Ninth edition of the Great Salt Lake Fringe has new home at Trolley Square in Alliance Theater venues

For its ninth edition, the Great Salt Lake Fringe (GSLF) festival has a new home at the Alliance Theater, connected to the Utah Arts Alliance, at Trolley Square.  The move signals the best opportunities to ensure Fringe shows will have access to the ideal professional technical capacities for producing top quality shows, according to Jay … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: The ‘Great’ Demonio, Kian The One to bring their unique shows to The Round

THE ‘GREAT’ DEMONIO (June 23, 3:15 p.m.,The Round) At first glance, The ‘Great’ Demonio’s mask likely will creep out more adults than kids. When Javier Montelongo took up a friend’s suggestion to incorporate a mask into his magician’s identity, he designed with the trinity of his favorite things in mind: horror, music and magic. At … Read more

Backstage at the Utah Arts Festival 2023: Top-line summary of what to find at every festival venue

As noted in the centerpiece curtain raiser, organizers of the 47th Utah Arts Festival have packed impressive numbers of participants into its multidisciplinary programs. The following summarizes the top line highlights. Follow The Utah Review in the days leading up to the June 23 opening for features about the following:  ARTISTS MARKETPLACE For example, the … Read more

Delivering all the ‘zazz,’ Pioneer Theatre Company’s Utah premiere of The Prom is rollicking exhibition of gold medal theatrical gymnastics

Sometimes, a feel-good musical comedy reminds us that the ideal of everyone dancing together at a concert, festival or school prom has not yet fully materialized. In Hairspray, segregation is the barrier but Tracy Turnblad’s bountiful optimism in hoping that everyone of all identities can dance on The Corny Collins Show prevails.  In The Prom, … Read more

Live blog and review: Radio Hour Episode 16: The Case of the Missing Dog, by Brandan Ngo, presented by Plan-B Theatre, KUER-FM’s RadioWest

Welcome to the 16th episode of the Radio Hour series as part of Plan-B Theatre’s partnership with RadioWest, hosted by Doug Fabrizio on KUER-FM (90.1). Today, during the live RadioWest Friday broadcast, which begins at 11 a.m., The Case of the Missing Dog by Brandan Ngo will receive its premiere. For fans of The Naked … Read more

Hilarity to ensue in Little Beverly: Tale of bumbling detective to mark Plan-B Theatre, KUERs RadioWest live broadcast premiere of Brandan Ngo’s The Case of the Missing Dog

NOTE: On Friday, May 12, at 11 a.m., The Utah Review will live blog the world premiere of Radio Hour Episode 16: The Case of the Missing Dog, produced by Plan-B Theatre and KUER-FM’s RadioWest program. Tune into KUER-FM 90.1 and follow The Utah Review during the broadcast. In a writer’s skillful hand, bumbling characters … Read more

Pygmalion Theatre Company’s world premiere of Lane Richins’ Near Mint gives baseball its unsullied nostalgic shine

As Lane Richins’ good-hearted play Near Mint opens on the Pygmalion Theatre Company stage, the sunny mood signals that ‘Cracker’ Jack Patterson, retired pro baseball catcher, feels his life is pretty close to ‘near mint’ condition. It is 1988 in California. With his best friend, Pepper Crawford, they host a popular AM radio show for … Read more

Salt Lake Acting Company’s Utah premiere of Dipika Guha’s Yoga Play is splendid for its comedy; enlightened, hard-nosed truths

Even quick research will show that many of the stretching and relaxation classes that go by the name of yoga in the U.S. barely resemble the religious yoga practices of a devout Hindu. But, there also are other implications of stripping away Hindu and Vedic elements from contemporary yoga. The Hindu remains an inscrutable foreign … Read more

Love for baseball in its purest heartwarming form: Lane Richins’ Near Mint set for world premiere by Pygmalion Theatre Company

The regular sign off on the fictitious Cracker Jack and Pepper Radio Show neatly summarizes the theme of Lane Richins’ new play Near Mint: “Thanks for joining us, and remember, baseball isn’t life, but life’s no good without baseball.”  Along with the radio show, Pepper Crawford helps run her best friend’s baseball card shop. Her … Read more

Earth Month roundup: Repertory Dance Theatre’s Flight, Samba Fogo’s The Seed of Samba, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s To See Beyond Our Time, NOVA Chamber Music Series’ Connect with the West

REPERTORY DANCE THEATRE: FLIGHT Producing a gratifying trio of works to highlight Earth Month, Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) made its Flight program its strongest offering within the last four years. Zvi Gotheiner’s Dancing The Bears Ears, a 2017 commission for the company, and two first-time RDT performances of existing works — José Limón’s The Winged … Read more