Wicked - Broadway Across America

Wicked has quickly become one of America's most popular shows to hit the musical theater stage, and it finds huge popularity in Utah. So I decided to take advantage of its extended stay at the Capitol Theater in Salt Lake City and see what all the fuss is about regarding this immensely popular addition to the Broadway stage.

First, the production itself. Broadway Across America is fairly consistently good and this production of Wicked surely surpasses even some of their greatest productions in Utah (a recent review of Broadway Across America's production of War Horse can be found here). Wicked boasts a lavish and creative set design by Eugene Lee (consisting of a clock theme that isn't clearly explained in the show) and very dynamic lighting by Kenneth Posner. 

The cast was nothing short of stellar. All performances were quite strong, but the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, played by Emma Hunton and Gina Beck respectively were of particular note. Beck gave depth and meaning to a role that can easily fall into the trap of "ditzy" and one-dimensional. Though her singing was a bit labored at times, her sound conveyed the role hearkening to the sing-song style of famous 1939 film version of her character. Really stealing the show was Emma Hunton however. From her subtle entrance onto the stage (as subtle as a full applause on the appearance of the beloved character could be) she commanded the room displaying her incredible vocal range and color. In a scene with only these two characters, Glinda sings to Elphaba about the keys to being a "Popular" girl at school. Beck and Hunton's chemistry was vibrant as their singing and acting skills were showcased. They were hilarious and charming, without resorting to "schtick" or other cheap tricks; they were convincingly sincere. 

Without a doubt, the greatest moment of the entire show was Hunton's performance of "Defying Gravity" at the end of the second act. This song is by far the best of the entire show and Hunton's rendition was nothing short of spectacular. Everything in the first act (and I'll even say the second act as well) leads to this moment. All the elements of this show come together in a dazzling song that exceeds the sum of its parts: lighting, song-writing, story, effects, and especially performance. Hunton really pulled out all the stops and few actors could have such an effect on their audience like she did. Not enough can be said about this remarkable performance.

Disclaimer: if you are a huge fan of this show, and have a difficult time with someone discussing criticisms of it, I suggest you stop reading about now.

First I must say, that with immensely popular shows like Wicked, Frozen, and The Hunger Games, I think it's safe to say that audiences have no problem with female protagonists and even love them! These all have strong female representation, stories about women, for all. They are extremely interesting characters with interesting stories and I hope to see more and more of them. Even with its failings, the greatest things about Wicked are the characters of Elphaba and Glinda and their relationship. Almost nothing else matters as these two personalities carry the show alone. 

As I watched this show, my first reaction was "Is this a story that needs to be told?" I couldn't help but compare it to the the Star Wars prequels, about how Darth Vader became so evil. Do we really even care? The Wicked Witch of the West is pure evil, and that's why we love her. Giving her a back-story seemed to dilute the original character we've grown to love and was completely unnecessary. I realize that this is not supposed to be directly related to the film version, or even the Frank L. Baum stories, but the reality is that it is related! Wicked is inspired by the originals and they can't help but to constantly reference them, sometimes bizarrely specifically, which ended up being little more than a gimmick.

Ever since American musical theater existed, it has taken on themes of racism, and Wicked continues this tradition. Whether it's Elphaba's green skin, or a bizarre subplot involving the devolution of animals, it tackles this difficult subject in the most vapid ways. A more difficult discussion about Elphaba's "daddy-issues" (not to make light of it, just speaking colloquially) would have made a more interesting plot device for her decent into evil and her rise to power. Both of which are hardly addressed as the plot is overly concerned with making her a sympathetic character. A well-written character can be both evil and sympathetic. Even Darth Vadar was completely evil, but by his death, we were emotionally attached: same could go for Elphaba, she could descend into power and evil, with a quick glimmer of the woman she used to be, and remain very interesting and very sympathetic, and even very relatable. 

