reviews

A Chorus Line – Theater Review

/ Erica Hansen / Leave a comment

There’s no people like show people. I realize I’m quoting a completely different musical (“Annie Get Your Gun,” for those of you playing along) but that’s exactly what I sat there thinking during “A Chorus Line,” running now through May 3 (you only have a few more chances) at West Valley Performing Arts Center.

“A Chorus Line” is an homage to show people. The people who are willing to give it their all – both physically and emotionally – eight shows a week. People willing to endure rejection, grueling auditions, aching bodies and bare souls. And they’re not just willing, they can’t think of anything they’d rather be doing. There really are no people like show people.

That’s what “A Chorus Line” is about – people trying to get work as dancers in the chorus of a Broadway show.

First a bit of background. “A Chorus Line” is based on the true life stories of Broadway dancers, or “gypsies.” In taped interview sessions with Michael Bennett, the show’s creator, these dancers shared their life stories – unhappy childhoods, questions about sexuality, adolescence, infidelity and aging. With 24 hours of footage, Bennett and his team crafted a series of vignettes and monologues and, coupled with the brilliant music Marvin Hamlisch, would go on to break every single box office record, making “A Chorus Line,” a verifiable hit. Not just at the box office, but critically too – winning the Tony Award (nine of ‘em, actually) and even the Pulitzer Prize for drama.

It’s a musical that is not produced locally very often, so I was intrigued. It’s also not a musical I’ve ever seen staged in-the-round, so I was extra intrigued and, walked away completely delighted.

First of all, the staging. Bravo! I was impressed with how well co-directors/choreographers Ben Roeling and Izzy Arrieta moved our dancers through the space; the audition line subtly moving with dancers facing in varied directions so we all had something or someone to look at. It worked so well that it made me feel more like a dancer participating in the audition, rather than a director hiding in the dark watching.

I’ve always asked people who are considering seeing “A Chorus Line” – do you know what it’s about? Many people think of dancers clad in sparkly gold costumes, doing a fabulous kickline and they assume the show much be a fantastic dance piece. Which usually isn’t really the case. But in this production, the in-the-round staging turned many of these monologues/solos into additional production numbers – what a treat!

The choreography was so fun to watch and the cast is full of great dancers. One quick aside, one of the things I’ve noticed about West Valley Arts productions is the variety of body types in their productions – it’s so refreshing to see. Major kudos.

Anne Puzey’s crisp musical direction solidified our chorus line – with every word enunciated and every harmony locked in. And Alicia Kondrick’s costumes perfectly captured a 70s flair with fun vintage finds like an old-school Kodak tank top and classic 70s sweatsuits and bell bottoms.

This is truly an ensemble piece and, together, they are completely in sync. I enjoyed each performance, each monologue and teared up numerous times at the stories being shared – knowing they’re someone’s real life experience. Then I get thinking about the actors I’m watching knowing they all have their own unique experiences and life happening and yet, there they were on a Saturday afternoon, putting on a show. A singular sensation indeed.

Content – I loved that WV Arts was committed to doing the real version of this show. Keep in mind it’s very much PG-13. These are adults who are discussing adult topics – gonorrhea, “tits and ass,” sexuality. Do not take your children thinking you’re going to see a fun dance show.

The only minus point from me is a lack of an actual playbill. I’m on a mission to bring back playbills as the digital versions are so uninviting, are often unaccessible inside the theater, and do not give the performers, the creative team nor the advertisers their due.

Bat Boy – Theater Review

/ Erica Hansen / Leave a comment

I sat with my teenage daughter waiting for “Bat Boy – The Musical” to begin trying to explain the origins of the show. I started giggling as I Googled the images of the bat child purportedly discovered in a cave in the woods of West Virginia. Bat Boy was frequent front page fodder on the tabloids, the Weekly World News in particular, during the early ’90s.

The creature, believe it or not, accomplished many incredible things including serving in Iraq. What a guy!

His heroics and status as a pop culture icon inspired a musical, which opened off-Broadway in 2001. “Bat Boy: The Musical,” is described as an ‘American horror rock musical,’ and I think that about sums it up. Think “Rocky Horror,” or “Little Shop of Horrors,” – I’m sensing a theme here.

Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC) just opened the show 21 years after they did it the first time (I was chagrined to realized I was at that one too – my, how time flies). While the musical does not talk about Bat Boy’s sojourn in Iraq, it does depict the small town folks who discover him and the family who gentrifies him.

This is campy horror in all its glory – complete with shocking deaths, frantic townsfolk, lots of blood, romance, and bats. SLAC leans into all of the above.

SLAC’s cast is full of powerhouse talent – many local favorites and a few making their debuts. The cast of ten play 25+ characters through comical quick changes that sometimes happen on stage. It’s also impressive that in a show with so much going on, some of those characters, or caricatures, are just as memorable as the leads – (Timothy Feroah as Daisy was a crowd favorite, as was Justin Ravago as Mrs. Taylor).

Adrien Swenson is marvelous as Meredith Parker – she’s quiet, restrained and unassuming until she begins to unravel (unleash?) in Act II. Robert Scott Smith captures the broody, moody long-suffering town veterinarian.

As for the boy born with fangs in his mouth, Julian R. Decker crawls into the wings of Bat Boy – a role that’s as physically demanding as it is vocally. Plus, he’s got to do all that talking and singing with fake fangs, which would be a real challenge. Julian brought us a believable creature, with all those top notes and an inability to control his animal instinct.

From a content perspective, there are deaths in the show which SLAC handles with red fabric rather than stage blood, which I prefer. And there is a scene in Act II where the Greek God of nature sings a number blessing the ‘union’ of two characters. SLAC really leans into the sexualized nature of the scene so proceed with caution if you’re taking your teenage daughter (facepalm).

