Review

Fall arts calendar off to a rousing start: Pioneer Theatre Company’s Scapin, Plan-B Theatre’s Ballet for Aliens, NOVA Chamber Music Series’ Connect with Inspiration

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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

Focus on two independent short films with Utah significance: Arthur Veenema’s The Atomic Spawn and Lauren Caster’s Plan C

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Two independent short films – one by a Utah filmmaker who received a Next Level Grant from the Utah Film Commission and the other by a southern California filmmaker whose project premiered at this year’s Fear No Film program at the Utan Arts Festival – are featured. Arthur Veenema: The Atomic Spawn Utah filmmaker Arthur … Read more

Interstitial spaces highlight three summer exhibitions at Utah Museum of Contemporary Art; Rose Exposed! celebrates downtown arts hub’s 25th anniversary

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UTAH MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART: JOHN SPROUL, BERNARD MEYERS, TOBIAS FIKE Three Intermountain West artists are among the latest to have exhibitions to round out the summer season at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA). The connecting thread for this trio involves asking viewers to consider abstractions that reveal multiple layers going beyond typical … Read more

Memorable dance programs for summer performing arts scene: Myriad Dance Company’s Dream Spark at new Dreamscapes location; Fem Dance Company’s State of Flux

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MYRIAD DANCE COMPANY: DREAM SPARK Truly a gratifying collaboration in the best sense of the word, Myriad Dance Company’s Dream Spark could not have been a more fitting opening for Dreamscapes in its newest location. Now housed in the former Macy’s store at The Shops at South Town in Sandy, Utah, the immersive art museum … Read more

2nd season of Netflix’s UNTOLD series opens with the Manti Te’o story in The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist, directed by Ryan Duffy and Tony Vainuku, Emmy winner and Utah native

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When sports media broadcasting became a 24/7 enterprise, stories which sprouted from the culture of sports became just as important as any feature about a star athlete’s performance. And, when those stories are framed around character traits in a positive way, avid sports fans absorb them, often becoming even stronger followers and admirers of a … Read more

Excellent, riveting limited docu-series The Deep End, directed by Jon Kasbe, focuses on controversial Utah-based spiritual teacher Teal Swan

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There are moments in The Deep End, the excellent four-part documentary series directed by Jon Kasbe and produced by Bits Sola and The Documentary Group and currently available on Hulu, when Teal Swan, a Park City, Utah-based spiritual guru, displays characteristics that one might admire in a maverick CEO who comprehends the power of disruptive … Read more

Eighth Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival concludes on several impressive notes, in show quality, attendance and awards

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EDITOR’s NOTE: This is the second of a two-part series offering a roundup of reviews of shows from the eighth Great Salt Lake Fringe festival. For Part 1, see The Utah Review feature here. The Great Salt Lake Fringe completed its eighth edition, in venues at The Gateway, on strong notes. Representing both weekends of … Read more

Air is fascinating, informative multidisciplinary exhibition at Utah Museum of Fine Arts, featuring internationally known and Utah-based artists

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This feature is presented in Spanish and English versions, both primarily made possible by Mark Alvarez. The Utah Review deeply appreciates his willingness and linguistic fluency to prepare proper versions in  both languages. For the Spanish version of this feature, see here. Stepping into the AIRLab, Santa Fe artist Will Wilson’s creation, one is … Read more

Aire es una exposición multidisciplinaria en el Museo de Bellas Artes de la Universidad de Utah; Es fascinante e informativa; Cuenta con artistas locales y los de renombre internacional

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Entrado el AIRLab, una obra del artista Will Wilson de Santa Fe, se aprecia de manera inmediata el rico volumen de información evidente en esta choza única, un invernadero de hierro con muebles y libros que se podrían encontrar en la sala o la biblioteca de una casa. También se notan las plantas comestibles y … Read more

The Sting & Honey Company offers an elegant cosmopolitan palette of myth and folklore in Sleeping Beauty’s Dream

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Watching Sleeping Beauty’s Dream, by Javen Tanner, in a recent production by The Sting & Honey Company, one can appreciate the cosmopolitan melange of myths that supersedes the traditional Disney-like narrative portrayal. Tanner’s script shows that the relationships connecting the romantic lead characters extend beyond physical attraction into loyalty, commitment, friendship and dignity.  The results … Read more