MULAN struggles to move from children’s theatre to main stage
IVINS — Disney’s Mulan, with music and lyrics by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel, Stephen Schwartz, Jeanine Tesori and Alexa Junge, and a book adaptation from the animated film of…
With time, FOOTLOOSE could dance into audience hearts
WEST VALLEY CITY — From its mid-1980’s beginning as a major motion picture to its late 1990’s transition to the musical theatre stage, Footloose has presented its themes of growth…
Egyptian Theatre’s EVITA falters technically, but features strong performances
PARK CITY — Evita, as presented by the Egyptian Theater, tells the story of former Argentinian first lady Eva Perón. From humble origins, to a B-film star, to her slow…
Wish ANYTHING GOES had gone further
CEDAR CITY — Everyday life very rarely includes spontaneous moments of song and dance (although flash mobs are pretty “in” right now), but those musical scenes seem perfectly normal on…
Scenes from the Utah Shakespeare Festival GREENSHOW
CEDAR CITY — Part of the Utah Shakespeare Festival experience is the nightly performance of The Greenshow. This free performance uses music, dance, and comedy to bring the spirit of…
Meatball Criticism: STAR WARS, GREASE, VEEP and more
Back when I was still a college professor, I used to teach a freshman level class in dramatic structure. I taught it for something like fifteen years. Loved that class.…
ROBIN HOOD: LEGEND OF THE SHERWOOD BANDIT is a relevant tale of choices
CLEARFIELD — With a story as often told as the legend of Robin Hood, it would seem difficult to bring something entirely new to the stage. However, Ed Farnsworth‘s version,…
Blown away by THE TEMPEST
CEDAR CITY — The Utah Shakespeare Festival (USF) is an incredible place to be. The caliber of talent in every element of a production leaves me in a state of…
Shakespeare Festival portrays a realistic politician in KING JOHN
CEDAR CITY — “Might makes right.” This old adage has illustrated that often the person with the strongest army becomes a leader by virtue of the physical force at his…
Hale’s GUYS AND DOLLS is a showstopper
OREM — The age old battle of the sexes comes to a head in Guys and Dolls, a musical originally premiering in 1950 and finding new stage at Orem’s Hale…