Last night I went to see the stage adaptation of the movie Shakespeare in Love at the West Valley Performing Arts Center and I absolutely loved it! William Shakespeare (Josh Egbert) has writer's block and the deadline for his new play, which he has promised to both Philip Henslow (Stephen Kerr) and Richard Burbage (Joseph Spear), is fast approaching. He desperately needs inspiration and he finds it when a wealthy merchant's daughter named Viola de Lesseps (Jillian Joy) disguises herself as Thomas Kent in order to fulfill her dream of performing on the stage, which is illegal for women in Elizabethan England, and wins the role of Romeo in his unfinished play. When Will discovers that his talented leading man is really the woman he wooed on a balcony with the help of fellow playwright Kit Marlowe (Colton Ward) and when Viola discovers that Will is really her favorite playwright, they begin a passionate affair which is complicated by the marriage her father has arranged with Lord Wessex (Tyler Roberts). Art imitates life as their doomed love inspires Romeo and Juliet. I think this story is incredibly witty and clever (even if it takes liberties with historical accuracy) and I loved all of the references to Romeo and Juliet and other Shakespeare plays as well as the antics surrounding multiple mistaken identities and the backstage shenanigans at competing theatre companies. Egbert and Joy are outstanding as the leads and have tremendous chemistry with each other. Their performance of the final scene in Romeo and Juliet is absolutely heartbreaking and I had a tear in my eye (especially since it has a double meaning because of their imminent separation). I also really enjoyed the hilarious ensemble cast who portray the actors in Shakespeare's theatre company, especially Eliyah Ghaeini as the over-the-top actor Ned Alleyn who plays Mercutio, Angel Martinez as the actor Nol who plays Benvolio and takes every opportunity to display his prowess for fight choreography, and Sofia Paredes-Kenrick as the actor John Webster who is jealous when Thomas Kent is cast as Romeo. Speaking of choreography, this production features an intricate dance sequence at Viola's ball that is very well done as well as some fast-paced and highly entertaining stage combat. The use of original music, performed by various cast members, adds a lot to the Elizabethan setting as do the elaborate period costumes, particularly Queen Elizabeth's (Sonia Inoa-Rosado Maughan) gown. Finally, I was really impressed with the set, which is comprised of an elevated wooden platform made to look like a theatre, and the lighting design, consisting of a large rose projected on the stage and the outline of Shakespeare's writing projected during key moments. I really loved every aspect of this production and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets). It runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through May 4.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Sunday, February 25, 2024
A Tale of Two Cities at West Valley Arts
I really love the musical A Tale of Two Cities (it is my favorite novel by Charles Dickens). I saw both HCT's productions, in 2011 and 2021 (multiple times), and I count them as some of the best I've seen there. When I learned that the same production team (John Sweeney, Anne Puzey, and Marilyn Montgomery) responsible for the 2011 production was back (on the same stage) for the first show at West Valley Arts this season, I immediately bought a ticket for last night's performance. It was amazing! Lucie Manette (Brittany Andam), a young woman in London who believes that she is an orphan, learns that her father, Dr. Alexander Manette (Jared Haddock), is alive after having been wrongly imprisoned in the Bastille by the Marquise St. Evremonde (John Philpott). She travels to Paris to bring him home to London and meets Charles Darnay (Landon Horton), the nephew of Evremonde who has renounced his ties to the aristocracy, on the journey and they fall in love. Darnay is wrongfully accused of treason upon arrival in London but the dissolute lawyer Sydney Carton (Preston Yates) clears his name. Carton is also secretly in love with Lucie but, when she marries Darnay, he remains a friend of the family and becomes attached to her daughter Lucie (Jane Bonner). In Paris, Evremonde is responsible for the death of a child when his carriage recklessly runs him over in front of the Defarge's wine shop. Madame Defarge (Adrien Swenson), who has a grudge against Evremonde, encourages the boy's father, Gaspard (Ricky Dowse), to murder him which ultimately leads to revolution. Darnay feels responsible for Evremonde's household and secretly returns Paris where he is immediately arrested as an aristocrat, denounced by Madame Defarge who wants to wipe out all descendants of Evremonde, and sentenced to the guillotine. This prompts Carton to make the ultimate sacrifice to save Darnay and show his love for Lucie and her daughter. The music in this show is incredibly beautiful and stirring and I especially love "The Way It Ought to Be" by the men and women of Paris, "You'll Never Be Alone" by Dr. Manette and Lucie, "If Dreams Came True" and its