It might surprise many readers that for critics, writing a review of The Nutcracker ballet is actually not as easy as it might appear. It is one of the most widely performed works in the end-of-the-year holiday season and audiences love it, whether it is in a lavish professional production or a small-town amateur community … Read more
The 2016-2017 JazzSLC concert season launches on September 9 at Capitol Theatre. Some of the best in the business are on the docket this season. JazzSLC is a non-profit concert series that is produced and funded by the GAM Foundation. Gordon Hanks and Michael MacKay founded the GAM Foundation in 1994 in an effort to … Read more
Utah Opera’s production of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress is new to Salt Lake City, but this 40-year-old production is one of the most iconic in the history of American opera. The Rake’s Progress follows the story of Tom Rakewell, a young man who decides to reject the life his future father-in-law has set up for … Read more
Soothing…the first word that comes to mind when describing the sights and sounds of The Last Southern Gentlemen, who performed at the Capitol Theatre on Monday, April 13. When those four men took their positions on stage, I had a feeling I was in for a musical treat. With their southern swagger and Delfeayo Marsalis’ … Read more
Utah Opera is back with its second production of the season: The Pearl Fishers, a tale of friendship, forbidden love and sacrifice. The rarely performed opera was written by George Bizet (better known for Carmen) in 1863 and received such harsh criticism that it was not revived in the composer’s lifetime after the initial production … Read more
Often billed as ballet’s original ghost story, Giselle is the haunting love story of a young peasant girl and a noble who deceives her. The performance kicks off the 2014-15 Ballet West season and runs through November 16, 2014. Newly conceived by Ballet West’s Artistic Director Adam Sklute, this classic and well-loved drama includes more … Read more
Broadway blockbuster “Wicked” returns to Salt Lake City for an extended third run through August 24 at Capitol Theatre. The musical is the adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked—The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” which takes the well-known and well-loved story of “The Wizard of Oz” and turns it … Read more
Utah Opera’s final performance for the 2013-2014 season is The Abduction from the Seraglio, a comic opera by Mozart full of cheery scenery and cheeky laughs. While the production is lighthearted, the music contains some of the most difficult arias in opera. The Abduction opened to a full house on Saturday night at Capitol Theater … Read more
Love, passion and death are guarantees in opera and Turandot is no exception. It’s the tale of a cold-hearted princess who requires suitors to answer a series of riddles in order to win her hand in marriage–but a wrong answer results in death. The opera is extravagant on several levels, with a massive cast, an … Read more
Ballet West is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary this year with a favorite classic during the month of February—The Sleeping Beauty. Ballet West typically stages a romantic-leaning performance in it’s first ballet of the calendar year and the timeless tale of The Sleeping Beauty is always a hit with audiences young and old. The ballet is … Read more