Arts & Culture Archives • Page 31 of 101 • Salt Lake Magazine

Mar 02

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Review: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ at the Eccles

By Linda Hunt Arts & Culture

Dear Evan Hansen opened Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, in Salt Lake City, at the Eccles Theater, to a sold-out crowd eagerly awaiting one of the most highly lauded musicals of Broadway at the Eccles’s Season.

At the moment of the orchestra’s downbeat, the spotlight pierces the darkness and Evan is illuminated, sitting alone In a state of palpable anxiety. And it is here, through the opening song Evan (played with breathtaking clarity by Anthony Norman) begins his mournful journey from a nerdy, friendless teenager to a social media phenom, compelled forward by the insatiable hunger of confused and bewildered classmates. But Dear Evan Hansen is a story that reaches far beyond and deeper than the anxiety-ridden teen and his faux friendship with drug addled and suicidal Connor Murphy, another high school outcast.

It is a story of Evan’s escape from the purgatory of isolation, the yearning for acceptance and the anxiety-filled quest for connection. This is a story of the human condition. And the audience responded to the pathos of Evan’s struggle with knowing acceptance.

Winner of six Tony awards, Dear Evan Hansen has won numerous other awards including the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Production and for the off-Broadway production, two Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award and two Outer Critics Circle Awards, and two Helen Hayes Awards.

Michael Greif, the veteran director of Rent, guides the inspiring book by Steven Levenson and the haunting, yet exhilarating score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul to its ultimate nuanced conclusion.

The opening number, “Anybody Have a Map”, shows Evan through his mother Heidi’s eyes (played by the strong presence of Coleen Sexton). A single mother, she’s struggling to keep the household ship afloat by working days as a nurse and taking night classes to become a paralegal. The choices she’s forced to make as the family’s sole breadwinner and Evan’s watchful caregiver are rife with conflict. She’s absent from Evan’s life, yet attempts to compensate by an overarching domination of his struggle.

Underneath the thick layers of insecurity, Evan yearns desperately for affection, affection that ultimately spells trouble for its seeker.

A chance encounter with Connor Murphy (a stunning, powerhouse performance by August Emerson), a drug addled, friendless high schooler, alters the course of events and Evan’s life forever changes.

Connor finds Evan in the computer room printing out his daily assignment, an “atta-boy” letter Evan’s therapist advises him to write, thus the play’s title Dear Evan Hansen. The letter is seized by Connor in a mean-spirited attempt at humiliation, coupled by his mocking signing of the cast on Evan’s broken arm. Later that night, in a final act of desperation, Connor Murphy commits suicide.

Devastated by the loss yet buoyed by the “Dear Evan Hansen” letter found in Connor’s belongings, his parents assume that in his final moments Connor has found a true friend in Evan, and his life ended not with a dirge but with a melody.

As news of Connor’s suicide spreads throughout the school, Evan conceives a memorial, the “Connor Project.” The idea usurped by Alana (played with remarkable energy by Micaela Lamas), an over-compensating student who appoints herself co-president of the “Connor Project,” leaving Evan once again on the periphery of inclusion.

And the stage is set for a spiral of falsities and half-truths, out of which Evan emerges as a storyteller of his friendship with the dead Connor. Weaving together fabricated bits and pieces, Evan and his “family friend” Jared Kleinman (a superbly animated performance by Pablo David Lauderica) embellish the story to feed the growing Connor Project’s popularity and support.

Persuaded to speak at the Connor Project’s school assembly, Evan wilts into a pile of anxiety and fear. In an act of near disintegration, he fumbles his notes and hides In the shadows of the stage. And here Evan rises to meet the challenge in the moving and evocative “For Forever.”

It is through the award-winning score that the story’s powerful depth and profound quest for significance emerge. The music itself is the reason to see Dear Evan Hansen. It radiates the power of longing and conveys a sense of acceptance and determination that words alone cannot convey.

As the story unfolds, punctuated by the score, Evan finds grace in his spiraling falsehood, a sense of purpose and belonging; that is until his “Connor Project” message finds an eager platform on social media and immediately goes viral, eliciting “likes” in the hundreds of thousands. Evan and Connor’s story quickly turns into a fund-raising saga for the entrepreneurial-minded Alana and the clever Jared.

The captivating scenic design by David Korins and projection design by Peter Nigrini aptly set the stage backdrop in motion with projected social media platforms scrolling, rolling, repeating “shares,” “likes” and headlines to underscore its overwhelming power of persuasion.

As Evan benefits from feeding off of Connor’s fading memories, he builds a stronger, more confident version of himself. And as he’s embraced by Connor’s parents (in extraordinary performances by Lili Thomas as Cynthia Murphy and John Hemphill as Larry Murphy) he finds the nurturing attention his mother cannot provide. His fragility ebbs, yet he’s haunted by the lies. The deceit weighs down on him. In one final act of redemption for the charade he’s created, he confesses to Cynthia and Larry. And his dreams of finding love in the arms of Connor’s sister Zoe (a gentle performance by Alaina Anderson) dissolve in the brimstone of truth.