Gina Beck and Emma Hunton

One huge problem with the show is it's irregular pacing and tone. It seems like the characters are always singing about nothing (more on the music later), or talking about something that has already happened. Very little action seems to happen on stage in front of the audiences eyes. This leads to scenes where too much is happening too quickly or to scenes that are so stagnant that one could take a quick nap and not miss a moment of story. The show also couldn't seem to make up it's mind on tone. While the first half is definitely not as dark as the second, composer Stephen Schwartz can't help but throw in an oddly placed soft-shoe number in it's darkest moments. I understand trying to not let the mood get too dark, but this delicate balancing act is drastically mishandled as the mood is juggled so furiously that the audience is completely disoriented. 

Finally, the music must be addressed. Entering the theater knowing three of the songs from the show ("Popular," "For Good," and "Defying Gravity") I was looking forward to the music, as I think these are all really good songs. I now know why I haven't heard any other song from this show before. The songs are all forgettable at best, and sometimes downright terrible at worst ("Dancing Through Life"). Schwartz could use a lesson from Oscar Hammerstein in allowing the music to be a vehicle for the action, because as soon as a song starts, the plot sits and stays. Nothing happens and with such uninspired songs, something more has to occur or else we are just waiting for the song to end so we can get back to the show. Schwartz does not have a knack for writing lyrics either, even in the better songs. Unfortunately with such interesting and complex characters, the music does not mirror this, resorting to popular music and theater tropes rather than new and exciting depth.

In the end, I do not regret seeing this show, however I firmly believe it does not deserve the accolades most audiences give it. If I knew nothing about this show and just saw it I would have said "That is a very promising first draft! Trim the fat and do some revisions and I think there is a future hit on your hands!" to the producer. Wicked is a bit of a sloppy mess and if it weren't for some fine performances and exquisite set and lighting design, I fear it would fall flat.

I leave you with this which I always keep in mind: Just because it's popular, doesn't mean it's good. Just because it's popular, doesn't mean it's bad either. This is my mantra. 

University of Santo Tomas Singers - Judge Memorial High School

On Sunday July 13, all the way from the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas Singers (UST) gave one of the most thrilling choral concerts Salt Lake has seen all year.

University of Santo Tomas Singers, Prof. Fidel Calalang Dir.

Conducted and founded by maestro Fidel Calalang Jr., the UST singers are one of the most prestigious choral ensembles in all of Asia and the world. Having received international acclaim, winning numerous prizes in international competitions, they are also the only choir in the world to have won the Choir of the World Grand Prize Luciano Pavarotti Trophy two times. They brought this level of artistry and excellence to Judge Memorial High School in Salt Lake City and did not disappoint.

The previous night, the UST Singers joined the Salt Lake Choral Artists Summer Choral Institute in a weekend of singing concluding with a concert, in which they occupied the second half. On Sunday, the stage was set for only them. Entering the venue in their beautiful costumes the evening got off to an exciting start as the singers sheer energy and volume is not something heard very often in Utah. With only about 30-40 singers, the UST singers can sing loud! But what really makes them remarkable, is that they can sing both loudly and beautifully at the same time. (Note all links to songs are YouTube links to the actual performance of this concert.)

The entire concert was excellently executed, with some stand-out pieces. Lithuanian composer Vytautas Miskinis' "Regina Coeli" was given heart and purpose, pointing out the group's excellence in nuance and restraint as well as diversity, while other pieces like  "Mongolian Boots" by Se Enkhbayar showed off some of their well-honed specialization in the choral art. Difficult in execution, the singers present the music with ease. Each section in the choir is powerful and strong, particularly their stable and powerful bass section. "Veniki" by Feodicy Rubstov showed the group's diversity in style and dedication to authenticity.  Calalang is truly a master in front of these young people, as they look both extremely focused and extremely confident as they perform.

A major highlight of the evening was a performance of "Kruhay" by Benny Castillon. For the piece, the women donned bells onto their fingers and executing some elegant hand movements, while by contrast the men's choreography included very masculine and powerful stance and percussive arm gestures. The piece was technically difficult and quite dazzling in performance. As the drama of the work unfolded, the choir moved into new positions that highlighted the color contrasts in their outfits and provided an effective visual for the highly-dynamic work that would stretch any lesser choir's capabilities. Also showing off the choir's massive range and technical skills was "Banwar Iti Cordillera" by Normita Rio Pablico, highlighting the confidence and power of their singers, particularly their soprano section and the hauntingly exquisite voice of soloist Kristel Deocampo.

