Showing posts with label Murray Park Amphitheater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murray Park Amphitheater. Show all posts

Sunday, July 9, 2023

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at Murray Park Amphitheater

Last night I had so much fun at another summer outdoor performance.  This time I saw a production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at Murray Amphitheater and it is enchanting!  In this more contemporary version of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella (Kennady Call) is a social reformer who must rescue Prince Topher (Mark Carter Williams) from the evil Lord Protector Sebastian (Alan Lafleur) who is deceiving him about the conditions in his kingdom.  Her stepmother Madame (Wendy Richhart) and stepsister Charlotte (Emma Thomas) treat her badly but her other stepsister Gabrielle (Katie Revels) becomes a sympathetic co-conspirator in pursuit of her own romance with a revolutionary named Jean-Michel (Remick F. Lafleur).  An old beggar woman named Marie (Katie Hill) becomes her Fairy Godmother after Cinderella shows her some kindness and, while she does help her get to the ball, she tells her that she herself has the power to make her dreams come true.  After falling in love with Cinderella at the ball, Topher takes her advice and turns his kingdom into a constitutional monarchy where everyone can live happily ever after.  I really liked the entire cast but Call and Hill are standouts for me because their roles require an impressive vocal range and they definitely deliver in the songs "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "Glass Slipper/ It's Possible," and "There Is Music In You."  Williams also has a lovely voice and he has great chemistry with Call in the songs "Ten Minutes Ago" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful."  Richhart and Thomas steal the show with all of their antics and I especially loved Richhart's evil laugh and Thomas' hilariously awkward rendition of "Stepsister's Lament."  The choreography is really clever, especially when the dancers mimic the hands of a clock in "Ten Minutes Ago."  I also enjoyed the staging of "Me, Who Am I" because Prince Topher rides his horse out into the audience and "The Pursuit" because members of the ensemble look for Cinderella in the audience with lanterns (the children were giving them lots of directions) and the transformation of the Fox, the Raccoon, and the Owl is ingenious (be sure to watch these puppets during the whole show).  Speaking of transformations, Marie's Fairy Godmother dress and Cinderella's sparkling ball gown are beautiful and the rest of the ball gowns are a lot of fun.  Finally, the set is one of the best I've seen at the Murray Park Amphitheater!  There is an elaborate palace with marble columns and a grand staircase leading to a balcony, a forest area, and the exterior of Cinderella's stone cottage.  Various set pieces are also brought in and my favorites were a water fountain used in "The Prince Is Giving a Ball" and Cinderella's golden carriage.  This is a wonderful show for families to enjoy in an outdoor setting and I highly recommend it!  There are performances on July 10, 13, 14, and 15 (go here for tickets).

Sunday, June 18, 2023

High School Musical at Murray Park Amphitheater

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to attend outdoor performances and one of my favorite outdoor venues is the Murray Park Amphitheater.  Last night I went there to see a production of High School Musical and not only was the show a lot of fun but it was a perfect summer night (it was warm but not too hot and, when the sun went down, it got cool enough for a light jacket).  This musical follows the popular movie of the same name and most of the teens in the audience were singing along!  The status quo has been disrupted at East High School when Troy Bolton (covered by the understudy Chase Daynes), the captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella Montez (Brooklyn Tousley), the brainy new student, decide to try out for the winter musical after spending detention with the theater teacher Ms. Darbus (Amber Kacherian).  Troy's best friend Chad Danforth (Chris Bouck), a fellow teammate, and his Dad, Coach Bolton (Kevin Elzey), are worried that his focus won't be on the Championship game and Taylor McKessie (Caroline Drake) wants Gabrielle to participate in the Scholastic Decathlon instead.  Meanwhile, Sharpay Evans (Savana Lowe) and her brother Ryan (Zac Haney), who have starred in every theater production since kindergarten, do not want to be replaced as the leads.  They all conspire to keep Troy and Gabriella from call-backs but then all of the jocks, brainiacs, thespians, and skater dudes realize that they are all in this together!  The young and enthusiastic cast does a really great job and I especially enjoyed the performances in the big song and dance numbers "Get'cha Head in the Game" (the ball handling was great), "What I've Been Looking For" (I loved the jazz squares), "Stick to the Status Quo," "Counting on You," "Bop to the Top," and "We're All in This Together."  Daynes and Tousley have really nice voices and I loved their heartfelt renditions of "Start of Something New," "When There Was Me and You," and "Breaking Free." Kacherian is a hoot as Ms. Darbus and one of the funniest scenes in the show is when she has the students act like animals while in detention (the worm steals the show).  I was particularly impressed with the live band located on stage because they sounded fantastic.  The stage is configured to look like East High School with set pieces for classrooms, the cafeteria, the gym with bleachers, and hallways (Sharpay's locker is awesome) that are moved on and off stage underneath a large red and white "E" that is illuminated after the team wins the Championship game (spoiler alert!).  The red and white costumes, including East High cheerleader uniforms, basketball uniforms, and letterman jackets, are a lot of fun.  I thoroughly enjoyed this show but, unfortunately, last night was the final performance.  However, there are lots of fun shows on the schedule this summer, including Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella in July and Seussical the Musical in August as well as some great concerts (go here for tickets and information).