reprise by Sydney and Charles, and "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" by Madame Defarge. The entire cast is outstanding but I was blown away by Yates' portrayal of Carton. His versions of "If Dreams Came True" in the second act and "I Can't Recall" as he slowly walks up the steps to the guillotine in the final scene moved me to tears. I also really loved Swenson, who has portrayed Madame Defarge in all three productions I've seen, because she sings "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" and "The Tale" with so much passion! Linda Jean Stephenson, as Miss Pross, Daniel Radford, as John Barsad, and Mason Gates, as Jerry Cruncher, provide a lot of comic relief with their hilarious performances (the novels of Dickens are very dense and filled with a lot of side characters so I appreciate how they are incorporated into the main story in this adaptation). The set, featuring several multi-level wooden platforms which are reconfigured into many different locations seamlessly by the ensemble, is simple but incredibly dramatic. My favorite set piece is the staircase leading to the guillotine, which slowly comes down from the rafters, because it is incredibly powerful! I also loved the bold lighting design, particularly the use of red hand prints projected on the floor during the scenes inciting revolution and the single spotlight on the stairs to the guillotine. I was very moved by this production and would highly recommend it but, unfortunately, the run ended last night. West Valley Arts will also be producing Shakespeare in Love, The Lightning Thief, Legally Blonde, and Jekyll & Hyde this season (go here for information and tickets).
Note: Jill Santoriello, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics for this show, was in the audience last night. She sat a few rows ahead of me and I noticed that she was mouthing the words to the songs!
Saturday, October 7, 2023
Sleepy Hollow at West Valley Arts
Saturday, August 5, 2023
West Side Story at West Valley Arts
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Music for a Summer Night at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Puffs at West Valley Arts
I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter franchise (I have read all of the books and seen all of the movies countless times and I even flew to San Francisco just to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) so I was absolutely thrilled to be able to see Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic at West Valley Arts last night! It is a really fun and clever parody of the popular series and I loved it! A Narrator (Brandwynn Michelle) introduces the audience to a brave orphan wizard with a lightning bolt scar named Harry Potter (Sofia Parades-Kenrick) but then tells us that this story is about another orphan named Wayne Hopkins (Grayson Kamel) who is also sent to the school of female magic and male magic after learning that he is a wizard. The story begins with a ceremony that sorts everyone into one of the four houses: Braves, Smarts, Snakes, and Puffs. The sorting hat places Wayne in Puffs and he is soon introduced to the prefect, Cedric Diggory (Adam Packard), and the other outcasts and misfits in this house, including Oliver Rivers (Tanner Larson), Megan Jones (Bryn Campbell), Susie Bones (Natalie Ruthven), J. Finch Fletchley (Oran Marc Di Baritault), Sally Perks (Ally Choe), Ernie Mac (Lucas Stewart), and others. Over the next seven years, Wayne struggles to learn magic and tries to protect everyone from the Dark Lord, Mr. Voldy (Adam Packard). However, he is constantly overshadowed by Harry who steals all of the attention, including the moment when the Puffs are finally allowed to shine during the three wizard tournament. Eventually he starts to feel useless but the Headmaster tells him that everyone is a hero to someone and that friendship is the most important magic! What makes this show so much fun (and so clever) is that all of the well-known characters from the books are alluded to with enough recognizable traits to know exactly who they are without naming them (my favorite is a certain potions teacher) and all of the memorable events still happen but they are shown from the perspective of secondary characters who are not involved in the action. Fans will have a blast spotting all of the references! The action is non-stop (it is almost frenetic), with most of the actors playing multiple roles (I laughed out loud when a different actor played the Headmaster in the second act), and the "magic" happens using ingenious costumes, props, and choreography rather than special effects. The ensemble cast does a great job executing all of the physical comedy with Packard as the standout for me, especially as the bumbling Mr. Voldy. The set, which consists of the great hall and the Puffs' common room on the main stage and a variety of classrooms and corridors in the castle located in areas above the wings, is incredibly simple but effective and I especially loved all of the candles floating in the rafters. I enjoyed this so much and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets), especially for fans of the series!
