Utah Shakespeare Festival 2026

I spent this last weekend with my sister Marilyn at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and we had so much fun!  We had been looking forward to this trip all year (we bought our tickets on Black Friday) and it was the perfect way to end the summer (we definitely enjoyed the cooler temperatures).

Our first show on Friday afternoon was She Loves Me in the Randall Jones Theatre.  This delightful musical features two bickering clerks in a Budapest perfumery during the 1930s who unknowingly fall in love with each other as anonymous pen pals.  I really loved the elaborate set!  The exterior of Maraczek's Parfumerie sits in front of a beautiful projection showing the city of Budapest and revolves to reveal the interior of the shop which is filled with large display cabinets.  Several backdrops are cleverly used to transform the shop into the Cafe Imperiale and Amalia's apartment.  The choreography for "Sounds While Selling," "A Romantic Atmosphere," and "Twelve Days to Christmas" is so fun and chaotic (Marilyn is very reserved and she laughed out loud during these scenes).  Finally, the entire cast is outstanding but I was especially impressed by the leads Ali Ewoldt and Matt Koenig because they both have beautiful voices and tremendous chemistry.  Her rendition of "Will He Like Me?" is a highlight for me because she is so vulnerable and his exuberant performance of "She Loves Me" brought the house down!

Friday night we saw Hamlet in the Englestad Theatre and it was incredible!  This is my favorite Shakespeare play (it was also my favorite piece of literature to teach) and it tells the tragic story of a Danish prince who is urged to avenge the death of his father.  I loved so many things about this particular interpretation.  The play begins with the ghost of Hamlet's father dramatically emerging from the grave and he is omnipresent throughout.  We also see the ghosts of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Polonius, and Ophelia at various times before they appear with the ghosts of Gertrude, Claudius, Leartes, and Hamlet to surround Horatio.  This is incredibly powerful because it makes the consequences of the King's murder very visible and I especially loved that they implore Horatio to swear to remember their story because it echoes the first scene between the ghost and Hamlet (I got goosebumps during this final moment).  I loved the choice to move Hamlet's soliloquy to after he kills Polonius because it gives more emotional weight to his words (he even cries afterwards).  I loved the way that Ophelia is portrayed because she is stronger than I've ever seen her, especially in an added encounter with Hamlet after her father's death, and Kathryn Tkel is brilliant in the role.  Walter Kmiec's performance is also amazing and I loved his interpretation of Hamlet as a young man overwhelmed by circumstances, particularly in a scene where the entire court circles around him.  Finally, I loved the dramatic set with large windows that are skewed and lose panes as the play progresses (it is intriguing to me that there is something rotten in Denmark before the action even begins).  I was blown away by the festival's production of Hamlet in 2019 and this one is very different but equally brilliant!

The next show on Saturday afternoon was Something Rotten in the Randall Jones Theatre.  This follows two struggling playwrights during the Renaissance who try to outshine William Shakespeare by writing the first musical.  I absolutely love all of the references to musical theatre in "A Musical" and "Make an Omelette" and I love that every production adds something new.  This version includes highly amusing visual references to Dear Evan Hansen and Newsies but I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed that these two numbers didn't feature more pizzazz with the choreography and costumes. I also have to admit that I didn't care for Brian Gonzales as Nostradamus or Jason Rexx as Nigel Bottom.  However, Pascal Pastrana is hilarious as the rock star Shakespeare (his codpiece is spectacular) and I loved his over the top performances of "Will Power" and "Hard to Be the Bard," especially his interactions with his groupies.  I also really enjoyed Matt Koenig as Nick Bottom because he has a beautiful voice and his versions of "Man, I Hate Shakespeare" and "Bottom's Gonna Be on Top" are a lot of fun.  Finally, I liked the clever but simple set because it features an Elizabethan theatre that is transformed into to other locations by rotating panels and flashing LED lights.  I enjoyed this but it was underwhelming compared to other productions I've seen (it didn't help that there were many students in the audience who screamed at the top of their lungs at the end of every number).

 Our final show was Twelfth Night in the Engelstad Theatre Saturday night.  When twins are separated during a shipwreck, chaos ensues when they become involved in a love triangle and are mistaken for each other.  I thoroughly enjoyed all of the physical comedy in this show, especially when Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Maria hide to observe the officious steward Malvolio read a letter they have forged to get back at him for spoiling their fun, when Malvolio appears smiling with yellow stockings and cross garters (I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe during this scene), and when Sir Andrew challenges Cesario to a duel.  I also loved all of the scenes involving the jester Feste, especially when he improvises a song for a member of the audience.  The staging of the shipwreck is quite spectacular and I was very impressed with Caitlin Wise's aerial performance on silks.  I loved Kayland Jordan's performance as Olivia because her facial expressions are so funny, especially when Sebastian and Viola appear together for the first time, and, of course, I loved Rodney Lizcano because he really hams it up as Malvolio.  Finally, the period costumes are very beautiful as are the projections used for Illyria.