Note:  The Broadway touring production of High School Musical came to the Capitol Theatre many years ago and my friend with whom I had tickets did not want to see it so I got to take my niece Tashena.  She was about six years old and she was thrilled!

Friday, August 19, 2022

The Drowsy Chaperone at Murray Park Amphitheater

Last night I saw my third production this year of The Drowsy Chaperone at Murray Park Amphitheater (go here for the production at the Empress Theatre and here for the one at HCTO).  I obviously love this show because, like Man in Chair, I believe in the power of musical theatre to take you away from your problems to a place where happy endings are possible for a few hours!  This show is a hilarious spoof of the genre and, as Man in Chair (JD Ramey) listens to his favorite Broadway cast recording of the popular 1920s musical The Drowsy Chaperone, he stops frequently to poke fun at all of the musical theatre tropes used in the show as the cast brings it to life in the middle of his apartment!  Mrs. Tottendale (Natalie Savage) and her Underling (Erik Christianson) are hosting the wedding of oil tycoon Robert Martin (Dallin Lewis) to the Broadway star Janet Van De Graaff (Emily Witte) who is giving up her glamorous career for love.  Robert is leaving the wedding details to George (Jenson Haws), his best friend and best man, while Janet's Chaperone (Macy Rhees), who gets drowsy when she drinks, is charged with keeping the couple apart to avoid bad luck.  Broadway producer Feldzieg (Kevin Elzey) is unhappy about losing his biggest star so he sets out to stop the wedding by hiring the famous Latin lover Adolpho (Damon Yauney) to seduce the bride.  An investor in the Feldzieg Follies is also worried about losing its star and hires two gangsters (Daniel Bearss and Alessandro Falabella), disguised as pastry chefs, to stop the wedding but a ditzy chorus girl named Kitty (Meagan Rudd) is hoping to take Janet's place.  Mayhem ensues but the happy ending comes eventually when Trix the Aviatrix (Ashley Gates) is enlisted to marry four couples on her plane while flying to Rio.  It is hilarious when the cast freezes in place every time the Man in Chair stops the record, when they perform the same movement over and over when the record has a scratch, and when they perform as different characters when the Main in Chair accidentally starts the wrong record at the beginning of Act 2.  I really enjoyed seeing Ramey once again as Man in Chair (he performed the role in the SCERA production last year) because he is really funny in his interactions with the audience but he also shows a lot of vulnerability when he compares this musical to real life in "Love Is Always Lovely in the End."  The rest of the cast also does a great job with Yauney and Rhees as standouts, especially in "I Am Adolpho."  The choreography is a lot of fun, particularly the tap dancing in "Cold Feets," and the rollerskating in "Accident Waiting to Happen," and the cast is fantastic in the big song and dance numbers "Toledo Surprise" and "I Do, I Do in the Sky."  Finally, I loved the set because the Man in Chair's elaborate apartment takes up the entire stage and the actors in the show enter from the refrigerator and from behind bookcases with minimal props (it reminded me of the set when I saw the Broadway touring production several years ago).  I had so much fun watching this show under the stars and I definitely recommend getting a ticket to one of the two remaining performances (go here).

Note:  As with The Sound of Music, I enjoyed all three productions of this show for different reasons and I can't pick a favorite!

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Sister Act at Murray Park Amphitheater

Last night I saw a production of Sister Act at the Murray Park Amphitheater.  I love seeing outdoor performances (I haven't seen very many this summer for some reason) and this show was so much fun!  A singer named Deloris Van Cartier (Kortney King-Lives) inadvertently witnesses her gangster boyfriend Curtis (Tyson Jensen) kill someone.  A love-struck cop named Eddie (Tommy Kay) places her in the Queen of Angels Convent to keep her safe until she can testify against him but she disrupts the orderly way of life at the convent until the Mother Superior (Cindy Swan) puts her in charge of the choir to keep her out of trouble.  The new and improved choir's unorthodox performances bring people back to the church but all of the attention puts the convent in danger after Curtis and his henchmen see Deloris on TV.   King-Lives is really understated as Deloris but she has an incredible voice and I enjoyed the pathos she brings to the role, especially in the reprise of "Fabulous, Baby."  Courtney Byrom is absolutely hilarious as Sister Mary Patrick because she is so flamboyant and over the top.  Chloe Cox, as T.J., Eric Lash, as Joey, and Jacob Crosby, as Pablo, almost steal the show in the songs "When I Find My Baby" and "Lady in the Long Black Dress" because they have some great disco moves!  The audience also laughed out loud during Kay's version of "I Could Be That Guy" because it features several costume changes and back-up dancers composed of homeless people from an alley.  The choreography is a lot of fun in the songs "Raise Your Voice," "Take Me To Heaven," "Sunday Morning Fever," and "Spread the Love Around," which are sung by the choir, and I especially enjoyed it whenever Sister Mary Theresa (Wendy Johnson Richhart), an older nun, incorporated her cane.  It is also really amusing when the Monsignor (Shan Lloyd) comes out into the audience with a collection basket during the nuns' performances (he made quite a bit of money!).  The costumes are absolutely fabulous and I loved how the Monsignor's vestments and the nuns' habits get more and more elaborate as the show goes on (I especially loved the purple sequins).  The set is very simple with a backdrop of stained glass windows with various pieces moved on and off as needed but it is effective.  I had a great time because the crowd for this show was really loud and animated (people were dancing in the aisles during the final number).  There are three more performances next weekend (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it.