That said, if you’re into camp, you’ll love this production. It’s silly, and dark, and fun and disturbing all at the same time.

Also, bonus points for a physical playbill. And major bonus points for the live band under the direction of Alex Marshall.

The show is just over two hours with one intermission and runs through May 4.

Life of Pi – Theater Review

/ Erica Hansen / Leave a comment

It’s not very often one gets lost at sea on a Tuesday night while living in landlocked Utah.

But that’s exactly what happened at Eccles Theatre on opening night of the Broadway touring production of “Life of Pi.”

This is a visually stunning evening of theater.

“Life of Pi” about faith, survival and the power of a good story, is based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel (stage adaptation by Lolita Chakrabarti). It opened on Broadway in 2023 and took home Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design. All three were breathtaking.

Tim Hatley’s set serves as more of a blank canvas which brilliantly took us from the starkness of a hospital room in Mexico to fantastical voyage across the vast Pacific Ocean. And that is thanks to the lighting design by Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling. Actually, I’m not sure I’ve seen anything like it.

This is one show where you want to sit in a mezzanine or balcony. They show relies heavily on projections onto the stage floor and I’m not sure those sitting in the orchestra got the full experience. We were glad to be sitting up higher where we could be fully immersed in the drama of the sea.

Lutkin’s lighting, creates shipwrecks and storms; dramatic sunsets and inviting sunrises; calm sea waters and beautiful starlit nights. The projections of water on the stage (Andrezj Goulding video and animations) swirl around the makeshift boat that carries Pi and Richard Parker, his ‘frenemy,’ for lack of a better word. We’ll get to him in a minute.

This is one of the things I love most about theater. Somewhere, on some random day, a bunch of brilliant creative minds came together and said ‘how can we bring this story to life? How can we get a young man and a tiger on a boat floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?’ ‘What if we make puppets, build amazing sets and do cool lighting!’

The magic of theatrical storytelling.

“Pi” uses beautiful puppetry throughout – everything from birds to orangutans, goats and zebras and yes, Richard Parker, a full grown, male Bengal tiger. These puppets require several puppeteers to skulk, rear, lunge and pounce – some of them doing all of that bent over at the waist the entire time. The movement around that boat for the puppeteers and for Taha Mandviwala, the actor playing Pi, is a 2+ hour workout and obstacle course. They all must go home needing a hot tub and a masseuse.

Mandviwala’s performance is quite captivating. And while the story is about Pi being lost at sea, he’s both alone and also never alone as he conjures memories and advice from his family and others throughout his journey.

Pi, much to the chagrin of his parents and religious leaders, explores many faiths including Hindu, Christianity, Islam and others, because he “wants to love God.” He relies on all of them during his ordeal.

It’s a beautiful show – a real feast for the senses – with a thought-provoking message of faith and belief.

The show runs about 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.

A Case for Male Friendship – Theater Review

/ Erica Hansen / Leave a comment

In a previous life, I wrote for the Deseret News – one of two daily newspapers in Salt Lake City. I had the glorious privilege of being the theatre editor. For roughly four years, I got to see just about every single musical and play happening throughout Utah. I got to talk to the performers and creative teams; I got to take backstage tours; and I reviewed the shows.

I loved that job.

I love theater. I love watching other people figure out life at its most joyful and most complex. Sitting in a dark house with sometimes dozens, sometimes hundreds, sometimes thousands of my fellow man, having a moment that makes me weep, laugh and, most importantly, think differently. A ‘wow….. I can see what that must be like for this person.’ Theater is a magical art form that can entertain while at the same time enlighten and, dare I say, teach empathy?

I recently attended a performance of “A Case for the Existence of God,” the latest offering by Pioneer Theatre Company, playing now through April 12 at the beautiful Meldrum Theatre. I went into it knowing nothing about it – which is sometimes the best way to see a show.

The play opens with two men, one in a suit, the other in work boots, sitting in what looks to be a cubicle. We come to find out one man is a mortgage broker and the other is a workin’ man looking for help taking out a loan.

One thing I love about theater is figuring how what the construct is going to be. Are we having many lavish scene changes? Are we breaking the fourth wall? What imaginary world are we entering?

“The Case for the Existence of God” takes place entirely in the office, sort of. Through careful direction by Timothy Douglas and subtle light cues, designed by Yael Lubetzky, we start to learn that the men are in different locations – maybe a house or local playground. Actually for much of the play, the men don’t even stand up. They roll their office chairs to a new spot on the stage. They might take off a tie or remove a coat to help define the different space (costume and set design Lex Liang) but they mostly remain seated. Once you get used to the construct, it works well.

The actors take these two monstrous roles – they’re on stage the entire time – and bring such humanity and vulnerability to their characters. Jon Hudson Odom plays Keith, the mortgage broker who will go on to share stories of his childhood and fatherhood. Lee Osorio is Ryan, a worker in a yogurt plant struggling to make ends meet.

What is really happening in this play is a conversation. Real conversation. Adult conversation. The kind we wish we could have, the kind we try to avoid. This play has nothing to do with theology and everything to do with friendship at its purest and messiest – the complexities of trying to forge a new friendship as adults: finding a place to really be seen without judgement, and to be heard to the very depth of our frustrations and sorrows.

Both actors deliver fantastic performances – open, honest with a very palpable concern and caring for one another, while also capturing the awkwardness of trying to figure out adult male friendship.

I drove home thinking about the show and was struck by how sad it is that a story about genuine male friendship is so thought-provoking. If you had two women on that stage, you might not have much of a play. Which is a shame. As Timothy Douglas shared in his Director’s Note a quote from author Steve Maraboli: ‘Friends are medicine for a wounded heart, and vitamins for a hopeful soul.’

The show is about 90 minutes with no intermission.