I always love coming to the Utah Shakespeare Festival, especially with my sister, and this trip was wonderful.  The festival continues with Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Troilus and Cressida, and See How They Run through September 5 and Something Rotten, She Loves Me, The Book Club Play, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein though October 3 (go here for tickets).

Note:  The month of August began and ended with theatre road trips with my sisters!

Water for Elephants at the Eccles

Last night I went to the Broadway touring production of Water for Elephants at the Eccles (it was the last show of the 2025-2026 season). I loved the book by Sara Gruen and I liked the movie starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz so I was eager to see where the stage adaptation would land. After losing his parents in a car accident and his childhood home to foreclosure, Jacob Jankowski (Zachary Keller) is forced to drop out of veterinary school and hops a train going anywhere in Depression-era America. It turns out that the train he randomly chooses belongs to the Benzini Brothers Circus and he is reluctantly put to work as a laborer. However, his knowledge of animals soon comes in handy and he is asked to care for an ailing horse named Silver Star, who he cannot save, and then a stubborn elephant named Rosie. August Rackinger (Connor Sullivan), the cruel and sadistic ringmaster, wants Rosie to become the new star attraction but Jacob falls in love with his wife Marlena (Helen Krushinski) as they train the elephant together. August eventually abuses both Rosie and Marlena but, before Jacob can intervene to save Marlena, Rosie uses the bullhook that August beat her with to kill him during a stampede (because an elephant never forgets). The narrative is told through flashbacks by an older Jacob (Robert Tully) who escapes from his assisted living home to join the circus again. I have to admit that when I first heard about this adaptation I wondered if the story was strong enough to warrant a musical treatment and, unfortunately, the answer is no in my opinion. The script is definitely the weakest link because the plot of the book (which is mostly internal dialogue) is simplified and Jacob is the only character that has any development or backstory.  There are also several subplots that are introduced and then quickly abandoned. In addition, the songs are not particularly memorable (I struggled to remember any of the titles while writing this). Having said that, everyone in the cast does an incredible job with all of the musical numbers. Keller and Krushinski, especially, have beautiful voices and their renditions of "Silver Stars" and "Easy," respectively, are highlights of the show. They both also give a moving performance of "Wild." Sullivan has an imposing stature and his powerful versions of "The Lion Has Got No Teeth" and "You've Got Nothing" are quite menacing and emphasize August's volatile nature. Shoutouts also go to Javier Garcia as Camel, Tyler West as Walter, Grant Huneycutt as Wade, and Ruby Gibbs as Barbara because they each take advantage of their moment to shine. However, the insanely talented acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, and aerialists (Nancy Luna, Yves Artieres, Fran Alvarez Jara, Ella Huestis, Serafina Walker, and John Neurohr) are absolutely spectacular and make this show worth the price of admission. All of the circus acts are visually stunning and I was especially impressed by a breathtaking aerial performance on white silks by Artieres, who portrays the horse Silver Star, in the number "Easy" (this actually brought tears to my eyes). The colorful costumes, lighting design, and projections create a circus-like atmosphere and the metal set pieces used to represent the train cars are very clever. Finally, the puppets used for the menagerie of animals are very striking. I was a bit disappointed with the puppet for Rosie in the first act because you can only see parts of her or just her shadow but then she is revealed in her entirety in a show-stopping moment (literally because it ends the first act) after Jacob and Marlena are able to communicate with her and I loved this choice once I realized what it meant! I also loved that the puppeteers are dressed in nondescript coveralls when Rosie is training but in sequins when she is performing. There are flaws but I highly recommend this for the performances and the spectacle. It runs at the Eccles Theatre through August 30 and tickets may be purchased here.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

