austin archer

With its cathartic wisdom of satire, musical parodies; glorious luminscence of its empress of ceremonies, Salt Lake Acting Company’s The Gaslight Zone is rousing summer theatrical fare

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In the cathartic wisdom of its satire and musical parodies, Salt Lake Acting Company’s summer show, The Gaslight Zone encourages its audiences to shed the fears, boldly confront and oppose the current confederacy of narcissistic weak, insecure, incompetent, stupid men and their lily-livered sycophants. Hilariously seductive in all the right places, the 2026 edition, directed … Read more

Utah Arts Festival at 50: Salt Lake Acting Company will offer a sneak peek of its new summer show The Gaslight Zone

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EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 50th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 18-21, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. The curtain raiser highlights the history of the Festival which is marking its golden anniversary. BANDALOOP, among the most prominent pioneers … Read more

Salt Lake Acting Company’s The Secret Lives of the Real Wives in the Salt Lake Hive is the finest, tightest summer show in recent memory

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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 … Read more

Utah Arts Festival 2025 Feature Profile: Making its first festival appearance, Salt Lake Acting Company to offer sneak peeks at its summer show, The Secret Lives of the Real Wives in the Salt Lake Hive

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EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 49th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 19-22, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. Visitors will also see the first significant change of the last 15 years in the festival map. There are several new … Read more

Riot Act Theatre’s Anatomy of Arithmetic unrepressed first-class production

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Unlikely couples are a staple of great literature. Take Benedick and Beatrice in Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing, who constantly battle each other and then, of course, Beatrice commands Benedick to kill his friend to demonstrate his passion to her. In the genteel Victorian era, we have Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, who appear in … Read more

Plan-B Theatre’s Good Standing is masterpiece of exceptional incisiveness; Matthew Greene play heads to NYC United Solo Festival

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At one point in Good Standing, certainly among the top three original plays ever produced by Plan-B Theatre, Curt (played by Austin Archer), facing the 15 men who will decide if he should be excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because he married a man, tells us there are no secrets … Read more

Plan-B Theatre’s Good Standing play by Matthew Greene set to premiere Oct. 18

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Five years ago, when Matthew Greene’s first play was produced by Plan-B Theatre, Adam & Steve and the Empty Sea centered on how two characters (Steve, a young gay man, and Adam, whose Mormon mission was cut short by illness) in California develop a close friendship then struggle to preserve it as they come of … Read more

A dark buddy comedy, hilarious solo show on LDS musicals, dance company piece, high school performers’ take on social media memes highlight Great Salt Fringe Festival

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NOTE: This is Part II of reviews of shows from the 2018 Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. For Part I, see here. Austin Archer’s Marty Has Cancer – Prufrock Productions Every performance of this play sold out or had standing room only, which likely makes it one of the most successful productions ever presented at … Read more

Riot Act’s The Aliens, Utah premiere, is superb piece of minimalistic, no-proscenium theater

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“He not only started to doubt America, but he started to doubt himself. He started doubting the gift that Allison claimed he was born with. She had first whispered that word a year and half ago, that strange, sacred word, she had whispered it into his ear one morning, and it had sent thrill and … Read more

Jump by Plan-B Theatre, Flying Bobcat Theatrical Laboratory achieves unique poignance

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When the play Jump opens, the audience is enjoying the pithy, rapid banter between Erick, the young confident skydiver (Matthew Sincell), and Phil (Darryl Stamp), a 60-year-old first-timer, as they prepare for the fateful jump from 12,000 feet above the ground. The audience laughs as Erick tries to ease the nerves of Phil, who rattles … Read more