This year, the devilishly astute and enlightened triumvirate of writers behind the exceptional The Secret Lives of the Real Wives in the Salt Lake Hive, Salt Lake Acting Company’s (SLAC) summer show, reached deep into the spice cabinet, ensuring that the 2025 edition mogged its predecessors.
Hands down, SLAC now has the secret formula for satirical sendups that bite with unsparing true epiphanies while keeping the audiences in rip-roaring mode to absorb the incredibly hilarious bounty of comedy and talent. This was, by far, the tightest summer show SLAC has produced, written by Austin Archer, Penelope Caywood and Olivia Custodio and directed and choreographed by Cynthia Fleming.
The show’s formula traditionally blends current national and Utah events and politics, the quirks and idiosyncrasies of Mormonism and sociocultural trends. However, Archer, Caywood and Custodio took the gloves off this year, sparing no margins for abiding or tempering the giant elephant in the room about the existential threats to democracy. Their impressive achievement is leveraging the maximal impacts of satire, irony, parody and absurdism without sacrificing their oomph for the sake of a didactic message. As noted in an earlier published preview at The Utah Review, this year’s show tips its parody hat to two popular reality television series: The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and, more significantly, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. And, there is the curiously effective yet unofficial product placement for the Swig ‘dirty soda’ chain, a quintessential Mormon beverage experience.
As for comedic material to consider for this year’s show, the opportunities are boundless: Trump’s return to office, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s campaign to Make America Healthy Again, Utah becoming the first state to remove fluoride from its water, local billionaires Ryan and Ashley Smith and their plans to remake downtown Salt Lake City and even references to the looming shadows of artificial intelligence. Given the show’s long summer run, there have been a few tweaks along the way to stay as current as possible in references. One update accounts for the now-chilly nature of the relationship between Trump and Elon Musk. Another is a surprise cameo appearance referencing someone that every observant Utahn will appreciate.
With a nod toward potential Gen-Z and Gen Alpha audiences, the summer show leans brilliantly into the world of influencers, TikTok, Instagram and the lexicon that might leave Boomers in a fog. In fact, the playbill includes a short glossary of terms to stay up to speed: for example, gyat (thick juicy ass), mogged (outclass everything and everybody else), on gosh (Mormon version of ‘on god’ that was appropriated from AAVE phrase ‘I swear this is true’), and rizzler (a very charismatic, attractive person).
With the writers avoiding the stereotypes one might assume about women who sign onto reality TV series, the quintet of women at the center of the show emerges as fierce, resolute, talented, resourceful and competitive. A phenomenal vocalist, Noelani Brown wows as Parlor Christensen, a supremely confident #Momstagram manager with the skills to get things done. She also nearly steals the stage in two scenes as Mary Cosby, one of the original RHOSLC cast members. Tori Kenton rises to the creative brief as Melinda Nielsen, whose spouse is definitely a mystery to her friends and colleagues. Kenton appears as the most vulnerable of the five women, especially as confrontation makes her uncomfortable and she tries to be a peacemaker, which seems nearly impossible to achieve given the strong competitive stubbornness of her friends. Mikki Reeve crafts a compelling credible portrait of Stefaneigh DeLong, the epitome of a suburban Mormon woman who now rues her rebellious earlier years and has repented for her decisions to cover her skin in ink. Playing Reighlynn Maxwell, who is the youngest of the four wives, Rachel Johnson has the most intriguing task in the lot, and she smartly avoids allowing her passive naïveté get the best of her.
Joining the four wives, Laurel Morgan (who also plays Ashley Smith) steps forward as Brooke, the production assistant who is always ready for battle wherever it will emerge. Along with the four wives, Brooke is the sort of woman who can save the country from half-baked males mired in their dysfunctionalism.
Once again, Robert Scott Smith proves his skills as one of the most versatile actors to be found, nailing personality and appearance at every turn. He glides effortlessly from Mormon prophet Joseph Smith (reprising a role he took in a previous SLAC summer show and managing to make it seem like Smith actually could have had sex appeal) to the robotic husband Taylor Nielsen and to Ryan Smith, the Qualtrics billionaire set to remake downtown Salt Lake City and to politicians Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., U.S. Senator John Curtis and Vice President J.D. Vance. In Utah, there is no greater utility player on stage.
On the flip side, the male ensemble cast members do just as much due diligence in rounding out the comedic punch. These characters certainly are not alpha males. As Ryland Christensen, Bryce Romleski will have audiences believing he is a genuine ride-or-die loyalist to MAGA and Trump. Kaden Conrad channels Utah bro energy into absurd overdrive as Tent Rasmussen (and as current LDS Church President Russell Nelson). Harrison Timm stands out as the remaining husband of the ensemble (Mark DeLong), especially in telegraphing that he could be saved from lapsing into toxic masculinity.
Marc Nielson, who takes on various small roles, takes center stage as Trump, in such a convincing, hilarious portrayal that one nearly forgets why so many justifiably abhor the most obnoxious person to occupy the Oval Office. And, when looking for a bit of Utah legacy to mix in this theatrical concoction, what better choice for announcer than Bill Allred of X-96’s Radio from Hell morning drivetime show.
Zach Hansen and Spencer Kellogg shine as the two-person band, providing magnificent support to some of the best singing this critic has heard in a SLAC summer show. Three numbers stood out, in particular. In the scene featuring a masculinity boot camp for the husbands, Village People’s Macho Man was transformed effortlessly into Alpha Alpha Male, the ironic parallel of its provenance and meaning left ingeniously intact. I’ve Paid It All, adapted from Wicked’s What is this Feeling (Loathing), turned out to be an exceptionally sharp commentary on the unfulfilled promises of dutifully staying current on Mormon tithing. Likewise, Les Miz’s One Day More was transformed into an equally razor-tight sendup as One Scheme More.
No doubt, SLAC has found its groove with this summer show in the same manner that made the earlier editions of Saturday’s Voyeur a seasonal institution to anticipate. Performances continue through Aug. 17 at SLC (168 West, 500 North). The show also will be part of the company’s annual fundraising event on Aug. 9. For tickets and more information, see the Salt Lake Acting Company website.