I loved I Saw the TV Glow so I was very eager to see Jane Schoenbrun's latest movie, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, and I finally had the opportunity last night.  The Camp Miasma horror franchise has become stale after too many sub-par sequels so Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder), a well-regarded indie filmmaker, has been hired to reboot it.  She is a huge fan of the series and wants to involve Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson), the actress who played the "final girl" in the original movie, in the new production.  Billy lives at the remote camp where the first movie was filmed and has become a virtual recluse but Kris tracks her down and visits her.  She explains to Billy that she was hired to fix the problematic transphobic premise of the movies for a modern audience because she is a queer filmmaker so she wants to explore a different perspective on identity.  Billy believes that she is over-intellectualizing the horror genre and that she should simply let it be a visceral experience.  The two of them eventually watch the first movie together (insert the plots of Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp with a killer known as Little Death into the movie within a movie) and Kris tells her that she has always been fascinated by the look in Billy's eye during the sex scene.  She reveals that it was at that moment her character found sexual release because she was about to be killed.  Billy initiates sex but Kris rebuffs her and confesses that she has never enjoyed it because she has some kind of mental block.  Billy suggests that she is, once again, over-intellectualizing it and that they should reenact the pivotal sex scene so she can become the main character and feel the terror before Little Death kills her.  Mayhem ensues!  I really enjoyed this, especially the idea that the movies you love shape who you are, but I do think that it belabors the central metaphor (it is definitely not subtle) and I started to feel like everything is a metaphor for sex (the candy, the metal vent worn by the killer, the weapon used by the killer, the winter setting which changes to spring, etc.).  I loved that the movie within a movie is basically a parody of slasher film tropes (the use of "A Long December" by Counting Crows made me laugh out loud) with kills that are hilariously over the top and full of sexual imagery.  Finally, Anderson is so entertaining to watch because she fully commits to the role (I laughed at the suggestion that Billy is channeling Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard).  I had a lot of fun seeing this late at night with a big crowd and I think it might become a cult classic!

Union County

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was Union County and I really appreciated the humane and honest portrayal of addiction but I found the observational approach to be a bit slow and remote.  Cody Parsons (Will Poulter) is an addict who is in a mandated recovery program along with his foster brother Jack (Noah Centineo).  He is barely hanging on as he struggles to attend required drug tests, support groups, and court appearances while living in his car and working a menial job at a lumber mill.  After a relapse which lands him in jail and Jack in rehab, he recommits to the program with the help of his counselor Annette (Annette Deao) and a fellow addict named Anna (Elise Kibler).  He begins taking the meetings seriously and has a breakthrough which leads to a reconciliation with his sister Katrina (Emily Meade).  However, a tragedy threatens his hard-won sobriety.  This features performances from people who are actually involved with the Adult Recovery Court in Ohio, including Deao, a social worker, Kevin T. Braig, a judge, as well as addicts who tell their own recovery stories in the court and support group scenes.  This (along with shooting locations in central Ohio and austere cinematography) gives the narrative an authenticity that is palpable and I was impressed by how seamless their performances are with those of the actors. Centineo is a live wire and Poulter is a coiled spring who telegraphs all of the pain and guilt Cody is feeling through facial expressions and physicality rather than dialogue.  It is a powerful and empathetic performance that does much to destigmatize addiction but the long silences sometimes become tiresome (my mind wandered at times) and there are a few scenes that require a bit more context.  This is a movie that I admire more than I love but I still recommend it.

Late Fame

Last night I had another double feature at the Broadway beginning with Late Fame.  I was intrigued by the trailer and I found it very charming.  Ed Saxberger (Willem Dafoe) was once a member of the bohemian art scene in the 1970s and even had a volume of poetry titled Way Past Go published but he now works at the U.S. Postal Service and spends his evenings playing pool with a group of working class men at a local bar.  One evening he is approached by a wealthy and pretentious young man named Meyers (Edmund Donovan) who tells him that he and his artistic friends, who call themselves the Enthusiasm Society, have recently discovered his poetry and would love to have him join their group.  He grows to love how much they fawn over him, especially an exotic and mysterious actress named Gloria (Greta Lee), and this gives him a renewed passion for the arts.  However, even though he is very well-received at a poetry reading organized on his behalf by the group, he eventually realizes that he no longer belongs in this milieu and that Meyers and his friends are mere dilettantes.  The portrayal of the Enthusiasm Society is often very humorous and I especially enjoyed seeing Meyers' apartment because, even though he professes a disdain for contemporary culture, it is sleek and modern and filled with every technological advance (I laughed out when it was revealed).  I also enjoyed the juxtaposition between real artists, embodied by Ed and Gloria, and the poseurs, represented by Meyers and his group, who use them for authenticity.  The cinematography evokes the NYC of a bygone era, particularly a sequence in which Ed wanders the city looking for inspiration for a new poem, and I love that the members of the Enthusiasm Society dress like Victorian-era dandies.  Finally, Dafoe gives a grounded and effortless performance as a man who ultimately discovers that he is living a romanticized version of his past but Lee steals every scene she is in as the flamboyant Gloria, especially when she performs "Surabaya Johnny" at a club.  This is a sometimes funny and sometimes melancholy character study and I really enjoyed it.  Definitely seek it out.

