker Theater announced their 2026 season we were all very surprised to not see a Shakespeare play on their roster. Along with Jane Austen they always do a play from the Bard but it all made sense when they had Cyrano de Bergerac instead. Even though it is a play written hundreds of years after Shakespeare it has much in common with one of his dramas and as an audience member it scratches a similar itch.
While the prose is good by Edmond Rostand it is a play that lives an dies on its main leads and you couldn’t ask for better actors than they have at the Parker. Roger Dunbar is commanding and devastating as Cyrano and Russ Maxfield (who I have loved for years since seeing him as Harold Hill in The Music Man at Centerpoint Legacy) as Christian. Sometimes I can leave this play feeling frustrated with Christian in his lack of honesty with Roxane but Maxfield creates empathy for the character. When he delivers his final plea to Cyrano that he wants to be loved for who he is it’s quite devastating. Roxane can also be a frustrating character because one can’t help wonder why she can’t see that Cyrano is the one who wrote those letters especially after 15 years! Kristi Curtis is convincing in the role and one can’t really blame her when everyone is lying to her for those years.
This production of Cyrano de Bergerac is directed by Spencer Hohl and he also does the fight choreography and sound which are all superb and help keep the play from feeling stodgy. The lighting by James B Parker is always the best in the state. They did a pretty good job paring down the play to just over 2 hours and it does include 5 acts but only 1 intermission is long. Cyrano is playing at the Parker through August 29th and tickets can be purchased here.
Frozen- Sandy Arts Guild, Sandy
I’m not sure why but nothing is being performed more this year than Frozen here in Utah. I could spend my entire theatre year going to just Frozen but one can only take so much Norwegian Disney delight. Suffice it to say I’m being picky with the Frozen productions I do see but when I heard about the cast at Sandy Arts Guild I had to see it and it did not disappoint.
To begin with I am always amazed at what SAG is able to pull off in a high school auditorium, which are so big and echoey- a tough venue to perform in but they don’t let that stop them. The team there led by director Mindy Eckroth has seemingly thought of everything with impressive visual effects using projections and lighting by Rick Marston, professional-looking sets by Tavnir Carey (Oaken’s Trading Post was a standout) and gorgeous costumes by Karen Chatterton (I like the unique design of Elsa’s “Let it Go” dress. Sometimes companies feel like they have to make things exactly like the movie or show but this had its own flare to it with the sparkles and sheer overlay.) I also like how they made the “Hygee” number their own (even though I can’t stand that song) with the cast in satin bathrobes and hair coverings.
The cast is across-the-board outstanding with Sydney Dameron and Makayla Conner Marriott leading the way as Anna and Elsa respectively. You couldn’t ask for better singing or acting for either role. I also really liked Gabe Velez as Olaf. He not only operated the puppet well but broke the fourth wall on occasion with winks to the audience. It is charming.
There are some challenges to performing in the auditorium but I still highly recommend this production of Frozen. Take the whole family. They will love it. There are 2 more performances and tickets can be purchased here.
The Scarlet Pimpernel- The Ruth, Pleasant Grove
I already reviewed the MWF cast of The Scarlet Pimpernel at The Ruth, which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, I wanted to see the TThS cast with my Dad because he is a big fan of this musical. Fortunately I was able to do both, and we had a great time with this cast. I particularly loved the men in this cast with Scott Hendrickson delivering every emotional moment as Percy and Bronson Dameron a commanding villain as Chauvelin.
I love how director David Morgan has transformed the stage into whatever the story calls for. He creates ships sailing, guillotines slicing, carriages riding and more. The fight choreography is so much fun (I even like that Marguerite gets in on the sword-fighting action at one point.) Even though The Scarlet Pimpernel is on the forgettable side it’s so well performed at The Ruth that it becomes memorable. I’m glad I saw it a second time. It’s playing through August 22 and tickets can be purchased here.
Newsies- West Valley Arts, West Valley
While Frozen is a show that taps into younger Disney fans Newsies is one that triggers my nostalgia quite strongly. The movie came out when I was 11, and I loved it then and still love it today. Fortunately the new production at West Valley Arts doesn’t even need that nostalgia to make for a good time. It’s honestly one of the best shows I’ve seen from them in some time.
