Outstanding cast illuminates "Next to Normal," a regional premiere of an award-winning musical at Pioneer Theatre

SALT LAKE CITY — If you’ve had thoughts that its subject matter or genre of music has been holding you back from seeing “Next to Normal,” please erase those concerns.

The sophisticated, glowingly brilliant and completely enthralling musical at Pioneer Theatre Company is a not-to-be-missed production.

While the unsentimental plot ostensibly revolves around a family coping with mental illness, the central theme is a powerful one: familial love and loss. The “rock” music is not backbeat-driven, vocal wailings, but better described as rock-influenced Broadway ballads that contribute perfectly to the storytelling.

To describe the poignant trigger and its repercussions at the dramatic core of the musical would be revealing details that the play’s authors, honored with a Pulitzer for this work, clearly intend to unfold gradually during the course of the play. There are birthday cakes, prom dates and the “next to normal” daily routines of any other American family.

The score, full of insightful wit and with the impact of a boxer’s punch, has music by Broadway veteran Tom Kitt and first-time lyricist (and book writer) Brian Yorkey and earned the team a hard-fought Tony. While including rough words not often spoken in Salt Lake households, the songs have a freewheeling, conversational tone and ping-pong through the family’s highs and lows.

Modern-day housewife Diana Goodman suffers from bipolar depression, but that is perhaps a too-simple explanation for her anguish. Her husband, Dan, is engaged in supporting her and finding effective treatment. The Goodmans have a son and daughter, each with their own story to tell. The other characters are Natalie Goodman’s boyfriend, Henry, and two health professionals, each played by a single actor.

In one of the show’s first productions after its Broadway run, Karen Azenberg directs a confident, highly professional cast, and each performance is beat-for-beat emotionally on target — heart-wrenchingly so. Because the play is virtually sung-through, the singing is a major component, and the professional PTC cast has soaring, octave-ranging beauty yet not as full-throated as anticipated.

The interwoven “You Don’t Know”/“I Am the One” by Judy McLane as Diana and Jonathan Rayson as Dan is raw and searing and one of the play’s highlights. The actors immerse themselves in their roles and bare their individual anguish with ferocious intensity.

The vibrant duet is followed by a masterful “I’m Alive” by Matt Dengler, whose character provides both inspiration and despair. His role is the play’s linchpin, and the terrific young actor is nothing short of amazing.

As the teens at the beginning of a relationship, the talented Ephie Aardema is a bundle of frustrations and angst as Natalie and the guilelessly charming Alex Brightman is ideal as Henry. In smaller roles, a noteworthy Ben Crawford humanizes the two doctors. His pharmacological version of “My Favorite Things” is a welcome moment of lightheartedness.

Lawrence Goldberg leads the vital but uncredited pit orchestra, light on percussions that added so much radiance to the original recording. The tri-level set design by George Maxwell grounds the production in reality yet hints at the family’s upheaval. Michael Gilliam’s lighting adds tension, and costume designer Carol Wells-Day continues to explore color intensity as a dramatic tool.

Unforgettable theater leaves audiences with much to ponder, and PTC’s “Next to Normal” is an illuminating production. Snippets of the show’s powerhouse ballads reverberate long afterward.

There is no real resolution in “Next to Normal” and no answers are offered. But we learn that "even the darkest skies will someday see the sun."

An enchanting "Fantasticks"

PARK CITY — In “The Fantasticks,” boy meets girl, boy loses girl and boy gets girl back. But it’s more — much more, to borrow a lyric — than a simply told fable. It’s a blissful celebration of the art of theater.

The Broadway in the Mountains production, at the Egyptian Theatre through Sunday, is a lovingly crafted tribute to the original staging of “The Fantasticks.” The show debuted in 1960 at Greenwich Village’s 153-seat Sullivan Street Theatre and continued playing there for 42 years, becoming the world’s longest-running musical and creating a record unlikely ever to be equaled.

There is a legion of theatergoers who recount their visits to the off-Broadway landmark, with its half-oval seating arrangement that required patrons to walk across the stage to their seats, with wistful accounts of seeing the iconic roles performed by Kristin Chenoweth, F. Murray Abraham, Glenn Close, Elliot Gould or Liza Minnelli.

