Broadway musicals, intimate dramas and one of Utah's biggest annual pageants are among this week's new productions:
"CACTUS FLOWER," Abe Burrows' 1965 comedy classic, is being presented by StageRight TheatreCompany June 15-July 13 in the Realms of Inquiry school auditorium.
Vicki Pugmire is directing.
Her cast includes Jeremy Jonsson as Julian, a swinging Park Avenue dentist who has decided to settle down and marry his kooky girlfriend; Lisa Anderson as Toni, the girlfriend, who has been led to believe that Julian is already stuck in a marriage that's on the rocks; and Barb Gandy as Stephanie, his receptionist, whom he persuades to pose as his soon-to-be ex-wife.
Also in the cast are John Cannon, Debra Flink, Larry Ganz, Kati Paul and David Sanderson.
Performances will be 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at the school, 1140 S. 900 East. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students and senior citizens. For reservations, call 485-8038.
"THE MORMON MIRACLE PAGEANT" is playing June 13-22 on Temple Hill in Manti. The annual production, with a cast of more than 500, tells the intertwining stories of Joseph Smith, the Mormon pioneers in Sanpete Valley and ancient events in the Americas from the Book of Mormon. Performances, all free, are 9:30 p.m. on June 13-15 and 18-22.
Due to the large crowds and heavy traffic, especially on weekends, visitors are advised to arrive in Manti as early as possible. Congregations in the two LDS Church buildings in town serve nightly dinners of barbecued turkey and roast beef. Call 888-255-8860 for further information.
"ANNE FRANK AND ME" is a University of Utah Youth Theatre production, scheduled June 12-22 in the Babcock Theatre.
Written by Cherie Bennett, the drama revolves around Nicole Burns, a skeptical young Christian girl in a suburban American town where teenage girls in a school class have been assigned to read "The Diary of Anne Frank." Nicole doubts the truth of the story and cares even less, but when she's hit by a car she awakens to find herself transported to Nazi-occupied France in 1940, where she is a Jew who is forced into hiding and wears a yellow star.
Margo Andrews is directing a cast of young actors from the U. and adults from the local community. The cast includes Camille Jensen and Haley McCormick alternating in the role of Nicole.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. June 12-15 and 19-22, with matinees at 2 p.m. on June 15 and 19. The Babcock Theatre is located on the lower level of the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre building, 300 S. 1400 East. Tickets are $5 for youths and $8 for adults. They're available at Kingsbury Hall (581-7100) or other ArtTix outlets at 355-2787.
"MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL," T.S. Eliot's classic poem/play, is being staged by Westvale Christian Theatre Company June 14-29.
Directed by Beth Bruner, this staged version will emphasize the liturgy and history of the script (the death of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170), while examining such current issues as what creates an assassin or martyr, and how do normal people deal with earth-shaking world events. Eliot's piece was originally commissioned for the rededication of Canterbury Cathedral in 1935.
The cast includes Tom Maggio as Becket, with Kara Potts, Brandon Rufener, Teri Saunders, Jennie Tobler and Mark White in multiple roles as knights, priests and townswomen.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. in the church, 3610 S. 4400 West, West Valley City. All tickets are $5 each. For reservations, call 965-6221. The show is not suitable for young children.
"THE EDUCATED HEART," one of Ruth and Nathan Hales' romantic comedies, will play June 14-July 20 at Hale Center Theater Orem.
Directed by Merrill Dodge, the cast features Amanda Bakly and Jennifer Porter sharing the role of schoolteacher Jessie McBain, who comes to a remote Utah valley in the 1930s to teach in a tiny school.
She finds herself in the middle of "educated" folks confronting the "illiterate."
Other roles include Todd, a hard-working illiterate man, played by Elwon Bakly and Sanford Porter; the opinionated Lydia, played by Linda Bramwell and Kathy Llewellyn, and semi-literate Owen, played by Dougas Eric Dial and DeShawn Smith.
Performances at the theater, 225 W. 400 North, are 7:30 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays-Saturdays, June 14-July 6, after which the show will continue nightly except Sundays, July 8-20. Tickets range from $8-$12.50. For reservations, call 226-8600.
"SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS" will play June 14-24 in the SCERA Shell amphitheater in Orem.
Director Jerry Elison's cast includes Richard Losee as Adam Pontipee and Allyson Edvalson as Millie, the young girl who becomes his bride — not knowing that Adam has six other brothers at home (played by Jerison Hatch, Todd Beagley, Kevin Johnson, Josh Romney, Fred Lee and Dave Peterson). The other six not-so-reluctant brides will be played by April Anderson, Melissa Aaron, Arly Crawford, Janell Lewis, Andrea Chapman and Corinne Mayberry.
Performances are Mondays and Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets are available at the SCERA box office, 745 S. State, or by calling 225-2569 or 225-2787. Some tickets may also be available at the gate one hour prior to show time.
"THE SOUND OF MUSIC" will play June 13-21 in West Jordan City Park's main bowery, 8000 S. Redwood Road.
Rosalie Richards is directing a cast that includes Kristine Jorgensen as Maria, Kevin Burtenshaw as Capt. Von Trapp, Dana Bently as the Mother Abbess, Stephen McBride as Max and Judy Bins as the Baroness. Performances will be 7:30 p.m. June 13-15 and 17-21. Tickets range from $3-$5, or $20 per family (up to six people). Tickets may be purchased in advance at City Hall. They will also be available at the gate.
"RAISED IN CAPTIVITY," a dark comedy by New York playwright Nicky Silver, is being staged by the U. Department of Theatre Students Advisory Committee June 12-16 in the Lab Theatre. Erick Herrscher is directing the drama about two twins — Bernadette and Sebastian — who are reunited at their mother's funeral after many years of separation. The cast includes Cassandra Stokes-Wylie and Lloyd Mulvey as the twins, with Opie Mulvey, Ariana Broumas and Francis Reyes in other roles. Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The Lab Theatre is located in the U. Performing Arts Building, directly west of the campus bookstore. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students. They're available at the door, or call 631-0534.
PLAYBACK THEATRE is not your typical "improv" experience. Unlike "improv comedy," which is done purely for laughs and entertainment, Playback Theatre is described as "interactive improvisational theater based on personal stories." Founded by Jonathan Fox in 1975, the Playback Theatre, based in New York's Hudson Valley, has formally organized groups in more than 30 countries. Some hospitals utilize the Playback format for therapy. Allisone Weiss, artistic director of Utah's first Playback Theatre, has scheduled a workshop on Saturday, June 15, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 8575 S. 700 East, for those interested in the technique. Three forms of presentation will be taught, and those attending will do sound, movement and interactive warm-ups and will have an opportunity to share their stories, then see them "played back."Fee for the workshop is $60 per person. For further information, call 588-0308.
SUMMER PUPPET SHOWS will be presented on Wednesdays at noon during June and the first three weeks of July at Pioneer Craft House, 3271 S. 500 East. Coralie Leue and the Puppet Players will perform on June 12, 19 and 26 and July 3, 10 and 17. The shows are free and are geared to audiences of all ages. For further information, call 481-7131 or 277-0705. Parking may be accessed from 540 E. 3300 South.
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com