The "summer theater" season is kicking in earlier this year, and theatergoers will find a large number of regional premieres (and one major world premiere), plus more professional "Equity" performers than in seasons past.
The venerable Old Lyric Repertory Company begins its 34th season next week in Logan. The four plays there will include Utah's first production of the long-running London hit, "Blood Brothers."The summer season really begins this weekend (tonight, in fact) with the opening of an old-fashioned melodrama, "Fireman, Save My Child!" at the tourist-oriented Bumbleberry Playhouse in Springdale, where visitors to Zion Canyon are invited to spend the night, sample some famous bumbleberry pie and attend a performance.
Major events coming up during the next couple of months include:
Utah's first look at "Wit," the acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by first-time playwright Margaret Edson, being mounted July 19-Aug. 13 by The Emily Company at Rose Wagner Center.
The world premieres of two productions at the Utah Shakespearean Festival: "The War of the Roses," adapted and directed by Howard Jensen from Shakespeare's "Henry VI" trilogy, and a new adaptation by USF founder/executive producer Fred C. Adams of Sir James M. Barrie's "Peter Pan."
The resurrection of Brigham Young's old Deseret Dramatic Association, which will present Pioneer era productions in the replicated Social Hall at This Is the Place Heritage Park's Old Deseret Village. The first two productions, running in repertory, will be "The Lady of Lyons" and "They Came to Fort Union."
Michael Jesse Bennett, founder of the new DDA, said the group will perform a mix of plays likely to have been done in the 1850s along with contemporary works about the Pioneers.
One of the summer's big blockbusters is the national touring production of "Beauty and the Beast," scheduled for a four-week run at the Capitol Theater. This Theater League of Utah presentation was recently extended by an additional week due to heavy ticket sales. (The touring company may also be holding auditions in Salt Lake City some time during the engagement.)
Several of the region's longest running summer festivals are taking things to a higher level this year, bringing some seasoned, professional performers in from New York and Hollywood.
The 20-year-old, Ogden-based Utah Musical Theatre (adding one nonmusical comedy to the mix this year), will take on a definite star-studded look. Aileen Quinn, who starred as "Annie" both on Broadway and in the first film version of the musical, will tackle the title role of "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"; Erin Moran, who starred as Joanie in "Happy Days" and its spinoff, "Joanie Loves Chachi," will make her stage debut as Bella in Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers," and Adrian Zmed, who played Danny Zuko in the Broadway and national tours of "Grease" (he was in Salt Lake City for the 1997 stop), will portray John Adams in "1776."
Michael Rupert, who won the Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway revival of "Sweet Charity," will portray Tevye in Sundance Summer Theatre's production of "Fiddler on the Roof." Rupert also received Tony nominations for his work in "Happy Time" and "Falsettos," and appeared in "City of Angels" and "Ragtime," in addition to several TV shows and films.
A lot of theatergoers will probably make the trek to Tuacahn this summer to catch longtime favorite Max Robinson as Professor Harold Hill in "The Music Man."
Popular performers returning to the Utah Shakespearean Festival include Leslie Brott, Michelle Farr, Libby George, A. Bryan Humphrey (back for his seventh season), Charles Metten, Fredi Olster and Jered Tanner.
USF newcomers include Rick Hamilton, who was in the original Broadway production of "Amadeus," as York in "The War of the Roses," and Mark Murphey and Dennis Robertson who have spent, respectively, 19 years and 10 years at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Desert Star Playhouse fans will have to change directions, slightly, come June 10. That's the night "Robin Hood -- Boooos and Arrows" closes, after which DSP will temporarily shut down to put the finishing touches on its big remodeling project. During the interim, the Playhouse will produce two original comedies in Murray Park Amphitheater -- "A Salute to America and Other Election Year Bloopers," June 15-July 1, and "Desert Stars Greatest Hits," Aug. 10-19."
These are just a sampling of some of the highlights of nearly 90 productions opening across the region from now through the first week in September.
Salt Lake Shakespeare probably won't be performing this summer due to extensive remodeling now under way in its usual venue, the Babcock Theatre of the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre building at the U. (Ah, but next season there'll be better seating and expanded legroom.)
