Remember when fake news was simply freakish entertainment? When the Weekly World News had run dry on its long streak of ‘Elvis Is Alive’ stories, editorial staff member Dick Kulpa came up with ‘Bat Child Found in West Virginia Cave.’ When the story ran in June, 1992, Weekly World News sold 975,000 copies. Other ‘Bat … Read more
A novel but apt choice to close out a memorable season for Westminster Performing Arts’ Concert Series, the Austin-based A’lante Flamenco Ensemble gave the audience an enthralling tour of the world of flamenco music and dance. With the broad theme of love as its anchor, the concert made the case for how the seven ensemble members … Read more
Every spring, Samba Fogo’s show is galvanizing in entertainment excellence and respectful cultural education but its most recent Dancestral production is certainly the best of the series to date. It was a tight and exhilarating show that highlighted many roots of Brazil’s uniquely multifarious language of music and dance. This show stood out in representing … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Utah Review is grateful to playwright Matthew Ivan Bennett for reviewing From the Borderlands to the Roots, presented by Punto de Inflexión as part of the ten-day Corriente Alterna festival, with PROArtes México. In the opening of From the Borderlands to the Roots—an ambitious, cohesive, and moving fusion of dance and visual … Read more
With two world premieres, Re-Act, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s closing production for its 61st season, will be a landmark event. It marks the final show for Daniel Charon as artistic director, who is stepping down after 12 seasons. Also, there is the world premiere of A Mischief Sublime by Annalee Traylor, the company’s inaugural Choreographic Canvas … Read more
Stories such as Aladdin are timeless and great for all ages but the best opportunities to judge how interpretations of these classic tales in the performing arts resonate with young audiences is to ask them to take the reviewer’s seat. Recently, The Utah Review, with the assistance of Christal Jackson, an English teacher and ELL … Read more
Looking at current news headlines, one would struggle to find a scintilla of evidence to make a case for the existence of God. The extant American realities are visibly ugly and demoralizing but we also can hope that in countless inconspicuous spaces, there is still fertile ground for human connection, decency, conscience and spiritual intelligence. … Read more
Collectively, the words ‘fear’ and ‘afraid’ or some variant appear at least 30 times in the script for Janine Sobeck Knighton’s new play The Beatrix Potter Defense Society, in a gorgeous jewel box of a production by Plan-B Theatre. Set in 1882 on the grounds of England’s Wray Castle, Ambleside (Cumbria), in the Lake District, … Read more
The facts about the revolutionary character of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring are well known. Capitalizing upon the triumphs of The Firebird (1910) and Petrushka (1911), Sergei Diaghilev commissioned The Rite for The Ballets Russes. A dream team had been assembled for its premiere and rehearsals had proceeded without incident: Vaslav Nijinsky developed the … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: Numerous local art events are associated this week with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)’s 59th conference which is being held in Salt Lake City. For a feature about the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) and NCECA’s three cornerstone exhibitions, see this feature link. No better opportunity for … Read more