"110 IN THE SHADE," special engagement through July 10, Hale Center Theater Orem (801-226-8600); running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes (one intermission)
OREM — Sigh … what does one say after seeing four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald grace the stage of the intimate Hale Center Theater Orem?
The thing to say is: Do. Not. Miss. This. Show.
McDonald and fellow Broadway actor and Tony Award nominee Will Swenson are starring in the musical "110 in the Shade" for a two-week special engagement to help the family-run theater (run by Swenson's brother and wife) make much-needed upgrades.
The two were in the Broadway revival in New York, where they met and are reprising their roles (Swenson was the understudy in the role of Starbuck).
And there was a buzz in the air of the small space, as everyone anticipated what would no doubt be something special.
That's exactly what the audience got.
The theater-in-the-round allows unprecedented views and proximity to the actress. Truly, there is no other time, show or theater where you would be able to experience what McDonald does while sitting so close you could touch her.
When McDonald was in town recently for an interview, I asked her about the space, mentioning that the people in the front row will literally have their feet on the stage. She said that she loves those small spaces because it "keeps you honest."
Well, McDonald delivered honesty over and over.
"110 in the Shade" is the musical version of the play "The Rainmaker" by N. Richard Nash. It's about Lizzie Curry, a plain woman who is perhaps a bit too smart for her own good, leaving the men in her town wary of her and leaving her concerned she'll grow old with no one.
Set during the Depression-era dust bowl, a stranger comes to town bringing promises of ending the drought.
Beyond being an amazing evening of theater, this really is the most wonderful master class for anyone who has ever considered acting.
McDonald stood there teaching an incredible lesson of being engaged and present. There was never a down moment.
With subtle nuance, the curling of the fingers into her thumb, darting eyes and averted gazes, flinging her arms when making a point, and the visible sting when told she'll be an "old maid," every fiber of that woman's body, from the inside out, felt every ounce of Lizzie's happiness and pain.
What interested me when I first heard about McDonald's appearance was what would undoubtedly be a discrepancy between her and the rest of the cast made up of local actors.
But I was happy to discover that I couldn't have been more wrong. From the second the actors took the stage, our local folks, who seemed to walk a little taller and prouder, as though they weren't about to let McDonald down, really held their own.
Marvin Payne was wonderfully endearing as McDonald's worried dad. Her brothers, played by Tim Threlfall and Jared Young, were a nice balance off one another, and, perhaps most impressively, was Kevin Goertzen as File, who has two of the more tender scenes with McDonald and completely holds his own during the beautiful duet, "A Man and a Woman."
And please, a standing ovation for David Zabriskie and Michael Leavitt, who have created a music system that, though prerecorded, allows McDonald and the rest of the top-notch cast the freedom and flexibility to feel the music rather than being forced through it by the ever marching beat of a CD.
What a treat. Truly, what a theatrical treat in our own backyard. Please, do yourself the favor of getting a ticket. It will be worth every effort.
e-mail: ehansen@desnews.com