Note:  There were very ominous clouds in the sky as I was driving to the amphitheater and it actually rained a little bit before the show but, luckily, it cleared up just as it started!

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Matilda at Murray Park Amphitheater

For the second time in less than a week I was in the audience for a musical adaptation of one of Roald Dahl's beloved children's books last night!  This time it was Matilda at the Murray Park Amphitheater.  When I saw the Broadway touring production of this show I didn't especially like it but, now that I have seen it a few times, it is starting to grow on me and I enjoyed this production very much!  Matilda Wormwood (Maevah Hiatt) is a precocious five year old with a penchant for reading, telling stories, and being just a little bit naughty.  She is ignored by her mother (Alina Mower), an amateur Latin ballroom dancer, and father (Adam Wilkins), an unscrupulous used car salesman, and is terrorized by Miss Agatha Trunchbull (Brinton Wilkins), the former Olympic champion in hammer throwing who is now the headmistress of her school.  With the help of a sympathetic teacher named Miss Honey (Hailee Christensen) and a story about an Escapologist (Mark Williams) and an Acrobat (Sylia Seitz), Matilda triumphs over the neglectful adults in her life!  One of the elements that I always enjoy in this show is the use of typography and I liked the innovative way that large alphabet blocks are used in multiple scenes, particularly in the number "School Song."  I was also impressed by how projections are used as an interactive chalk board.  My favorite song in this show is "When I Grow Up" and I loved the choreography involving all of the kids on swings (I always get a tear in my eye during this song because it is so poignant).  I also enjoyed the choreography in "The Smell of Rebellion" (the tumbling got a lot of applause) and "Revolting Children."  Other crowd favorites were "Loud," because Mrs. Wormwood and her dance partner Rudolpho (Eric Lash) are completely over the top, and "Chokey Chant," because there is a fun effect involving a child being thrown into the chokey.  Hiatt is absolutely adorable as Matilda and I enjoyed her renditions of "Naughty" and "Quiet."  Christensen has a lovely voice as Miss Honey and her scenes with Hiatt are so endearing.  All of the kids in the ensemble do a wonderful job but I especially liked Gwenyth Nielsen as Lavender and Zander Weir as Bruce because their antics are so much fun to watch.  Miss Trunchbull often steals the show and Wilkins was definitely the highlight of this production for me!  I laughed out loud during "The Hammer" and "The Smell of Rebellion" because of his facial expressions and gestures.  This show is a lot of fun and I thoroughly enjoyed myself because last night was perfect for an outdoor performance (it was cool but not too cold).  I highly recommend bringing the whole family to one of the two remaining productions (go here for tickets).

Thursday, June 24, 2021

The Little Mermaid at Murray Park Amphitheater

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is see a live performance outside under the stars and this was one of the things I missed most last summer when everything was shut down in response to Covid-19.  I am very happy to report that things are starting to open back up and the Murray Arts Council is sponsoring the Arts in the Park series once again this summer!  Marilyn and I took our Mom to see The Little Mermaid at the Murray Park Amphitheater last night and it was so much fun!  It has been incredibly hot in the Salt Lake Valley the past few weeks (we have even broken quite a few heat records) but it was actually quite pleasant to sit outside and the show was delightful.  Community theatre is always a little bit quirky but so many aspects of this production made me smile!  Kat Hawley Cook and Thomas Sant were wonderful as Ariel and Prince Eric, respectively, and they both had beautiful voices and great chemistry together but my favorites from the cast were Quentin Hedges as Sebastian and Alan LaFleur as Ursula.  Hodges was incredibly charismatic and his renditions of "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" were definitely highlights for me.  LaFleur, who also co-directed and choreographed the show, was absolutely hilarious in his characterization of Ursula as a sea witch in drag and I loved his over-the-top costume with black and purple sequins on tentacles that could be manipulated with his arms!  There were also some really fun effects, such as Ariel and her sisters (Olympia Pead, Alice Maphey, Chelsea West, Gretchen Divine, Camille Jensen, and Anna Roelofs) gliding around the stage on heelys (shoes with wheels) and thousands of bubbles blowing in the audience during "Under the Sea."  The costumes for the various sea creatures, especially the jelly fish made out of clear umbrellas, were quite innovative and the sets, particularly Prince Eric's ship and Ursula's reef, were very impressive.  We all definitely enjoyed this production (every time I looked at my Mom she had a huge grin on her face) and I hope it is the first of many outdoor performances this summer!

Note:  Unfortunately, last night was the final performance of The Little Mermaid but there are lots of other shows scheduled at the amphitheater this summer (go here for more information).
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