Evan’s confession releases him from the onerous burdens of his fabrications. But remarkably, Larry and Cynthia choose to keep the Connor and Evan story of friendship alive, and in doing so to keep Connor’s memory alive.

As the story reaches its denouement, Evan comes to represent an Oracle to whom each character reveals his or her own fears and loss of connection, for each of them in their own way—as each of us in the audience—have felt the ravages of isolation and loneliness in our lives

The story and the themes it explores are both current and timeless. And it does so through the inspiring and memorable score.

In “Finale” the music reaches a crescendo as the cast sings:

All we see is light / Watch the sun burn bright / We could be alright for forever / This way / All we see is sky for forever / All I see is sky for forever

THE TOURING CAST: Anthony Norman as Evan Hansen; Alaina Anderson as Zoe Murphy; Coleen Sexton as Heidi Hansen; Lili Thomas as Cynthia Murphy; August Emerson as Connor Murphy; John Hemphill as Larry Murphy; Pablo David Laucerica as Jared Kleinman; Micaela Lamas as Alana Beck.

What: Dear Evan Hansen

When: Through March 5, 2023

Where: The George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theater

How to go: Tickets and more info are available at saltlakecountyarts.org

Feb 28

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Interview: Andy Frasco grows up for his liver

By Alan Sculley Arts & Culture, Music

Could it be that Andy Frasco is maturing? He’s returning to touring this winter, and fans can expect Andy Frasco & The U.N. to still bring the party on stage (or somewhere in front of the stage when Frasco is crowd surfing). But the singer/keyboardist is toning down the partying and other shenanigans that typically happened on and off stage on past tours. Andy Frasco & The U.N. are coming to the Commonwealth Room on March 3, 2023, and he sat down with Salt Lake magazine’s Allan Scully to talk about his new direction and the upcoming album Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

“I’m doing it for my liver,” Frasco said when he phoned in for a recent interview. “I’m turning 35 this year, I’m 34 (now). I’m all about the party, but I want people to know that I’m a songwriter, too. So I’m just really dialing in my songwriting, really dialing in my musicianship, so I know I can’t blame my partying for my sh***y songs…I love partying and I love giving the people their entertainment, but I also want to give them something to think about.”

The fact is, by the time the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, Frasco was not in a great place. He’d been drinking too much and doing cocaine and finding his life-of-the-party behavior had left him wondering who his friends were and battling some genuine bouts of depression.

No one wanted the pandemic, but being forced off of the road gave Frasco the much-needed opportunity to take a hard look at himself, figure out how to get his life in a better place and decide if he still truly loved writing music and going on tour.

“I was just very selfish,” Frasco said, citing one of the contributing factors to his emotional issues. “I was like doing things and not thinking about others. All of a sudden people wouldn’t start calling me back. I was realizing maybe it is me. I always blamed everyone else that I am on an island. But maybe I’m putting myself on an island. So I had to like figure out the (situation) and realize what was making me sad.

“Before the pandemic, I didn’t want to be there. And I was faking a smile because I was just too depleted,” he said. “I had to look at myself in the mirror, like what are you doing this for if you’re not going to wake up? You preach happiness and you’re not even happy, so why do you keep (doing) it?”

One significant change was to kick his cocaine habit. He also cut back on drinking, although he admits he still enjoys his beverages. But the supply of Jameson liquor is lasting longer these days, as he and his band have moderated their intake onstage these days.

“There’s still drinking. I’m not going to lie to you there,” Frasco said. “But it’s definitely more toned down. We’re drinking half a bottle of Jameson a night, not the full bottle.”

The changes in behavior won’t surprise those who’ve been paying attention. Especially on the 2020 albums Keep On Keeping On and Wash, Rinse, Repeat., the album that arrived last April, it was clear Frasco wasn’t just offering escapism in his music.

That was a main theme for Frasco after he founded Andy Frasco & the U.N. in 2007, began touring and released the first of eight studio albums in 2010.

One look at song titles like “Mature As F***,” “Blame It on the P***y” (from 2016’s Happy Bastards) or “Smokin’ Dope n Rock n Roll” and “Commitment Deficit Disorder” (from 2014’s Half a Man) and it was obvious that Frasco and company were bringing the party with funny, sometimes bawdy lyrics, a disregard for rules, decorum (and sobriety), and a rowdy sound that mixed rock, funk, blues, soul and pop.

The approach generated a good bit of popularity, as Frasco and the U.N. began what became a consistent routine of playing roughly 250 shows a year—a pace that continues to this day. Along the way, the band especially caught on in the jam band scene and festival circuit.

