Showing posts with label Tuacahn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tuacahn. Show all posts

Friday, July 28, 2023

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Tuacahn Amphitheatre

I always like to see at least one show at Tuacahn every year so I took a quick road trip to St. George for The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Tarzan and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are the other shows being performed in repertory) last night.  I really love this musical and I knew it would be spectacular against the red rock!  Quasimodo (Justin Luciano) has been hidden by his master Frollo (Randal Keith) in the bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral all of his life because he is deformed.  He wonders what it would be like to leave the cathedral and decides that he will be safe on the streets of Paris during the Feast of Fools.  He is eventually crowned the King of the Fools but when the crowd turns on him the gypsy Esmeralda (Sophia Marie Guerrero) rescues him.  She also catches the eye of the captain of the cathedral guard Phoebus de Martin (Sean Thompson) who falls in love with her and she bewitches Frollo who becomes obsessed with possessing her.  When Esmeralda rejects Frollo, he orders Phoebus to arrest her but when he refuses they both become fugitives who are given sanctuary in the cathedral by Quasimodo until the final confrontation in the bell tower.  The four main leads are amazing!  My favorite song in the show is "God Help the Outcasts" and Guerrero sings it beautifully; Keith's version of "Hellfire" is incredibly dramatic (it is also staged brilliantly with a projection of Esmeralda dancing in flames on the rose window of the cathedral); Luciano's rendition of "Heaven's Light" brought tears to my eyes; and Thompson is so romantic when he sings "Someday" with Guerrero.  The ensemble also does an excellent job narrating the story in "The Bells of Notre Dame" and its multiple reprises.  One of my favorite aspects of the show is the use of gargoyles as characters who help and inspire Quasimodo.  Most productions that I've seen use three actors who are costumed as actual gargoyles but this show features many of them who appear on the outside of the cathedral and the bell towers and then are brought to life as puppets by the ensemble.  This change is particularly effective in the song "Made of Stone" when they accuse Quasimodo.  The choreography is very energetic and engaging, especially in "Topsy Turvy" (I loved the ribbons) and "The Rhythm of the Tambourine."  As with most productions at Tuacahn, there are lots of fun details which set this apart from the other versions I have seen.  Phoebus appears in the cathedral square for the first time on horseback, King Louis XI visits Frollo in a carriage pulled by horses, real fire is used to burn the brothel down, Quasimodo really swings from a rope to save Esmeralda from the pyre, and he really throws Frollo from the bell tower (with some amazing special effects).  Finally, the set is absolutely spectacular!  The stage is dominated by a Gothic cathedral with two large bell towers on either side.  A large screen behind the cathedral features various projections (I especially loved the beautiful rose window when the inside of the cathedral is shown) and I think they are used very effectively.  The area in front of the cathedral becomes a square with the addition of a few set pieces and it becomes the inside of the cathedral when the doors open and pews and votive stands are added.  I was very impressed with this show and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets to this and the other shows this season).

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Mary Poppins at Tuacahn Amphitheatre

One of my very favorite things to do in the summer is see a live music or theatre performance outdoors!  Last summer I had a wonderful time visiting all of my favorite venues after a year of missing out and this year I am planning on adding a few new ones.  I got started yesterday by taking a quick road trip to St. George to see a preview of Mary Poppins at Tuacahn.  I love this show so much and Tuacahn's production is absolutely magical.  Mary Poppins (Gail Bennett) comes to Cherry Tree Lane to look after Jane and Michael Banks (Lilly Pearson and Charlie Stover, respectively) but, after a few adventures with Bert the chimney sweep (Neil Starkenberg), she ends up saving their father, George Banks (James Taylor Odom).  Bennett is practically perfect in every way as Mary.  She has a beautiful voice, especially in the songs "Spoonful of Sugar" and "Feed the Birds," and she is an outstanding dancer in "Jolly Holiday," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and "Step in Time."  She has a lot of chemistry with Pearson and Stover, who are adorable and have lovely voices, particularly when she is being stern with them.  Starkenberg is an amazing dancer and I really enjoyed an effect that had him dancing on the wall in "Step in Time."  Speaking of which, the choreography in the whole show is absolutely brilliant.  I thought "Supercalifragilistiexpialidocious" would be the highlight of the show because it is incredibly high-energy and so much fun to watch (I don't know how they formed the letters so fast) but the tap dancing on the rooftops of London in "Step in Time," including an epic dance-off between Mary and Bert, is spectacular!  The show features large LED panels, which display row houses on Cherry Tree Lane, the park, the London skyline, and the bank, along with elaborate moving sets for the living room, nursery, and kitchen of the Banks' house, as well as the bank.  Sometimes I found the screens to be a bit distracting but I did enjoy seeing the perspective of the row houses change to correspond with the different levels of the living room, nursery, and roof.  The costumes are elaborate and colorful (my favorites were for "Jolly Holiday") and the lighting is very dramatic (I loved the red in "Brimstone and Treacle").  Because it is Tuacahn, there are always a lot of special effects.  Mary makes some very exciting entrances and exits with her umbrella (the young woman sitting next to me squealed with delight and pointed to her flying in the air), the Admiral (Randal Keith) uses a real cannon at sunrise and sunset (I jumped every time it went off), and real horses are used in "Jolly Holiday."  This is one of my favorite shows and this production did not disappoint!  It was definitely worth the four hour drive!  Tuacahn is performing Mary PoppinsWonderland, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in repertory through the end of October (go here for information and tickets).

