Ensemble cast shines in HCTO’s DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
OREM — According to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the key to being a good con artist is to “Give them what they want.” The producers at Hale Center Theater Orem have…
UTBA reviewers sound off: Excellence in 2020
Every UTBA reader knows that 2020 was a tough year for Utah theatre. For over two months, we did not review any theatre productions because all theaters in the state…
Strong cast lifts A CHRISTMAS STORY at the SCERA
OREM — A Christmas Story: The Musical is part of a trend on Broadway in the past 20 years of turning popular movies into musicals. Given the financial risks of…
A spirited version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at HCTO
OREM — Holiday traditions provide families with an anchor of stability year after year, and never have people needed stability more than during the coronavirus pandemic. The creative team and…
Behind our decision to review plays during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Utah theatre world was turned upside down eight months ago today on March 12, 2020, when Utah governor Gary Herbert announced that public events and many other businesses would…
Little ones can discover themselves via THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH
OREM — “Many things are possible as long as you believe they’re not impossible.” That’s one of the lessons of The Phantom Tollbooth, an adaptation of the Norton Juster novel…
Let Lehi’s BIG FISH hook you
LEHI — This year, the Lehi Arts Council’s sole theatre production will be Big Fish. The production was cast in January and was almost ready to open in March. But,…
HOW I BECAME A PIRATE is seaworthy and sound
OREM — Just two years after the last production of How I Became a Pirate at the SCERA, the company has a new production of this play for young audiences.…
SCERA’s CINDERELLA is “A Lovely Night”
OREM — I thought Cinderella was one of Rodgers and Hammerstein‘s lesser works. Originally written for television, it is about half as long as their other shows, has no subplot,…
SCERA’s THE MUSIC MAN is a comfy batch of nostalgia
OREM — In uncertain times, there is something comforting about a show like The Music Man. For the past five months, Americans have had to deal with lockdowns, riots, closed…