Here are plays and musicals scheduled statewide:
MAY
May 26-July 3: Fireman, Save My Child! (Bumbleberry Playhouse, Springdale)
JUNE
June 1-July 27: The Sunshine Boys (Old Lyric Repertory Company, Logan)
June 2-24: The Student Prince (Heritage Community Theatre, Perry)
June 3-19: Black Comedy (Springville Playhouse, Art City Days production)
June 5-July 22: The Wizard of Oz (Terrace Plaza Playhouse, Ogden)
June 7-July 20: Blood Brothers (regional premiere, Old Lyric Repertory Company, Logan)
June 12-17: Damn Yankees (Kenley Amphitheater, Layton)
June 13-Aug. 5: The All-Night Strut (Utah Musical Theatre, Ogden)
June 15-July 1: A Salute to America and Other Election Year Bloopers (Desert Star Playhouse at Murray Park Amphitheater)
June 15-23: Bye Bye Birdie (West Jordan Arts Council)
June 15-26: Brigadoon (SCERA Shell, Orem)
June 15-24: The Mormon Miracle Pageant (Manti)
June 16-July 29: I Do! I Do! (Egyptian Theatre Company, Park City)
June 16-Sept. 1: Fiddler on the Roof (Tuacahn Amphitheater, Ivins)
June 16-July 29: West Side Story (Rodgers Memorial Theatre, Centerville)
June 16-19: Broadway Kidz 2000 (Sandy Amphitheater; also June 22-26, Draper)
June 17-Sept. 2: Jungle Book (City Rep's Family Theatre)
June 17-July 15: No Sex, Please, We're British (StageRight TheaterCompany)
June 17-Sept. 2: The Music Man (Tuacahn Amphitheater, Ivins)
June 19-20: Weed (Peery's Egyptian Theater, Ogden)
June 21-July 28: Wait Until Dark (Old Lyric Repertory Company, Logan)
June 21-Sept. 2: Money, Power, Murder, Revenge and Marvelous Clothes (Pickleville Playhouse, Bear Lake)
June 22-Sept. 2: The Merry Wives of Windsor (Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City)
June 22-July 15: Forever Plaid (Old Barn Community Theatre, Collingston)
June 22-28: Harvey (Coal Country Players, Geary Theatre, CEU, Price)
June 22-26: Broadway Kidz 2000 (Draper Historic Theater)
June 23-Sept. 2: See How They Run (Hafen Indoor Theatre, Tuacahn Center, Ivins)
June 23-Sept. 1: War of the Roses (world premiere, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City)
June 23-July 31: See How They Run (Valley Center Playhouse, Lindon)
June 23-July 10: The Music Man (Outlaw Trail Theatre, Vernal)
June 24-Sept. 2: The Merchant of Venice (Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City)
June 26-Sept. 2: Peter Pan (world premiere, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City)
June 27-July 8: Lost in Yonkers (Utah Musical Theatre, Ogden)
June 27-Sept. 1: Noises Off (Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City)
June 28-Aug. 12: Fiddler on the Roof (Sundance Summer Theatre, Provo Canyon)
June 28-Aug. 5: Hula Hoop Sha-Boop (Provo Theatre Company)
June 28-July 1: The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of Macbeth (Sandy Arts Council, Sandy Amphitheater)
June 28-Sept. 2: The Cherry Orchard (Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City)
June 28-Sept. 3: Saturday's Voyeur (Salt Lake Acting Company)
June 29-July 8: The Music Man (Riverton Arts Council, Riverton Community Center)
June 29-Aug. 5: The West: America's Odyssey (Festival of the American West; American West Heritage Center, Wellsville)
June 30-Aug. 7: The Man with the Pointed Toes (Hale Center Theater Orem)
June 30-Aug. 5: The Star-Spangled Girl (Little London Dinner Theatre, Pleasant Grove)
June 30-July 15: The Pirates of Penzance (Midvale Arts Council)
June 30-July 5: melodrama, to be announced (Edge of the Seaters, Blanding)
JULY
July 5-29: Goodnight, Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet) (Old Lyric Repertory Company, Logan)
July 6-8: Woman in the Wind: Drusilla's Story (Deseret Dance Theater, Farrer Middle School, Provo)
July 7-Sept. 2: Lucky Stiff (Egyptian Theatre Company, Park City)
July 7-22: Love, Sex and the IRS (Wasatch Theatre Company, West Valley City)
July 7-8: The Other Side of Love (Hale Summer Playhouse, Grover)