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Summer of Outdoor Performances

In my opinion there is nothing better than sitting outside under the stars on a warm summer evening listening to music or watching a performance.  It is my favorite thing to do in the summer and I really missed having the opportunity last summer.  This year I was determined to visit all of my favorite outdoor performing arts venues and I even made a list!  I can happily report that I officially crossed off all but one venue on my list (I had planned on going to a concert at the Gallivan Plaza, the final venue on my list, last night but it was cold and raining so I decided not to).  Now that it is officially fall, I thought it would be fun to recap all of my summer adventures.

Murray Park Amphitheater
My sister Marilyn and I took our Mom to see The Little Mermaid at the Murray Park Amphitheater and all three of us really enjoyed this fun and quirky production.  My Mom had a smile on her face the entire time!  I loved all of the costumes for the sea creatures (especially the jelly fish) and Ursula was an absolute hoot because she was characterized as an over-the-top drag queen!

Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre
My first road trip of 2021 was a weekend in Cedar City for the Utah Shakespeare Festival and it was such a great experience.  I was able to see two plays in the outdoor Engelstad Theatre (I also saw a marvelous production of Ragtime in the indoor Randall L. Jones Theatre) and I thoroughly enjoyed them both but I think Richard III is the highlight of the summer!  It is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays and the lead actor was brilliant in the role!

Waterfall Amphitheatre at Thanksgiving Point
The Utah Symphony performs in various outdoor venues during the summer and the annual Concert at the Waterfall is always a good time!  The concert this year featured lots of patriotic favorites and culminated in a spectacular version of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, which is incredibly stirring, and fireworks!

Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater at Deer Valley
This year I was able to attend two concerts at Deer Valley!  I love being in the mountains (where it is usually much cooler than in the valley) and eating a picnic while waiting for the show to start.  My first concert was Kristin Chenoweth and it was so much fun because she is such a dynamic performer!  The highlights were "Popular" from Wicked and one of the best performances of "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables that I have ever heard.
My second concert at Deer Valley featured the Utah Symphony and guest conductor Enrico Lopez-Yanez (he is so charming and engaging) performing music from the Harry Potter movies.  I really enjoy these movies so it was a lot of fun to hear selections from the different scores performed live.  My favorite pieces were "Double Trouble" from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (with vocalists from each house) and "Courtyard Apocalypse" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.

Eccles Outdoor Stage at Sundance
This year the Summer Theatre production at the Sundance Mountain Resort (in conjunction with the UVU Theatre Department) was Footloose.  This is not my favorite musical but I enjoyed many aspects of the show and I definitely loved being up in the mountains because of the fresh air, the cooler temperature, and the smell of pine!