This is an enchanting “Fantasticks,” with insightful performances and wonderful music. Director Terence Goodman retains many elements of the milestone production and juxtaposes reality with theatrics. His decisions underscore the whimsical allegory about the romance of a young couple, Matt and Luisa, who find their relationship tested by their meddling fathers and the bandit, El Gallo. Goodman wisely relies on his skilled actors to invite audiences to recall their own memories of this delightful musical or to experience its joys for the first time.

New York actor Dennis Parlato takes a mature approach to the swashbuckling role of El Gallo, the musical’s narrator and puppet-master. Having played the role, after being cast by the show’s creators, in the Sullivan Street production and the New York City revival, Parlato knows the part of El Gallo well. Firmly understanding the half-sentimental, half-cynical tone of his character, the actor makes the philosophical storyteller accessible and familiar. His singing of the tender “Try to Remember” is just right.

The trip to Park City would be worth it alone to bask in the performances of Parlato and four other startlingly talented actors. Jim Dale as Henry, the enfeebled Shakespeare thespian, and Andy Johnson as his sidekick Mortimer, the specialist in dying scenes, milk all the humor in their roles as they participate in El Gallo’s raid to warn Matt of the hardships of the world.

Masterful entertainers Jonathan McBride and W. Lee Daily play the conniving widower fathers who trick their offspring into falling in love. Their Tweedledum and Tweedledee performances wholly embrace their characters’ vaudevillian roots and further delight in their wink-wink additional roles the director has devised.


While it’s to his credit that the director has cast actors the same age as their characters, Gracie Brietic and Taylor J Smith charm and give their all to their roles but ultimately disappoint. To be most effective, the couple’s progression from puppy love affection to become more world-aware with a wise, realistic view of love is readily apparent.

As Luisa, the lovely Brietic is full of wide-eyed wonder in “Much More” and has a lovely voice but her upper register is noticeably weak. Smith makes an appealing “callow fellow,” and his “They Were You” is tenderly sung but “I Can See It” should be more full-throated.

Musical director Anne Puzey leads the exemplary accompaniment of piano, harp and percussion and does credit to the timeless melodies.

The squares of multi-colored confetti tossed into the air are justified at the show’s conclusion. “The Fantasticks” is a show that lives up to its name.

Lea Salonga dazzles at BYU concert

PROVO — Sparkling more brightly than her gold-embroidered gown, Broadway star and international soloist Lea Salonga wowed audiences at two de Jong Concert Hall performances on the BYU campus.

While widely known for her ability to belt out an emotional Broadway ballad, Salonga impressed with the interpretive skills she brought to standards by a variety of composers and her keen, often self-deprecating sense of humor. She also radiated warmth and good cheer to the enthusiastic audiences.

Salonga surprised the audiences with her opening selection of “Feeling Good,” from the 1965 musical “The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd.” But her jazzy interpretation set the tone for the evening of “just fun stuff,” as she later explained.

Following up with Lerner and Lowe’s “On the Street Where You Live,” Salonga’s exquisite technique and commitment to the song was evident. And her rich, creamy vocal tone was also heard in her lush interpretation of the Gershwins’ “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”

Relating that she listens to a wide variety of music, Salonga showed her enjoyment of contemporary songs by covering Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface” and Bruno Mars’ “Forget You.”

The Tony-winner is popularly known for performances as two Disney princesses. To introduce “Reflection” from “Mulan,” Salonga expressed her disappointment at being asked to record a shorter, now-official version. “So now I have to make sure that Mickey Mouse is not in the audience, so I can sing the long, original version,” she said.

Salonga invited an audience member to join her for the “Whole New World” duet from “Aladdin.” “It’s either a train wreck, which is always quite entertaining, or it can be pretty good. Sometimes.”

The evening turned personal as she introduced songs related to meeting her husband and the joy brought by their 5-year-old daughter.

“Blackbird” became a song about romantic timing that revolved around the words:“You were only waiting for this moment to arrive.” The Beatles’ hit was combined with Kander and Ebb’s “A Quiet Thing,” which is about the sweetness of discovering love.