My favorite part of this musical is how immersive it felt. Director Kate Rufener did a great job using the entire theater to tell the story including all of the platforms. I particularly liked how Pulitzer is up in his office looking down on scenes he’s not in but being impacted by like “Seize the Day.” Jerdyn Akeripa has huge charisma as Jack and the rest of the cast is great surrounding him. One of my favorite touches is having all of the Brooklyn newsies be girls (not girls playing boys but just girls.) The costumes throughout by Alicia Kondrick are excellent. If you like Newsies you should definitely give this production a try. It is playing through August 29th and tickets can be purchased here.
Waiting for Godot- Good Company, Ogden
There are certain plays that I feel are important for any theatre fan to eventually cross off their bucket list. One such play is Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. I am not much into absudrism or modernism but again I feel this is a play I needed to see at least once. This is why I was excited when I found out Good Company was staging a production. Even though the style of the play isn’t really my favorite I’m still glad I got to see a very good version of it this year.
This play is about 2 main characters Vladamir (Michael Scott Johnson) and Estragon (Arie Allred) who are waiting for a mysterious Godot in some kind of barren wasteland with only a plastic tree in the middle of the stage. Along the way they come in contact with a man who I think is the devil called Pozzo (Alvaro Cortez) and a couple other characters. Both Johnson and Allred are excellent in these roles and the play definitely gives the viewer something to chew on. It would be a fun play to see and then go to dinner with friends and talk about the different interpretations.
My only complaint with the show is the door was hard to find so I walked around in the blistering heat trying to find it with every door being locked, so I was overheated by the time I was watching everything. Perhaps a better sign might be helpful? I don’t know I’d want to see Waiting for Godot again but I’m glad I saw it with this strong version of it directed by Mark Fossen. It is playing through August 16th and tickets can be purchased here.
So that’s my update! Have you seen any of these shows? Let me know in the comments. What have you been watching on the stage lately?
Romeo and Juliet is a play by William Shakespeare originally debuting in 1597 and it was his 10th play. Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand was first published in 1897 in France. Frozen is based on the animated film and has music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. It was first performed in 2018. The Scarlet Pimpernel has music by Frank Wildhorn with lyrics and book by Nan Knighton. It is based on the novels by Baroness Orczy. Newsies is based on the film with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Jack Feldman and a book by Harvey Fierstein. It premiered on Broadway in 2012. Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett which was first published in 1952.
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.
Honestly I’m not the best person to go to when looking for reviews of something like a Fringe festival. I admire the concept and effort that goes into these small plays, but I’m also not that experimental or artistic of a person so the edgy side of the event can be beyond me. However, I do try and support what looks appealing to me and this year I saw 6 shows all of which I enjoyed quite a bit. I guess I chose well!
By design the shows at Fringe are all supposed to be under an hour so these are just a few quick thoughts on everything I saw rather than the detailed reviews I might give longer 2 act shows. I can elaborate more if readers want. Just let me know in the comments (also these are in the order I saw them not ranked in any other way.)
The Variants- Curious Modern Plays production in association with Meanwhile Park
First up I saw the dark family comedy The Variants. This is perhaps the most polished production I saw at the festival and one that I can see being developed into a full play and even a streaming series with the right approach (it’s all about zoom calls so would be easy to adapt into a youtube show or something like that.) Local playwright Randall Huskinson takes us back to the pandemic and 2021 when the vaccine was just being rolled out in all its controversy. A family of 3 siblings and their mother meet via zoom to talk about their varying views on the issues of the day and whether they should gather together for the Mother’s 70th birthday party.
I admit I am a highly conflict averse person so these kind of comedies that revolve around families fighting aren’t my favorite. It’s a bit stressful for me to see people fighting with those they love. That said The Variants does feel authentic in its characters and writing. Almost anyone who sees it will relate to all the characters and the situations. Of course, it is political but I appreciate that all of the characters and perspectives are treated with dignity amongst the laughs.
The cast is also great with Annette Wright leading things off as the Mother. She is a tremendous actor who I most recently saw in The Roommate at SLAC. The siblings are played by Kirt Bateman, Allen Smith and Eva Terranova. Any Utahn will be able to relate to the perspectives of all 3 siblings and the 3 actors have a believable chemistry together in their squabbles with each other.