Sandy Amphitheater
I am a huge fan of Queen so I was really excited to see The Magic of Queen (a great tribute band) at the Sandy Amphitheater.  Lead singer Brady Dolyniuk sounded a lot like Freddie Mercury (but he didn't try to imitate him) so it was a lot of fun to hear all of Queen's biggest hits performed live.  Of course, my favorite was an epic rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Tuacahn Amphitheatre
I was able to go on another quick road trip to Southern Utah to see Beauty and the Beast at Tuachan.  I used to see at least one show at Tuacahn every summer but I hadn't been for a long time.  It felt good to be back seeing a show with the beautiful red rock as a backdrop.  This was an absolutely magical production of Beauty and the Beast (with lots of unexpected special effects) and it made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time!

Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
I always love attending concerts at Red Butte Garden because it is such a beautiful venue!  This year I was really lucky because Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, one of my favorite bands, was part of the Outdoor Concert Series and somehow I was able to get a ticket (it sold out very quickly).  I thoroughly enjoyed this show because they played so many songs from their new album (which I love) as well as many of my favorites.

USANA Amphitheatre
Another highlight of the summer is seeing Alanis Morissette at USANA with my sister Kristine.  We are both huge fans of Morissette and we both love the album Jagged Little Pill, which she performed in its entirety to commemorate 25 years since its release.  It was so fun to be back at USANA for the first time in over two years for such an amazing concert!

It has been a great summer!

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Beauty and the Beast at Tuacahn Amphitheatre

I always used to see at least one show at Tuacahn Amphitheatre every year but I haven't been there in a long time.  Since I am trying to get to all of my favorite outdoor venues this summer I decided to plan a quick road trip to St. George this weekend to see Beauty and the Beast.  I have seen this show many times, including the Broadway touring production, but Tuacahn's version is absolutely magical. The transformation scene where the Prince is turned into a Beast was the first thing that took my breath away because the Enchantress flies over the audience as she casts the spell.  She also flies back to the stage from the audience when she transforms the Beast back into a Prince, with swirling rose petals all around him, and this is pretty spectacular.  During the song "Belle," Gaston rides into the town square on a real horse and I actually gasped out loud when I saw him!  The big production number "Be Our Guest" is always a lot of fun but in this show there is a flying chandelier (played by a member of the ensemble) that actually made me giggle!  I also loved "The Mob Scene" because the villagers have real torches and the shadows cast by the flames are so cool.  This show uses quite a few projections, which I sometimes dislike, but in this case they are fantastic, especially all of the antlers in the song "Gaston," the giant bottle of champagne (which shoots actual fireworks when the cork is popped) in "Be Our Guest," and the library in "Something There."  The costumes are also amazing!  I especially loved the dress worn by the Enchantress because it looks like a stained glass window, the sparkling yellow ball gown worn by Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" because people clapped and cheered when she made her entrance wearing it, and the dress worn by Belle in the finale because it is simply stunning (I loved the rose).  The cast is incredibly strong, particularly Nathaniel Hackman as the Beast and Crystal Kellogg as Belle.  I loved their renditions of "If I Can't Love Her" and "Is This Home?"  Both of these numbers elicited quite the reaction from the crowd.  I also really enjoyed Todd Dubail as Gaston and Elliot Peterson as Lefou because their interactions with each other are very entertaining.  I actually felt like I was seeing this show for the very first time and I left the amphitheatre with a huge smile on my face!  It was definitely worth the four hour drive and I highly recommend it!  In addition to Beauty and the Beast, Tuacahn is also performing School of Rock and The Count of Monte Cristo in repertory through the end of October.  Tickets may be purchased here.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Leadership Conference 2015

 This week I went with the HHS Student Body Officers and Class Officers to a leadership conference at Dixie State University in St. George.  I was so happy to leave the chaos of my life behind and I had so much fun with them!
We had time to plan for the 2015-2016 school year (but I think they are just plotting against me here).
We participated in an amazing activity called "Break Through" where the students literally broke a one-inch thick board with their bare hands.  We did this activity last year and those officers were very affected by it so I was really looking forward to having this group go through the experience.  It was amazing!  This year they made the advisors do it, too!  I was really afraid that I wouldn't be able to break it but we are all more powerful than we can even imagine and we can channel that power if we choose to!
Yeah.  They all have more personality than they know what to do with!  They were singing, chanting, and playing games everywhere we went which made them extremely popular with the other schools (you should have seen all of the other schools saying goodbye to them yesterday!)  They kept me laughing all week!  Also, aren't those shirts fabulous?  My friend made them for us!
There was a really fun poster making workshop where they learned some cool chalk techniques!  I thought their poster turned out amazing!
We got to see Beauty and the Beast at the Tuacahn Amphitheater.  The majority of them had never been to a live theatre performance before and it was beyond thrilling for me to watch their reaction to this show!  It was a magical production and the two lead actors were incredible!
We had the opportunity to perform some community service at the Utah Food Bank in St. George.  It was a great experience.
Our assistant principal took us all to dinner at Chili's and it was delicious!
We also had some great keynote speakers, round table discussions, and workshops and we got to participate in a spirit bowl, a black light dance, Dixie Idol (a talent show), and a swim party.  It was a really fun week!  Thank you Dixie State University for showing us such a great time!
Of course we had to make a stop at Swig on the way out of town!

