Nora Helmer likely would be pleased at how far Norway has come in gender equality. In the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, Norway ranks second, eclipsed only by Iceland, and has closed 84 percent of its gender gap. Meanwhile, the U.S. ranks just 53rd. However, the Forum concludes, “But there is still an … Read more
Since The Utah Review started publishing in 2014, the emphasis on the Utah Enlightenment has dominated the coverage of what is new and original in the arts and culture landscape locally. Utah’s natural beauty always has appealed strongly as a branding asset. But, as we have covered the arts and cultural scene, there is no … Read more
Never underestimate the discriminating influence of the young reader and children’s audiences in the performing arts. Few markets in the literary publishing industry are as competitive as children’s books. The most successful stories may start with a fantastical, even wacky, premise but they also give a magical resonance to a common childhood experience. They are … Read more
The world that Amali Wilson is about to experience as an adolescent who has just begun her menstrual cycle is, on one hand, a turbulent one marked by police brutality, sexual assault, discrimination and disenfranchisement. On the other hand, it is a resilient, vibrant one where Black women are at the forefront socially, politically and … Read more
The riveting counterpoint between Kennedy, a Kenyan driver for hire, and Sarah, a well-intentioned American engineer who leads a road construction project in the African country, animates the astutely integrated strands of historical, political, moral, social and economic ideas and philosophies that underpin the exceptional Utah premiere of Will Snider’s Death of a Driver, as … Read more
If there ever was a congregational vote to sustain the creative leadership that has made Saturday’s Voyeur, the annual summer theatrical tradition of the Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC), a resilient success year to year, it would be merited for the team of Allen Nevins and Nancy Borgenicht. The 41st edition, which runs through Sept. … Read more
In 1931, as the Great Depression’s grip tightened, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the obituary for the flimsy age of roaring confidence and youth-driven abandon that had been “jolted” out of existence when the stock market crashed in 1929. In an essay titled Echoes of the Jazz Age, he wrote, “It was an age of miracles, … Read more
In the Pulitzer-finalist play “The Wolves,” nine teen-agers burst onto a stage made of Astroturf, in braids and pigtails, and launch into overlapping backchat about tampons vs. pads, the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge, and how to pronounce Hermione, as they stretch for an upcoming soccer game. As an audience member of this mesmerizing play … Read more
Salt Lake Acting Company’s Saturday’s Voyeur might be considered the “airing of the grievances” by the Gentile (non-member) citizens of the Beehive State. Set in the church office building (COB) in downtown SLC, this year’s installment of Saturday’s Voyeur, running through August 31, tackles issues familiar to those in the city of salt. LGBT rights … Read more