BYU’s NORTH STAR is relevant, but needs emotional guidance
PROVO — Both written and directed by Gloria Bond Clunie, BYU’s streaming production of North Star is extremely relevant. The show depicts a mother remembering her childhood during in the…
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…
Ring in the new year with HCTO’s IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
OREM — As a critic, when I critique a show that has been a part of the theatrical repertoire for as long as The Importance of Being Earnest has been,…
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…
AN IDEAL HUSBAND at BYU is not an ideal streaming production
PROVO — It is an understatement to say that An Ideal Husband, produced by BYU, was technologically impaired. Though I appreciate the effort of the actors and technicians to put…
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…
SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT is something important to think about
PROVO — An Other Theater Company’s latest streaming production is Something to Cry About, an original devised work by Shelby Noelle Gist and Dorsey Williams. Directed by Gist, the short…
DESPERATE CROSSING & LETTERS FROM CUBA exposes immigrants’ plight
PROVO — Brigham Young University’s staging of Manual for a Desperate Crossing and Letters from Cuba is the most innovative production I have ever seen. With a striking, timely message…
ILLUSIONARY TALES: spooky stories at their staged best
PROVO — One of the few good things to come out of the pandemic is experimental theater, and BYU’s Illusionary Tales has done a great job of finding a way…