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Leadership Conference 2014

I have had such a fun week!  I took my Student Body Officers to a Leadership Conference at Dixie State University in St. George.  I specifically chose this particular conference because many of the schools in our area go to it and I wanted to create some collaborative relationships (plus I wanted to see The Little Mermaid).  I am so glad I chose this one!  I think my students had a lot of fun but I also think they had some amazing experiences which will help them be great leaders next year! After we checked into our motel on Tuesday afternoon, we went to the university for a keynote speaker and some roundtable discussions.  Our Student Body President gave a fabulous roundtable about our Multicultural Week last year (which was a great success) and the rest of them got some great ideas from other schools which we are excited to implement.  Then we had a pizza party and spent the rest of the evening at the Washington City Community Center which had a swimming pool, various courts for team sports, a climbing wall, etc.  My students really enjoyed this facility and basically owned the volleyball court!
Wednesday morning we had another keynote speaker and then an amazing activity.  The students were given wooden boards and told to write down everything that was holding them back on them.  Then the presenter had them each break the boards.  Wow!  This was one of the most powerful presentations I have ever seen and most of the students at the conference reacted very emotionally to the experience!
After everyone broke their boards, the presenter turned off the lights and had them all chant "I am a force for good.  I will make a difference.  I will step up!"  I was almost in tears listening to 200 students repeat this.  I always hear people talk about how terrible this generation is but I think the world is in pretty good hands with this group!
After lunch the students had a poster making workshop.  Isn't that Multicultural Week poster awesome (despite the fact that they didn't include a Canadian flag)?  We had a BBQ for dinner and then we all went to the Tuacahn Amphitheatre to see The Little Mermaid.
I really love the shows at Tuacahn and I had never seen the Broadway version of The Little Mermaid before so I was pretty excited!  So were my students!
The show was pretty incredible with lots of special effects.  There was a wall of water at the back of the stage which was amazing!  All of the mermaids glided around the stage on Segways (but we can't figure out how the actors operated them) and various sea creatures "flew" around the stage and into the audience (my favorite was the turtle) during "Under the Sea."  Speaking of which, all of my students giggled with delight as soon as the distinctive opening notes of "Under the Sea" started playing.  Emma Degerstedt (Ariel) and James Royce Edwards (Prince Eric) had beautiful voices and they gave wonderful performances.  Payton Kemp (Flounder) also had an incredible voice and was absolutely adorable.  Heidi Anderson was perfect as Ursula and I loved the sizzling and crackling lights on Flotsam and Jetsam's costumes.  It was a fantastic show and my students raved about it the whole drive back to the motel.  I'm so glad they had the opportunity to see it!
Thursday morning the students were able to participate in service projects around the St. George area.  My students went to the Utah Food Bank.
Again, this was a wonderful experience for the students.  We were involved in sorting the food into various categories and decorating the boxes used to deliver food to people in need.  In the afternoon the students went to various workshops on leadership.
On Thursday night, dinner was on our own so that we could process what had been learned and plan for the upcoming school year.  We were lucky enough to have our assistant principal with us and he took us to dinner at Chili's which was a lot of fun!  I am so glad that he was able to come with us because the students absolutely adore him now!  We were able to plan our Welcome Assembly and Homecoming Week (we have an awesome theme).  Our waitress was so nice!  She gave the students some individual containers of chips and salsa to take with them to snack on later that night!  Then we had Dixie Idol and our Student Body President was one of the three winners!  He has got some moves!  We had a really fun Spirit Bowl (lots of ideas for our assemblies) and a black light dance.  A really late night but lots of fun!
Friday morning we had one final keynote speaker.  I thought all of the speakers were great but this one was my favorite.  I loved it when he said that all you need to do anything you want is 30 seconds of insane courage!  Isn't that great?  Then the conference concluded and my students were sad to leave.
On the way out of town we went on a little hike to Dixie Rock.  The boys were trying to catch lizards...
This picture makes me laugh because I have a similar one of my family in this same spot making silly poses.  I will have to find it...
Last year at our leadership conference I treated the students to some Aggie ice cream (we were at Utah State University).  This year I wanted to do the same for this group so I took them to Swig, which is a crazy popular place in St. George (there is also one in Provo and one in Bountiful) for all kinds of mixed sodas.  I had Sprite with a shot each of mango and raspberry puree!  Unbelievably fabulous!  The students want them to build a Swig near the school!