Tony

Last night I went to see Tony with my nephew and I think it is a brilliant coming of age story (or bildungsroman as Tony would say).  Anthony "Tony" Bourdain (Dominic Sessa) is a brash and arrogant student at Vassar studying writing.  He applies for a prestigious fellowship but, when he doesn't get it, he tells his parents that he did and follows his crush Nancy (Emilia Jones) to Provincetown, Massachusetts, where she has a summer job.  When he sees that she already has a boyfriend, he goes to a local restaurant called The Flagship and gets drunk.  This eventually leads to a job there as a dishwasher and he soon becomes immersed in the chaos of the kitchen.  He also befriends a volatile and heroin addicted cook named Sal (Leo Woodall) and pursues Nancy by lying about the fellowship.  After Sal goes on a bender and is fired, Tony lies about his restaurant experience and is given his job.  The Chef (Antonio Banderas) takes him under his wing and begins teaching him, but when Tony makes an error trying to impress Nancy which results in a catastrophic fire, he realizes that Tony lied and he fires him.  Tony has a moment of truth and ultimately confesses to Nancy and makes amends to Chef who, in turn, gives him a letter of recommendation for the Culinary Institute of America.  This reminded me of the biopics by Pablo Larrain about Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, and Maria Callas because it focuses on one pivotal period of time that changes the trajectory of Bourdain's life rather than the entire story and this approach is extremely effective.  I did not know much about Bourdain, beyond the fact that he was a chef who explored cuisine around the world, but I think this stands on its own as a universal coming of age story and I found it very compelling.  I think Sessa is strangely appealing (I adored him in The Holdovers) and his performance as an aimless young man trying to find his way is incredibly nuanced.  I was especially struck by the stark contrast between his interview for the writing fellowship at Vassar and his interview for admission to the Culinary Institute of America.  Banderas and Woodall (who is playing against type) are also outstanding and have a lived-in chemistry with Sessa.  Finally, I loved the 1970s aesthetic in the production design (especially the music and the costumes).  This is a definite crowd-pleaser and I highly recommend it.

Mutiny

Whenever there is a new movie featuring Jason Statham kicking ass, my nephew and I will always be seated (we got two of them this year) so we went to see Mutiny last night. One never goes to these movies expecting a masterpiece but, even though I enjoyed it, I found it very boring slow at times.  Cole Reed (Statham) is a former Marine and police officer with a troubled past who now works as a personal bodyguard to Tibu Campollo (Ramon Tikaram), the CEO of the shipping company KMG based in Bangkok.  After brokering a deal to sell the company at the behest of his son Kameron (Chaneil Kular), Tibu is ambushed on the road and killed.  Cole is framed for the murder so he begins investigating and discovers that one of the assassins worked for KMG on the cargo ship Artemis.  He sneaks on board pretending to be the assassin but soon encounters the assassin's last-minute replacement Angie Ellis (Annabelle Wallis) and they find evidence of a human trafficking operation conducted by Captain Marko Madsen (Roland Moller) and the rest of the crew.  Cole surmises that Tibu was killed to stop the sale of the company in order to keep the human trafficking operation going and mayhem ensues when he tries to save the hostages and take vengeance for Tibu's death.  One goes to these movies for the action and there are some great set pieces where Cole must fight everyone on board the ship.  My favorite scene involves an epic confrontation between Cole and Madsen on a moving gangway with a hatchet, a knife, a fishing hook, and a harpoon.  Wallis also gets in on the action, particularly when Ellis must fight her way out of the bridge.  However, there are long stretches where both Cole and Ellis, together and separately, are running around the ship or trying to escape from confined spaces and my mind definitely wandered.  The story is also a bit convoluted and I was baffled by a subplot involving a U.S. Coast Guard ship that intercepts a distress signal from the Artemis because there is a lot of buildup only to have them arrive after the ship has been secured (their arrival could have been a great action sequence).  Still, we had a good time and I recommend this to fans of Statham.

Newsies at West Valley Arts

Last night I went to see Newsies at the West Valley Performing Arts Center. I love this show so much and this production is fantastic! It tells the story of how Jack Kelly (Jerdyn Akeripa), along with his fellow "newsies" and a determined young reporter named Katherine (Ashtyn Roskelley), stand up to Joseph Pulitzer (Taylor Smith) by going on strike after he raises the cost of the papers. I love the songs because they are incredibly stirring and the choreography because it is exhilarating. The talented cast (which, I was happy to see, includes several girls as newsies) does an amazing job with the big production numbers "Carrying the Banner," "The World Will Know" (this is my favorite song in the show and it gave me goosebumps), "Seize the Day," "King of New York" (the tap dancing is incredible), and "Once and for All." These scenes feature the signature athletic leaps, jumps, and spins that this show is known for but they also incorporate lots of innovative and acrobatic steps which keep it fresh and vibrant. Both Akeripa and Roman Curiel, who plays Davey, are very charismatic and I enjoyed their interactions as their characters spar back and forth. The former delivers a rousing rendition of "Santa Fe" and that definitely got the crowd cheering. Roskelley is also very impressive and I loved her spirited performance of "Watch What Happens." Smith's Pulitzer is more ruthless than I have seen before (but I loved his voice in "The Bottom Line"), Nnuka Barcelona's Medda is a force to be reckoned with in "That's Rich," and Sebastian Long's Les is adorably precocious. The set is very minimal (much more so than any other production of this show that I have seen) but it is surprisingly effective. The platforms above the wings are used for Jack's fire escape, Katherine's desk, and Pulitzer's office and one of the wings features an iron gate as the entrance to the New York World building and a wooden platform where the newspapers are distributed to the newsies (it is very clever how the headlines are displayed). A simple wooden stage and an old-fashioned printing press are brought out by the ensemble for "That's Rich" and "Once and for All," respectively, and neighborhood signs are distributed throughout the audience for "Brooklyn's Here" (this is so fun). The costumes are very much informed by the Broadway production (there are lots of the famous newsie caps) but I especially liked Medda's velvet gown and the costumes worn by the Bowery Beauties. I had so much fun at this high-energy show and I cannot recommend it enough! There are only three more opportunities to see it next weekend (tickets may be purchased here) so act quickly.

