Mahler's Symphony No. 2 - Utah Symphony and Utah Symphony Chorus

On November 14-15, the Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fischer, in Abravanel Hall, continued the multi-season Haydn and Mahler symphony cycles. Beginning the concert with Haydn's Symphony No. 5 the reduced orchestra played the master's work with precision and historical intelligence. Haydn is to often looked over or regarded as the lesser of the Classical big three (Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn) but his sense of melodic development and variation are truly the most advanced of possibly any composer. The symphony under Maestro Fischer's direction treated Symphony No. 5 with the seriousness and light-heartedness it deserves.

Jennifer Johnson Cano

The second half of the program was devoted to Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection." This impressive 90-minute work of pure genius showed not only the Utah Symphony's musicianship, but their pure stamina, playing every note to the monumental and exciting finish with as much athleticism as a long distance-runner: dedicated till a foot past the finish line. Premiered in 1985, the second symphony originally had a program to go along with it that Mahler eventually withdrew. With or without the program, the music is evocative, and typical of Mahler, explores a wide range of emotional planes in ways that deeply touch the soul. Mahler has a special place with Utah audiences, and though his harmonic language felt new and sometimes jarring to anachronistic ears, to today's audience, the sounds is lovely, exciting, sometimes conventional, but always speaking a language our ears and hearts understand.

For the fourth movement, the symphony was joined by Mezzo-Soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano. Singing the powerful text "Man lies in greatest need / Man lies in greatest pain!" from Des Knaben Wunderhorn her message and sound was powerful. In this evocative music she channeled the mood exquisitely with a deep connection to the music, and consequently a deep connection with the audience.

Gustav Mahler

In the fifth, final, and longest movement, the choir (compromising of a combination of Utah Symphony Chorus, Utah Opera Chorus, Utah Chamber Artists, University of Utah Chamber Choir and University of Utah A Capella Choir) prepared by Barlow Bradford, made their long-awaited appearance. The choir sang wonderfully the familiar themes with impressive balance of the various voice and singing styles (Opera chorus versus the typically very controlled sound of Utah Chamber Artists) and sang wonderfully unified. The powerful sections of men only from the choir really stood out with some strong and powerful singing. Not much can be said in critique of the beautiful singing except perhaps their volume never came close to rivaling the orchestra, but perhaps that is a fantasy of this reviewer that simply is not possible! Soprano, and artist in residence, Celena Shafer sang beautifully and connected as always. It is always a delight to see her on the program and the music of Mahler is extremely suited to her voice. Cano and Shafer singing in duet was pure magic. Their moments of polyphony contrasted with their homophony was so well informed, the weight of their word with the phrasing and pacing of the music could not have been more excellent pushing to the movement's dramatic and thrilling climax with the choir. Musical bliss.

Thierry Fischer seems to have an incredible affinity and dedication to Mahler's music. As the fifth movement continued and ended, he only gained energy and dynamism throughout leading his ensemble the entire way, emotionally connecting to the melodic soft passages of the choir, and triumphantly claiming the more exciting passages. His interpretations of Mahler have been and continue to be such emotional, powerful, exciting and spiritual experience. What a delight to continue this symphony cycle across two seasons!

Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra - Utah Symphony

Novermber 7th and 8th 2014, Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov gave his first performance conducting the Utah Symphony in an exciting program of Bartók, Mozart, and Strauss at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City.

Opening the concert was an exhilarating performance of Bella Bartók's Hungarian Sketches. Following, Marc-André Hamelin took to the stage to perform Mozart's Rondo in A Major for Piano and Orchestra, K. 386 and Richard Strauss' Burleske for Piano and Orchestra. Hamelin is an accomplished pianist who performed both with ease and precision. Particularly with the Strauss, he displayed dynamism and virtuosity completely captivating the audience.

Rounding out the concert was Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra. The Utah Symphony, with Volkov at the helm, really shined in this piece. Each section of the orchestra has a soloistic moment in the piece in which they individually shined. Volkov navigated the work with intelligence as it explores many moods and styles. The piece remained a cohesive work, despite it's fragmented nature as the folksy-melodies came through and the interpretation provided by Volkov was informed and suited to the forms. Another extremely fine performance by the Utah Symphony.