But especially with Keep On Keeping On, Frasco started to shift the narrative of his songs to more thoughtful subject matter, a direction that continued on Wash, Rinse, Repeat. Frasco still kept the tone of the lyrics light, while the music on these two most recent albums stayed buoyant and catchy as ever. But Frasco’s lyrics now wrestled with topics like getting older, maintaining his mental health, finding happiness, being considerate and appreciating life as it happens.

Keep On Keeping On arrived shortly after the pandemic hit, and with touring halted, Frasco didn’t worry about taking the next musical step for quite a while.

Instead, he took to social media. He hosted a video “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” Dance Party and started an irreverent variety show podcast series he called Andy Frasco’s World Saving S***Show. But much of his podcasting work was devoted to a series he calls Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast. It features interviews—some of which get downright deep—with musicians and other celebrities, commentary and comedic bits. The series has gained considerable traction and Frasco, who is frequently joined by co-host Nick Gerlach, will continue doing these podcasts even as he returns to a full schedule of touring, songwriting and recording.

With all of this activity, it wasn’t until about six weeks before he was due to return touring in 2021 that Frasco realized he wanted to have new music for the upcoming shows and charged into making Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

He traveled to several cities—Nashville, Charleston, S.C., Los Angeles and Denver—to write and record with other songwriters, a process that helped him sharpen his songwriting chops as the album took shape.

“It was basically like going to songwriting school,” Frasco said. “Like I wrote with 20 different songwriters and I wrote with like 15 different songwriters in Nashville, and I wrote with a couple of guys in Charleston and a couple of guys in L.A., and instead of like the mental state of ‘I know everything,’ I went in there with my mental state of ‘I don’t know anything.’ It kind of helped me grow into the next phase of my career.”

Feeling he was in a creative space, Frasco spent a chunk of last year making a new album that’s now finished and is targeted for release before this summer. The new album reflects a new development in Frasco’s life.

“I think it’s a love album. I finally committed to someone and I’ve been writing about her,” Frasco said.

The songs, though, aren’t all about romantic bliss.

“It’s scary as hell. I’ve never had a relationship,” Frasco revealed. “I don’t even know what the f*** I’m doing. That’s what I’m writing about. Like is this OK?”

Some of the songs from the next album are popping up in set lists on Frasco’s current tour with his band, along with material from Keep On Keeping On, Wash, Rinse, Repeat. and older fan-favorite songs.

“We’re testing out the new songs we just wrote to see how they fit with our live show,” Frasco said. “I have two different philosophies when I write songs. Sometimes I write songs for the record and sometimes I write songs for the (live) set. And these new songs, I was really focusing on trying to write it for both. It’s been really nice. It’s given me confidence that I can write songs for both the (album) and for the live show.”

Who: The Motet with Andy Frasco & The U.N.

When: Mar 3, 2023

Where: The Commonwealth Room

Tickets and Information: thestateroompresents.com

See more music coverage from Salt Lake magazine.

Feb 27

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Legends Never Die: 30th Anniversary of The Sandlot

By Salt Lake Magazine Arts & Culture, Film

I followed them to the sandlot once after school. I’d never seen any place like it. It was like their own little baseball kingdom or something. It was the greatest place I’d ever seen anyway.”

With those words, David Mickey Evans, the writer, director and narrator introduced us to The Sandlot, the iconic childhood baseball nostalgia film released in 1993. When Evans wrote those words in his screenplay for The Sandlot he was dreaming of a very real vacant lot in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley circa 1968. It had been transformed by local kids into a ramshackle baseball sanctuary where, throughout the summer, the crack of bats echoed from dawn to dusk. Back then, Evans and his little brother Scott were new arrivals to the community, and yearned to get in on the fun. But, this is where reality departs sharply from fiction.

“We got beat up a lot,” says Evans. His Pacoima neighborhood, one of many United States suburbs created to accommodate the White Flight of the 1950s and ’60s, had become home to lower-income Chicanos. The Evans boys didn’t look like the other kids, so they were persona non grata on the makeshift ballfield—even after Scott, desperate to court the bullies’ favor, bravely hopped a fence to retrieve their only baseball. His sole reward was a gnarled leg courtesy of the homeowner’s vicious dog.

photo Everett collection/ ™ © (c)20th Century Fox Film Corp.

Two decades later, in 1989, Evans now one of the hottest screenwriters in Hollywood thanks to his semi-autobiographical Radio Flyer (a dark fantasy wherein he reckons with the physical and emotional scars inflicted by his abusive step-father), mined these unhappy memories for a script called The Boys of Summer. It was to be his how-you-like-me-now revenge on the kids who denied him access to their baseball kingdom. This sounded wonderfully cathartic in theory, but there was just one problem: Evans didn’t want to see it, and couldn’t imagine anyone else buying a ticket for a downer movie about the bullies of his childhood. So on the day he was fired as director of Radio Flyer (early enough in production that the producers were able to scrap his footage and start from scratch with a completely different cast), he went in the opposite direction, crafting a deeply nostalgic mash note to the unifying spirit of baseball. It would be a film about unconditional friendship. It would be not about the way things were, but the way they should have been. And while the film would still be set in the San Fernando Valley, Evans would find his field of dreams a couple of states over after he visited a vacant lot in the Glendale neighborhood of Salt Lake City.

