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!

Pickleville Playhouse

One of the main reasons for our weekend trip to Bear Lake was to see Trent's niece Jaycee in two different productions at the Pickleville Playhouse.  Some of my friends have raved about this theatre for years so I have wanted to see a show there for quite a while now.  Having Jaycee in the cast was the perfect excuse to finally make the effort.  I was so impressed with the theatre (it reminded me of the Playmill Theatre in West Yellowstone) and with both shows!  Friday night we went to a cookout which is held each night before the evening show (it tasted wonderful) and then we saw The Ballad of Butch and Sundance, an original melodrama that is partially improvised.  Much of what we know about Butch Cassidy (Slater Ashenhurst) and the Sundance Kid (Nathan Kremin) is based on legend rather than fact so this portrays them as performers who become accidental outlaws on their way to Broadway.  Etta Earp (Jaycee Harris) convinces them to kidnap her when they attempt to rob a bank because she wants something exciting to happen to her and this gets the attention of her father Wyatt Earp (Oscar Erickson) who chases after them with his associates Joshua (Atticus Adair) and Jerusha (Mary Davis).  When Wyatt Earp tracks them down in Bolivia, Butch and Sundance convince him to stage their deaths so they can all use the story for a show on Broadway.  This features stock characters, songs modeled on musical theatre standards, and exaggerated acting but I particularly enjoyed the improvisational breaks.  The funniest of these is when Butch and Sundance act out possible causes of death, which have been suggested by the audience, for Wyatt to guess like charades.  Ours included falling into quick sand, being poisoned by a snail, and being bucked off a bronco into a cotton candy machine and it was hilarious because Wyatt could not guess what they were doing (Etta had to tell him that the horse might be from Denver and this made me laugh so hard).  Other funny interludes involved the use of jazz hands, writing a song about Dumbledore, and pretending to be dinosaurs (I loved the physicality of of both Ashenhurst and Kremin).  On Saturday we went to see the matinee of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.  The story is a bit problematic but I love it for the singing and dancing (apparently I am not alone because it received 90% of the votes in a survey sent to patrons) and I was definitely not disappointed by this production!  Adam Pontipee (Brayton Wilds) travels from his mountain home to the nearest town to get a wife and finds the perfect candidate in Milly (Reilly Jane Grace).  She agrees to the marriage but is dismayed to learn that she will also have to cook and clean for his six brothers (Oscar Erickson, Atticus Adair, Joey Thompson, Evan Alois, Hayden Stewart, and Will Haley).  Her solution is to get them married off and she teaches them how to go courting but Adam thinks they are becoming too soft and suggests they simply go get the women (Julianne Ferreira da Silva, Jaycee Harris, Emma Kate Leishman, Melissa Alotta, Mary Davis, and Morgan Horsburgh) they want to marry.  Chaos ensues!  The two leads, Wilds and Grace, are absolutely incredible and I loved their performances of "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" and "Wonderful, Wonderful Day," respectively.  Another highlight is the high-energy choreography, especially in "The Challenge Dance," because the small space is utilized very effectively.  Finally, the costumes are amazing and it was really fun to see the quilts used by the brothers become dresses worn by the brides later in the show.  My family and I thoroughly enjoyed both of these shows (we loved seeing Jaycee perform because she is amazing and appears to be having so much fun on stage) and highly recommend getting tickets (we will definitely be coming back for the fall production).  Go here for information about the theatre as well as tickets to all of the shows and the cookout.

Note:  Teresa and I were singing "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" for the rest of the trip!

Weekend at Bear Lake

I spent last weekend at an Airbnb near Bear Lake with Kristine, Trent, his sister Teresa, and his nephew Nate.  It was so much fun and I had the best time.  We had tons of great food and even better conversation (we definitely laughed a lot).  Our Airbnb was within easy walking distance to the beach and I spent quite a bit of time just hanging out with my camp chair on Saturday.  It eventually got really crowded but I enjoyed the nice weather (even though the water was freezing cold) and the sound of the waves for most of the morning before I went back for a nap.

I am so happy that I got to take this quick trip with my family because it was much needed!

Visiting Cambria (And Her Parents) in Washington

Marilyn and I arranged our summer road trip specifically so we could see Cambria (and her parents) because we miss her so much.  We drove to Wenatchee, Washington on Saturday and had a lot of fun spending time with Tucker and Tashena (who took us to some really fun places, including some great local restaurants as well as the dam where Tucker works, and entertained us at their house).  We also loved snuggling the most adorable baby ever.  We were so sad to leave today because it has been a wonderful visit but we will see them in Utah really soon!  Here is a cuteness overload of Cambria!

