Channeling Old Spice and Imogen Heap
Well prop me on a white horse, on a white, sandy beach, shower me with diamonds and call me Gaaayy, this spring and summer the performing arts is going mega-homo. Pioneer is doing Rent, Westminster College is doing Equus, Plan-B is doing Borderlands and Gutenberg! The Musical!, Dark Horse Company Theatre is doing tick, tick … BOOM! and let’s face it Salt Lake Acting Company’s annual Saturday’s Voyeur is always gay. Now back to me!
3thursday — “You might be a redneck if …” you make moonshine in your basement, or accidentally shoot your hunting buddy or strike it rich in jockstrap oil-wrestling. Anyhoo, Desert Star Theaters presents Beverly Hillbillies 90210, a backwoods-caliber musical comedy. The Clams move to Beverly Hills to make a fortune selling Granny Pitts’ homemade moonshine as clean-burning fuel. But their greedy neighbor plans to swindle them out of their fortune, until his surfer son falls for one of the hillbillies.
7:30pm, April 23, Desert Star Playhouse, 4861 S. State St. Tickets $10–16, 801-266-2600 or desertstar.biz.
9wednesday — Grand Theatre presents the regional premiere of an off-Broadway musical that took New York by storm. Meet The Marvelous Wonderettes, a doo-wop group with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts and voices to match, while they perform at their 1958 high school prom. A musical trip down memory lane with classic songs such as “Lollipop,” “Mr. Sandman,” “Leader of the Pack,” “Respect,” and many more.
7:30pm, through March 26, Grand Theatre, 1575 S. State St. Tickets $9–24, 801-957-3322 or the-grand.org.
10thursday — Back by popular demand, Odyssey Dance Company’s work of Romeo and Juliet, the tale of star-crossed lovers … but in the Odyssey tradition of a hip-hop version. Choreographed by principal Eldon Johnson, along with sections by Ashleigh and Ryan Di Lello from So You Think You Can Dance, this is a unique and powerful tour de force. Also on the Shut Up & Dance schedule is Dancescapes, which will include two world premieres: Artistic Director Derryl Yeager’s abstract work called: Heap!, to the instrumental music of Imogen Heap, and Associate Artistic Director Christina Bluth’s In the Shadow, followed by Act II of the Company’s acclaimed Giselle.
7:30pm, through March 19, Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Cir., UofU. Tickets $15–35, 801-581-7100 or kingtix.com.
Award-winning playwright Jeff Metcalf has written a remarkably honest and outrageously funny play about his experience with prostate cancer called A Slight Discomfort. Ah-ha! I thought it was called this only when Michael Aaron’s Peruvian boyfriend licks my ear. “It explores the shared experience of being human and dealing with a crisis with grace and humor; it’ll take you from laughter to tears, from blushing to bravo, from thought to action, from tragedy to triumph.”
7pm, Jewish Community Center, 2 North Medical Dr. Free, 801-581-0098.
11friday — “I’m more like undeclared,” Smith says of his sexual proclivity in Kaboom, a 2011 Sundance film selection. A hyperstylized, pansexual trip, the film was born out of the graphic novel aesthetic. Thomas Dekker plays Smith, a film student lusting after his dumb, hunky roommate, but after eating a drug-laced cookie, he hooks up with a hot chick. Meanwhile, a bizarre mystery brews involving his lesbian BFF’s obsessive, witchy girlfriend, guys in masks who chase him around campus and a recurring dream about a dead girl. This flick is odd and campy, but has nice eye-candy.
Opens today, Broadway Centre Cinemas, 111 E. 300 South. Tickets $6–8.50, 801-746-0288.
The Utah Arts Alliance presents Connect a free monthly event held for artists, art enthusiasts and anyone interested in meeting with people who are a part of creative communities. A casual “meet-and-greet” atmosphere where artists can meet others in their field, showcase select pieces from their portfolio, learn from their peers and vote for their favorite pieces of art that evening. This month’s special guest artist is Anthony Granato.
7–9pm, Utah Arts Alliance, 2191 S. 300 West. Free, 801-485-2105 or utaharts.org.
12saturday — The Utah Symphony presents, for the whole family, the children’s musical symphony Peter and the Wolf. It’s the story of a brave young boy, a menacing and hungry wolf, a grumbling grandfather, an adventurous duck and a couple of mean old hunters. It’s ravishing! Prokofiev’s beloved tale will come to life with Ballet West dancers and the musical characterizations of a parade of animals played by the symphony musicians.
11am & 12:30pm, Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple. Tickets $6–20, 801-355-ARTS or arttix.org.
As a follow-up to their jaw-dropping Cultural Olympiad performance in 2002, the world renowned dance troupe, Pilobolus, returns to the Eccles Center for a long overdue performance. Founded in 1971 and recognized for its imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration, the troupe has evolved into a pioneering American cultural institution of the 21st century. A don’t miss!
7:30pm, Eccles Center, 1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City. Tickets $18–65, 435-655-3114 or ecclescenter.org.
If you didn’t get enough fatty foods on Fat Tuesday, or not enough of any type of food on Ash Wednesday, or not enough booze on Thirsty Thursday, or not enough whoopie on F*** Friday, then check out the TARDY MARDI PARTY presented by the Utah Arts Festival. Starty with Bacardi and party hardy until you’re foolhardy. Give me a break, I’ve had too much Wild Turkey … and it’s only Manic Monday.
6–11pm, Salt Lake Hardware Building, 105 N. 400 West. Tickets $50 or $75/includes Texas Hold ’Em tournament, 801-322-2428 or uaf.org.
14monday — In the 2009 lesbian film by Steve Balderson, Stuck!, the beautiful young Daisy feels “stuck” working as a shopgirl by day and caring for her ailing mother by night. A suicide gone wrong leaves Daisy wrongly imprisoned, while the neighbor, whose testimony put her away, struggles with guilt. This is a tongue-in-cheek homage to 1950s women-in-prison films … oh lord!
7pm, Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South. Free, 801-359-5158 or saltlakefilmsociety.org.
UPCOMING EVENTS
APR 16 Lily Tomlin, Kingsbury Hall
APR 20 David Sedaris, Kingsbury Hall
JUL 25 Katy Perry, ESA