Uninspiring script makes ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER struggle
SPANISH FORK — Mark Twain‘s 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a classic slice of Americana. Between the covers of the book, readers can find a celebration of…
Utah Shakespeare Festival’s TWELFTH NIGHT justly “plays on” through the fall
CEDAR CITY — “Shakespeare wrote musicals?” I heard on my way to lobby at intermission. “Why yes, yes he did,” I thought cheekily. Modern audiences sometimes forget that Shakespeare’s works…
Exploitation, kindness & cruelty examined in THE ELEPHANT MAN
LOGAN — I find that true life is always more interesting than fiction. So I was fascinated to learn about Joseph “John” Merrick, a whose life forms the basis for…
Neil Simon Fest’s NUNSENSE is a pleasant musical
CEDAR CITY — Long before the Book of Mormon smashed it’s way on to Broadway, there was another religiously themed musical with much more modest origins. Nunsense, a 1985 musical…
LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR is constantly hilarious
CEDAR CITY — As a devoted fan of Tina Fey’s 30 Rock, I can’t get enough of backstage comedies. That’s why I couldn’t have been more delighted to see the…
YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN is as flat as a comic book
CEDAR CITY — Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comics are some of the most beloved of all time. You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brownis a musical tribute to the classic story. Like…
Go INTO THE WOODS with the Echo Theatre’s charming production
PROVO — Into The Woods at the Echo Theatre is a charming production with messages about growing up, accepting responsibility, and ultimately dealing with wishes and their consequences will resonate…
Salt Lake Shakespeare’s MIDSUMMER mashup is too messy
SALT LAKE CITY — A Midsummer Night’s Dream is probably the most performed of Shakespeare‘s comedies. It is still very funny and accessible for modern audiences and seems custom made…
Utah Festival Opera’s LES MISERABLES is a powerful performance
LOGAN — Every musical theatre fan has a list of our favorite shows—the ones they can watch over and over again, and each time experience all the emotion and passion…
Herriman creates a “big, bright, beautiful” SHREK
HERRIMAN — “It’s a big bright beautiful world!” sings Shrek in the opening of the eponymous Shrek The Musical. And it’s hard to find a more appropriate set of words…