July 10-15: Don't Drink the Water (Kenley Amphitheater, Layton)
July 13-Aug. 21: Her Fatal Beauty or A Shop Girl's Horror (Bumbleberry Playhouse, Springdale)
July 14-Aug. 19: Prelude of Love (Hale Centre Theatre, West Valley City)
July 14-24: The Lady of Lyons (Deseret Dramatic Association, Social Hall, This Is the Place Heritage Park Old Deseret Village)
July 14-Aug. 19: Nunsense (Villa Playhouse Theatre, Springville)
July 14-18: Li'l Abner (Farmington Arts Council, Woodland Park Amphitheater)
July 14-15: Into the Woods, Jr. (Eagle Mountain Community Theater, Fitzgerald Family Park)
July 15-Aug. 5: The Mikado (Utah Festival Opera Co., Ellen Eccles Theatre, Logan)
July 15-22: They Came to Union Fort (Deseret Dramatic Association, Social Hall, This Is the Place Heritage Park Old Deseret Village)
July 17-Aug. 12: Saigon Water Puppet Theatre (Sundance Children's Theatre, King Stage)
July 18-29) The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Utah Musical Theatre, Ogden)
July 19-Aug. 6: Wit (The Emily Company; Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center)
July 21-April 12: Kiss and Tell (Heritage Community Theatre, Perry)
July 21-22: April Ann (Hale Summer Playhouse, Grover)
July 26-Aug. 20: Beauty and the Beast (national tour; Capitol Theatre)
July 26-29: BYU Student Showcase (Margetts Theatre, Provo)
July 27-Aug. 2: Li'l Abner (Murray Arts Council, Murray Amphitheater)
July 27-Aug. 5: Castle Valley Pageant (Castledale)
July 27-31: Dancing Shoes (Villa Playhouse Theatre, Springville)
July 28-Aug. 19: Man of La Mancha (SCERA Shell, Orem; also Aug. 24-26 in Murray Park Amphitheater)
AUGUST
Aug. 3-18: The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Taylorsville Arts Council, Alder Amphitheater, SLCC's Redwood campus)
Aug. 4-Sept. 18: Annie Get Your Gun (Terrace Plaza Playhouse, Ogden)
Aug. 4-Sept. 11: Time After Time (Valley Center Playhouse, Lindon)
Aug. 5-12: The Music Man (Sandy Arts Council, Sandy City Amphitheater)
Aug. 8-19: 1776 (Utah Musical Theatre, Ogden)
Aug. 10-19: Desert Star's Greatest Hits (Murray Park Amphitheater)
Aug. 10-23: The Fantasticks (Little London Dinner Theatre, Pleasant Grove)
Aug. 10-14: Benson Gristmill Pageant (Stansbury Park)
Aug. 10-14: The Pajama Game (Bluffdale Arts Council, South Hills Middle School)
Aug. 10-16 & 24-26: Oklahoma! (Coal Country Players, Geary Theatre, CEU, Price)
Aug. 11-Sept. 16: A . . . My Name Is Alice (Egyptian Theatre Company, Park City)
Aug. 11-Oct. 2: My Fair Lady (Hale Center Theater, Orem)
Aug. 11-26: Martin Harris: The Man Who Knew (Clarkston)
Aug. 11-12: Charley's Aunt (Hale Summer Playhouse, Grover)
Aug. 11-12: The Pirates of Penzance (Midvale Harvest Days celebration)
Aug. 16-19: Forever Plaid (Edge of the Seaters, Blanding)
Aug. 17-Sept. 4: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Draper Historic Theater)
Aug. 18-Sept . 23: The Music Man (Rodgers Memorial Theatre, Centerville)
Aug. 21-26: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Kenley Amphitheater, Layton)
Aug. 23-Sept. 15: March Tale (Castle Theatre Festival, Provo)
Aug. 24-26: Man of La Mancha (touring SCERA production, Murray Park Amphitheater)
Aug. 24-Sept. 16: The Merry Wives of Windsor (Castle Theatre Festival, Provo)
Aug. 26-Oct. 21: Jane Eyre: The Musical (Hale Centre Theatre, West Valley City)
Aug. 26-Sept. 23: A Midsummer Night's Dream (StageRight TheaterCompany)
Aug. 26-Sept. 4: Singing in the Rain (Payson Community Theater)
Aug. 29-Sept. 1: Spellbound & It Happened One Night (Radio Classics on Stage at Sundance, prior to SFX's national tour)
Aug. 31-Oct. 9: Foiled by an Innocent Man or The Curse of the Iron Horse (Bumbleberry Playhouse, Springdale)
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 1-Oct. 7: The Foreigner (Villa Playhouse Theatre, Springville)
Sept. 1-2: A Prelude of Love (Hale Summer Playhouse, Grover)