The Sandlot turns 30 this year and remains a timeless account of the best summer a ragtag group of adolescents ever had. Set in 1962, the film kicks off with young, timid Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry) moving to Southern California with his mother (Karen Allen) and stepfather (Denis Leary). While exploring his strange new environs, Smalls stumbles upon a makeshift baseball diamond composed of dirt, dead grass and a flung-together backstop. This is the sandlot where eight rambunctious boys bat the ball around until the sun dips below the horizon. Eight players means they’re short one for a full team, so when baseball-mad Smalls appears out of nowhere to set up in left field sporting the cheap plastic glove gifted to him by his grandmother, the squad’s leader, Benny (Mike Vitar), spies an opportunity for a ninth. Smalls is a disaster at first, but he ultimately overcomes his unsightly deficiencies in the throwing and catching department to win over the gang, leading to a magical three months full of highs and lows and plenty of mischief (most notably a Babe Ruth-signed baseball landing in the jaws of a backyard menace known as The Beast).

Given his devastating experience on Radio Flyer, Evans couldn’t afford another behind-the-camera misstep with his second feature. He hedged his risk by writing an all-ages comedy that could be made for under $10 million (a pittance for a studio production when Fox greenlit the film in 1991). The slashed cost, however, knocked Southern California out as a potential filming location. Evans, who’d lived most of his life in the area, was flummoxed. “I couldn’t imagine there being another Southern California basin,” says Evans. “It’s basically a desert surrounded by big purpley-blue mountains.”

Desert, big purpley-blue mountains…where might one find such a setting in the continental U.S.?

Producer Mark Berg thought this sounded an awful lot like Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Mountains. Evans flew out to the valley for a location scout and was immediately convinced. Location managers David B. Smith and Dennis Williams knew the area well, and, armed with photos of Evans’ old San Fernando stomping grounds, locked down one perfect approximation after another. The film suddenly flickered to life in Evans’ imagination: The Beast’s chaotic pursuit of Benny through the Founder’s Day picnic; Squints’ shrewdly calculated kiss with lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn at the local pool; the ill-fated carnival ride fueled to vomitous effect by Big Chief tobacco; the boys’ drubbing of the rich kids’ team at their meticulously maintained ballpark; and, of course, that little baseball kingdom nestled in the heart of a tight-knit neighborhood.

Heart was at the top of the docket for Evans, and he found an abundance of it in Salt Lake City, starting with his crew. “This was the first time I’d ever worked in Utah, and the people there have a work ethic that’s unrivaled,” he says. “They care about what they do. They want to do a good job and they do a great job.” As Evans and his cast of troublemakers grew accustomed to the city, he realized the themes of his movie were reflected in the people he met. “The underlying values of the characters in the movie, I think, fit pretty perfectly with Salt Lake as I know it. I love it. The people there have just a magnificent take on family. It seems to me it’s a bit of a meritocracy. It’s a good-things-happen-to-those-who-do-good-things kind of vibe.”

The populace of Salt Lake City has returned this affection a dozen fold. In 2013, Marshall Moore, then the Director of the Utah Film Commission, teamed up with Brian Prutch, the Director of Corporate Sales for the Salt Lake Bees at the time, to host the 20th anniversary at the restored sandlot. Moore’s love affair with the film began when he took his 4- and 3-year-old children to see the movie during its theatrical release. He had relocated to the area in 1993 to work on the ABC miniseries production of Stephen King’s The Stand and fell hard for its gentle nature and inclusive spirit. Having missed the chance to work on The Sandlot by just a year, he leaped at the opportunity to help orchestrate the film’s birthday celebration in a city that, despite its on-screen setting in California, has embraced it as the quintessential Salt Lake City movie.

Moore believes the city’s love affair with The Sandlot is rooted in its nostalgia for a childhood innocence that is disappearing. “There aren’t a lot of kids out running around playing sandlot baseball anymore,” he says. “Maybe [kids] all get together and ride their bikes, or get together to shoot some hoops at the playground, but [youth] baseball is very organized.” Still, Moore is encouraged that the film has not only endured, but expanded its appeal. Every year, parents show The Sandlot to their children, and, judging from the turnout at the anniversary events, which occur every five years, the movie exudes a timelessness akin to cherished classics like The Wizard of Oz, The Goonies and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

None of this has gotten old for Evans or the cast. They eagerly show up for each anniversary celebration, sign loads of autographs on whatever’s handy (Evans claims he’s signed more than one baby with a Sharpie) and relive what wound up being the best summer of their lives. In exchange, attendees huddle together with their spouses and children under a starry sky and dream anew about the way things should be.