I know some people struggle with COVID related content but it was such an insane time and surely there has to be a point where we process that experience through art? I certainly think so and am glad we are getting entertaining efforts like we have in The Variants.
The Replacements- Salt Lake Monster Theatre Co
Next up we have The Replacements which is a little sci-fi story that felt right out of a more intimate episode of Doctor Who. It features 2 actors who are working in a futuristic society one is more of traditionalist played by Dustin Hardebeck and the other breaks the rules played by Jaxton Romeo Brenner. The 2 are assigned to a machine where they have to push red buttons when an overseer tells them to do so. The purpose of the machine or the buttons is unclear to either worker but the older worker doesn’t question just keeps doing it in hopes of a reward. The newer employee struggles with such obedience and questions what is happening around him leading to surprising results.
I’m honestly not sure what the final takeaway is supposed to be from The Replacements but isn’t good sci-fi supposed to be about asking questions verses necessarily having the answers? It’s clearly talking about conformity vs obedience but I’m not sure which side wins in the end or what we are supposed to take for our lives from watching it but that’s ok. The performances by Hardebeck and Brenner are terrific and the script by AB Harrison (who also directs) doesn’t forget to include lighter moments to break up the tension. The set is simple but does the job for the story and anyone who enjoys sci-fi stories like Doctor Who will have a good time with this play.
The Emperor’s New Everything- Salt Lake Children’s Theatre
Sometimes it is easy to forget the effort which goes into entertaining small children. We see all the pre-k programs on television and it can seem easy but it is certainly difficult to do it and do it well. It might seem odd for a childless adult to go to a performance like The Emperor’s New Everything but as I’m not often drawn to the edgier side of Fringe I like to pop in and see what the family content-makers are up to. Last year the folks at Salt Lake Children’s Theatre took on Alice in Wonderland and this year we have The Emperor’s New Clothes with The Emperor’s New Everything. In this fun piece of interactive storytelling kids get introduced to live theatre and are involved in every step of the performance.
To begin with the audience are all given different color flags which are then used to call out audience participation at different points. One color flag has to do a dance, another wear a silly hat, etc. I really appreciate that playwright Mindy Curtis explained to the kids what a play is to start out the hour and told them there would be time to be loud and times to listen. This is so helpful to begin to teach kids what attending theater is. The cast is also a lot of fun with Zac Curtis playing the dopey emperor, Jake Andersen as the craft servant Fraudrick and Jim Martin as the sarcastic Lords. They are all personable with the kids and up for whatever wildcards they are thrown (very funny when one kid asked them to a split leap.)
Salt Lake Children’s Theatre is run by Zac and Mindy and they do events all over the valley in schools and museums. If you get a chance to see their productions like The Emperor’s New Everything with the kiddos I highly recommend it.
Helen- Written and directed by Annabelle Willes
With Christopher Nolan’s epic movie The Odyssey and the Hadestown proshot in cinemas it is only natural that I would end up seeing more Greek mythology with Helen. This play was done in the black box space at Mad King and it tells the sprawling story of Helen of Troy. I am sure Willes had to condense things a lot to fit the timeframe and they still went over at least 15 minutes (one person said it was 90 minutes but I didn’t check my time so not sure.)
The cast is large and very strong with Jaclyn Nelson and Truman Christensen having terrific chemistry as Helen and Menelaus. Brendan Bowman is good as Paris and Isa Wade as Aphrodite. I also appreciate the dress they had for Nelson which had a Greco-Roman statuesque feel to it.
I enjoyed watching Helen but it felt rushed and became difficult to keep track of all the characters and everything that was happening. I’d be interested to see the full 2 act version because I bet it is a lot clearer and more satisfying. I’m also not a Greek scholar despite how much of it I’ve been getting lately. Those more familiar with the Helen of Troy story may find it easier to keep track of. Still, it’s a tremendous effort and I’m glad I saw it.
King John- by Matthew Windham director Damjan Dimovski
I’m not sure why but I almost always love the dynamic of a one-person show. It can be a bit gimmicky but I’m always kept fascinated how the person is going to pull off the next element of the story and make it all work. Such was the case with the one-man adaptation of King John at the festival .