Note: This was once at the top of my list of shows I most wanted to see. I wanted to see it so badly I chaperoned the HHS performing arts trip to Disneyland (my least favorite place on Earth) just so I could see the Broadway touring production at the Pantages Theatre with the group! It was worth it!

West Side Story at Draper Historic Theatre

Last night I went to see West Side Story at Draper Historic Theatre and, since this is a favorite show that I have seen many times, I really appreciated some of the bold choices made by the production team. The story revolves around the forbidden relationship between Tony (Tanner Perkins) and Maria (Michelle Pichardo) and the animosity it stirs up between the Jets and the Sharks, two rival street gangs who are vying for territory. I really enjoyed both of the leads because they have beautiful voices and tremendous chemistry with each other. Perkins has an irrepressible energy in "Something's Coming" and a wide-eyed wonder in "Maria" but it is his affecting performance of "Tonight" that gave me goosebumps. Pichardo is incredibly appealing in "I Feel Pretty," impossibly romantic in her rendition of "One Hand, One Heart" with Perkins, and so devastating in her performance of "I Have a Love" that I was reduced to tears! However, my favorites in the cast were Ashley Murillo Coombs as Anita and Zaden Gates as Riff. Coombs has a lot of sass and I loved all of her facial expressions during her interactions with Bernardo (Warren Tharp) and during her exuberant performance of "America" and I definitely felt her rage during "A Boy Like That" and her terror when the Jets attack her. My favorite numbers in this show have always been "Jet Song" and "Cool" and Gates certainly delivered with both his singing and dancing in these scenes (as did the ensemble). The choreography is absolutely exhilarating and, in addition to the two aforementioned numbers, I also loved the "Prologue" because the hostility between the Jets and the Sharks is immediately established through movement rather than dialogue, "The Dance at the Gym" because the moment that Tony and Maria first see each other is so dramatic, and "Gee, Officer Krupke" because it is incredibly dynamic and the use of a scarf is very clever. As I mentioned, I was especially struck by the choice to have Maria sing some of the verses of "I Feel Pretty" in Spanish because this makes her seem even more guileless, the choice to have Anybodys (Sarah Bobby Hinckley) sing "Somewhere" while bringing the two groups together because this character more than any other truly struggles to find their place and it is incredibly powerful, and the choice to have Anita sing "A Boy Like That" in Spanish while Maria sings "I Have a Love" in English because it shows the difference between them very emphatically. Finally, the minimal set, featuring brick walls, chain link fences, and fire escapes, is very effective as is the lighting design, which features warm reds for the Sharks and cool blues for the Jets and mimics the costumes. This is a compelling production of a story that is still incredibly relevant today and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets). Performances run on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through September 12.

The Rivals of Amziah King

Last night I went to the Broadway to see The Rivals of Amziah King and I was completely charmed by this movie.  Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) is a beekeeper, bluegrass musician, and born-again Christian in rural Oklahoma.  He is the undisputed leader of his tight-knit community and hosts impromptu jam-sessions with members of his band, employs wayward young men in his honey making operation, attends pot-luck dinners at his church, and frequently helps out with bee emergencies in town.  After he encounters his former foster daughter Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass) when she returns to the area, he integrates her into his circle of friends and instructs her in the characteristics of his bees.  When one of his rivals, Dob McCoy (Kurt Russell), steals all of Amziah's bee hives, Kateri rallies his friends to help her get them back and exact revenge.  The first act features several vignettes of Amziah interacting with his eccentric friends and these scenes are filled with joy, exuberance, and wonderful music (not to mention a lot of comedy which made me and the rest of the audience laugh out loud).  McConaughey gives one of his most charismatic performances to date and his scenes with LookingGlass are incredibly touching. The second and third acts then become a tension-filled revenge thriller with a brilliant breakout performance from LookingGlass.  So many of the sequences that seem totally random in the first act suddenly make sense as each of Amziah's friends use their unique skills to help Kateri in her quest.  I really loved the message about the importance of community and I also loved that Amziah's community mimics the structure of his bee hives (the line that bees know when to find a new queen really struck me).  I honestly did not know what to expect but this quirky and atmospheric movie pulled me in and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I think it is definitely worth seeking out!

