Fairy tales told through the dance medium are perhaps some of the most expressive. This spring, Ballet West II dancers and students from the Ballet West Academy came together for a world-premiere production of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. The ballet featured entirely new costumes and sets designed by Ballet West to … Read more
“Mama Mia” was the greeting I received when I walked through the doors at Sicilia Mia Trattoria-Pizzeria in Holladay. Although it was my first time in the restaurant, the warm welcome made me feel like a well-known regular. This family owned and operated eatery, takes the idea of , ‘when you are here, you are … Read more
Early in her novel Alibi Creek, Bev Magennis, succinctly sets the place of her story: Tucked in a fold of the Mariposa Mountains, Brand had been overrun by unfamiliar faces, the locals showing their disapproval by shunning greetings, refusing to indulge in small talk, and forgetting names. Walker, however, saw this small, steady influx of … Read more
One of the many joys in Kingdom of Heaven, Plan-B Theatre’s first take on an original musical, is the set of songs that lift Jenifer Nii’s already substantive story about a dutiful, faithful Mormon housewife who comes to terms with a newly emerged part of her identity as a drag king performer. The songs are … Read more
Cocktails and fashion have some similarities, right? We’ve long bid farewell to neon clothes, poofy 80s hair, and over-sweetened drinks. But like fashion, cocktail trends change with the times, and the refocus on quality ingredients and technique, make it an exciting time to drink in the good ol’ U.S.A. The art of the well-crafted cocktail … Read more
For this week’s spring program, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company will offer three dance compositions – including two world premieres with original soundscapes in music – that imbue the simple Black Box Theatre venue in the Rose Wagner Center for Performing Arts with fresh cultural and emotional energy. For both performers and audience members, the works … Read more
Utah adrenaline junkies get their high-altitude fix mountaineering towering limestone and granite peaks, throughout the state. I’ve watched plenty on belay over sharp outcroppings in various canyons, often anxious to jump in myself. While no one who knows me would ever mistake me for a mountaineer, I’ve managed to traverse my way up several domestic … Read more
The genre of musicals in the 21st century is getting a flattering facelift. Hamilton, for example, with its tantalizing alchemy of stimulating passion for history through ingeniously accessible rap and hip hop stands out for how racial barriers in the making of art and culture can be dismantled. Fun Home, staged as theater in the … Read more
Two films – a documentary that premiered at Sundance in January and this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture – that delve into painful memories involving either the murder or sexual abuse of children are part of the upcoming Utah Film Center’s free, public schedule of screenings. The April 6 screening of Spotlight, the … Read more
In late February, I headed to Piper Down in Salt Lake City to meet up with Irish brand ambassador, pub historian and whiskey expert Tim Herlihy from Tullamore D.E.W. His mission: visit all 50 states in the 30 days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day on an Irish pub tour to see what every state … Read more