Empress has a BIG evening of laughs and heart
MAGNA — “Being big and tall doesn’t make you a grown-up.” This lyric, from the title song of Big: The Musical, encapsulates the message of this stage adaptation of the…
CLYBOURNE PARK sublimely discusses a half century of changes and tension
SALT LAKE CITY — It is a shame that Clybourne Park play doesn’t take place in Utah. The 3-hour flight to Chicago seems like it could be too large a…
Lots of bang, not much substance in CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
WEST VALLEY CITY — It is easy to sum up my impression of the Hale Centre Theatre production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: it’s all about the car. The actors,…
Can’t help but applaud HOW TO MAKE A ROPE SWING
SALT LAKE CITY — I find it a shame to applaud design if a production is lacking in the script/acting/direction. Thankfully, Salt Lake Acting Company delivers in all categories. I…
DOCTOR U provides the right prescription for laughs
SALT LAKE CITY – I tend to have mixed feelings about the Off Broadway Theater (OBT). They produce melodrama-type productions spoofing pop culture, much in the vein of another popular…
THE FANTASTICKS has all the fixings of a good production
DRAPER — This was my first time seeing The Fantasticks, and it only took me a few minutes to understand why it’s such a staple of community theater. Tom Jones’s…
DREAMGIRLS offers a dreamy night
SALT LAKE CITY — In the title song of Dreamgirls, currently playing at the Capitol Theater, our three leading ladies make us a promise: “We’re your Dreamgirls. We’ll make you…
Great direction with ADAM & STEVE AND THE EMPTY SEA
SALT LAKE CITY — Walking into the Studio Theatre it’s impossible to avoid looking up. A giant tree of hammered-together planks and particle board towers over the stage sheltering audience…
A FLEA IN HER EAR: a fascinating farce
SALT LAKE CITY – Chuck Jones, the animator behind the golden era of Warner Brothers cartoons, said, “Comedy is unusual people in real situations; farce is real people in unusual…
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE is fun for the family
SOUTH SALT LAKE — The Children’s Theatre of Salt Lake is settling into its new home in South Salt Lake, and is continuing to provide family entertainment while they stretch…