Ken Ludwig's Moriarty at HCT

I am a huge fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's popular character Sherlock Holmes so I was very intrigued by Ken Ludwig's new play Moriarty which is currently being produced by Hale Theatre. I had the chance to see it last night and I absolutely loved this clever take in which the characters are reimagined as actors in a melodrama. It is based on several of Conan Doyle's short stories, most notably "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans," and "The Final Problem," and begins when the King of Bohemia visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson at 221B Baker Street. He asks them to retrieve some indelicate letters he once wrote to the American actress Irene Adler because they could threaten his forthcoming marriage. Their investigation leads them to Adler and Sherlock's brother Mycroft and they eventually discover that the letters include clues about an international spy ring. This leads them to Professor James Moriarty and an epic confrontation at the Reichenbach Falls. In my opinion, the weakest link is the story because it is very thin (the runtime is about 90 minutes including an intermission) and Ludwig takes many liberties with the source material. However, Ludwig absolutely nails the characterization and so do the actors. Adam Packard exaggerates Sherlock's eccentricity and powers of deduction, Morgan Gunter emphasizes Dr. Watson's steadfast loyalty (he also narrates the goings-on), and Amber Dodge portrays Irene Adler as a daring and capable foil to Sherlock. All of the other well-known characters (I loved seeing the Baker Street Irregulars) are played by a small ensemble, including Bryan Dayley, Claire Kenny, Danny Kenny, and Bryson Smellie, and the costume changes are lightning fast! Dayley is one of my favorite local actors (I've seen him in multiple productions at HCT and other Utah theaters) and he is absolutely hilarious at the King of Bohemia, Mycroft Holmes, Inspector Lestrade, and Professor Moriarty (he also plays a porter and a shopkeeper). Each character has its own distinct voice and physicality and I especially enjoyed Inspector Lestrade's blustering and Moriarty's over the top arrogance. The staging really leans into the melodramas popular during the nineteenth century (when Conan Doyle's stories take place) with elaborate backdrops, set pieces, and props that look like one dimensional drawings. My favorite is one that features a river boat on one side and a horse drawn carriage on the other and the crowds (which are operated by a member of the ensemble) made me laugh out loud but the set piece for the Reichenbach Falls is truly spectacular (the use of the turntable for the reveal is very dramatic). These pieces are all moved on and off the stage with precision and I am very impressed by the backstage crew responsible for the quick set changes and costume changes! This is unlike anything I have seen before and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through November 14.

Note:  Utah's favorite musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, is currently playing on the Young Living Centre Stage through October 24 (go here for tickets). I think it is kind of a mess but everyone else seems to love it!

Anything Goes at Hopebox Theatre

I was really excited to see Anything Goes at the Hopebox Theatre last night and I had so much fun with this delightful, delicious, and de-lovely production! A group of eccentric characters board the S.S. Jacobson for a voyage from New York to London, including Reno Sweeney (Samantha Wursten), a popular nightclub singer, her friend Billy Crocker (Daylen Bills), a Wall Street broker who stows away to stop the wedding of the woman he loves while eluding his boss Elisha J. Whitney, Hope Harcourt (Kayleigh Eagle), the object of Billy's affection who is engaged to the wealthy but hapless Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Ethan Hoffmann) to please her mother Evangeline Harcourt (Amelia Tilley), "Moonface" Martin (Stefan Kurzius), a gangster who his proud of his status as Public Enemy #13, his moll Erma Latour (Kenna Ford), and Spit (Isaac Nelson) and Dippy (Eli Packer), two wayward boys who con most of the passengers. Hijinks, and many big song and dance numbers featuring the music of Cole Porter, ensue when Reno and Moonface try to break Hope's engagement so she can marry Billy. The story is silly and chaotic with a lot of subplots involving disguises, mistaken identities, and unlikely romances and the songs sometimes feel shoehorned in ("Blow, Gabriel, Blow" is included because Reno Sweeney is a former evangelist!) but the show is so much fun and it is perfect as a form of escapist entertainment. The musical numbers are absolutely phenomenal and I especially loved the energetic tap dancing, the clever use of props, and the way one of the biggest casts I've seen at this theatre is integrated into a small space. The lead performances are excellent, starting with Wursten who plays Reno Sweeney with a bit of sass that is really fun to watch. I particularly loved her comedic physicality and facial expressions in "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "You're the Top" and her powerful vocals and tap dancing blew me away in "Anything Goes" and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow." Eagle, who has a beautiful voice, is perfect as the romantic ingenue Hope and she has tremendous chemistry with Bills, who is very charming as Billy, in "Easy to Love" and "It’s De-Lovely." Kurzius and Hoffmann have smaller roles but they steal every scene they are in, especially during the songs "Be Like the Bluebird" and "The Gypsy in Me," respectively (the latter made me laugh out loud). This features some gorgeous period costumes with lots of sailor suits, tuxedos, and sparkly gowns. My favorites are the blue taffeta tea length dresses worn by the female ensemble in "It's De-Lovely" and "All Through the Night." Finally, I think this is one of the best sets I've seen at Hopebox because it is quite elaborate and includes the prow of a ship (complete with railings at the edge of the stage) and multiple doors upstage leading to cabins (there are a lot of hilarious comings and goings through these doors). As with every production at the Hopebox Theatre, the proceeds will go to someone battling cancer in the community (go here to meet the recipient for this show, Kirsten Jacobson). I loved this production and highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) because, not only will you be entertained, you will also be supporting a very worthwhile cause. It runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through September 5.

