If I had my guess, I’d bet that if you asked someone outside of Utah about what artists from Utah they could name, you’d be most likely to hear the names Donny Osmond or David Archuleta in response. That may be about to change, at least for London theatre-goers next month who make the trip to the European premiere of Little Piece of You – An Atypical Musical, with book written by award-winning Utah playwright Melissa Leilani Larson and music by Utah-based songwriter and YouTube sensation, Kjersti Long, who will also perform the role of Sidney Hill.
Larson’s work should be familiar to Utah audiences. Her adaptation of Pride and Prejudice has been produced in several theatres across the state, most recently at the Grand Theatre in May 2024 and at Hale Center Theatre – Orem in January 2023, with a production on the docket at CenterPoint Legacy Theatre at the end of next year. Her adaptation of Persuasion will open next month at Snow College (showing October 9th-15th). While her adaptations of Jane Austen have had perhaps the farthest reach of her work (Pride and Prejudice had a staging in Argentina in 2014), Larson’s original works have also been well received. Gin Mummy was produced last year at Utah Valley University, and Little Happy Secrets will be produced at Middle Tennessee State University’s One Act Festival next month.
She is also known for her work on the screenplay for Jane and Emma, the 2018 LDS Film Festival Best Picture winner, as well as the screenplay for Freetown, which won the 2015 Ghana Movie Award for Best Screenplay. Larson’s resume is varied and broad, inclusive of historical dramas, literary adaptations, youth productions and, now, a musical spreading its wings.
In combing through her resume to research this piece, I found that Larson has had some of her work performed in one form or other at least once a year for the last 20 years – an incredible testament to her determination as an artist, especially in a field as competitive as playwriting. Much has been said about the difficulty of becoming a full-time, professional actor that can support themself only through acting. For perspective, Backstage.com reported that only 2% of film actors are able to live off the income they receive from performing. Given that plays typically have one playwright, I’m willing to bet that the comparable percentage of playwrights would be smaller. It takes tenacity to be an artist, and Utah audiences are lucky that Larson continues to dream bigger.
Relative Space at Creekside Theatre Fest in 2023.
Little Piece of You – An Atypical Muscial began its life as Relative Space at Creekside Theatre Fest in June of last year, where UTBA reviewer Rachel Wagner praised Larsen’s book for its effective, thoughtful portrayal of the intergenerational conflicts of the women at the center of the story. Featuring modern rock and pop music, A Little Piece of You centers around Shannon and Britt, a mother and daughter who face the challenges of unraveling inter-generational traumas that have long been suppressed.
If you’ll be in London next month (take me with you!), you can catch Little Piece of You – An Atypical Musical In Concert at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, showing at 7:30 PM on October 31st and November 1st. Tickets are available at lwtheatres.co.uk.
