Six Broadway and off Broadway musicals are opening this week along the Wasatch Front.
"LA CAGE AUX FOLLES," Jerry Herman's 1984 hit, which won best-musical Tony awards in 1984 and this year for its Broadway revival, will be staged Friday through Aug. 27 by the Egyptian Theatre Company in Park City.
Directed and choreographed by Brent Schneider, it's a flamboyant musical comedy about "family values" in a wildly unconventional family — Georges and Albin, a gay French couple who run a St. Tropez drag club. They have to pretend to be straight for just one night when Georges' son announces his engagement and his ultra-conservative future in-laws come to visit.
The Park City cast includes Jim Pitts as Georges, Kenneth Wayne as Albin, Chris Johnston as the son, Ramona Mallory his fiancee, and John Ordway and Dee Macaluso as her parents.
Following the opening on Friday, "La Cage aux Folles" will continue on Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Aug. 27 at the Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St., Park City.
Opening-night tickets are $32 for adults, $26 for senior citizens, $18 for students and $16 for children, 12 and under. Tickets for the remainder of the run range from $10-$12 for children and $14-$16 for students, with those for adults and senior citizens ranging from $17-$19 on weeknights until June 30, then $20-$22 and $24-$27 on weekends (435-649-9371).
"SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM," a musical revue showcasing the sophisticated works of Stephen Sondheim, is the second in this summer's Utah Musical Theatre productions, playing Friday and Saturday, then rotating in repertory with "Kiss Me, Kate" through July 9 in Peery's Egyptian Theater, 2415 Washington Blvd., Ogden.
Nearly 30 of Sondheim's best-known songs, including those from collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne and Richard Rodgers, are featured in the revue, including tunes from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Anyone Can Whistle," "A Little Night Music," "West Side Story," "Gypsy" and "Do I Hear a Waltz?" There will also be some rarely heard numbers.
Bruce Cohen, UMT's artistic director, is directing an ensemble with Jennifer Perry, Justin Ivie, Vanessa Cheney, Whit Baldwin, Polly Seale, Robert Anthony Jones, Ginger Bess Simons and Jessica Perry. Traditionally, the revue is staged with only two women and one man, but Cohen decided to expand his cast to five women and three men for a fuller sound for the large venue.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $16 for students, senior citizens, military, educators and special needs/disabled, and $10 for WSU faculty, staff and students. All performances are at 7:30 p.m. (395-3227, 626-8500 or 800-978-8457).
"THE FANTASTICKS," the longest-running musical in American theater history (17,162 performances during 42 years at the Sullivan St. Playhouse in New York City), will have a much shorter run — only 10 performances — as part of the 2005 Old Lyric Repertory Company series in Logan.
It plays Thursday-Saturday at the Caine Lyric Theatre, then continues in repertory with three other shows through Aug. 4.
Written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, it's directed by Utah State University theater professor Artemis Preeshl. Her cast includes Megan Walker as Luisa, Tyson Smith as Matt, and Lee Daily and Bart Williams as the feuding fathers, Bellomy and Hucklebee, with Richie Call as the heroic El Gallo.
Tickets for evening performances are $17 for adults, $15 for Utah State University faculty, staff and senior citizens and $12 for USU students and all youths under 18. Tickets for the matinees (June 25 and July 23) are $13, $10 and $8. All evening performances are 8 p.m. with matinees at 2 p.m. (435-752-1500 or 435-752-0026, ext. 14).
"THE SECRET GARDEN," the Broadway musical based on the popular children's book, plays from Friday through Aug. 6 at the Center Street Musical Theatre, 177 W. Center St., Provo.
The cast includes Georgia Wadsworth as Lily, Lauren Faber as Mary Lennox, Gavin Grooms as Archibald and Raymond Zentz as Craven, with a live orchestra under the direction of Carol Jacobsen.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for students, senior citizens and children and $25 per family on Monday nights. Optional dinner service is also available, beginning at 6:30 p.m., for an additional $10 charge. Advance reservations are required for the catered dinners (764-0535 or www.csmtc.com).
"THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE," Gilbert and Sullivan's classic operetta farce about sentimental pirates, bumbling policemen and dewy-eyed young women, plays from Friday through July 2 at the Sandy City Amphitheater, 1300 E. 9400 South.
Directed by Bradford Garrison, the cast includes Fred Lee as Frederic, Leisl Bonell as Ruth, Keven Burtenshaw as the Pirate King, Stephen Williams as the eccentric Major General and Natalie Killpack-Empey as Mabel.
Performances are nightly except Sunday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $9 for lawn seating and $11-$13 for stadium seating, with discounts for groups of 20 or more (586-2787 or online at www.Sandy.Utah.gov
"BRIGADOON" will be staged by the West Valley Arts Council Wednesday through June 28, nightly except Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Utah Cultural Celebration Center Amphitheater, 1355 W. 3100 South.
Tickets, available at the door, are $5 for general admission or $3 for senior citizens and children (10 and under).
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com