Theatre Reviews by Patrons and Professionals
SALT LAKE CITY — “Each must make a safe place of his heart, before so strange and wild a guest as God approaches.” – Li-Young Lee This line from former poet laureate Li-Young Lee’s poem, “Nativity,” begins the Sting & Honey Company’s annual production of This Bird of Dawning Singeth All Night Long, a visually striking retelling [...]
SALT LAKE CITY — There is something both nostalgic and romantic about radio drama. The extra description in narration, the ever-present sound effects, trying to pick out different voices from the same actor; all are part of the incredibly intimate and personal experience of listening rather than seeing a theatrical performance. Plan-B Theatre Company once again [...]
MIDVALE — The basic premise for Plaid Tidings is that a four members of a close-harmony guy band who died tragically in a car accident in the 1950′s have come back to life to perform one final concert in honor of Christmas. To be quite honest, I just gave away the ending to the entire [...]
OREM — UVU’s 7th annual Holiday Night Live was a night of lively sketch comedy. The humor varies from sketch to sketch, and I’d say there was something there for everyone. The audience’s first impression of the show comes from a festive stage adorned with garland, stockings, greenery, lights, and even a few (creepy?) elves. It was as [...]
SALT LAKE CITY — If you are looking for a Christmas show that is a little bit out of left field, a little out of the ordinary, and tailor-made for the littlest audience members, look no further than The Children’s Theatre’s rendition of the old classic operetta Toyland. Now performing at their new theater facility in [...]
MAGNA — Every year, the holiday season unleashes a flurry of Christmas themed productions on the theatre scene. With only a few short weeks and with so many shows, a theatre patron has to decide which productions they will be attending and which they will leave behind. This year in Magna, Utah, The Empress Theatre [...]
LEHI — On Friday evening I had a flashback to two different Christmases. No, I wasn’t playing Scrooge in a production of A Christmas Carol. Instead, I was reminded of playing a shepherd in a church Christmas pageant when I was about ten years old. I also remembered my younger brother playing Joseph when he was [...]
OREM — The current SCERA production of Liken’s The First Christmas is unique. This production is the world stage premiere of a musical based on a somewhat popular series of religious films. In addition to that, amidst all of the holiday theater that is happening throughout Utah, it stands apart as one of the very few [...]
OREM — Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol has proved to be a staple of the holiday season. At nearly 170 years old, this short novel has been adapted for the stage and screen hundreds of times. Though the 1843 novel was originally a response to the horrific working conditions for children, Dickens’s story remains relevant and [...]
CENTERVILLE — Nothing in Utah makes it begin to look a lot like Christmas like a theatrical rendition of Charles Dickens‘s “scary ghost story.” A Christmas Carol penetrates our society like few other stories. Simply mention “Scrooge,” “Tiny Tim,” “Bah Humbug,” or a “God bless us, everyone,” and someone will know what you are talking [...]