Through song, dance and even comedy, the new and first interactive show at This is The Place Heritage Park shows guests the history of Utah — and not just the pioneers.
From fry sauce and Jell-O, to the Osmonds and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, to the cowboy era and railroad days, a group of talented Brigham Young University students perform original pieces for guests from around the world, called "Utah, Welcome Home."
"We're going to take a little trip through Utah. The past, present and even a bit of the future. It may not be the way you remember it from the history books. It may be a little warped, in fact," said Ross Boothe, 23, from Spanish Fork, at the beginning of the performance.
Boothe, who wrote the music, is one of six core performers for the group. The friends are mostly music/ dance/theater majors who have performed all over the world with BYU's Young Ambassadors. But this year, they have been spending their summer in Salt Lake City, performing "Utah, Welcome Home" four to six times a week for public and private groups.
"Comedy is king in this show," said Justin Earl, 24, from Dallas, Texas. Earl, who has worked at the park for three years, was approached by coordinators at the park in February about putting together the park's first musical show. Earl called his friends Ross and Michelle Boothe, Jeff Stevens, Nicole Richards and Lane Olson to help choreograph, write and create an hour and a half comedic musical, focusing on Utah's history. "Everyone chipped in. It's been really fulfilling watching something we've put together."
The six picked pivotal, interesting, comedic and even quirky moments from Utah's history to form 13 main points the show revolves around. It took Ross five weeks to write the music, then came the choreography and costumes, and after a few weeks of rehearsal, "Utah, Welcome Home" opened in May.
"Although it's scripted, it's really an hour and a half of ad lib," Ross said.
"It's definitely evolved from what it was to what we're performing (now)," said Michelle, 21, from Mesa, Ariz.
"The audience members were our guinea pigs," said Stevens, 22, from Rock Springs, Wyo. Many of the jokes are created on spot, rather than rehashing old ones night after night. "With the improv, we really play off each other."
And, the group says, the audience loves the variety of the show, too. Stevens said it's been called "Utah's biggest treasure" and been compared to Broadway by audience members. Public performances are Monday and Friday nights, but during the week, "Utah, Welcome Home" is done for private groups, like bus tours. The show has had a variety of audience members, like a Mandarin Chinese Group, the Salt Lake City Police Department, the Taiwanese Delegation and 560 family history missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"People tell us, 'It's so great to see someone proud of this heritage,'" said Richards, 23, from Denver. It's not unusual to see people leaving the outdoor bowery stage crying, she said, whether from laughter or pride of Utah's unique history.
"I like the way the audience reacts to different issues we are addressing," Ross said. "We address issues that could be offensive, but we make it comedic. People come and laugh with us."
Tourists who see "Utah, Welcome Home" through a bus tour are especially touched by the show, said Cliff Harris, events coordinator for the park. Some are visiting Utah for the first time and have never heard the history of the Beehive State.
"Some are starting their day at three in the morning, but by the time they're leaving (the show), they're weeping and love it here and want a tour," he said.
"It's been fun to see the audiences grow," Earl said. Some guests have come back second and third times to watch the show and can even recognize the performers by name.
"People call me by name. It's like Cheers," said Olson, 23, from Spanish Fork. As for this summer job, Olson said he loves the show, and it's provided him a one-of-a-kind experience as a performer. "It's probably been the best thing that's happened to me for a while. It's honestly been the best performing opportunity I've had so far."
"Utah's heritage is a touching thing," Ross said. "It's moving. And it's a really neat thing to pay ohmage to that."
The high-energy story begins in 1847, when the Latter-day Saint pioneers came through Emigration Canyon to Utah. After a comedic discussion about calling a desert home, the group sings: "There's no place like it in the whole wide world . . . come see why we call it great . . . the Great Salt Lake."
"To come here and settle in a God-forsaken place was very difficult," Ross tells the audience. "But out of this desert, a wonderful place bloomed."
From there, the musical comedy journeys to the arrival of the railroad in Salt Lake City, into the Wild, Wild West and takes a look at Utah's own Renaissance period.
In a routine, "You can thank a Utahn," performers list off famous inventions created in Utah: television, video games, traffic light, disposable diaper, odomemter, artificial heart, home dialysis machine and even the left hand turn lane.
Ross jokes about some of Utah's more quirky aspects, like the fact that green Jell-O is the official state snack food. And that census records show Salt Lake County and Utah County have a bigger competition than rival colleges University of Utah and Brigham Young University — both counties lead the nation in highest birth rate per capita.
"Utah definitely has its own food, its own vocabulary and it's also been blessed with its own entertainers."
After a tribute to Donny and Marie Osmond, the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics and a spoof on Utah's dating scene, the show ends with a tribute to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
"Despite all the jokes and all the fun we've had together, we do feel very strongly about what occurred here 150 years ago when Brigham (Young) and that first group of pioneers came out and entered the Salt Lake Valley," Ross says in the conclusion to the show. "I'm from Utah, born and raised, and proud of it. And very thankful for what Utah has given me, the lessons I have learned about what it means to be happy, what it means to be successful. As far as we're concerned, this is the place."
For those who would like dinner for the show, food is available at the park's Huntsman Hotel. Food items, entrees and prices vary. "Utah, Welcome Home" runs through the end of September, with Monday and Friday night shows open to the public. It is anticipated that the show could run past September and another public show may be added. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and costs $7.50 per person and $25 per family. Discounts are available for larger groups. Reservations are required, call 582-1847 for details or visit www.thisistheplace.org.
E-mail: astowell@desnews.com