Left to right: Chauncey Leopardi, Patrick Renna, Marty York, Victor DiMattia, Shane Obedzinski. photo j’adore photography / priscilla poland

Where are they Now?

Tom Guiry (Scott Smalls) went on to star in major films like Ride with the Devil, Black Hawk Down and Mystic River. He will play himself as a kidnap victim in the forthcoming mob comedy Killin’ Smallz.

Mike Vitar (Benny Rodriguez) went from The Sandlot to the ice hockey rink as Luis in D2: The Mighty Ducks and D3: The Mighty Ducks. He quit acting in 1997 and later joined the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Patrick Renna (Hamilton “Ham” Porter) had memorable roles in 1990s comedies like Son in Law and The Big Green and the lamentably canceled Netflix series Glow.

Chauncey Leopardi (Michael “Squints” Palledorous) joined Renna in The Big Green before the criminally short-lived NBC series Freaks and Geeks. He recently appeared in the music video for Logic’s “Homicide.”

Brandon Adams (Kenny DeNunez) laced up the skates alongside Vitar for D2: The Mighty Ducks. He also appeared on ’90s beloved series like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Roc and Moesha.

Marty York (Alan “Yeah-Yeah” McLennan) has appeared on TV series as varied as Boy Meets World, Wings and The Eric Andre Show.

Grant Gelt (Bertram Grover Weeks) quit acting in the late 1990s and went on to co-found the brand studio Masscult.

Shane Obedzinski (Tommy “Repeat” Timmons) left acting behind in 1993. He is now the owner of Times Square Pizza in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Victor Dimattia (Timmy Timmons) has returned to film, mostly behind the scenes, with billing as an actor and director.

David Mickey Evans followed up The Sandlot by writing the 1996 baseball comedy Ed about a baseball-playing chimpanzee. He wrote and directed 2005’s The Sandlot 2 and is currently developing a prequel.

Where to find The Sandlot in Salt Lake City

For superfans hyped about taking the SLC Sandlot tour, here’s your map of the essential stops.

Smalls and Benny’s houses are located on the 2000 East block in Salt Lake City.

Squints stole his kiss at the Lorin Hall Community Pool in Ogden.

The carnival and the Founder’s Day picnic were filmed at Liberty Park.

Our scrappy heroes routed the rich kids’ team at Riverside Park’s Rose Park Field.

The Sandlot itself is located behind 1388 Glenrose Drive, in Salt Lake City

NOTE: If you opt to visit when the field hasn’t been refurbished for its anniversary, prepare to be disappointed. It’s just a bland vacant lot. Also, it’s impossible to access the field without committing some light trespassing. So, you know, don’t do it.

Another nostalgic Utah-made movie Footloose turns 40 in 2024, find where the cast is now and how Payson High School campaigned to #BringBacontoPayson!

Feb 24

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Preview: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ at the Eccles

By Linda Hunt Arts & Culture, Theater

Dear Evan Hansen, opening Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at the Eccles Theater, in Salt Lake City, brings to the stage—in text and tone — the crushing isolation of a nerdy teenager, trapped in his own awkward snare. Evan Hansen is that socially inept, tic-filled kid whose biggest struggle is to face the throngs of high schoolers as he plods and weaves through each day.

But even as Evan falters and stumbles he learns the benefit of telling people what they want and need to hear. Once the story’s out, untrue though it is, the falsehoods collapse around him.

Winner of six Tony awards, Dear Evan Hansen has won numerous other awards, including the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Production and for the off-Broadway production, two Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award and two Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Helen Hayes Awards.

Michael Greif, veteran director of luminous productions such as “Rent,” guides the inspiring book by Steven Levenson and haunting, score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul to its ultimate nuanced conclusion.

Underneath the thick layers of insecurity, Evan yearns desperately for affection, affection that ultimately spells trouble for its seeker.

This is when Evan’s fateful encounter with his nemesis and salvation, Connor Murphy, finds Evan in the school’s computer room printing one of the daily “atta-boy” letters to himself that his therapist has advised him to write, thus the title “Dear Evan Hansen…” The letter, seized by Connor, is grist for his own mean mill. When Connor notices the blank white cast on Evan’s arm, he scrawls his name in bold letters across it and laughs a mocking, taunting laugh.

That evening Connor Murphy, a drug-addled, alienated schoolmate, commits suicide.

As news of Connor’s suicide and his so-called friendship with Evan spreads across the school, the class smart aleck Alana starts a fund in Connor’s name. Pulled into the Connor Project’s school assembly, Evan is persuaded to give a speech. When the speech hits the social media platforms it becomes a sensation, and lackluster Evan becomes a social media phenom garnering thousands upon thousands of “likes.”

