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Show Fndi. Augutf 20. IWMlit: McLean's 'Ark' Kingsbury's 'Joseph' average, sets sail tonight in a tent in Lehi 'A o (rf The Daily Herald August Night Theatre Group's production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," playing at Kingsbury Hall through Aug. 30, is a perfunctory, average staging of the popular musical, with only a few minor things separating it from the other versions you've seen ""The Ark," a musical retelling of Noah and his epic journey written by Michael McLean and Kevin Kelly, will drop anchor at Thanksgiving Point for 10 weeks, with performances starting tonight. 'Directed by David Tinney, Ark" tells of Noah, his and their three sons and aughters-in-laas they struggle to keep their faith and shity for 40 days and 40 nights. actors also play some of the animals, whose personalities occasionally parallel those of the humans. A tent has been constructed especially for 'i-- t i whiz-ban- me g already. its credit, unlike many of its counterparts, this production To Courtesy photo Noah way: Art Allen plays the maritime patriarch in Michael McLean and Kevin Kelly's musical "The Ark," playing at Thanksgiving Point through Oct. 30. does very little in the way of shtick,gim- micks or clever "bits." It's fairly If ycu (Jo What: "The Ark" When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday through Oct. 30, beginning tonight; additional shows at 2 p.m. each Saturday except Oct. 2 Where: Thanksgiving Point tfie show, with audience mem- Institute, Lehi. Take the AlpineHighland exit (287), head west and look for the water tower. Cost: $16 for adults, $8 for children 14 and under. Group discounts available. Seats are not assigned. For more Information: Call or visit Thanksgiving point. ih.Visical-writin- ,.,As a result, McLean says he arid Kelly have tried to make tlx? show more than just a Bible a real, Broadway-qualitsUbry show. f.The cast of this production includes Art Allen, Lynne Carr, K. Daniel Law, Kelly Shepardson, Josh Meurer, Lori y character as a little prideful, like maybe the whole "daddy's favorite" thing went to his head. Watch him particularly as he sings "I look handsome, look smart, I am a walking work of art." He seems to real- in shame and quickly shuffle away. It's common to see the Narrator dance and sing with everyone, but to see them actually responding to her is This isn't necessarily bad, although it is different from our usual view of Joseph as a guileless, naive fellow. It's an interesting interpretation, in fact, whether it came from Susan S. Holland's direction or whether it's just Barrus being cocky. Another small but interesting deviation from the norm is how the Narrator (Jenny Jordan Frogley; triple-cas- t with Amy Ashworth Barrus and Chelsea Bagley) actually interacts with the characters. When she scolds the brothers for selling Joseph, they cower Hale Centre Theatre West Valley's "April Ann," written by Ruth and Nathan Hale, is such an odd play that it's hard to know whether to like it or not. Set in the Canadian Rockies in the 1950s, the title character (played by Sheralyn Pratt; -cast with Marissa Young) is a burly, headstrong gal who takes care of her grandmother and siblings on a small ranch in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, two men enter the picture. One is Art (Porter BrintonMark ' Dietlein), a fur THEATER with a trapper Hale Center to do 'Stiff' production double- If you go Orem's What: "Lucky Stiff" When: 7:30 p.m. nightly (except Sundays) through Oct. 11, starting tonight. Where: Hale Center Theater Orem, 225 W. 400 North. Cost: depending on the night (tickets are more expensive on the weekends). For more Information: Call 226-860- 0 for information and ticket reservations. latest production, "Lucky Stiff," evening tonight, features a very literal interpretation of the phrase "death takes a holiday." i,Based on the novel "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo," "Lucky Stiff' is about a man whose dead uncle leaves him $6 million on the condition that he take him on a vacation t&e dead uncle on the French Riviera. ?, Take a dead guy with you on vacation? Sure, for $6 million! r, plot twists, murder, intrigue and romance follow, as well as plenty of singing. The songs are by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who went on to write "Once on This Island," "My Favorite Year," and the current Broadway hit "Ragtime." J:Veteran local director Syd now. Holland also designed the choreography, and it is superb, especially in the "One More $8-$1- , REVIEW used unconvincing laugh who requires a mere five seconds to prove himself a chau- vinist. The other is Larry (Bret WheadonSanford K Porter), a genteel pilot whose plane has crashed nearby and who now spends his time doing things for the hopelessly ignorant Pritohard family like build them a shower and put a door on the outhouse. Naturally, April Ann falls for Art, the more loutish of the two, even though he frustrates Riggs is at the helm of this production, with Gayle Lockwood as musical director and choreography by Will Swenson. Cast members include Neal Mark Pulham, Johnson, Korianne Johnson, Amy Swenson, Hailey Smith, Melia Erdmann, Jason Webb and Will Swenson. What: "April Ann" When: 8 p.m. nightly (except Sundays) through Sept. 18. Additional noon matinees on Aug. 28, Sept 4, 11 and 18; 3:30 p.m. matinees Aug. 21, 28, Sept. 4, 11 and 18; 5 p.m. matinees Sept. 10 and 17. Where: Hale Centre Theatre West Valley, 3333 S. Decker Lake Dr. her. She can't decide if she should just be who she is a tom- tree-fellin- or if she should be femiboy nine. She seems to change her mind on the matter every few minutes or so, which suggests she's more feminine than she realizes. (Pardon me.) The Pritchard family consists of April Ann, her grandmother (Ruth Hale), and three younger siblings. All