This is an adaptation of the Shakespeare play which is normally 2.5 hours but Windham does a good job paring it down to the hour length. He plays all the characters effectively using chess pieces, hats and other items like a teddy bear to signify a change in characters. Indeed, a production like this rises and falls with the quality of the actor and Windham had m transfixed the entire time. He is an incredible actor!
Similarly to Helen I am sure the more knowledgeable the audience is on King John the more they will pick up. I’ve never seen or read it so it is a little hard to keep up with what is happening in the story. Still I loved Windham’s performance, and I got enough of it to get an idea of the plot. King John is honestly probably my favorite play of the festival.
Dramapocalypse- Owen Briggs directing.
My final play was probably my favorite comedy of the festival. It is called Dramapocalypse and dives into the dark side of drama geeks. The play is directed by Owen Briggs who also plays PJ (written by Arthur Thomas.) PJ is a diabetic teenager who along with 6 classmates are locked in a school basement with no way to get out for hours. While there someone breaks the curse of the Scottish play and the ghost of William Shakespeare comes alive to enact revenge on the students. This was pretty funny as I had just come from watching King John but also Eleanor Jonsson plays Shakespeare well as the “patron Saint of bisexuals.”
The biggest strength of this play is the pitch-perfect casting across the board. Everyone completely fit their roles. I particularly loved Joey McDonough as the dopey if problematic football player-turned actor Ben. Cris Criddle also gets a ton of laughs as the sassy hot-tempered Karina. It may be because it’s a high school production at Mad King but this reminded me a lot of We Are Tigers and She Kills Monsters which I also saw at that black box space. Some of the humor can feel a little belabored and repetitive but I sincerely hope they keep working on this because it has a lot of potential.
So there you have it. That’s my thoughts on this year’s GSL Fringe. What about you? Did you get to see any of these and what did I miss that you enjoyed? I’d love to hear in the comments. Thanks to all who set up and volunteered for GSL Fringe and for including me.
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Previous to this week I have only seen the play Our Town one other time. As a young girl my best friend was cast over me as Young Emily, and I was bitterly disappointed. I’m not sure that resentment is the reason I never saw it again but it does feel like the kind of experience Thornton Wilder is trying to portray in his classic play. Fortunately I had the chance to see it in the new production at Hale Center Theatre and it is definitely worthy of your time.
Like I said, Our Town is a classic play written by Wilder in 1938 looking back at the passing of time since 1901. You can imagine that a nostalgic piece from 1938 feels extra nostalgic now all these years later. In fact, the first 2 acts were not engaging me the way I had hoped and it all felt a little cloying and tedious. Then the 3rd act comes up and it makes it all work and packs the emotional wallop I needed to go home satisfied. The play is focusing on the small moments of life (childhood, marriage, and death) but Act 3 is where I connected with the characters and piece and it makes the earlier acts feel more profound and powerful.
Certainly the cast director Dave Tinney has put together can’t be topped. The conceit is this is a play-within-a-play and Michael Hohl acts as our stage manager or narrator. He is warm and endearing and perfect for this role (he reminds me a lot of Richard Thomas who was in the recent revival on Broadway.) We then have Becca Ashton as Emily and Timothy Qusenberry as George, and they have terrific chemistry (especially Qusenberry) and really sell those Act 3 moments. Other stars are the great Jane Luke, Ben Parkes, Sanford Porter, Cecily Ellis-Bills and more. It’s a large cast and they feel like a cohesive group of small town residents. I was particularly moved by Jared Stewart as the troubled Simon Stimson.
Despite having 3 acts this Our Town is just over 2 hours so you get to that Act 3 pretty quickly. The set is simple with projections by Madeline Ashton and sound design by Griffin McMullin. The costumes are period accurate by Kim Wright. I guess it is tradition of this play to have no props, which is the case here. I read that Wilder wanted this because it would make the audience focus on the emotions rather than the items; however, I actually found it to be the reverse. I felt like the act of someone pretending to hold a cup or eat a fake ice cream soda to be more distracting than if they were just doing those things. I’m not sure if that makes sense but suffice it to say that’s not my favorite aspect of this play. I’ve been told some productions don’t even have chairs, which they at least have here.