Before an emotional, goose-bump-inducing version of “I’d Give My Life for You” from “Miss Saigon,” Salonga expressed that, after giving birth to her daughter, she now more fully understands the commitment mothers make to their children.

The evening included two “Les Miserables” offerings: “I Dreamed a Dream” and “On My Own,” which Salonga said was her audition song for “Miss Saigon.” After listening to her heart-wrenching version of the Boublil-Schonberg compositions, it’s easy to understand why she landed the career-making role. And why the de Jong audience responded so enthusiastically to her first Utah performances.

Brian Stokes Mitchell makes BYU event spectacular

PROVO — For its annual Spectacular, BYU invited a Broadway leading man to help celebrate “a true Renaissance man” of the university — and the homecoming event became truly spectacular.

Inviting the nationally known Brian Stokes Mitchell to headline the two-evening revue of BYU’s performing groups was not only an inspired decision, it was fortuitous that he accepted. While area guests have previously served as Spectacular narrators, this year marked the first time a performer of his high caliber was the show’s emcee and thrilling entertainer.

And it was befitting as Spectacular acknowledged the contributions by Gerrit de Jong Jr., appointed BYU’s first College of Fine Arts dean in 1925 but also an accomplished musician, linguist and scholar. A brief video tribute to de Jong was projected on the football field-sized screen at the rear of the Marriott Center performing space midway through the show.

Mitchell explained that de Jong “was consumed by a passion for art and he knew that there is beauty within us.”

To began the show, Mitchell soloed with “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” accompanied by the full BYU Philharmonic, that introduced his charismatic stage demeanor along with his grateful, beaming smile. The Men’s Chorus, lankishly choreographed, was invigorated during the ensemble’s “Paint Your Wagon” medley when the Tony-winner joined the massive group to sing “They Call the Wind Maria.”

While acknowledging that he has become “a BFF with the entire Mormon Tabernacle Choir,” after an unprecedented three engagements, Mitchell said that singing with the Men’s Chorus, “that band of brothers, was an experience I will not soon forget.”

In the effusive “Family” segment by the Young Ambassadors, Conlon Bonner and Delaney Westfall were the lead singers on “We Are a Family” and “Love You, I Do,” and Mitchell joined the group to perform “Stand by Me” with the group’s soloist Tim Cooper.

To end the evening, Mitchell showed his affinity for jazz with an expressively phrased Gershwin medley, followed by the little-known Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh gem, “It Amazes Me,” that was infused with his trademark joie de vivre. In his rendition of “Make Them Hear You,” the full strength of his powerful baritone was showcased and his “Ragtime” showstopper became a ferocious declaration. For each of these solos, Mitchell was paired with his pianist, the gifted Tedd Firth.

Continuing the theme of an unwavering commitment to a dream, Mitchell encouraged the audience to strive for high ideals as he began “Impossible Dream” from his Tony-nominated Don Quixote role in “Man of La Mancha,” accompanied by the Philharmonic. With his virile, long-sustained high notes that soared heavenward, Mitchell made us believe that the impossible might just be within our grasp.

Expert "Mary Poppins" cast blows in for a jolly holiday

SALT LAKE CITY — To describe the cast of “Mary Poppins,” you’d need the biggest word you’ve ever heard — a word that is something quite atrocious and makes you feel precocious. Yes, it’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

And you’re sure to be charmed.

A spectacle-filled “Mary Poppins” opened on Labor Day weekend at the Capitol Theatre, to the delight of fans of perhaps the most-popular children’s musical movies of all time.

The stage version combines new arrangements of the unforgettable Sherman Brothers’ double-Oscar-winning songs from the Disney 1964 film with new Broadway-style ballads by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The script by Julian Fellowes is an odd mix of Disney’s “chim chim” cheer and the more dour stories of the original author P.L. Travers’ books, but it boasts practically perfect performances, many from actors who honed their roles in New York, along with Disney-style wizardry that delight.

Led by a prim Steffanie Leigh in the title role and Nicholas Dromard as her chimney-sweeping dancing partner, Bert, the cast is uniformly pleasing. As conceived in the original show, Dromard, a superb singer, tap dances horizontally up one side of the stage’s proscenium and then upside down across the ceiling. The same computer-driven, wire-suspended harness flies vocally proficient Leigh off the stage and into the audience.