The End of Oak Street

Last night I went to see The End of Oak Street with my nephew.  We have both been anticipating this all summer and we really enjoyed it.  Denise Platt (Anne Hathaway) and her husband Greg (Ewan McGregor) are at odds with each other and with their dull suburban life.  Their children Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery), who have problems of their own, have begun to notice the strain between them.  One night there is a strange atmospheric anomaly that produces an unusually bright light and causes a power outage.  When the power is still off in the morning, they go out to investigate and discover that their entire neighborhood has been transported back in time to the Jurassic period by a wormhole and that dinosaurs are roaming the streets.  They barely escape from the ensuing carnage and barricade their house in order to stay safe.  However, Brian sneaks out hoping to rescue his dog Starbuck and soon Audrey and then Denise and Greg go out to look for him.  They eventually realize that they must work together if they are going to survive.  This is a campy homage to the action adventure movies that Steven Spielberg used to make in the 1980s and if you can view it through that lens you will definitely have a good time with it.  The dialogue is sometimes a bit clunky and the ending features some major plot holes (I suggest that you don't think too much about the time paradox) but it hardly matters.  I loved the nostalgia and the 1980s aesthetic used throughout, especially a needle drop that had me singing out loud, but my nephew thinks that the filmmakers should have used 35mm film stock from that era for more authenticity.  I also loved the poignant family dynamic in which the fear of losing each other brings them closer together (Hathaway and McGregor do a great job portraying this).  Finally, I especially loved the truly frightening (and at one point amusing) action sequences involving the dinosaurs.  Showing the impact of the dinosaurs before actually revealing them is very effective at building tension and seeing them wreak havoc in a suburban environment is unusual and therefore very unsettling.  This is a really fun summer blockbuster and I recommend that you suspend your disbelief and just go with it (Gen Xers who grew up with Steven Spielberg movies are sure to love it).

Six The Musical Live

I think the musical SIX is incredibly clever (it is framed as a pop concert and the queens are modeled on contemporary pop stars) and I love it so much I drove to Las Vegas to see the Broadway touring production at the Smith Center and then I saw it twice when it came to the Eccles Theatre in SLC.  I was, therefore, beyond excited when I learned that the original West End queens, Jarneia Richard-Noel as Catherine of Aragon, Millie O'Connell as Anne Boleyn, Natalie Paris as Jane Seymour, Alexia McIntosh as Anna of Cleeves, Aimie Atkinson as Katherine Howard, and Maiya Quansah-Breed as Catherine Parr, reunited in June and July of 2022 to film performances at the Vaudeville Theatre in London for a theatrical release.  I was able to see the proshot yesterday with a large crowd and it was so much fun!  The former wives of of King Henry VIII get together to determine who suffered the most and decide upon a singing competition to crown a winner.  Catherine of Aragon sings "No Way" and argues that she agreed to leave her homeland at 15, come to a country where she didn't speak the language, marry a man who died soon after, spend seven years in a nunnery, then marry the man's brother but she did not agree to be replaced.  Anne Boleyn sings "Don't Lose Ur Head" and argues that everyone overreacted when she just wanted to have a little fun (what was she meant to do?).  Jane Seymour sings "Heart of Stone" and argues that she suffered the most because she loved Henry the most but he only loved her because of her son.  Anna of Cleeves sings "Get Down" and argues that she was rejected by Henry because of her looks but concedes that she probably won't win the competition because she made the most of her situation.  Katherine Howard sings "All You Wanna Do" and argues that all of the men in her life, including Henry, used her for one thing without her consent.  Finally, Catherine Parr sings "I Don't Need Your Love" and argues that, even though she survived, she sacrificed true love for an arranged marriage with Henry.  They ultimately decide to abandon the competition because they do not want to be defined by Henry and rewrite their stories in "Six."  All six queens give powerful and electrifying performances in which they belt out their songs with enthusiasm, engage in banter with each other that is hilariously catty, and execute the stylized choreography with precision.  I especially enjoyed Paris's emotional rendition of "Heart of Stone" (my favorite song in the show) but the highlight for me was Atkinson's version of "All You Wanna Do" because her voice and facial expressions slowly change (I loved all of the close up shots) with each verse as she realizes that her beauty is more a curse than a blessing.  I loved having a front row seat for the sleek scenic design, the dramatic lighting, and the sassy costumes that feature both a Renaissance silhouette and enough bling to rival any pop princess.  My only complaint (and this is also my complaint about the stage show) is that it is over very quickly.  This reminded me of a concert film (complimentary) and I love that this entertaining show can now be experienced again and again!  It is in theaters for a short run so, whether you are a long-time member of the "Queendom" or have never seen it before, I highly recommend getting a ticket.

