SALT LAKE CITY — Saturday’s Voyeur 2019 is an all new experience focusing on next year’s election. I didn’t realize that the Salt Lake Acting Company writes a whole new script each year, written by Allen Nevins and Nancy Borgenicht, with new songs for the applicable year. Because I saw the show last year, this version is interesting and still includes plenty of religious and political satire throughout.
Show closes September 1, 2019.
My perspective this year was different than last year, because last year I was seeing it from a church member’s standpoint. This year, having not been a part of the church for almost a year, I saw the show from a non-member’s point of view. Though it was hilarious the first time, it was definitely more enjoyable the second time. The performing was superb aside from a slight issue with hitting some a capella intro notes and a few line blunders.
The story this time was more choppy than last year’s and more difficult to follow. Church member characters argued about politics and endorsed or complained about Trump, and then they ended up in “spirit prison” after death. A “superhero” named Mary Pop-in (Annette Wright) came to save them and helped them come to their own conclusions to change the world through voting, encouraging audience members to do the same. The story would have been more fulfilling if there were a main character’s story to follow throughout the show. Last year,the story was intriguing, because they followed a man through his experience of coming out. However, this year there was only a little character change, but the show didn’t revolve around anyone specifically. This story ended up being more of a mash-up.
I was less enthused with this version than the last, but I still enjoyed the uniqueness of the show. There was one amazing moment when a toy horse head on a stick was passed reverently from person to person until finally it was thrust between the legs of Mitt Romney (Robert Scott Smith) to ride off to victory to save the constitution. I nearly died laughing at his performance. I also appreciated a song, “Blue Skies,” a parody of the song, “Finally,” by CeCe Peniston, that displayed the joy of being yourself, being happy, and allowing others to do the same. I appreciated that message, and it was a nice change from all the political angst in the show.
Annette Wright as Mary Pop-in.
The acting was fantastic as usual. I always enjoy Smith’s performances, and this show was no exception. Smith had some amazing roles, one being Natasha, Putin’s lady, where he sported a lovely pair of fake breasts, which he adjusted zealously during the scene. I was also impressed with Dan Larrinaga, who played his four characters with an accurate ability to mimic real people. When he played Cardinal Pedo, I was as disgusted with the Cardinal as I would have been meeting the real person. The character’s pretense of perfection compared to his misdeeds was a stark contrast. Wright was so fun to see as Mary Pop-in, with her magic snap above her head making things happen. I loved how disgruntled she was, and I laughed at many of her lines and curse words.
The set by Michael Horejsi was simple: I only noticed a few boxes, an umbrella that hung from the ceiling, and display images on the backdrop that were very helpful during songs and were interesting when concerning the story. I do wish there had been more detail to the set, but the cast was big enough and on stage often enough that perhaps a larger set would have just gotten in the way.
Cynthia Fleming and William Richardson did wonderfully at the directing and the choreography. The songs were more powerful with the funny choreography that emphasized each message. I greatly enjoyed the dancing on, “Ride and Elder,” a song parody from, “Save a Horse,” by Big & Rich. I also loved how extensively the cast used all the entrances, exits, and aisles. Multiple times I was between two actors performing from opposite sides of the theatre, and it was fun to enjoy their banter going over the audience floor.
The show had a nice finish as the cast performed a parody of, “Do You Hear the People Sing,” from Les Miserables. I was tired as the show neared its end, because I hadn’t been engrossed in an engaging story line and I had enjoyed the humor so much it wore me out, much like a stand up comedy show would have. Because I now understand that the show changes each year, I can see why the show has so many returning audience members. A month ago, I went to buy an extra ticket to this show and found all the seats were taken except a few scattered single seats. So if you want to see this and sit by your friends, plan far ahead.
