SALT LAKE CITY — The Mormon Kid, or Who Wants to Be an Outlaw? is a one man show starring Morgan Lund (also playwright) with live cello music performed by John Serfustini, and directed by Xan Johnson.
Show closes August 5, 2023.
The play begins with Lund playing known outlaw Matt Warner agreeing to give a tour of Robber’s Roost, a hideout for criminals. Warner has chosen a life of crime because of his connection to Butch Cassidy and begins to tell the audience the story of how he became an outlaw. Lund, as Warner, is pleasant to watch as he oscillates between bringing up modern issues or persons — such as social security and Richard Nixon — and talking about what life was like in the 1800s. This feels like a good technique as it can be used to draw comparisons to help the audience understand the story a bit better and adding some hilarity, such as when Warner says, “I lied like a presidential candidate from Florida.”
The set is small, but productive. There are two barrels at the side of the stage, a worn table, a wooden chair, and a tall wall with an image of Warner’s mother, and various gear attached to it. Although the play makes no use of complex lighting, the live cello music where Serfustini plays various pieces, definitely makes up for it. At one point he plays “The Imperial March” from Star Wars.
Mormon Kid’s pace is pretty even, and the monotony of a man telling his life story is broken up by Lund transforming himself into three new, distinct characters who flesh out Warner and provide more details into his characterization. Each new person gets a new accent and outfit to tell their portion of the story. Coupled with the fact that the cello cuts off Warner whenever he tries to curse (because in Utah, “you don’t use all the words”), there are several comedic moments peppered throughout providing levity to what would otherwise be a very humdrum tale.
Mormon Kid is certainly a sum of its parts that all work well together, and any play that has a live cello is worth seeing at least once. As a piece that features a bit of Utah history, it has value as part of audience members’ schedule at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival.
These reviews are made possible by a grant from the Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts, and Parks program.