The script calls for the talented Laird Mackintosh as George Banks to confront the gorgon nanny from his childhood in an new, ill-conceived addition to the story. Mrs. Banks, a spry suffragette in the Disney version, is now a lonely former actress, well played by Blythe Wilson.

The Banks children have much larger roles and are much more bratty than in the movie. Utah County native Talon Ackerman played Michael opposite Camille Mancuso on opening night. Though multiple child actors rotate the obstreperous roles, both on Broadway and in the national tour, Ackerman and Mancuso are troupers and completely in step with the adult actors.

Rachel Izen (Mrs. Brill) and Dennis Moench (Robertson Ay) do nice comic turns as the put upon household staff, and Q. Smith as the evil nanny Miss Andrew is a powerhouse singer.

The big-cast musical numbers, choreographed with great flair by Matthew Bourne, are crowd pleasers, and the Banks’ Cherry Tree Lane home, which reveals like a pop-up book, is nearly as impressive as the original Broadway creation.

“Mary Poppins” is a fun family event. And you’ll impress your children if you can say that magical word backwards. It’s dociousaliexpilisticfragicalirepus.

Pioneer Theatre's "Next to Normal" tackles unusual, universal subject for a musical

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s been called “a brave, breathtaking musical,” “exceptional, hopeful and uplifting” and “the future of American musicals.”

And it’s the only hit musical about treating a psychological disorder.

“Next to Normal,” recently on Broadway where it was honored with Tonys and, uncommon for a musical, the Pulitzer, is being staged at the Pioneer Theatre Company Sept. 16 through Oct. 1.

“It’s a tough subject but it’s also great theater,” says director-choreographer Karen Azenberg. “It’s just too good to not see.”

The characters of “Next to Normal” are not larger than life or stock cardboard cutouts, but our next-door neighbors — their struggles, yes. And also their joys.

“The storytelling is key,” Azenberg adds. “The music of ‘Next to Normal’ has been classified as rock ’n’ roll, and it is really quite brilliantly written and so appropriate. But because of that, it’s easy to get sidetracked from this very truthful story that is told just so beautifully.”

While the storyline can sound like yet another tedious “disease of the week,” Lifetime TV drama, the characters are vividly three dimensional, and there’s no quick-fix solution that fits within a typical format. Also, the plot is not easy to discuss without giving away crucial details that unfold on stage.

Diana Goodman, a middle-aged wife and mother living in suburbia, is manic depressive. Her patient husband Dan has been shepherding her through treatments and therapy, certain she can be helped. They have two children: Gabe, who Diana loves steadfastly; and Natalie, who is full of teenage angst. The only other characters are Natalie’s boyfriend, Henry, and the two doctors who treat Diana.

The names of songs reveal portions of the storyline. They include “My Psycho-Pharmacologist and I,” “Superboy and the Invisible Girl” and “Why Stay?”

“Calling ‘Next to Normal’ a rock musical can have a negative connotation,” says music director Larry Goldberg. “This is not ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’ Musical shows that have used rock as the only musical style have not been largely successful. This show uses a wide range of musical styles, including classical, folk, waltz and Celtic. The music is used to express the characters’ strong emotions, and the musical styles are used very intelligently.”

The Salt Lake staging of “Next to Normal” is the musical’s only third production after its successful New York run and national tour and a major coup for PTC.

“It’s incredibly liberating to take on a new piece,” says Azenberg. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to look at it fresh and decide how to approach it. And the actors are also able to make their own contribution and own their role more completely.”

Azenberg is also pleased with the caliber of talent she cast for the production.

“This is a phenomenal cast,” she says. “I was completely blown away with the level of talent in this production. I was able to cast my first choice for each of the roles, which isn’t always possible.”

Playing the two lead roles are Judy McLane as Diana and Jonathan Rayson as Dan.

McLane will return to her role as Tanya in the New York production of “Mamma Mia” and has appeared in Broadway productions of “Kiss of the Spiderwoman,” “Aspects of Love” and “Chess.” She earned acclaim for her lead role in the recent “Johnny Guitar” off Broadway.