And here we have the nub of the story. Dear Evan Hansen shows how social media have become both a way of advocating for good and inspiring collective participation, but also suggests that viral movements can spiral out of control, doing more damage than good.

Seduced by the long-awaited attention, yet silenced by the duplicity of his message Evan personifies the query of what happens when you do the wrong things for the right reasons.

The story and the themes it explore are both current and timeless. And it does so through the inspiring and memorable score. “You Will Be Found “ allows Evan to express what it feels like to be an anxious person desperate to connect, yet filled with hope.

“Have you ever felt like nobody was there? / Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere? / When you’re broken on the ground / You will be found / So let the sun come streaming in / ‘Cause you’ll reach up and you’ll rise again / You will be found ….

Dear Evan Hansen is a momentous production we’re looking forward to seeing the touring cast put it through it’s paces. And we’ll be sure to bring a hanky.

What: Dear Evan Hansen

When: Feb. 28 through March 5, 2023

Where: George S. And Dolores Dore Eccles Theater

How to go: Tickets and more info are available at saltlakecountyarts.org

Feb 24

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Preview: Paul Cauthen Country Coming Down Tour

By John Nelson Arts & Culture, Music

“I was driving tractors before it got sexy. Real cowboys don’t rock to Kenny Chesney,” according to Paul Cauthen, a musician who is bringing his Country Coming Down tour to The Union Event Center on Friday, March 3, 2023.

Paul Cauthen is blazing a Zappa-like trail with his creative, tongue-in-cheek parody of today’s country music ethos. He offers us a bigger-than-life version of Outlaw Country, and like Zappa, he doesn’t always color within the musical lines of his genre. He is affectionately known as “Big Velvet” because his deep baritone voice channels the vocal spirit of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Elvis Presley (if you can imagine such a throuple.) He plays country, but will veer off into disco or funk mid-song to build a new concoction that resonates with traditional fans and those looking for something more experimental and avant-garde.

On “Cocaine Country Dancing,” for example, Big Velvet creates a giddy-up, country disco when he adds his Elvis/Cash/Jennings vocals to a seedy strip-joint dance beat. It’s something akin to The Who’s song, “Eminence Front” with outlaw-styled lyrics to which you can either line dance or do the hustle. Choose your poison.

Cauthen’s journey started with the Austin-based Americana vocal duo Sons of Fathers, but he left to pursue a solo career. He released his debut record, My Gospel in 2016. The dark and introspective record featured a throwback sound blending outlaw and gospel country without tipping the scales either way. The record’s opening track “Still Drivin” moves along a retro Jennings-esque trail, but then Cauthen takes you down an Elvis-styled gospel path.

On his 2017 seven-song EP Have Mercy, he started to find his satirical Big Velvet voice with catchy songs like “Everybody Walkin’ This Land” where he sings (in Johnny Cash fashion) “You racists, fascists, nihilists, and bigots we’re prayin’ for you my friend.”

With his 2019 full-length release Room 41 Cauthen makes peace with his hell-raising lifestyle with songs like “Prayed For Rain.” He sings, “The well’s runnin’ dry. Hell, so am I” and “The rain turned to hail cold, dark, and pale. It beat me as I fell. Lord, I fell.” On the song “Big Velvet,” he confessed “The train wrecked, but I walked away.” With “Cocaine Country Dancing,” his inner demon-slaying ballads give way to a sardonic acceptance of life’s occasional derailment, and the need to celebrate his wild side.

On his latest release, Country Coming Down, Cauthen fully commits to his unorthodox country sound. He offers us a Zappa-like parody of the Nashville gatekeepers who think he’s not “country” enough. On “Country as F***” he sings “I’m a shade tree mechanic, got a one-ton truck. I drink a 30-pack a day ‘cause I’m country as f***.” He adds an organic Elvis vocal shudder when he sings “Hot dog, holly golly, dagnabit I was two years old when I shot my first rabbit.” Cauthen seems at peace with his Big Velvet moniker and accepts he won’t fit in anyone’s box. He’s having a hell of a good time cultivating a larger-than-life and sometimes campy showmanship. I’m bringing both my cowboy boots and my platform shoes to the show, just in case.

Who: Paul Cauthen

What: The State Room and Postfontaine Presents: Paul Cauthen’s Country Coming Down Tour

Where: The Union Event Center

When: Friday, March 3, 2023

Tickets and info: thestateroompresents.com, theunioneventscenter.com

Feb 20

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Review: Larkin Poe and Goodnight, Texas at The Commonwealth Room

By John Nelson Arts & Culture, Music

Like so many bands traveling between Denver and Salt Lake in the winter, white-out conditions on I-80 forced Larkin Poe to cancel their January date at The Commonwealth Room. They returned to share the love to a sold-out crowd on Valentine’s Day. They were, as their opening number suggests, “taking the long road. Ooh, diggin’ deep. We’re gonna strike gold.” On Tuesday night, they hit paydirt! They followed with “Kick the Blues,” and primed the packed house for a thrilling, rockin’ blues ride. Larkin Poe is a band made up of two sisters, Rebecca and Megan Lovell who have Georgia and Tennessee roots and play an electrifying style of blues and Southern-fried rock ‘n’ roll.