Toward the end of the program the men stepped off-stage leaving the women behind and Calalang at the piano to perform "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" from Stephen Sondheim's 1970 broadway hit Company. With inspired and delightful choreography, the women of the choir displayed charming showmanship that left the audience grinning. The choir has mastered the art of presenting both artistic and challenging work (to both the singers and the audience) as well as more accessible audience-pleasers. Along with the Sondheim piece and some very charming traditional Tagalog pieces, they sang a lovely rendition of "Go the Distance" from the Disney film Hercules featuring soloist Karl Nicholas Lauron who was as genuine as can be with a stunningly beautiful voice.

Prof. Fidel Calalang Jr.

The UST Singers are a superb ensemble. Not completely free from technical errors, on occasion their tendency to over-sing creates tuning and balance issues. However at first glimmer of anything like this happened, they are quick to repair it almost before one even notices something is amiss. This is surely to credit their very talented director Fidel Calalang Jr. He is a gifted musician with absolutely complete knowledge of musical form and interpretation. When he isn't conducting the ensemble, he is dazzling us on the piano. Calalang is also and extremely talented composer/arranger and any choral conductor, performer, or fan not familiar with his work would be very wise familiarize themselves with him as his contribution to the world of choral arts is immeasurable.

Concluding the concert, the UST Singers sang a stirring rendition of "America the Beautiful." Never being a big fan of patriotic music, even I couldn't help but to be touched as this world-renowned choral ensemble from the Philippines took the time to learn a song special to the people they were performing for. Already a beautiful arrangement, they sang with such sincerity and gratitude, proving a perfect ending to a memorable night music.

A Summer Celebration of Song - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Santino Fontana

Every year around the 24th of July, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir presents a Pioneer Day-themed concert at the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, UT. Similar to the annual Christmas extravaganza, but toned down in presentation, they invite a major artist to join them as they present a concert that is free to the community in their massive 21,000-seat auditorium: A Summer Celebration of Song.

Though the concert took place near Pioneer Day, there was much to be desired addressing the holiday. Pioneers are an important part of history for Utahns, but only two pieces at the beginning of the concert addressed the holiday including a formulaic arrangement of "They, the Builders of the Nation" (complete with a trademark-oddly bombastic ending) by Mack Wilberg, and a bland and banal performance of "Faith in Every Footstep."

Fontana and the Orchestra at Temple Square

This year, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (MoTab) invited rising star Santino Fontana. An award-winning broadway actor, most will likely know Fontana from his recent role as Prince Hans in Walt Disney's Academy Award winning film, Frozen. Fontana seemed genuinely excited to be performing with the world-renowned ensemble in front of such a large audience. Ditching the Pioneer theme, and adopting a Broadway-film-theme, they began with some songs from West Side Story. Fontana has a cool, lyric voice that has a certain innocence about it, yet when he reaches his higher register, it pierces through with a bite that is exciting and resonant.

Fontana performed some pieces from Cinderella, a work he is quite familiar with, and then "She Likes Basketball" from Burt Bacharach's Promises, Promises. An odd choice for sure, but the song with Fontana backed-up by the MoTab was fantastic and one of the highlights of the evening. Hal David's quirky text and Bacharach's trademark sound was an excellent addition to the program and even the MoTab sounded good as they played "Carpenter's back-up singers" to the charming Fontana. Another highlight of the evening was a stirring rendition of "Never Never Land" from Peter Pan. Meredith Wilson's charming song about the fantasy island of Peter Pan was given a marvelous arrangement and performance by the choir, the Orchestra at Temple Square and Fontana alike. It had emotion and passion that was almost absent from the rest of the program.

Richard Elliot and the Orchestra at Temple Square performed the "Hot Pipes" movement from Victor Davies' Jazz Concerto for Organ and Orchestra. Always an audience favorite, the piece is trite and corny, and besides Elliot's impeccable pedal work, they performance was sloppy and inconsistent. The audience was never-the-less extremely pleased.

