Review

Continuing through July 27, Utah Museum of Fine Arts’ Gateway to Himalayan Art, traveling exhibition by Rubin Museum, is extraordinary for its holistic multimedia impacts

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The traveling exhibition Gateway to Himalayan Art, which continues at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA)  through July 27, is extraordinary on several levels. The exceptional amounts of detail in traditional scroll paintings (thangka), sculptures, medical instruments and ritual objects are mesmerizing. Just as extraordinary are the equally meticulous installations outlining step-by-step lost-wax metal … Read more

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

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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

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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

Two exhibitions at Utah Museum of Contemporary Art with strong sociological themes: Amanda Smith’s Trust Issues, Holly Rios’ I’d Like to Return This Body

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Two  current exhibitions at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) point to substantial sociocultural epiphanies:  Amanda Smith: Trust Issues (through May 3) and Holly Rios: I’d Like to Return this Body (through May 31). Visitors also are encouraged to visit the galleries for three shows featuring ceramic artists from the recent the National Council … Read more

Repertory Dance Theatre’s Deux puts the exclamation point on two dance masterpieces

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Closing out its 59th season with DEUX, Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT)  brought out two crown jewels from its extraordinary catalog with performances that once again put the exclamation point on why the company is heralded as one of modern dance’s most distinguished institutions.  Conditioned with stamina, grace and agility that would be the pride of … Read more

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

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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 Concert Series closes season with fabulous A’lante Flamenco performance

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A novel but apt choice to close out a memorable season for Westminster Performing Arts’ Concert Series, the Austin-based A’lante Flamenco Ensemble gave the audience an enthralling tour of the world of flamenco music and dance. With the broad theme of love as its anchor, the concert made the case for how the seven ensemble members … Read more

Samba Fogo’s Dancestral sets new heights in group’s trend of cultural, artistic excellence

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Every spring, Samba Fogo’s show is galvanizing in entertainment excellence and respectful cultural education but its most recent Dancestral production is certainly the best of the series to date. It was a tight and exhilarating show that highlighted many roots of Brazil’s uniquely multifarious language of music and dance. This show stood out in representing … Read more

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

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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 City Academy students take the reins to review Ballet West’s sparkling magical Aladdin production

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Stories such as Aladdin are timeless and great for all ages but the best opportunities to judge how interpretations of these classic tales in the performing arts resonate with young audiences is to ask them to take the reviewer’s seat. Recently, The Utah Review, with the assistance of Christal Jackson, an English teacher and ELL … Read more