An out-of-print 1912 comedy, an off-Broadway musical based on a campy 1954 Western and one of Shakespeare's most controversial "problem" plays make for a diverse fall season at the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
Playing in repertory Tuesdays-Saturdays in the Randall L. Jones Theatre will be:
"Peg o' My Heart," directed by Jim O'Connor and written in 1912 by J. Hartley Manners as a showcase for his wife, legendary comedy actress Laurette Taylor.
"The Merchant of Venice," directed by J.R. Sullivan, Shakespeare's complex classic that's filled with both politically incorrect attitudes and insightful social commentary.
"Johnny Guitar: the Musical," the Utah premiere of a recent off-Broadway hit based on a Western-noir classic, which originally starred Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge as mining-town rivals. The musical is directed by Brad Carroll, who promises to "put the 'camp' back in campfire."
Festival Director R. Scott Phillips, who made a quick swing through Salt Lake City a few days ago to talk about the fall season's offerings, said USF Founder Fred Adams "has wanted to produce 'Peg o' My Heart' for years."
Deciding that this was the year to do it, Adams and Phillips discovered that, while the script is listed in the Samuel French catalog, it has long been out of print. There were no copies available, except for one at the Library of Congress. So the festival got permission to have copies made from that lone volume.
Laurette Taylor starred in the play, which ran for 603 performances in 1912-14, and for another 88 performances when it was revived in 1921. "When her husband, the playwright, died in 1928, Taylor sort of locked up the script and put it away," said Phillips. "The Old Lyric in Logan did it several years ago."
The play revolves around spunky Peg O'Connell who is sent from Ireland to live with her wealthy British relatives. "It's being directed by Jim O'Connor and, being Irish, he brings an interesting perspective. The tricky thing about 'Peg o' My Heart' is there are two dogs in the show. Peg brings her poor little waif of a dog into the English manor house. Is the mongrel going to take over the family's pedigreed dog?
"Peg is like a breath of fresh air. She brings light and fresh thought and wins everyone over."
Phillips said there are a few tricks in "Johnny Guitar" as well — especially what guest scenery designer Jo Winiarski has done with the stage. "Depending on the scene, we have to be in a bank, in a saloon, in a mine shaft, in a cabin and in the middle of the desert, and she's created all these worlds.
"And wait until you see the set for 'Merchant of Venice' — two stories high with balconies and beautiful paintings, setting the tone for the richness and lushness of the Italian world (as opposed to a story) of intolerance and brutality."
With the change in the seasons there is also a change in the festival's casting.
Michael Sharon, who USF audiences first saw last year as Lancelot in "Camelot," plays Antonio, the title character in "The Merchant of Venice," and the Dancin' Kid in "Johnny Guitar."
Misty Cotton, who played Percy in "The Spitfire Grill," is playing the role of saloon owner Vienna (the Joan Crawford role) in "Johnny Guitar," with Melinda Pfundstein as Emma the rancher, her rival.
"The actor who most intrigues me," said Phillips, "is John Pribyl, who was with the festival in the early '80s for just one season, then was hired by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he's been since. I have seen amazing work by him there. Jim Sullivan, who directed there last year, was able to get Pribyl to come here to play Shylock."
Phillips also said that the festival is partnering with the Cedar City Library to participate in the National Endowment for the Arts' nationwide "Big Read" program, a project designed to encourage young people and adults to enjoy reading.
NEA Chairman Dana Gioia was in Cedar City recently to attend some of the summer season productions and meet with the festival staff. "We've selected Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' which is such a classic," Phillips said, "and it's on the 'Big Read' list of recommended books. It's about intolerance and misunderstanding and distrust. It's not just about the South. It's a good book for us to explore."
Several local events connected to the festival's fall season include the Cedar City Arts Festival next weekend on Friday and Saturday; the festival's annual High School Shakespeare Competition, Oct. 5-7; and the annual Great Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 14.
If you go
What: Utah Shakespearean Festival (fall season)
Where: Southern Utah University, Cedar City
When: Friday through Oct. 28
How much: $16-$34
Phone: 800-752-9849
Web: www.bard.org
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com