Fontana snaps a "selfie" with the choir

The concert concluded with a "Happy" medley that seemed to be enjoyed by all. At almost exactly one hour in duration, the concert, despite Santino's efforts, was lacking in energy and polish. Perhaps the musicians are given too much too often to perfect anything, but regardless, while Santino gave it everything he had (including his charm and personality-even taking a "selfie" onstage with the choir and orchestra) the choir still sounded anemic and amateur. Despite the 360 voices on stage, their volume barely reached the "loud" stage, and when it did, there were extreme balance issues. Their words are almost incomprehensible. Arguably, this is one of the largest and most difficult places in the state to perform music by its sheer size, but this reviewer was on the front row of the entire massive building and still felt these problems were prevalent. This is where what I call "the jumbo-tron effect" comes into play. Even in the front row, I found the concert so boring at times, I preferred to watch the sweeping camera angles on the jumbo-trons, rather than the actual performers themselves. It is time they lived up to their reputation that being such a big choir has garnered them, rather that just allowing mediocre to be acceptable.

Music From Around the World - SLCA Summer Choral Institute

One of the great things about the Salt Lake Choral Artists' mission is their reach out to the community. Every summer the organization presents four concerts in which they invite all members of the community to come and sing, regardless of experience or expertise. Anyone can join the weekend-long sessions (no audition required whatsoever) and all have the opportunity to work with world-renowned conductor Dr. Brady Allred. Over the course of only a few days and a few rehearsals, the group works together to create a concert that ends up rivaling the quality of many local auditioned groups.

Allred working with members of the SCI choir and the UST Singers.

On Saturday, July 12, Allred and his Summer Choral Institute (SCI) presented "Music from Around the World," a concert featuring music from Australia, Russia, Cameroon, Argentina, USA, Canada and more at the First Baptist Church in Salt Lake City. One could feel the energy in the air as the amateurs (and I use that word in its purest sense: as 'a lover of') gathered to create music together. Opening with an exciting piece from Cameroon the choir set the mood off excellently. The highlight of the first half of the concert was an exciting rendition of "Shchedryk," a Ukrainian folksong more well-known as "Carol of the Bells." Sung in Russian, this interpretation was charming and exciting. The choir sang it twice, once at a medium tempo, and once much faster. Though tripping over the consonants a bit, it was worth it for both the excitement of the piece and the pure joy of seeing these people sing together.

Joining the SCI choir were special guests the University of Santo Tomas Singers from the Philippines. They sang the first half of the concert as a part of the SCI choir, and finished the second half of the concert by themselves. The UST choir is truly a remarkable group with extensive credentials and competition wins under their belt. I will refrain from giving a complete review of their half of the concert here because they performed an entire concert the next evening which I will review in complete. Let it be said however that this is a phenomenal group and it was a huge privilege to have there here in Salt Lake City.

There is one more opportunity to see or participate in the Salt Lake Choral Artists Summer Choral Institute and I hope you take the opportunity to see this organization at work! The SLCA also holds a Children's Choir Camp and a High School Retreat, the latter of which hundreds of students attend from various high schools and I have first-hand knowledge of what a valuable experience each student walks away with.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Pinnacle Acting Company

From June 18-24, Pinnacle Acting Company of Salt Lake City presented Edward Albee's classic play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Westminster College. Using the main characters of George and Martha (Washington?), Albee explores the concepts of the American marriage, social expectations, and reality versus illusion. The play delves into the complex and sometimes disturbing relationship of these two characters as they suck others into their tempestuous and volatile lives.

A very talented ensemble leads this production. Mike Brown as Nick, the young and handsome newly appointed adjunct professor, is convincing as he slowly gets trapped in George and Martha's nonsense. His wife, Honey (played by Amanda Hayter) begins to experience the worst of what the couple is capable of, and how it could potentially destroy her life and marriage. Hayter is beautiful and looks the part perfectly, almost too well to be taken seriously, but quickly proves to be an excellent actress. She has sincerity and determination for Honey to not only be a bimbo-silly character, but with depth and humanity. Brown and Hayter had excellent chemistry providing a realistic livelihood to the play.