Madame Butterfly - Utah Opera

This year, Utah Opera opened their season with the always popular opera Madame Butterfly by Giaccomo Puccini.

Why this opera is almost always a guaranteed "hit" with audience, Utah Opera gave an exquisite and emotional performance of this classic. In the lead role, Yunah Lee as Cio-Cio San gave a breathtakingly emotional rendition of this role that is familiar to audiences and performers alike. Her portrayal was emotionally informed as well as exquisitely and effortlessly executed creating a standard by which future performances of the role can be judged. She navigated the emotional roller-coaster of her character with sincerity and power.

Each member of the cast is to be commended, especially Nina Yoshida Nelsen as Suzuki. She provided powerful balance and contrast to Lee's character and their chemistry was one that is rarely seen on the opera stage. Eric Fennel gave an outstanding rendition of Lt. Pinkerton as well.

Utah Opera is to be commended for this performance of Madame Butterfly. Puccini's opera is a delicate line between trivializing exoticism and sharing the human experience. A big problem most companies experience is in the casting choices of the Japanese characters. Utah Opera navigated this by casting actors of Asian decent in the roles. This of course begs the question "Should only Asian actors play these roles?" The discussion of which is probably more important than the answer, as long as a well-informed conclusion is made. Utah Opera made the best choice, casting Asian actors help at least, to not distract the audience from these questions-- but expertly addresses them in the program notes.

The set was beautiful in its simplicity and elegance. With its sliding panels and beautiful colors, along with the lighting design, it was able to be almost as communicative as the actors in emotional tone. Directed by Garnett Bruce, this was an outstanding and emotional opening to an exciting season at Utah Opera.

Madame Butterfly played at the Capitol Theater in Salt Lake City from October 11-14 2014.

Wit - Weber State University

Wit (also stylized as W;t) is a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Margaret Edson that got its premier in 1995. It tells the story of a brilliant scholar facing mortality and death as she battles ovarian cancer. It's monumentally remarkable work that is both an emotional and spiritual journey. The main character uses the metaphysical poetry of John Donne to explore her own mortality and immortality in the figurative and literal in the most profound ways that touch each audience member in very deep and important ways. It is, in fact, of of my very favorite plays.

Shawnee Johnson (Vivian Bearing) and Flo Bravo (Suzy)

In November of 2014, Weber State University staged this play in their black box Eccle's Theater staring Shawnee Johnson in the title role as Vivian Bearing. The role is taxing in every way and Johnson could not have been better. She showed such dedication and commitment as she, in the most real ways possible completely experienced Bearing's ordeal before our eyes. Shawnee gave truly, one of the years most impressive and emotionally turbulent and sincere performances by any actor in the state last year. 

Directed by Tracy Callahan, Wit was presented with delicacy and a quiet sophistication. The material delves further beyond life and life eternal, into issues like academia, medicine and medical care, emotional versus physical care, and dignity and the loss and reclamation of it. Callahan seemed to have a firm grasp on the material and with a beautiful and simple set, each piece and change even and smooth to not distract, never for a moment lost the drama or disconnected from the audience. An absolute dramatic triumph happened at Weber State University. 

Wit played from November 7-15 2014 in Weber State University's Eccle's theater. 

The Producers - The Ziegfeld Theater

This is the first in a series of "catch up" reviews over the past several months I have neglected these reviews. Many many wonderful performances happened in Utah that I witnessed and must make mention, so several following reviews will be briefer and simpler than usual as I catch up to the present.

Mel Brooks' The Producers redefined and perfected the musical comedy in 2001. Winning a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards, the show is full of wit, satire, and outrageous surrealist comedy. The show single-handedly revived the concept of musical comedy and no other show has matched the exceptionally high bar it set.

At the former site of the Country Club Theater in Ogden, the newly remodeled Ziegfeld Theater brought this comedic masterpiece to their stage. Clearly on a meager budget, the "Zig's" production of The Producers not only exceeded expectations, but raised the bar on what local community theater is capable of.