Rayson appeared on Broadway as Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors” and in “A Year with Frog and Toad,” and off Broadway in Christopher Durang’s “Adrift in Macao” and “That Time of Year.” He recently released a solo CD, “Shiny and New.”

The remaining cast members have impressive credits. Matt Dengler (Gabe) appeared in the recent Broadway productions of “A Little Night Music” and off Broadway in “The Fantasticks”; Ephie Aardema (Natalie) toured in “Fiddler on the Roof” as Chava and “The Sound of Music” as Leisl; Alex Brightman (Henry) played Boq in Broadway’s “Wicked” for two years; and Ben Crawford (Doctors) performed on Broadway in “Les Miserables” and “Shrek.”

Not your mother's "Oklahoma!"

OREM — Ho-hum. Another opening of another "Oklahoma!" Curly ambles down the auditorium’s aisles and onto the stage rhapsodizing about “a bright, golden haze on the meadow”— but it’s just a painted backdrop. The music is western-tinged, with strumming guitars and harmonicas, and you fear the taped accompaniment won’t serve Richard Rodgers’ sweeping melodies.  As Act 1 unfolds, you sense the actors’ eagerness to establish their characters but play the humor a bit too broadly. Even “Kansas City,” Will’s showpiece first-act dance number, is marred by the actor’s dead mike. His fellow dancers are well-rehearsed and full of boot-stomping energy but the number fails to ignite.

Then the stage is transformed into Judd’s smokehouse, and the theme of the Utah Valley University production becomes clear. You sit up in your seat and begin to fully appreciate the complexities of what is often considered to be a frivolous musical.

"Oklahoma!" is a landmark in theater history. There are musicals before "Oklahoma!" and musicals that after "Oklahoma!" It was the first to fully integrate song and dance to convey both plot and character instead of using song and dance as a diversion from the story. And it’s the first American folk musical. But "Oklahoma!" also introduced themes that Rodgers and Hammerstein would continue to explore—among them racism, sexism and classism. Utah Valley University’s "Oklahoma!" honors the story’s darker impulses to explain the toughness of the country’s early prairie years. The sad juxtaposition between the meager life of a working hand like Jud and the upbeat optimism of the other characters is not diluted here.

As “Pore Jud Is Dead” begins, there is a palpable animosity as Curly enters Jud Fry’s foreboding dwelling. “Lonely Room,” Jud’s solo that was cut from the first cast album and the movie version, feels essential in this production, and the smokehouse scene becomes pivotal. We’re then swept up away in the drama of this "Oklahoma!" well into the show’s satisfying conclusion.

The singing here is generally fine, though firm vocal guidance is lacking—you just can’t fake your way through these songs. While we’re accustomed to Curlys with powerful, booming voices, Robert Fletcher tries a more conversational realism, and to a large degree it works. With his aw-shucks grin and towering presence, the affable actor gives a pleasant performance. Feisty tomboy independence is seen in Julie Garcia’s well-acted Laurie, and the actress has a charming voice. The pair work well together and we feel the joy in their love. Jacob Theo Squire gives a performance of brooding power and skillfully paces Jud’s tricky vocal demands. With her textured voice, Lita Little Giddins plays a pert Aunt Eller.

Ado Annie, Will Parker, and Ali Hakim provide comic relief, but despite the actors’ skills, their roles just don’t seem necessary. Kelly Coombs overplays the amorous Ado Annie nearly into a cartoon character but her strong vocals deliver a wallop. Chase Ramsey lassos each of his scenes as the rope-twirling hayseed Will and robustly executes his boot-scooting choreography. Andrew Hansen has a strong sense of timing and gives us a confident and wily Persian peddler.

Dave Tinney’s direction is secure and his choreography has the right showiness without taxing a less-experienced dancer. The high-spirited “The Farmer and the Cowman” highlights the strong, hard-working ensemble but the staging and costuming don’t clearly tell us who’s a farmer and who’s a cowhand. The innovative dream ballet, danced by the full cast along child actors alternately portraying Laurey and Curly at two additional younger ages, evolves from dream into nightmare with the crack of a whip.

“You cain’t deserve the sweet and tender in life les’n you’re tough,” Aunt Eller advises Laurey. And that punctuates what we’ve learned in this smart, handsome "Oklahoma!"