Sunday, March 24, 2024
Tashena's Bridal Shower
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Danny Elfman's Percussion Concerto
Friday, March 22, 2024
Shrek the Musical at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts
Last night I went to see a production of Shrek the Musical at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts featuring an incredibly talented group of high school students belonging to the award-winning acting troupe called Acting Up! I figured that, if they could produce an enjoyable version of a show that I dislike, they would definitely do a phenomenal job with a show I actually do like and I was right! It was so much fun! Shrek (Finn Parks) is an ogre just minding his own business when his swamp is invaded after Lord Farquaad (Mark Triplett) banishes all of the Fairytale Creatures from Duloc. After some encouragement from Pinocchio (Al Sorensen), he decides to visit Farquaad himself to get his swamp back and, along the way, he saves Donkey (Noah Hinckley) from Farquaad's guards and they end up traveling to Duloc together. Farquaad, who wants to be King, agrees to give Shrek back his swamp if he rescues Princess Fiona (Tanya Cespedes) from a tower guarded by a fire-breathing Dragon (Kaisa Judd) so he can marry her. Donkey distracts Dragon so Shrek can rescue Fiona but chaos ensues on the way back to Duloc when Shrek develops feelings for her. Parks is great in the title role because he shows a vulnerability behind the gruff exterior and he displays a lot of charisma in his performance (but I sometimes couldn't hear him during his songs, especially in "Who I'd Be" and "When Words Fail"). Hinckley is a lot of fun because he is fast-talking and frenetic in his physical performance and I loved his version of "Forever" with Judd. Cespedes has a beautiful voice, particularly in the song "I Know It's Today" with Claire Moreira as Young Fiona and Rachel Paz as Teen Fiona (they harmonize so well), but I also enjoyed her physicality, especially in "I Think I Got You Beat" with Parks (the children in the audience absolutely loved the *ahem* sound effects in this number). However, it is Triplett who steals the show! As is often the case in this musical, he portrays Farquaad's short stature by appearing on his knees with tiny fake legs dangling in front of him and a large cape hiding his real legs, but Triplett adds another layer of hilarity with lots of big gestures with his arms and exaggerated facial expressions. I laughed non-stop whenever he was on stage and his songs "What's Up Duloc" and "Ballad of Farquaad" were highlights for me! I was also very impressed by Judd because she gives a fantastic performance while effortlessly manipulating an amazing dragon puppet (with the help of another puppeteer). The outstanding ensemble provided some more of my favorite moments, including "The Story of My Life" and "Freak Flag," with colorful costumes and dazzling choreography. Honorable mentions go to Sorensen as Pinocchio, Sabrina Barker as the Fairy Godmother, Alyssa Abildskov as the Wicked Witch, and Macey South as Gingy. The fabulous stage features a series of steps configured to look like a forest with fun set pieces for Shrek's swamp, Farquaad's castle, the Dragon's keep, and Fiona's tower. I was so impressed with these young actors and I cannot recommend this production enough! Definitely let your freak flag fly and get a ticket (go here) for one of the remaining performances through March 30.
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Arsenic and Old Lace at the Grand Theatre
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Seussical the Musical at CPT
I am not a fan of Seussical the Musical but Utah audiences seem to love it so local theatre companies program it a lot. Because I am a subscriber, I saw CPT's production last night and, while the sets, projections, costumes, and performances are outstanding, nothing can compensate for the fact that the story is nonsensical, convoluted, and loses focus in the second act. This musical shoehorns the children's stories of Dr. Seuss, including Horton Hears a Who, Gertrude McFuzz, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, Yertle the Turtle, Horton Hatches the Egg, I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, McElligot's Pool, Oh Say Can You Say?, Hunches in Bunches, If I Ran the Circus, Dr. Seuss's ABC, The Butter Battle Book, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!, Fox in Socks, The Cat in the Hat, The Sneetches and Other Stories, Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?, and Oh, The Places You'll Go!, into an incomprehensible story about an imaginative boy named Jojo, who sometimes gets in trouble for all of the thinks that he thinks, and the adventures he goes on with The Cat in the Hat. The positive message at the end is that anything is possible and that you can go anywhere you want just by thinking your thinks but it is all just so overstuffed with too many characters and ideas. I even find the music to be very repetitive. There are endless reprises of "Oh, The Things You Can Think" and "How Lucky You Are" and, even though the songs feature lots of different genres, they all blur together. The best thing about this show is the unbelievably talented cast, especially Emily Henwood as Gertrude McFuzz because she is so awkward and endearing, Dan Call as Horton the Elephant because he is incredibly sympathetic (his versions of "Alone in the Universe" and "Solla Sollew" were definitely the highlights for me), Meish Roundy as The Cat in the Hat because he makes for a boisterous and entertaining emcee, and Lelini Iongi as Jojo because he is absolutely adorable. The sets and projections mimic the bold, colorful, and fantastical world of Dr. Seuss's books and the costumes are a lot of fun, especially the fanciful feathered costumes worn by Gertrude, Mayzie (Janae Klumpp Gibb) and the Bird Girls (Katherine Frandsen, Brookelynn Alapa, and Cassie Dibbins) and the leather vests worn by Wickersham Brothers (Dylan Floyd Panter, Joshua David Lee, and Sterling Shane Allen). The staging and choreography are imaginative and dynamic, particularly in "Here on Who," "It's Possible," "Monkey Around," "Circus McGurkus," "A Message From the Front," and "Havin' a Hunch." I really cannot find anything to fault with this production but I think this show just isn't for me and I have given myself permission to never see it again. Seussical the Musical runs on the Barlow Main Stage at CPT through April 13 and I recommend it because others seem to enjoy it much more than I do (go here for tickets).
Note: Does anyone want my ticket to HCTO's production in June?