Last Midsummer's West Side Spelling Women Story Bee (the Musical)

In which we shall see: Musicals, plays, and movies (oh, my!); gnashing teeth; 80's music (mimes and "No More Words" hee hee hee); masticated aluminium; soggy tissues; a relationship in reverse; several pig snouts; and evolution's day in court (upcoming).

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I'm back after a few days off - I hope I gave people a chance to catch up! For those of you who suspect that I might be just a little too involved in theatre, I have to say... you're probably right. In the last two weeks I attended six different theatrical productions (plus one movie), and the final four were on consecutive days. I'm trying to cut back, though - in the next two weeks I'm only scheduled to see two shows (plus two Girls' Nights Out, write a final, research a play and present information on two plays, and participate in a blood drive)... I may have to find a few more movies to fill in the spare time!

In Review:

A Midsummer Night's Dream (Willam Shakespeare) - Pioneer Theatre Company, SLC

- Amazing set, some really stellar performances (other than the four "lovers" - they set everyone's nerves on edge. My friend Jared said he was offered the role of Lysander but had to turn it down - just the thought of what he could have done in the part led to much gnashing of teeth), mainly from Puck and Oberon (not everyone's favorite, but I liked him). The costumes were very stylized, very conceptualized, and I felt like they got in the way sometimes... The set included a HUGE moon on the back wall that tracked the time of the play by moving through the phases - fantastic. I think they made a poor choice in deciding not to cut the play at all - lots of the speeches and description are repetitive, and bogged things down occasionally. Excellent production. GO, SHAKESPEARE!!!

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Touring Company

- So much stinkin' fun (yes, "stinkin'" - it's set in the gymnasium of a middle school) and just hilarious. They were adults onstage, but we totally bought that they were pre-teens fighting for a chance to go to the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. Clever music, terrific characterization, great set - if you get the chance, go see it. (Go see it twice, and you could be onstage yourself as a spelling bee competitor. Seriously.)

Check, Please - Brighton High School Productions

- Such a goofy little one-act play, all about the perils of blind dating. I'm biased - one of my best friends is the drama teacher, and I've gotten to work with most of the students on various productions... This was a blast. It was set in the '80's, and the costumes they came up with were enough to give me major "Flash"backs! (Sorry.) My friend found an '80's tune that coordinated with each frightening character from the series of blind dates, and the students got to choreograph dances to the songs to use as transitions. It was very clever, excellently performed, and hit WAY too close to home. Loved it.

West Side Story (I. Berlin/S. Sondheim) - Weber State U.

- This one was painful. The director has a great reputation, and we knew quite a few of the very talented performers. It was "old home" night for the audience - there were all kinds of teachers, students, former students, and colleagues in the audience, and we had a great time checking in with people. Unfortunately, this was one of the highlights of the evening. The set was great - it was a medium-sized stage, and they made terrific use of the space. There was quite a bit of talent on stage, but sadly, the directing was sub-par; so much of the choreography was lifted straight from the movie, and it just didn't do much for the story. It was fun to watch the people we knew, and follow their little quirky moments; really, there seemed to be a lack of commitment and depth from the rest of the performers. Chewing tinfoil could have been more interesting that sitting through the show. Afterwards, we got to see everyone to catch up a little and gush and gossip, and that was the other highlight. It was a long drive.

Little Women (the Musical) - Midvale Arts Council

- Really, truly, surprisingly good. I had a couple of good friends in the cast so I felt obligated to go, but I wasn't expecting much. Five minutes into the production I was shocked at the quality of the theatre I was watching in this community theatre show - Astonishing! (Sorry, again.) The talent was good, performances were committed, and they really GOT the relationships between the sisters. I had read a review when I was researching the show for Hale Centre Theatre's version that talked about the Broadway production. That production was technically perfect, and lovely in execution, and yet the show closed in two months. Why? The original production didn't develop the relationships between the sisters, which anyone who has loved the book will tell you is the whole point. HCT got it, and incredibly, Midvale AC did too. It wasn't perfect, but it was engrossing - and once again, I bawled like a baby for much of the second act. You can't get a much higher compliment than that.

The Last Five Years (Jason Roberts Brown) - Andrea Finch Williams' Senior Project, BYU

- Wow. Conceptually, this piece is fascinating: it's the story of five years of a relationship with the woman's perspective starting in the present and moving backwards and the man's perspective starting at the beginning and moving forward - AT THE SAME TIME. Well, in alternating moments, actually - the entire piece is done to music, with the two characters trading off songs and giving hints as to the action and their relationship. They come together at their wedding - the only duet. It was an amazing production - a fairly small theatre (evidently, 50 or so people were turned away because of lack of seats) and was basically Andrea, Kevin Goertzen (whom I worked with on The Rainmaker at Hale when he played Starbuck), and a pianist. A few set pieces, a few props, intricate music, and terrific performances... also, it was free! I totally lucked into one stray seat smack dab in the middle of the third row. I'm so glad to have seen it! Definitely go if you can!

I also saw Penelope, which just opened recently - I very much enjoyed it. It was sweet, and charming, and definitely had an applicable message, plus James McAvoy and his jeans. Interesting production values - it's a kind of mish-mash of London and New York, old money and shabby chic. It may encourage a few new trends!

This week it's off to Hale to see The Civil War (The Musical) which I understand has excellent music, and even better, a stellar men's chorus. (Also, it's starring Merrill Osmond, which for the theatre is kind of a BIG DEAL.) The following week I'm trying to get into Inherit the Wind over at the Grand - this is not only NOT a musical, it's evidently a very very talky straight play. I understand it's an impressive piece of literature, though, and I've got another friend in the cast (who would have ever thought I'd have this many friends?) so it's worth a shot. I may try to take a friend who just broke up with his girlfriend - after all, what better way to cheer someone up than with a debate over evolution?

Watch out for falling turtles (and fly rails, if you spend as much time in a theatre as I do),

Cyd

Meaningful phone conversations I've had today: 0 (but a good one yesterday!)

Days I've gone without chocolate: 13 out of 15

Times I've procrastinated today: 2

Yesterday: 4

The day before: 6

Number of clocks I changed (early) for daylight savings: 8