SONDERimmersive’s newest version of The Chocolatier deepens story-telling potential

Earlier this winter, one of the most unconventional yet captivating productions to arrive on the Salt Lake City performing arts scene was Thank You, Theobromine, by SONDERimmersive. Set in The Chocolate Conspiracy shop, near the corner of 800 South and 300 West, the show immersed its audience members, kept always on the move, in dramatic scenes incorporating … Read more

Bachauer concert series set to present 2018 gold medalist Changyong Shin in recital featuring Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel, Granados

Less than two years after taking the gold medal in the Salt Lake City finals of the International Artists Competition of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, Changyong Shin will return to perform works by Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel and Granados in a recital that promises to remind audiences why Shin took the top prize two years … Read more

Two stellar happenings in Utah’s music scene: Salt Lake Electric Ensemble’s Return album; NOVA Chamber Music Series’ Nordic Spirit concert

SALT LAKE ELECTRIC ENSEMBLE: RETURN ALBUM Return, the newest album release of the Salt Lake Electric Ensemble (SLEE), transmits listeners to their own virtual interstellar journey, exploring a legion of cosmic soundscapes with surprising pleasures in timbral shifts and rhythmic modulations which listeners can enjoy and immerse themselves in as they see fit. A masterpiece … Read more

With two weekends of screenings, events, Utah Film Center set to present 9th Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Kids

EDITOR’S NOTE: For a detailed rundown of all of the feature- and short-length films for the 9th Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Kids, see The Utah Review feature here. The ninth presentation of the Utah Film Center’s Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Kids will be the largest ever with 28 screenings of 17 films from the U.S. … Read more

Utah Film Center’s 9th Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Kids: Full slate rundown

EDITOR’S NOTE: For the overview of the Tumbleweeds festival, see The Utah Review cover piece here. Taking advantage of the first Tumbleweeds festival to be held over two weekends, the Utah Film Center has programmed one of the most impressive slates of feature- and short-length films in the event’s nine-year history. The Utah Review also … Read more

Five choreographers set their sights on commission prize in Regalia competition, Repertory Dance Theatre’s annual fundraiser

Few dance companies in the U.S. would take the audacious path of holding a choreographer’s competition in which the audience determines the winner with the prize of a commission for a composition to premiere in the company’s next season. However, the format of Regalia, the largest fundraising event each year for Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT), … Read more

Wasatch Theatre Company’s production of Ready Steady Yeti Go snaps with spirited lesson about honest discussions of racism

In David Jacobi’s Ready Steady Yeti Go, when a hate crime targets the home of Carly, the only black student in her suburban school, the adults, despite their best intentions, still perpetuate worrisome sentiments even if they do not directly express racial animosity. How young people learn about racism extends well beyond the halls of … Read more

Pygmalion Productions’ Utah premiere of Flying recommended reminder of once forgotten WASP pilots of WWII

In the second act of Sheila Cowley’s Flying, Susan and Fisher are trying to cope with the act of forgetting from different perspectives. The townspeople, including her father, are oblivious to Susan’s capabilities as a former military pilot in World War II as she struggles to keep her husband’s airfield in business. Everyone is awaiting … Read more

Plan-B Theatre’s Singing to the Brine Shrimp spectacular production that magnifies confidence in Utah’s performing arts scene

Any “confident-sized” playwright would have envied the spectacular opening of Plan-B Theatre’s premiere of Jenny Kokai’s Singing to the Brine Shrimp, directed by Jason Bowcutt. The rhythm was sharp, precise and natural in a brilliantly written comedy with a smart set of songs. It is the model marriage of aquaculture and the theatrical arts. Perhaps … Read more

NOVA Chamber Music Series’ Fierce Grace excellent musical stemwinder call to history

Fierce Grace, the most recent NOVA Chamber Music Series’ concert, was more than a credible parallel where music and song stood in for the stemwinders one might have heard at a political rally during the suffragette and civil rights movements. Rousing spiritual moments highlighted the three works, including the Utah premiere of the cycle of … Read more