Standout performances by Cameron Kapetanov as Max Bialystock Daniel Pack as Leo Bloom really made this show a success. With the comedic source material, each had the timing and personality to shine. Kapetanov in particular stole the show with a masterful sense of comedy, wit, and commitment to never let it go too far to be annoying, yet kept the audience rolling in their seats.

This particular performance noted a standout and stand-in performance by Rick Rea (Director) as Franz Liebkind. As in the narrative of the show, Rea became a real-life Roger De Bris taking this part last minute and performing it with such ease and hilarity, I found it hard to believe it could be any better by someone who had been rehearsing the part for months.

With a set on a budget, the design was clever and seamless. All accolades are deserved for this wonderful performance that raises the bar for community theater across the state. The Producers played from August 1st through September 6 2014.

August: Osage County

In a collaboration between Utah Repertory Theater Company and Silver Summit Theatre Company, Tracy Letts' monumental and Pulitzer Prize-winning work August: Osage County makes it's Utah debut in the new Sugar Space arts center, located in downtown Salt Lake City. As many will remember, the play was turned into an film with Academy Award-nominated performances by Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

August: Osage County is a remarkable work. It highlights the contemporary American family dealing with tragedy, as they all do in different ways. As the narrative unfolds, inner demons inside the family begin to surface, revealing the darkness the members of the family experience. In this dark comedy, the protagonist, Violet, experiences the harsh realities of narcotic addiction and the pain she is causing to her alcoholic husband, and her daughters who are all dealing with serious problems of their own. With a powerful female perspective, the play addresses issues of mothers and daughters, women and their husbands, and cultural differences. As the daughters passionately avoid intimacy, they fear being alone, tapping into a dissociation complex that plagues contemporary American life while using aggression and criticism as a means to cope and reconnect, and as a defense mechanism. Letts taps into some very difficult and real problems in American life.

The collaboration between these two theater companies is something to be seen indeed. Heading up the cast is Teresa Sanderson as Violet. Having recently portrayed Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf with Pinnacle Acting Company, Sanderson eases into this role with fresh perspective that could have easily been just another rendition of Martha. She adds both comedy and pity to this complex and impressive character. The entire cast is strong and I wish I could mention each by name. The three daughters: Ivy, Barbara, and Karen (played by
Michele Rideout, April Fossen, and Melanie Nelson, respectively) are incredibly impressive. All with distinct personalities, they all take their time to shine. With Rideout's tragically beautiful vulnerability, she has a presence that can break your heart. Nelson's character taps into the utter denial of disappointment. She has such depth in her performance that could easily be portrayed two-dimensionally. April Fossen as Barbara really pulls out all the stops. Fossen uses a full range of emotions as her tortured character is revealed layer by layer.

All the performances in August: Osage County are remarkably strong, from the mentioned major characters to the comparatively minor roles. Tamara Howell as the housekeeper, Johnna Monevata, gave a performance that was both complex and beautiful. She had an aura of mystery, perfect for the role, yet a elegance as she took the abuse from Violet with class and sophistication.

Director Mark Fossen must be commended for one of the best performances of a play I've seen in Utah this year. Impeccably casted, and well-directed in what could potentially be a very awkward venue, the show is absolutely wonderful. The only downfall of this production is positively terrible set. With bizarre black walls inside the house, unnecessary additions like poorly designed windows and a bizarre floor pattern meant to look like hardwood floors, the only redeeming factor is maintaining the original multi-story design. This being the only flaw, it is sometimes difficult to ignore the terrible set, but the remarkable acting happening on stage is definitely enough to forgive these shortcomings. I hope to see more collaborations like this bringing together the strongest and most talented artists in Utah to present another monumental work. August: Osage County runs through Sunday, August 31st.

Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - Tuacahn Center for the Arts

Set among the striking red rock natural amphitheater, Tuacahn Center for the Arts is well-known throughout the states and further for some spectacular productions. With this spectacular backdrop and considering the local patronage, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is an obvious choice to bring to their stage.

"Joseph" first hit the Broadway stage in 1982 and has since been incredibly popular throughout the country and world, reaching its height of popularity in the '90's when Donny Osmond took the lead role, eventually leading to a motion picture release in 1999, where the cast included Osmond, Maria Friedman, Richard Attenborough, and Joan Collins.

