A pair of outstanding one-act world premieres at Meanwhile Park: Andrea Berting’s Red Devil; Nathan Johnson’s Vacation

Just one weekend remains in Meanwhile Park’s world premiere production run of two one-act plays: Andrea Berting’s Red Devil and Nathan Johnson’s Vacation.  Only limited availability remains for tickets. The production runs through July 20. Meanwhile Park, which is near the Herman Franks Dog Park, opens at 8:30 p.m. on performance nights, and the shows … Read more

Meanwhile Park set for its first double-bill premiere: Andrea Berting’s Red Devil, Nathan Johnson’s Vacation

The splendid Meanwhile Park outdoor theatrical venue will be the site for its first double-bill premiere, featuring one-act plays by Andrea Berting of Chicago (Red Devil) and Nathan Johnson (Vacation). This is the third consecutive summer for a world premiere at Meanwhile Park.  Both plays were selected by a jury for the Meanwhile Park Playwright … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2025 Feature Profile: Voodoo Productions brings new street theater performances to festival

EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 49th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 19-22, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. Visitors will also see the first significant change of the last 15 years in the festival map. There are several new … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2025 Feature Profile: Making its first festival appearance, Salt Lake Acting Company to offer sneak peeks at its summer show, The Secret Lives of the Real Wives in the Salt Lake Hive

EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 49th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 19-22, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. Visitors will also see the first significant change of the last 15 years in the festival map. There are several new … Read more

Absolutely delightful chamber theater acting animates PYGmalion Productions’ season closing production of Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Be Here Now

In Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Be Here Now, the character of Bari epitomizes what an academic diet heavy in post-structuralist theory with oversized portions of Barthes, Derrida and Foucault can do in wreaking havoc on one’s psyche. However, as much as Bari wants to flex her intellectual prowess in the study of nihilism, she is at … Read more

Pioneer Theatre Company’s 63rd season closer, Waitress, puts the crowning touch on a string of outstanding musical productions

It has been a banner year for musicals in Pioneer Theatre Company’s (PTC) 63rd season. There were the exuberant cavalcade of pop music excellence in Jersey Boys, roof-raising performances in Beautiful, The Carole King Musical and while not a musical per se, the two-hander Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins was … Read more

Escapist entertainment of the first order: Salt Lake Acting Company’s Bat Boy: The Musical is fiercely satisfying

Remember when fake news was simply freakish entertainment? When the Weekly World News had run dry on its long streak of ‘Elvis Is Alive’ stories, editorial staff member Dick Kulpa came up with ‘Bat Child Found in West Virginia Cave.’ When the story ran in June, 1992, Weekly World News sold 975,000 copies.  Other ‘Bat … Read more

Westminster Theatre’s exuberant production of Ride the Cyclone proves why this musical has become a Gen-Z darling

Normally this critic does not review student productions but in the curious case of a 2008 musical that has enjoyed an incredible rejuvenation post-pandemic in colleges and universities across the country, thanks to a TikTok video that went viral in 2022, it seemed appropriate to make an exception. Judging by the reactions of the packed … Read more

Superb Punto de Inflexión’s From the Borderlands to the Roots, part of Corriente Alterna festival, suspends us between struggle and celebration

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Utah Review is grateful to playwright Matthew Ivan Bennett for reviewing From the Borderlands to the Roots, presented by Punto de Inflexión as part of the ten-day Corriente Alterna festival, with PROArtes México. In the opening of From the Borderlands to the Roots—an ambitious, cohesive, and moving fusion of dance and visual … Read more

Two world premieres set to make Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Re-Act a landmark event in the company’s history

With two world premieres, Re-Act, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s closing production for its 61st season, will be a landmark event. It marks the final show for Daniel Charon as artistic director, who is stepping down after 12 seasons. Also, there is the world premiere of A Mischief Sublime by Annalee Traylor, the company’s inaugural Choreographic Canvas … Read more