The show's main characters, George and Martha, played by Jared Larkin and Teresa Sanderson respectively, were the true highlights of the production. Larkin delivered Albee's witty dialogue with directness and confidence, taking on an interesting take of the classic character. Truly stealing the show however was Teresa Sanderson as Martha. Sanderson is a true professional dwarfing all the other actors in skill and talent. An Ogden native, and fresh from playing a former LDS mother turned transgender man in Matthew Ivan Bennett's Eric(a), Sanderson took on this legendary role. With complexity and charm, she made us feel envy, pity, and anger toward this vicious and sometimes crazed woman. While Martha is often seen as theater's greatest female villain, Sanderson delivered the part so impeccably, bringing out her vulnerability and well as her anger. She truly gave Salt Lake's most impressive performance in a play thus far, one that is rarely seen on stage in Salt Lake, let alone New York City.

All the elements came together for this production, the actors worked seamlessly together. Director Larry West is to be commended for this production, set in the round, making the audience feel as if they are right in the room as the plot unfurls. Professional by all means, Pinnacle Acting Company really hit a home-run with this production of a classic play. Be sure to catch Teresa Sanderson as Violet Weston is Tracey Lett's play August: Osage County performed by the Utah Repertory Theater Company this coming August!

The Last Five Years - Salt Lake Shakespeare

The University of Utah's resident summer theater organization, Salt Lake Shakespeare, opened their summer season this year with Jason Robert Brown's musical The Last Five Years.

The Last Five Years, with a story, music and lyrics by Brown, tells the story of a couple's doomed relationship. The story is told non-linearly, with Jessie's story told from the beginning to end, while Cathy's story told from end to the beginning, meeting in the middle for one song. While this non-traditional storytelling is creative and exciting, in practice, it becomes burdensome. As one of the earlier works in Brown's output, it lacks refinement and sophistication that is desperately needed in such an abstract form. The obsession of making the story lines clear forces the relationships and characters portrayed to be shallow and uninteresting, and worse, their relationship becomes a tired story line we've heard a million times, that needs more depth and humanity. Brown's music is all-around nice and works, however doesn't tend to mirror the drama well. The music is overly simple and "broadway-like" for a show that defies many musical norms, that subtly suggests to the audience that while the characters attempt to explore some deep issues, the music reminds them that this is essentially a simple story with simple characters told in a complex manner.

With a cast of only two people, it's a lot of weight for these two actors to carry. Not only that, it's almost as each actor is in a constant state of monologue, as they rarely interact with each other. This becomes a challenge for them to "experience" their story as it happens, not just to relate what happened in the narrative. Arguably, the more complex plot is given to Cathy (played by Tia Galanis). Her story is told from the end to the beginning. Because of this non-traditional story-telling, it could prove challenging to the actor, but Galanis was completely up to the task. With her powerhouse vocals and sincere acting, she commanded the role with complexity and ingenuity. She is a true professional, stealing the show in every sense of the phrase, adding nuance and expression to her singing: trademarks of an even more seasoned professional. Enough praise cannot be given of this remarkable performance. Not as much could be said about Taylor Smith playing Jamie, a struggling new novelist. Jamie can be easily interpreted as the scoundrel of the show, and Smith did nothing to give the character any extra depth or sympathy. His vocals were weak and bland by comparison to the only other actor on stage, and his acting was weaker. This is a very tough show to present, but unfortunately of the two, Smith did not live up to the task.

The set, designed by Kevin Dudley, was remarkable. Made up of sliding translucent panels, the simplicity in the idea was its brilliance. With some of the most subtle transitions to the set, one could tell easily the scene was in a new setting, though the costumes and props remained the same. Alex Marshall, music director, is also to be commended for the exquisitely seamless interpretation of the score.

All being said, one must acknowledge the creative attempt of the composer. This show is still refreshing in its conception alone, regardless how seamless the final product came out. This was a subtle, yet ambition project by Salt Lake Shakespeare and what occurred was an extremely successful interpretation of a good piece of theater. Be sure to check out their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, playing now at the Babcock Theater on the University of Utah's campus.