The show is an excellent example of accessible musical theater. Taking its premise from the familiar bible story, and without denying the religious roots, it doesn't fully commit to religion either, making it delightful for anyone to watch. It is geared toward children, with the addition of a narrator to move the story along and provide a fun link between the story and the live audience. Fancifully, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice, explore many different styles of music and keep the pace regular and quick. Succinctly said, this is a difficult show to not enjoy.

Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller

Leading the cast at Tuacahn was Tony award-winner Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller. With her Julliard-trained operatic background, Seegmiller is an incredible singer and easily sang through the score with ample style and ad lib of a seasoned professional. Despite this incredible talent, Seegmiller's portrayal of the narrator was lacking, in that it seemed to be the "Seegmiller show." She was so focused on stealing attention, she lacked personality and empathy, interacting little with the audience or the other characters, making her character inhuman and one-dimensional. Again though, her vocal skills are extremely outstanding and she could easily fill that canyon with her sound! James Royce Edwards as Joseph had a lyric and cool voice, though struggled to compete with the rest of the production in memorability, despite his ridiculous wig. Todd Dubail as the Pharaoh was easily the most likable and entertaining in the cast. Dubail and Seegmiller had delightful chemistry in the brief time they were on stage together, a dynamic that would have added so much if experienced between more characters and the narrator.

Criticism must be handed to director Derryl Yeager. Even at a preview night, the whole production felt too controlled and, yes, directed. When the children were on stage, their movements were all carefully choreographed, removing the idea of an extemporaneous experience of telling the story to children. This over-direction of the children and the rest of the cast gave it a very artificial feel.  The commitment to the various styles was understandable, but seemed to over-explain the jokes and therefore dilute them. The uniformity of the costumes (designed by Janet Swenson) also removed the individuality of the characters (and children) as they committed to the different styles of music, again, diluting the charm by overemphasis. Some costumes were simply bizarre such as loin-clothes cladding the prisoners and Egyptians looked like they belonged better at a "toga night" at a gay night club rather than on stage for a family-friendly show. With some serious costume "misses," there were some slam-dunks: the narrators suit for the second half was stylish and stunning, and perfect for her personality and character.

The set consisted of primarily a commanding pyramid at center stage in which images were projected. These projections were more effective when it was only a simple color change, and the animations were difficult to see with the other lighting on stage, and forgettable even when they were visible begging the question "with all this beautiful desert landscape, why hide it for a show that takes place in the desert?"

Unfortunately, Tuacahn has a reputation of excellence, but in reality, the productions come across as kind of amateurish. They seem to be more interested in "what can we do?" when they should think "what SHOULD we do?" with their productions. With a very talented cast, the directing is bizarre and inconsistent and sometimes disrespectful whether the character of Jacob is portraying some kind of offensive Jewish stereotype (not in the source material), or they are giving the clowning-about and silly augmentations to the source material to the only brother who is African-American like a minstrel show. At one point, the brothers create a trash-band for no reason at all (not even on stage . . . off to the side of the stage) that could have been interesting, if the audience wasn't asking "why?" They pack the show with odd cultural references that are not a part of the source material (one of which, donning the gangster Ishmaelites in "Duck Dynasty" gear, was actually quite clever). The final song of the first act, "Go, Go, Go Joseph!" is an adorable 1960s number, and the costumes and choreography at Tuacahn were positively delightful. However, the director felt a need to add a bunch of completely irrelevant references to "Laugh In," more than doubling the number in length with pointless vignettes that had absolutely nothing to do with the plot and were too obscure for most of the audience to appreciate even in its "randomness." Most ashamedly, was a pause in between scenes where a girl (who looked completely dead inside) walked a camel across the stage while over a loudspeaker someone quoted a Geico commercial about today being "hump" day, on a FRIDAY, nonetheless. These bizarre additions to the material were nothing short of insulting causing this reviewer to walk actually angry at the experience rather than just slightly disappointed.


This show works best when it's geared toward children, when the narrator talks to the kids and tells the story as it comes alive before their eyes. It does not work at all in the way Tuacahn presented it, in where there is a complete disconnect from the audience and turned into a "look at me, look at me, look at me!" show.