These Student Body Officers are amazing and I am so excited to work with them!  If this week is any indication, we a going to have a wonderful year!  I'm so glad we got to have such an incredible experience together.  A huge thanks to Dixie State University!

Note:  Hands up if you think the student who never smiles (it is my mission in life to get him to smile) looks like Adam Levine from Maroon 5.  Is it just me?

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I Can't Wait for Summer Vacation!

Sometimes the closing of the school year is hard.  This year is proving to be more difficult than usual so I am concentrating on all of the fun things that I hope to do this summer.

Deer Valley Music Festival
When it gets really hot in the valley, it is nice to head up to the mountains at the Deer Valley Resort and hear the Utah Symphony play under the stars!  You can bring a blanket and a picnic and sit on the hill or there are seats available near the stage.  This is one of my favorite things to do in the summer and we have heard the orchestra play the 1812 Overture (complete with real cannons) several times.  The pictures above are from last year's Bravo Broadway concert, which was fantastic.  I just got my tickets in the mail for the Music of U2 and I am beyond excited!  Go here for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets.

Utah Shakespeare Festival
The Utah Shakespeare Festival is held every summer on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City (a four hour drive south of Salt Lake City).  It is another one of my favorite things to do.  Sometimes Marilyn and I spend several days and see every play and sometimes we go down for one day and see a couple.  Once I drove down to see Hamlet and then drove straight home.  It was worth it.  The pictures above are from the 2010 production of Macbeth, which was awesome.  This year I am really excited to see Into the Woods (they produce non-Shakespeare plays, too) and Twelfth Night. I'm not going to lie, I'm also excited for the raspberry tarts!   Go here for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets.

Tuacahn Amphitheatre
Tuacahn is a natural amphitheatre made out of red rock in St. George (about six hours south of Salt Lake City).  They perform several musicals in repertory every summer and you can also purchase tickets to a pre-show dinner.  The above pictures are from the 2012 production of Hairspray.  My very favorite production here was Les Miserables because they used the terrain beyond the stage for the epic battle on the barricade.  It was amazing.  This year my student body officers are going to leadership camp at Dixie State University and we get to see The Little Mermaid.  Go here for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets.

Sundance Summer Theatre
Sundance Summer Theatre, in conjunction with the Utah Valley University Theatre Department, has produced a musical at the Sundance Resort for the past several years.  Seeing a musical in the mountains is always a great way to beat the summer heat.  We have seen The Sound of Music (Marilyn sang along with the actors), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Annie Get Your Gun.  Marilyn and I may or may not have squealed when we found out they are doing Fiddler on the Roof this year.  Go here for tickets.
The Utah Symphony also makes an appearance at the Sundance Resort.  Near the Fourth of July they perform a program featuring patriotic music (think John Philips Sousa).  I took my cousin Merry to this concert last year and we both enjoyed it.  I'm thinking of going again.  Go here for more information.

Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series
Red Butte Garden is an amazing venue for outdoor concerts.  This picture is from the Crosby, Stills, & Nash concert in 2012, which was fabulous (even though I was probably the youngest person there).  This year I am going to see Natalie Cole and I am really excited about it.  Go here to check out this year's lineup and to purchase tickets (many shows are already sold out because members have priority to purchase tickets before the general public).

With all of these amazing events to look forward to, maybe I can make it through these next few weeks until summer vacation.  Maybe.
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