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Into the Woods at West Valley Arts
I really love the musical Into the Woods and the production I saw last night at West Valley Arts is the best one I've seen there! A Baker (Jared Lesa) and his Wife (Annie Ferrin), a Witch (Dianna Graham), Cinderella (Chloe Victoria), Jack and the Beanstock (Ren Cottam), and Little Red Riding Hood (Sibley Snowden) must go into the woods in order to make all of their wishes come true but they eventually learn that actions sometimes have unintended consequences and that wishes do not always turn out happily ever after. The entire cast is absolutely stellar and it is hard for me to single out just a few performances because every actor is so well-suited to his or her role and every musical number gave me goosebumps. However, the highlights for me were "Agony" because Chase Peterson as Cinderella's Prince and Woody Brook as Rapunzel's Prince are so hilariously overwrought with over the top facial expressions and gestures, "It Takes Two" because it is such a turning point and both Lesa and Ferrin give spirited performances, "Last Midnight" because Graham's rendition is incredibly powerful, and "No One Is Alone" because it is such a poignant moment between the Baker, Jack, Cinderella, and Red and Lesa, Cottam, Victoria, and Snowden sing it beautifully (I may or may not have had a tear in my eye). Another performance that I really enjoyed was Dan Radford's as the puppeteer for Milky White because he is very humorous during his interactions with Cottam (and the design for Milky White is fantastic). The choreography is innovative and perfectly suited to the small and intimate space. I was particularly impressed with "Into the Woods," "So Happy," "Ever After," and "Children Will Listen" because of the sheer number of people on the stage and the intricate patterns they are able to create. I also loved the staging of "First Midnight" and "Second Midnight" because all of the actors enter the stage carrying illuminated lanterns and it is quite dramatic. There are a lot of really fun special effects and I especially liked when the Baker saves Red and her Grandmother (Natalie Peterson) from the Wolf (Chase Peterson) and when the Stepmother (Kerilyn Johnson) mutilates the Stepsisters' (Sydney Claire and Jaymie Lambson) feet to fit into the gold slipper. The set is absolutely magical with giant moss-covered tree stumps on the main stage, groups of trees located in the areas above the wings, and trees that come down from the rafters. The costumes are some of the best I've seen at WVCArts and I was really impressed with the attention to detail. My favorites were the Witch's gown after her transformation and Cinderella's ball gown. I truly loved everything about this production and it is definitely one that you don't want to miss (go here for tickets).
Friday, February 10, 2023
Clue at West Valley Arts
Friday, September 16, 2022
Little Shop of Horrors at West Valley Arts
Sunday, June 26, 2022
In the Heights at West Valley Arts
Before Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote and starred in another Tony Award winning musical called In the Heights. I have seen it several times (two different productions at PTC as well as the Broadway touring production in San Diego) and I really love it (maybe not quite as much as Hamilton) because it is a very powerful story about community and the family you make with the people around you. Last night I had a chance to see it at the West Valley Performing Arts Center and I think it is their best production yet! The story revolves around a woman named Claudia (Sonia Maritza Inoa-Rosado Maughan) who acts as an abuela (grandmother) to everyone in a small neighborhood in Washington Heights. Usnavi (Pedro Flores) owns a bodega beset with problems, such as a broken refrigerator, while trying to keep his wayward nephew Sonny (Scotty Fletcher) in line. He dreams of returning to the cool breezes of the Dominican Republic. Vanessa (Micki Martinez) is hoping to escape the barrio, and her abusive mother, to move downtown but a credit check for her new apartment stands in her way. Nina (Beatriz Melo) is the pride of her parents (Monte Garcia and Sophia Davis) and the whole neighborhood because she received a scholarship to Stanford but college is a lot harder than she thought it would be, especially since she has to work two jobs to make ends meet, and she is thinking of quitting. Abuela Claudia has looked after them all of their lives and she just might find a way to help them make all of their dreams come true. The entire cast, which is entirely made up of POC, is incredibly strong and I really enjoyed every performance. However, my