UTBA reviewers sound off: EXCELLENCE IN 2013
It’s been another busy year for UTBA. In 2013 we reviewed 223 productions—our second-highest annual total. From Garden City to Ivins, our reviewers traveled the state to review plays in…
Take time this winter for THE WINTER’S TALE
SALT LAKE CITY — When I signed up to review The Winter’s Tale, I was intrigued for many reasons. One was that I had never been in the Salt Lake…
12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS at the Empress needs more than partridge in pear tree
MAGNA — Before I went out to the Empress Theatre in Magna Friday night, I was hoping to find out more about 12 Days of Christmas, their current production directed…
Make TOYLAND a new tradition
SOUTH SALT LAKE — I am constantly on the lookout for new holiday traditions for myself and my two daughters. Going to a show would undoubtedly be on my list,…
A classic comes to life in THE CAT IN THE HAT
SALT LAKE CITY — There is something incredible about the light in a child’s eyes as they really get into something just for them. I loved seeing this moment for…
AMERICAN IDIOT is packed full of exuberant energy and spectacle, but lacks depth
SALT LAKE CITY — What do you get when you mix a Green Day concert and Broadway? The answer is American Idiot, the 2009 jukebox musical based on the songs…
ELF is nothing short of “sparklejollytwinklejingley”
SALT LAKE CITY — During a pivotal scene in the second act of Elf: The Musical, Buddy—a human raised by elves at the North Pole—finds his girlfriend Jovie, after she…
IT’S A WONDROUS LIFE: a cheerful take on a classic story
SALT LAKE CITY — The Off Broadway Theatre knows how to do the holidays. From the moment I walked into the meticulously and aesthetically decorated lobby, opulent despite its small…
MIRACLE ON 42ND STREET wasn’t the miracle I was looking for
MURRAY — Desert Star Playhouse’s Miracle on 42nd Street is based on Miracle on 34th Street, interspersed with some creative gags and song and dance numbers. The overall plot is…
GETTING OUT: An immersing story of reinvention
SALT LAKE CITY — Getting Out tells the story of a woman named Arlene who is on parole following her second stint in prison for the second-degree murder of a…