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Take a hilarious trip to the 1960s with THE ODD COUPLE
SALT LAKE CITY — The house was packed at Pioneer Theater Company on Friday. Good for them, obviously, but I felt a bit like a can of tuna. And that tall man in front of me perfectly blocked the...
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A powerful and moving LES MISÉRABLES at PTC
SALT LAKE CITY – The songs and characters of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s Les Misérables are an underlying part of my life growing up. My family latched on to the tenth anniversary...
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Actors triumph in SOMETHING’S AFOOT
SALT LAKE CITY — The spring-loaded stage feels ready to snap. The chandelier hanging from a taught rope, spears mounted on the wall, and suit of armor guarding the back wall had me imagining how the...
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A FEW GOOD MEN gives a few great lessons
SALT LAKE CITY — Aaron Sorkin is a successful screenwriter, producer, and playwright, and most of us have seen one of his works, whether or not we realize it or not. However, in the 1980’s he was a...
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SWEET CHARITY dazzles visually
SALT LAKE CITY — The summer is coming and we are in for some fireworks. The pop, sizzle, and sparkle will awe and inspire you. But the show isn’t in the sky this time; it’s on the stage of Pioneer...
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UTBA’s celebrating 1000 reviews! You’re invited!
OREM — After nearly five years of reviewing live theatre in Utah, UTBA is partnering with Utah Valley University to celebrate the 1000th UTBA review with two exciting events this month. Blood Wedding...
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PTC’S PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is a champion
SALT LAKE CITY – A musical about school children participating in a county-wide spelling bee?. When I first heard of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee back in 2005, I was unimpressed. It...
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Recap of our 1000th review celebration
OREM — This morning we published our 1000th review, putting finish to a week of celebrations of UTBA. Here are some highlights: On Monday, September 22 we had a panel on theatre criticism at Utah...
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PTC’s ALABAMA STORY weaves history, humor, and books into a winning tale
SALT LAKE CITY — A basic description of Alabama Story makes the the story seem like a serious play examining the injustices of segregation in Alabama during the late 1950’s, filled with heightened...
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Fall “sincerely in love” with Pioneer Theatre’s THE MUSIC MAN
SALT LAKE CITY — The Music Man has become so entrenched in American culture since its premiere in 1957 that reviewing it is like reviewing the Liberty Bell or Yellowstone National Park. This show is a...
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A strong technical production carries Pioneer Theatre’s FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Show closes October 3, 2015. SALT LAKE CITY — I read somewhere that there are, on average, over 500 productions of Fiddler On the Roof throughout the world every year. Since its debut in 1964, it has...
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Pioneer Theatre’s COWGIRLS is an impressive display of musical talent
SALT LAKE CITY — Musical theatre is just that: musical. But in most shows the music is either canned or comes from a live orchestra. Few plays have the actors themselves providing all the music. Enter...
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Magic to be had in Utah Shakespeare Festival’s MARY POPPINS
CEDAR CITY — From the moment I entered Randall L. Jones Theatre, the beautiful set transported me into the world of the show as the curtains lay open to reveal chimneys and lights and a changing...
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All aboard for Pioneer Theatre’s THE LAST SHIP
SALT LAKE CITY — The Last Ship is a 2014 musical with music and lyrics written by Sting, and a book by John Logan and Brian Yorkey. The Pioneer Theatre Company marks the first performance of the show...
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It’s a fine OLIVER! at Pioneer Theatre
SALT LAKE CITY — If there’s a surprise in store for audiences of Pioneer Theatre Company’s latest production of a show based on a Charles Dickens novel and scheduled in the season’s December slot, it’s...
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UTBA reviewers sound off: Excellence in 2016
The social media consensus is that 2016 was a rough year for America. With a surplus of celebrity deaths and a chaotic presidential election, many people are ready to put 2016 behind them. But the Utah...
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WOMEN IN JEOPARDY! is a pleasant comedy, but only half a play
SALT LAKE CITY — A trio of women are having their regular girl’s night interrupted by the introduction of one member’s new “lover.” Jackson is his name, and, even though he oozes creepiness, the bubbly...
View ArticlePioneer Theatre’s CURIOUS INCIDENT should be curiouser
SALT LAKE CITY — People frequently refer to Asperger’s or autism when discussing fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone, the protagonist of Mark Haddon’s 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the...
View ArticlePioneer’s /i/ explores the not-too-distant future in a gripping way
SALT LAKE CITY — In the not too distant future, in a world where technology painfully more ubiquitous, and true human connection is rare, what if there was a chance to start over? Playwright Jeff...
View ArticlePioneer Theatre’s CURIOUS INCIDENT should be curiouser
SALT LAKE CITY — People frequently refer to Asperger’s or autism when discussing fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone, the protagonist of Mark Haddon’s 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the...
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