The Pirates of Penzance at Murray Park Amphitheater

When I got home from my camping trip, I had just enough time to dump all of my gear in the garage and get cleaned up before I went to see The Pirates of Penzance at Murray Park Amphitheater with my sister Marilyn last night.  We brought a picnic to eat in the park before the show and then we both really enjoyed this delightful production of Gilbert and Sullivan's comedic operetta.  When Frederic (AJ Klomp) reaches his 21st birthday, he decides to leave the band of pirates to whom he has been mistakenly apprenticed and soon meets Major-General Stanley (Aaron S. Williams) and his daughters, falls in love with his youngest daughter Mabel (Meg Steele), and enlists the Sergeant of Police (James Jenkins) and his men to arrest the pirates.  Chaos ensues when the Pirate King (Tyler Oliphant) and Ruth (Brandi Washburn), Frederic's former nursemaid, tell him that he was born during a leap year and, since he has only had five birthdays, he must continue to serve his apprenticeship.  It takes Queen Victoria to save the day and reunite Frederic and Mabel!  The staging is so much fun because it involves a lot of physical comedy and I frequently laughed out loud.  I especially loved the scene in which the Pirate King and Frederic argue about what to do with Ruth because a group of pirates roll her back and forth between them and the scene in which the pirates and the police try to escape from the Major-General in the courtyard because they hide in plain sight!  There are also some really fun interactions with the audience because the daughters approach the secluded beach where Frederic is hiding and the pirates advance on the Major-General's courtyard by walking through the crowd.  The choreography is also a highlight, particularly the tap dancing by the policemen in "When a felon's not engaged in his employment" and their other songs (I don't think I've ever seen the policemen tap before and it is such a great fit for the characters).  I loved all of the performances.  Klomp, Steele, and Oliphant (I've seen him in this role before) have beautiful voices but Williams is absolutely hilarious in "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" (he got singing so fast that he lost his way but he covered it up brilliantly) and Jenkins is completely over the top (I especially loved all of his high kicks).  The set features a rocky coastline along the sea and includes multiple levels that provide for some highly amusing moments (my favorite is when the pirates climb down from behind the rocks) and the colorful Victorian-era costumes are surprising but effective (the caped greatcoats worn by the policemen are very dramatic and I loved the use of light green for the Major-General's military uniform).  I love seeing outdoor performances in the summer and last night was perfect because it was cool without being too cold and the show is so much fun!  I highly recommend it but it is closing tonight so act quickly (go here for tickets).

A Week of Solo Camping 2026

I had such a great experience on a solo camping trip last year so I decided to do it again and spent the week at my favorite campground.  I love the Aspen campground because it is surrounded by pine trees, mountains, and the North Fork of the Duchesne River and I find it incredibly peaceful.  My campsite was quite isolated and I really enjoyed being on my own.

I was really happy to be in the mountains because it has been so unbearably hot in the valley lately and the temperatures were much cooler.  It was cold enough to wear a hoodie and make a fire and I loved it!

It rained most of the time but I didn't mind because I spent the time inside my tent reading and listening to the storm outside and it was very cozy.  I was still able to explore all of my favorite places along the river in between rain showers.

There is a rock formation known as "Old Stoneface" along the river and I am fascinated by it!  I probably have 812 photos of it but homage must be paid every time I visit.

The sun finally came out for most of the day on Thursday and it was so lovely to sit outside surrounded by pine trees (which smelled amazing after all of the rain).  There was an aggressive chipmunk and lots of birds (even a few blue jays) but it was so quiet and peaceful.  I especially loved listening to the river.

The sunsets every night were beautiful!

I had the best time on this camping trip and, once again, I learned so much and proved so much to myself!

Note:  I am happy to report that I did not blow out a tire off-roading this time!