It is also quite slow those first 2 acts, and I left wondering if it would be better as a one act with just Act 3. However, perhaps then it wouldn’t have the emotional resonance without the build up of the other 2 acts? I’m not sure but just know that you are signing yourself up for a slower, softer paced experience with Our Town, and be ready for the emotion in Act 3. If you can go in with that perspective you’ll have a good experience with this play. It’s certainly executed extremely well by the folks at Hale and it’s always good to cross those classics off of your theatre bucket list. Fortunately you have a long time to see Hale’sOur Town with it running through October 19th but it is on the smaller Beehive Stage so tickets will sell quickly. More information can be found here.
Our Town is a 3-act play written by Thornton Wilder in 1938. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for it and it premiered on Broadway that same year. It has been revived many times including a recent production in 2024 starring Jim Parsons as the stage manager and Richard Thomas as Mr Webb.
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One of the best parts of watching and reviewing community theatre is how unpredictable it can be. One never knows when sitting down to a performance if we will get the one night where a voice cracks or an actor forgets all their lines and improvs- you get the idea. It could also be a night of triumph for the entire company. We just don’t know. Of course, sometimes the elements of a performance end up outside of the cast and crews control and the team has to then adapt to the unexpected. Such was my experience yesterday at Creekside and the weather for The Merry Wives of Windsor.
I honestly was nervous going to the play that night because it had been a rainy day. If I was just a patron and not doing a review I probably wouldn’t have come (reason for the small attendance I’m sure) but I like to uphold my commitments whenever possible and so rainclouds and all I headed to Cedar Hills to watch the show.
To be clear Creekside has 3 venues this year both inside and outside but Merry Wives is held in the outdoor venue at Heritage Park. It is literally creek-side where on the left of the stage is a loud running creek. The previous year we had a wind storm that was incredibly memorable (see review here) so I might just be bad luck for this company but we will always keep trying!
The night started tame enough but about 20 minutes in the rain began and I was fortunate to have a chair with a sun covering for the beach. They were also very good about distributing umbrellas to anyone who needed it, which I appreciate. There wasn’t any lightning so no danger to the actors so we pushed on forward. Between the creek and the wind it sometimes was hard to hear the actors but fortunately it is not a complex play so I followed along just fine.
If you are unfamiliar with Merry Wives it is quite possibly Shakespeare’s silliest play focusing on Sir John Falstaff and his attempts to seduce 2 rich married women (hence the wives.) These women, Mistress Ford and Page, are rightfully offended by his advances and seek revenge on him in very funny ways. Because of some outdated elements it isn’t a play performed a lot, and I’ve actually only seen it one other time years ago (although they just announced it for Utah Shakespeare Festival for 2027 so that will be fun.) I wish I could have had a distraction-free viewing without the rain but I still enjoyed the opportunity to see this silly play.
The production at Creekside is directed by Jan Hunsaker and I appreciate her using the unique space as much as possible. Several times actors come out into the crowd- at one point an actress handed out chocolates to us and during the scene with the faeries the actors are on the grass dancing outside of the actual stage. I also appreciate when Falstaff gets dumped into the Thames the actor actually goes down into the dry creek-bed and pulls himself back onto the stage. They also do a good job with all of the laundry props that are given to Falstaff to make him look ridiculous. The costumes by Jen Christensen are also a lot of fun although a little confusing as to what era they belonged in. Some seemed to be Edwardian, others Renaissance, others Victorian but I did like the colors and fabrics used.
While the weather did make it harder to absorb some performances I was still impressed with the quality of the cast. Liam Owens is appropriately stupid and foppish as Falstaff and Hillary Straga and Jana Wilhite have a nice chemistry together as Mistress Ford and Page. I particularly appreciate towards the end when Falstaff is dressed as a stag and made to look the fool. It’s very funny.
I also appreciate they shortened the intermission with the rain so we were able to get finished the production in around 2 hours. This is considerate of the audience sitting out in the rain. I wish I had time to see The Merry Wives of Windsor again at Creekside but I do not. Fortunately you still have time to see it. It is playing through July 1st and tickets can be purchased here.
The Merry Wives of Windsor is Shakespeare’s 23rd play having been written between 1600-1601. It is sandwiched in between Hamlet and Troilus and Cressida so it must have been a breath of fresh air in between 2 tragedies and especially a nice break after the intensity of Hamlet. Evidently Queen Elizabeth 1 asked Shakespeare to write a play about Falstaff after seeing him depicted in Henry IV Part 1
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