Brigham Young liked good theater. However, he didn't subscribe to tragedies, feeling there was too much of that in life already. He maintained theater should amuse and entertain.
From the moment actor/writer James Arrington - playwright and star of "Brigham Live!" at the Salt Lake Art Center Theater - descended the steep aisle stairs of the 165-seat theater, and said, "Now, I know you all want to know how many wives I have . . . and that you came here to see the notorious Brigham Young," it was obvious he was of the same opinion as the "Lion of the Lord."Stout, bearded, dressed in a black suit with gray waistcoat, and deploying a brass-tipped walking stick, Arrington's performance was the antithesis of tragedy. He endowed Young with a kind heart, an approachable demeanor and a frank face with eyes brimming with tears - not from sorrow, but from laughter. When of necessity the LDS prophet mentioned tragic events - the trials of the Saints in Ohio, Missouri, Nauvoo, crossing the plains, fighting for survival in the Salt Lake Valley - he always brightened the tale with humor.
"If you killed a cricket," he said, referring to the famous chronicle of the crop-eating crickets, "two would come to bury it."
Everything from the nature of God to "Joe" Smith, the rudeness of Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), dress styles, the Deseret Alphabet, settling Utah and Indians was discussed on the cozy stage.
When Arrington/Young ended his hourlong soliloquy, he opened it up for questions from the audience.
My wife and I were amused and pleased when our 13-year-old daughter raised her hand and asked Arrington/Young what he felt about young women getting an education.
You should have seen his eyes light up. He told her how important it was for all women to get an education and that they should never stop learning. Then he pointed an enthusiastic finger at my daughter and said, "I admonish you to get all the education you can before you do anything else." And then a twinkle sparked his eye and he added, "But no Nintendo."
It's amazing how much foresight Young had.
While this comment was entertaining for my daughter and the audience, it's also, Arrington believes, what Young would have said. After all, Arrington's spent over 20 years studying Young, and he brings this "rough-and-ready Renaissance man" to life.
If I had one complaint, it was the lack of patrons. To have 90, possibly 100 seats of a 165-seat theater empty at showtime is a travesty.
Arrington hopes "Brigham Live!" will become not only a must-see for tourists visiting Salt Lake City, but an enjoyable history lesson for locals who don't know Brigham Young as well as they should.
Although admittance is costly - $10 a person - it's well worth the price to witness Brigham Young as he may have been.