Spirited, well-acted production frames Pioneer Theatre Company’s offering of Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me

After a 2019 survey by the American Bar Association revealed some discouraging gaps in civic literacy, Bob Carlson, then ABA president, said, “We cannot be content to sit on the sidelines as democracy plays out in front of us. For the sake of our country, we all need to get in the game.” For example, … Read more

Pioneer Theatre Company’s Putting It Together is a Sondheim tribute assembled like a perfect martini

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

Pioneer Theatre Company’s world premiere presentation of Kareem Fahmy’s A Distinct Society is superb on all counts

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

Pioneer Theatre Company’s A Christmas Story: The Musical is spiffy, enjoyable homage to holiday film classic

The 1983 movie A Christmas Story was a definitive sleeper hit. Directed by Bob Clark, the film did reasonably well at the box office, easily recouping its comparatively low production costs ($3.3 million) after opening right before Thanksgiving and it was still in about a hundred theaters on New Year’s Day in 1984. Clark was … Read more

Popping every kernel of song, dance and comedy perfectly, Broadway-bound Shucked receives a splendid world premiere at Pioneer Theatre Company

There has been a smattering of musicals on and off Broadway which not only had stories based in rural America but also had country music and songs as part of the book and score. They include rousing shows such as Pump Boys and Dinettes, Floyd Collins, Smoke on the Mountain and A Good Old Fashioned … Read more

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

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

Pioneer Theatre Company closes season with Mamma Mia!

The cast of Mamma Mia!, courtesy of PTC

Opening on Mother’s Day weekend, Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of Mamma Mia! is a true celebration of strong female relationships in dual dimensions—part disco musical and part women’s anthem. Featuring music and lyrics by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, Mamma Mia! the musical has been seen (and heard) by more than 60 million people … Read more

Shakespeare comes to life in Utah

Principal Emily Adams and Chase O’Connell in Jiří Kylián’s Return to a Strange Land. Photo by Beau Pearson.

The mere mention of Shakespeare-related live performances in Utah might lead readers directly to thoughts of the world-renowned Utah Shakespeare Festival held annually in Cedar City each summer and fall. Yet, this spring, Shakespeare was alive and well in the heart of Salt Lake City too. Pioneer Theatre Company produced Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night from March … Read more

Mass hysteria prevails in The Crucible at Pioneer Theatre Company

Pioneer Theatre Company bills The Crucible as “a landmark work of the American theatre, at once a powerful cautionary tale and a mesmerizing psychological drama.” The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on true events surrounding the Salem witch trials—which began with several young girls (ranging in age from 9 to 20) accusing local townspeople … Read more

Sweet Charity in a New York-minute at Pioneer Theatre Company

Pioneer Theatre Company closes its 2013-14 season with a big musical—Sweet Charity—bringing all that was New York in the 1960s to the stage in Salt Lake City. Sweet Charity is the story of a dance-hall girl who wants to find loves but looks for it in all the wrong places. Originally directed and choreographed on … Read more