BALLET WEST: SLEEPING BEAUTY EDITOR’S NOTE: This Ballet West review is written by Chris Myers of Argyle Arts. In ballet, opera, theater, and even the classical concert world, there are a number of challenges that arise when presenting what might be considered an “historically accurate” or “original practice” version of a work. But perhaps the … Read more
Nearly 50 years ago, the compilation Side by Side by Sondheim premiered to strong reviews and audience response, so persistent that by the late 1980s, Sondheim was urged to do an update or a sequel. Relenting to the request, he collaborated with Julia McKenzie, who was one of the creators and stars of the earlier … Read more
In past shows, the Myriad Dance Company has achieved excellent sensory experiences in site-specific works that fit beautifully in the Dreamscapes museum but Notion, their newest production, is an outstanding hybrid that feels like a black box theater show but still functions in their usual proscenium-free staging. Notion follows true to the form that has … Read more
MATCHSTICK GIRL BY JENNIFER KOKAI AND KENNETH PLAIN: WEBER STATE THEATRE There have been many adaptations of Hans Christian Andersen’s 19th century short folktale The Little Match Girl. Some have been faithful to the story of a young beggar who sells matchsticks on the streets of Copenhagen but on a bitterly cold New Year’s Eve … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: This feature also is published in Spanish here. Translation is courtesy of Mark Alvarez, a local immigration attorney. Two ongoing exhibitions at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art highlight the expanding perceptions of gallery presentations and visibility in visual arts: Beyond the Margins: An Exploration of Latina Art and Identity and Thomas Campbell: … Read more
Nota del Editor: Este artículo se presenta en español y inglés, gracias a Mark Alvarez. The Utah Review, aprecia su esfuerzo y su capacidad de ayudar en la preparación de las dos versiones. (English version is available here) Dos exposiciones en el Museo de Arte Contemporáneo resaltan la expansión de percepciones de la galería en sus … Read more
SALT LAKE ACTING COMPANY: HAIRY AND SHERRI Watching Hairy and Sherri, Adrienne Dawes’ new play which is receiving outstanding acting performances in a premiere production by the Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC), requires the audience member to focus on the characters’ nuanced body language and nonverbal actions. Those subtleties propel the significant epiphanies of Dawes’ … Read more
In the middle of the superb world premiere production at the Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC) of Kareem Fahmy’s A Distinct Society, Peyman, an Iranian cardiac surgeon, tells Manon, who runs the tiny Haskell Free Library straddling the Canadian-U.S. border, “When I was young my father told me: ‘Peyman, politics is shit. Ignore politics, and it … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE:Thomas Dugrospez wrote the interview, with additional details by Les Roka Already an award winner coming into Sundance, this year, The Pod Generation is one of those rare movies where every answer the viewer might be given to a question motivates them to pose yet one more question and later even more questions. Written … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sundance’s elite short film slate is highlighted. Les Roka’s reviews five short films from various offerings while Thomas Dugrosprez reviews this year’s Animation Short Program. The following five films from this year’s Sundance Short Film program stand out for their distinction and impact, as part of The Utah Review’s coverage of the 2023 … Read more