of them are ignorant, uncouth, vile, boorish, antisocial, backward, deviant, but in a lovable sort and lazy of way. Furthermore, Grandma wants the family to stay dumb as they are, and she doesn't want Larry teaching them things like reading and dental hygiene. Adding to the weirdness is the fact that we're told that high-faluti- I uh Paw ( J One problem with the production is that it lacks It seems less like a show with a plot and a story, and more like a concert full of musical numbers. Almost every song ends BIG, with the cast members lined up, their arms raised Young Ambassador-style- . cohe-sivenes- show-stoppin- g The result is that the whole thing doesn't really hang well as a unit, and what little character development there is in this show to begin with doesn't come through. Finally, the show is padded out at the end with a full reprise of "Close Every Door" an unfortunate choice, if a reprise had to be done (which it didn't), because it brings the show to a screeching halt before the big "megamix'Vcur-tain call. These quibbles aside, the show is entertaining, particu(1 had larly for a first-time- r one in attendance with me who absolutely loved it). which "Joseph" afl'icianados must be just about everyone in Utah by now may find it just average. and very, very odd If you go By ERIC D. SNIDER The Daily Herald The Daily Herald unusual. The sets are big and marvelous, making full use of the large Kingsbury stage. The live orchestra sounds great, too, although the sound mixing could have used some help opening night: During the numbers in which many people were singing in unison, their voices often sounded too loud, almost like a rock concert. A better balance between voices and accompaniment could be worked out, and probably has been by 'April Ann' enjoyable Lehman Rucker, David Tinney and Lita Little Giddins. Kingsbury Running time: 2 hours. 5 minutes, including one intermission. Objectionable material: None. Even Potiphar's wife's pursuing of Joseph is pretty tame. ly believe it. in fact, keeping the spirit of fun intended by Andrew Lloyd Webber's music and Tim Rice's lyrics, without too much additional embellishment. (Finally, someone has realized that the script doesn't NEED a whole lot of extra it's written stuff thrown in entertaining enough.) Popular Utah vocalist David Barrus is Joseph, and he lives up to his reputation as an excellent singer, with a powerful, clear voice. He plays the climate-controlle- d bers interacting with the cast, giving the show an intimate feel. ..McLean says he and Kelly worked for 12 years on the and spent some time a few years ago in New York, having it critiqued by some of the big names in Broadway infcAlfcK REViEW ARTS, or go to Hall box office. 1 Aa ndi. Pnno. Angel in Heaven" hoedown scene. I've never seen such a raucous number in this show. What: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dieamcoat When: 8 p.m. nightly (except Sundays) through Aug. 30. Where: Kingsbury Hall, on the University of Utah campus. Cost: $19.50 and $28.50. For more information: Call 355- - the (ui gimmick-fre- e If you go By ERIC D. SNIDER The Daily Herald .Hale Center Theater DAILY HI RAI D, n' Cost: $13 Monday, $14 Tuesday-Thursdaand all matinees, $16 Friday and Saturday. Children are $10, $11 or $12, respectively. For more Information: Call 984-900y Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes, including one intermission. Objectionable material: None. just after they were married, Grandma and Grandpa Pritchard hiked up to these woods, carved out a homestead, and started having, um, grandchildren. One would assume there must have been regular children in the middle there, but no mention is ever made as to what became of these children's parents, or why the kids are living with their grandparents now. Considering Grandma says she's never left the homestead, and neither has anyone else (except Grandpa, who wanders off for months at a time), you have to wonder what's going on here. Did I mention the show is odd? This is a musical, with about 20 songs or, rather, 19 reprises of what sounds like the same song, with tunes and orchestrations lifted either from a John Denver TV special or the Country Bear Jamboree. The lyrics are negligible; one could argue quite convincingly that the play doesn't need any songs at all, although they're all mercifully short and everyone who sings them does so with strong voices. The play drags quite a bit, considering how brief the plot really is. There are some genuinely funny moments, mostly based on the family's complete disregard for all things civilized and decent. Mostly the play just sort of plods along, though, never reaching much of a climax, but never getting too dull, either. Ruth Hale, matriarch of the vast Hale Centre Theatre empire, is a charming old gal, to be sure. She gets applause when she first comes onstage, and she gets a standing ovation at the end, even though she's not the main character and probably isn't even the best actor in the show. Her popularity, like the popularity of this play, is somewhat inexplicable: You like them both, even if you can't put your finger on why. Fsir Utcili Stcttc ...... ., ;.v K. .... ... .. let JK- I - (' ; tlriiln r-ir-) UStWwii.... m,... eft. irjt lm.r . ..' ., SKI t ' - .t.. ..... NEW DAILY FEATURES GATE ADMISSION FAIR HOURS Butter cow with kittens sculpture Davis Amusements Cascadia Carnival (All you can ride wristbands everyday) Adults $6.00 Seniors 62 and over $5.00 Children 6 through 1 6 $4.00 Children 5 and under FREE Monday - Thursday 10:00 am -- 10:00 pm Friday Sunday 10:00 am 11:00 pm (exception: Sept. 9th 3:00 pm -- 10:00 pm) (exception: Sept. 1Sth 10:00 am 10:00 pm) Schwlnn bicycle stunt te&m Street Peddler . s : Season Pass $33.00 -- -- (801) for Fair Event Information (801) for Grandstand Ticket Information 538-FAI- R s f - lIBUIIilVWM 538-STA- R f JL J |
