It might surprise many readers that for critics, writing a review of The Nutcracker ballet is actually not as easy as it might appear. It is one of the most widely performed works in the end-of-the-year holiday season and audiences love it, whether it is in a lavish professional production or a small-town amateur community … Read more
In a cramped Bronx apartment, the chance encounter between Donatello Angelo Bucci (a/k/a Donnie) and Svetlana Orlova, whose name translates from Ukrainian to “Holy Eagle,” peels away many layers but it really is the quest for self-love that pops in the epiphany of the outstanding two-hander play Dreamers by Ariana Broumas Farber. Directed by Stephanie … Read more
When a play’s story arises from events or figures of Utah history, playwright Julie Jensen, whose works have been produced outside of Utah more frequently than any other local playwright, always succeeds in crafting a credible fictional narrative with a scrupulous eye toward framing the script’s framework with historical accuracy. In her award-winning play, Two-Headed, … Read more
In Morag Shepherd’s two-hander My Brother Was A Vampire, the banter between siblings of Callum and Skype is often crisp, tart and sardonic but the music, lighting and sound design in the play are the elements that truly bring forth the darkness, vulnerability and brutality underlying their story. There is nothing milquetoast in the outstanding … Read more
There has been a smattering of musicals on and off Broadway which not only had stories based in rural America but also had country music and songs as part of the book and score. They include rousing shows such as Pump Boys and Dinettes, Floyd Collins, Smoke on the Mountain and A Good Old Fashioned … Read more
In the summer of 1914, The Green Book Magazine, then a widely followed periodical about the American theater, published installments by Annie Adams Kiskadden, who wrote about her life as an actor in Utah and in New York City. But, the real draw of these autobiographical installments was her daughter, the more famous performer of … Read more
In the 2004 novel, Let the Right One In, by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist, which later was adapted into Swedish and American films as well as a theatrical production, a preteen boy becomes friends with a new neighbor, whom he realizes is a vampire. It is a fine example of a story that bridges … Read more
SALT LAKE ACTING COMPANY: SLEEPING GIANT, BY STEVE YOCKEY For connoisseurs of macabre stories with a generous twist of humor, like classics such as Supernatural, Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow, Shirley Jackson short stories or the geekdom culture of the Cthulhu folklore, Steve Yockey’s Sleeping Giant is a devilish delight. The play’s world premiere production … Read more
The 2022-23 performing arts calendar has filled quickly, including a new adaptation of Molière’s play about Scapin the schemer, Plan-B Theatre’s Ballet for Aliens to mark the 10th anniversary of its Free Elementary School Tour and NOVA Chamber Music Series’ concert to open its 45th anniversary season. PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY: SCAPIN The schemer is one … Read more
Jacob is hoping Sophie, the nurse who is going to administer the infusion he needs for his chronic disease, is better at needles than the last nurse he encountered. But, the 12-year-old boy also is hoping that Sophie can ease his concerns. Explaining that he is an alien, Jacob says, “I decided that was a … Read more