For me, Larkin Poe is at their best when they tap into that old-school blues sound. And as Rebecca Lovell explained, at every show they pay homage to the pioneers of that genre. With Rebecca Lovell playing lead guitar and vocals, accompanied by her sister, Megan, on lap steel guitar and vocals, and backed by drums and bass, they performed a 21st century rendition of Son House’s 1930s blues standard “Preacher’s Blues.” In the 1950s, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins wrote the new blues standard “I Put a Spell on You.” Shattering the hex seven decades later, Rebecca Lovell conjured up a future classic– from the spellbound perspective—and mesmerized the audience with “Bad Spell.” They teased us with the first few bars of Link Wray’s 1958 classic instrumental “Rumble” before launching into “Holy Ghost Fire.” The past and present collided with a thunderous musical explosion.

Though anchored in the blues, Larkin Poe is at their core a southern rock ‘n’ roll band who play in 5th gear on an open highway. With only an electric guitar, a lap steel guitar, bass, and drums, Larkin Poe generated a piercing blast of down-home jams. “Blue Ridge Mountains,” “Summertime Sunset,” and “Southern Comfort” were high-octane, full-throttle numbers. “Wanted Woman” showed off the sisters’ guitar mastery and vocal dexterity.

The band downshifted long enough for Rebecca Lovell to show off her soulful voice with “Might as Well Be Me,” a great bluesy ballad. I’d like to see her explore more of this. The woman can sing the blues! She also writes great songs. “Mad as a Hatter,” a song she wrote when she was only 15 years old, describes her grandfather’s battle with mental illness and shares her fear that she might inherit his demons. Sometimes blues music isn’t just learned, it’s also experienced.

They ended their 15-song set with “Bolt Cutters and The Family Name” and followed with an encore, “Deep Stays Down.” They embraced the old stage maxim: always leave your audience wanting more. That was certainly true of Tuesday night’s show. With so many great songs in their arsenal, and despite a full 16-song show, I hoped they’d play more from their impressive catalog.

Goodnight, Texas, opened the show with the vivid tune “Tucamcari,” imaging the windswept New Mexican town like a musical soundtrack from a gritty John Ford western. They reframed Dylan’s “I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s Farm no more,” into a more realistic “I’m Going to Work on Maggie’s Farm Forever.” Goodnight, Texas’s reimagined farmworker is trapped in a work/poverty cycle and doesn’t have an option to leave the farm like Dylan’s protagonist. It’s a bitingly clever and well-constructed song. In all, they played nine stunning numbers. With their finale, “The Railroad,” you could almost hear the hammer strike the spike as they laid down the track. I wanted more. A short opening set just wasn’t enough. I’d love to see them again, this time, headlining in the State Room. I can imagine a number of great local Americana acts who could open for them. Judging from the crowd’s enthusiastic response, I know I’m not the only one.

Who: Larkin Poe w/Goodnight, Texas

What: Blood Harmony Tour

Where: The Commonwealth Room

When: February 14, 2023

Info: https://thestateroompresents.com

www.larkinpoe.com

www.hiwearegoodnighttexashowareyou.com

Jan 31

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SLMAG-The-Lone-Bellow-credit-Eric-Ryan-Anderson-copy

Preview: The Lone Bellow Coming to Commonwealth

By John Nelson Arts & Culture, Music

The Lone Bellow offered us a little teaser last summer when they opened for country-pop sensation Maren Morris at Red Butte Garden (she hand-selected them). That seven-song set whet our appetite for the main course, a full-set, KRCL Presented show at the Commonwealth Room on Feb. 5, 2023. The band is touring in support of their just-released Love Songs For Losers, an 11-song gem that’s rising in the charts. Recorded in the supposedly haunted house of the late Roy Orbison (if you believe in that sort of thing), the end result is a highly spirited record. The single “Honey” has already hit #2 on the Americana Singles chart and the band is sure to fill their setlist with a hardy sampling of their great new material.