favorites were Luseane Pasa as Daniela because she is so sassy in "No Me Diga" and she just about blows the roof off of the theater in "Carnaval Del Barrio" and Melo because you can really feel her pain for disappointing everyone in the neighborhood in "Respira (Breathe)" and her rendition of "Sunrise" (with Kiirt Banks as Benny) is lovely. I was also struck by how much Flores sounds like Lin-Manuel Miranda but I also appreciated that he made the character his own. Besides the cast, I was also quite impressed with the choreography by Izzy Arrieta and I loved the big ensemble numbers "In the Heights," "96,000" (which was a big crowd-pleaser), "Blackout," and "Carnaval Del Barrio." I also loved the staging of "Alabanza" (my favorite song in the show) because the candlelight processional is incredibly beautiful. The cast executes the choreography very well and it was really fun to watch them dance with so much energy and exuberance! Finally, I think the set by Jason Baldwin is fantastic and does much to enhance the story. The main stage is a courtyard with brick walls covered in graffiti and the dispatch, salon, and bodega are located in the corners (with additional set pieces rolled on as needed). The aisles function as streets and are used by the cast for entrances and exits. The areas above the wings are configured as fire escapes (I loved the laundry hanging across the windows). This is definitely one of my favorite productions this year (and I have seen quite a few) so I highly recommend this wonderful show (go here for tickets).
Note: I was so happy to see such a large crowd last night!
Friday, April 29, 2022
Little Women at West Valley Arts
Last night I went to see Little Women at the West Valley Performing Arts Center. I fell in love with this musical when I saw a production at HCT (on the same stage!) and I enjoyed this show just as much! The story, based on the beloved classic by Louisa May Alcott, shows the March sisters, Jo (Lindsea Garside), Meg (Madison McGuire), Beth (Ellie Hughes), and Amy (Mia Hansen), coming of age in Concord, Massachusetts during and after the Civil War. We first meet Jo when she is in New York pursuing her dream of becoming a writer. However, when Professor Bhaer (Josh Egbert), another resident at her boardinghouse, tells her that she should write about what she knows rather than the sensational pieces she has been submitting to magazines, there are flashbacks to the trials and triumphs of her adolescence with her sisters and mother "Marmee" (Heidi Hunt), her neighbor Theodore "Laurie" Laurence (Ricky Dowse), his grandfather Mr. Laurence (Nick Cash), and her Aunt March (Wanda Copier). Jo encounters sorrow in the death of a sister, disappointment in love with Laurie, redemption as she writes a story she can be proud of, and, ultimately, love with Professor Bhaer. I have always loved the character Jo (I wanted to be her the first time I read the novel) because she is so fiery and independent and the beautiful music adds another layer to her story. I especially love the songs "Astonishing" and "The Fire Within Me." Garside has a beautiful voice and the emotion that she puts into these songs make them incredibly powerful. I also really appreciated her passion in the scene with Aunt March when she learns that she won't be going to Europe because you could really feel her frustration. A number that put a smile on my face was "The Weekly Volcano Press" where Jo reads one of her sensational stories to Professor Bhaer as it is acted out. I found myself watching Garside more than what was happening on stage because she mouths all of the words as they are sung and she is so hilariously over the top! There are quite a few poignant moments with wonderful performances from the rest of the cast as well, such as when Hunt (who is the swing) as Marmee laments that her husband is not with her to help her raise their daughters in "Here Alone," when Cash as Mr. Laurence allows a bit of vulnerability to show through his gruff persona in "Off to Massachusetts," and when Hughes as Beth confesses that she knows she will die in "Some Things Are Meant to Be." I had a tear in my eye during the latter number. The choreography, especially in "Five Forever," is a lot of fun and the minimalist set is very effective. I was a little bit disappointed with some of the costumes and wigs but this didn't detract from my enjoyment. This production is extremely well done with lovely performances and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).
Note: I would really love to see larger audiences for this theater because every show I have seen (as an usher and a patron) has been outstanding and the ticket price is very reasonable!