We love this precious baby so much!

We love her parents, too!

Cambria Rose

I finally had the chance to meet my great-niece two weeks ago when Tashena and Tucker were in town for a family funeral.  To say that I am smitten with her would definitely be an understatement!  I think she is the most adorable baby ever and I loved every minute that I got to spend holding her (I even got to feed her).  Marilyn and I are planning a road trip to Washington to see her very soon because we miss her so much!  In the meantime, here are some beautiful photos of our precious baby.

To add to the cuteness overload, here is the sweetest video of the sweetest baby ever!

Family Photos 2025

We decided to have some family photos taken while my niece and her husband were in town for Christmas.  We had our friend Lesa (she takes all of our family photos) do a photo shoot with us at the Utah State Capitol on a really cold day.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Christmas 2025

Yesterday I celebrated Christmas with my family and it was especially wonderful because my niece and her husband were there with us (I hadn't seen her since her wedding).  We met up at my sister Kristine's house to open presents at 8:00 in the morning (my nephew planned the whole day and he was really excited) and it was so much fun.  Since we open presents one at a time from oldest to youngest, it took us quite a while to get through all of them.  We also exchanged stockings (I had Marilyn and my nephew had me) and there were a lot of funny surprises.  I did very well and got some new AirPods and a photo printer along with a sweater, a book, and some stuff for my house.  After opening presents and stockings we had sweet rolls and juice which is a tradition that we have had since we were children.  We had Christmas dinner later in the afternoon with ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberry fluff salad, pasta salad, vegetables and dip, and rolls.  Everything was delicious!  In the evening we played Shanghai rummy and we all pretty much lost our minds (my niece's husband fits right in with the insanity of this game and it was so much fun to have him there with us).  We were all laughing so hard and, at various times, we were talking with accents, quoting song lyrics, and quoting from movies.  We had lots of treats and paused the game to have banana cream pie.  It was honestly the best day ever and I am so happy that we still have a few more opportunities to spend time together before my niece has to go back to Washington.  I hope you were able to spend the holiday doing things you love with friends and family!

Nathan Pacheco Christmas Concert 2025

It has become a tradition for me to tag along with my sister Marilyn and our family friend Kelli to the Nathan Pacheco Christmas concert. I am a relatively new fan (I discovered him when he was a guest vocalist for a Kurt Bestor Christmas concert) but they have followed him for years! The concert was last night at Abravanel Hall and, as always, I loved his eclectic mix of Christmas music as well as selections from the classical repertoire and from Broadway! He began with his new single "The King Emmanuel," which was quite stirring (he told us that we were one of the first audiences to hear it performed live), and then continued with the Christmas songs "Mary, Did You Know?" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." He is a classically trained tenor with a beautiful and clear voice so next came absolutely amazing renditions of "Questa O Quello" from Verdi's opera Rigoletto, "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's opera Turandot (this was especially fitting because it was Puccini's birthday yesterday), and "Time to Say Goodbye" (which gave me goosebumps). He concluded his first set with a heartfelt message about giving yourself grace during this holiday season and emotional versions of "Come As You Are" and "Forever." When Pacheco left the stage for a brief moment, his piano player Jared Pierce and his cellist Nicole Pinnell performed a cool instrumental mashup of "Sing We Noel" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Pacheco returned to sing "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "O Come, All You Unfaithful" (which I had never heard before), and "Silent Night." Next, his powerful version of "I Believe in Christ" with the Lyceum Choir just about brought the house down and his version of "God Bless Us, Everyone" from the movie Scrooge was lovely. He ended the concert with "O Holy Night," the song I most wanted to hear (it was worth the wait), and I loved it because he sings it better than almost everyone I've heard sing it live! The audience leapt to their feet for an enthusiastic standing ovation so he returned for an encore, including "The Greatest Show" from The Greatest Showman (apparently he auditioned for the role of Barnum in the upcoming musical adaptation but was the second choice), "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables (this was another favorite moment), and "The Prayer" which is one of his most popular songs. I really enjoyed this concert (I also enjoyed dinner at the newly remodeled Garden Restaurant inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building before the show) and I am already excited to go again next year!

Note:  This was my last Christmas concert of the year so my final count for performances of "O Holy Night" is three (I was lucky enough to hear it at all three concerts I attended).

Gingerbread Houses 2025

Last night we had our annual gingerbread house party and we had so much fun that, at one point, we were all laughing so hard we couldn't breathe (mostly at all of my icing mishaps).  We normally use kits that we put together but this year my sister, who is an amazing baker, decided to make the gingerbread and royal icing herself.  She did such a great job and I absolutely love how they turned out!

I love this tradition with my family!