Arts

For their first ballet experience, two young reviewers are mesmerized by the exhilarating Ballet West production of The Nutcracker: case example of why it is a Living Historic Landmark

by

For many in Salt Lake City, the greatest source of pride has been Willam Christensen’s efforts to make the first American version of The Nutcracker, which he transported from its San Francisco premiere in 1944 to the University of Utah in the 1950s and eventually to its permanent spot in the Ballet West repertoire. One … Read more

Two young reviewers rave about Salt Lake Acting Company’s regional premiere of Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! The Musical!

by

Keeping with the spirit of the Salt Lake Acting Company’s (SLAC) commendable tradition of featuring a theatrical production annually for young audiences, The Utah Review thought it most appropriate to invite two students from the Salt Lake Arts Academy to wear the reviewer’s cap, by attending the opening night performance of the regional premiere of … Read more

Immigrant’s Daughter Theatre-ThreePenny Theatre Company’s A Catfish Christmas is jolly, delightful but also gutsy, earthy ride

by

Fresh holiday season fare is always welcome each year and it is not surprising that the new musical A Catfish Christmas, Immigrant’s Daughter Theatre’s latest creative venture produced with ThreePenny Theatre Company, is a jolly delight but is also an earthy and gutsy ride. Written by Ariana Broumas Farber with music and lyrics by Spencer … Read more

A glittering jewel for the holiday season: Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of Stephen Temperley’s Souvenir is exceptional two-hander

by

For the impetus of his 1999 book, For the Love of It: Amateuring and Its Rivals, Wayne Booth, a prominent American literary critic, recalled how in his sixties he stumbled over the hurdles of trying to master the thumb position down toward the cello’s bridge.  An amateur musician, Booth already had been playing for more … Read more

Repertory Dance Theatre’s reprise of Natosha Washington’s I AM… is spectacular diamond on stage

by

Last year, Repertory Dance Theatre’s world premiere performance of Natosha Washington’s I AM…, which the company commissioned, was outstanding. Coming 13 months later, in line with the company’s season theme of Reflection, the eight dancers, joined by narrator and singer Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin, took the evening-length work to new heights in a riveting display of spectacular … Read more

November concert roundup: NOVA’s Musical Marriages; Bachauer’s Carter Johnson: The Four B’s; Flamenco del Lago’s Why Are the Women Weeping?

by

A roundup of several performing arts events this month in Salt Lake City: NOVA Chamber Music Series: Musical Marriages Two musical marriages — one from the 19th century and the other from current times — made for a splendid NOVA Chamber Music Series concert earlier this month. The first half was dedicated to Anthony Cheung … Read more

Repertory Dance Theatre set to reprise Natosha Washington’s evening-length I AM… this week; dancers complete East Coast tour with Whitney Museum of American Art performances

by

EDITOR’S NOTE: This preview of Natosha Washington’s I AM, which Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) will reprise this week, was published in 2023, just ahead of the work’s world premiere. Just as essential as a choreographer’s skills in setting the most impactful movement upon a dance company in the studio is their capacity to trust the … Read more

Ballet West’s triple-bill Pictures at an Exhibition is absolutely breathtaking from start to finish

by

From 1910, in his seminal art theory book, On the Spiritual in Art, Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian painter who was one of the greatest early abstract artists, envisioned the concentric trinity of the visual arts, music and dance as separate in that each “has its own strength which cannot be substituted for another,”  but also … Read more

Carter Johnson, 2024 Bachauer silver medalist, set to return this week to Salt Lake City for Four B’s solo concert

by

Pianist Carter Johnson said that last summer’s Gina Bachauer International Artists Competition was one of the most fun he has had in his experiences in the world of piano competitions. While he took the silver medal in the event, the real reason for having so much in Salt Lake City was different. ”My wife and … Read more

The glory of the trinity of art, dance and music: Two Utah premieres, Balanchine classic highlight Ballet West’s Pictures at an Exhibition

by

This week, Ballet West’s new production will give the trinity of art, dance and music a resplendent tribute fit for an empress. It will feature Utah premieres of works by two of the best-known international choreographers and a reprise of a Balanchine masterpiece that was the choreographer’s first work he set in America 90 years … Read more