Silly Shenanigans are “What the Bellhop Saw” at the Murray Theater

It delivered fast paced action with well delivered, equally fast paced dialogue. Doors opened. Doors slammed. Characters chased each other. Identities were confused. Dirty jokes and innuendo abounded. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. All the fun stuff you expect from a farce… Continue reading

Wive it Wealthily in Draper!

For the hardcore theatre fan in Utah this is the time of year when thoughts are turning to the many works of one William Shakespeare and plans are being made to attend a certain annual festival named for the legendary bard, but this month you don’t have to travel all the way to Cedar City to get your Shakespeare fix, only as far south as Draper for the Utah/Idaho Performing Arts Company’s (UNIPAC) highly entertaining production of the Taming of the Shrew at the Historic Draper Theatre. Continue reading

An Education in Quality Theatre

This past Friday night (February 10, 2012) reminded me why I love live theatre. It reminded me of the importance of great writing and experienced acting. Pinnacle Acting Company’s current production of Educating Rita by English playwright Willy Russell has both of those important qualities in spades. It is a play that I will no doubt still be thinking about for a long time to come. Continue reading

The Demon Barber of (Midvale) Main Street

Well, as you are most likely already aware, it’s that special time of year again. When summer has said farewell and autumn has arrived. When the leaves are changing color, a chill has settled in the air, and things start to go bump in the night. It is almost time for All Hallows Eve, and our local theatre scene is, as always, quite aware. Two groups are performing Shakespeare’s otherworldly tragedy Macbeth. One company I noticed is advertising Dracula Versus Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And over at the Midvale Main Street Theatre, owner and director Tammy Ross is presenting the popular musical thriller Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Continue reading

Iphigenia in Tauris Is a Theatrical Experience Not To Be Missed

Although I am familiar with Greek mythology and have read some of the Greek tragedies, until this past Friday (September 16, 2011) the only time I could remember seeing Greek drama performed was during the closing credits of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode where Principle Snyder had forced Buffy, Willow and Xander to participate in Sunnydale High’s talent show as a punishment for their “delinquent” attitudes. Buffy and friends picked acting for their talent because they had no known performance talents and thought acting a scene from Greek drama would be easy. They were of course wrong with hilarious consequences. Acting, as they learned through great embarrassment, is not as easy as it looks when done by untalented actors. Fortunately for us Utah theatre goers, the actors appearing in the Classical Greek Theatre Festival’s (CGTF) latest production of Iphigenia in Tauris are all talented actors. Continue reading

DHT’s production of Charlotte’s Web is … Some Play

Watching this scene I remembered my first grade teacher Mrs. Williamson reading to me and my classmates from the classic book by E.B. White; upon which this musical is of course based. It was twenty years ago that I first had Charlotte’s Web read to me and then saw the animated film version, and despite all the time that has passed, I still felt the nostalgia of childhood return to me as the show began to unfold before my eyes. Continue reading

  • Subscribe to Backstage Utah

    Get the latest Audition, Now Playing, and Classifieds posts directly in your email.