The Lone Bellow, a trio of southerners who met in New York City in 2012, play contemporary country/folk or what they term Brooklyn Country. Featured musicians include Zach Williams on guitar and lead vocals, Kanene Donehey Pipkin on mandolin, bass, keyboard and vocals and Brian Elmquist on guitar and vocals. The trio inked a record deal with Sony imprint Descendant Records and released their debut self-titled album which reached #64 on the Billboard Top 200 in 2013. People magazine placed the record in their top ten albums of 2013. The record provided listeners with a visceral musical experience of alluring harmonies and impassioned lyrics. “Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold,” is an exuberant song about how a strong relationship can get you through hard times. The trio sings “Green eyes and a heart of gold. All the money’s gone and the house is cold and it’s alright.” Their sophisticated blend of country/folk/rock/gospel/blues appeals to fans of both heartfelt country ballads and urbane folkish grit.

The band stayed in the center lane of Americana for their next two records. Stunning three-part harmonies and rich tales of love, loss, pain and joy remained the secret formula that earned them an Americana Music Award nomination for best group in 2015. A move to Nashville in 2016 didn’t untether their musical moorings and years on the road only strengthened their place as roof-raising roots revivalists.

On Feb. 7, 2020, The Lone Bellow hit a home run with the release of their most creatively daring and emotionally intelligent, full-length album Half Moon Light. Then, the global pandemic abruptly halted their touring schedule. Undeterred, the band continued to make music. In 2021 they released a deluxe edition of Half Moon Light, expanding the original release from 15 songs to 21 (what we called a double album back in the vinyl days). Despite the pandemic, the album soared to #4 on the Billboard US Folk Album charts and #11 on the Billboard Top 200. The first single “Count on Me” seemed ready-made for the emotional rollercoaster we were all on (though it was written pre-pandemic) with soothing harmonies chanting like a mantra “Count on me, if I can count on you.” The line “Let it break you. Let it help you lay down what you held on to” also resonated as many of us used the pandemic to take stock of what really matters in life. The song reached #1 on the Americana Singles chart. Its companion release “Dried Up River” is an equally emotional anthem that found its audience, despite the lockdown. It made it to #1 in the charts.

Opening for The Lone Bellow is Tow’rs, a Flagstaff-based band featuring husband and wife duo Kyle and Gretta Miller who provide winsome folk harmonies. Their songs blend personal and spiritual growth with a collective sense of neighborliness and nature. Their sound reminds me of a stripped-down version of Elephant Revival with their breezy melodies and Elysian vocals. They’ll be the perfect warm-up for a blissful night of soul-regenerating folk-rock music.

Fans of the Avett Brothers, CSNY, Lumineers, Jamestown Revival, Nathaniel Rateliff, or Watchhouse won’t want to miss this show. I will pair the evening’s music with a refreshing Yacht Rock Juice Box Hazy IPA from Proper Brewing.

Who: The Lone Bellow w/ Tow’rs

What: KRCL Presents: The Love Songs For Losers Tour

Where: The Commonwealth Room

When: February 5, 2023

Tickets and Info: thestateroompresents.com and KRCL.org

Jan 30

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Sundance 2023 film review: Mutt

By Jaime Winston Film, Sundance

Mutt is a contemplative and heartfelt drama, following a young trans man throughout New York as he reconnects with family and a former lover.

Jan 27

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Here Are The 2023 Sundance Film Festival Winners

By Christie Porter Film, Sundance

The 2023 Sundance Film Festival jurors and audiences have voted and today the festival announced the 2023 award winners during an event at The Ray Theatre in Park City. Among the films that came out ahead in the 2023 Sundance awards is Radical, the based-on-a-true-story film about a new teacher at an underprivileged school in Mexico picked up the Festival Favorite Award. The Persian Version— film that follows multiple generations of a large Iranian-American family with a secret—received both an audience award and an award for screenwriting. As far as the films that we might soon see on streaming services or get wide release in movie theaters, films in the horror genre still seem to steal the show at Sundance.

Layla Mohammadi and Niousha Noor appear in a still from The Persian Version by Maryam Keshavars, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Andre Jaeger — Layla Mohammadi and Niousha Noor appear in a still from *The Persian Version* by Maryam Keshavars, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Andre Jaeger

Some 2023 Sundance films have already won big with industry deals for distribution. Some of the most lucrative deals include Netflix acquiring Fair Play and Apple TV picking up Flora and Son for about $20 million apiece. Fair Play has generated a lot of excitement at this year’s festival, writes Salt Lake’s Michael Mejia, “in part for the solid performances of its leads, Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich, as well as for its timely depiction of gender politics in a high-pressure corporate environment, where dominating everyone is the only path to success.” (Read his full review of Fair Play.)

Searchlight picked up the mockumentary Theater Camp for about $8 million, which also won a Festival award for its stellar ensemble cast. Theater Camp is an underdog story about an eponymous theater camp struggling to stay afloat, and inspire the misfit campers, after their beloved founder is hospitalized and management of the camp is transferred to her himbo son who knows nothing about theater. According to Salt Lake contributor Phillip Sevy, “what follows is a silly, heart-warming movie that succeeds on the strength and charm of its ensemble,” including Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro, Patti Harrison and Ayo Edebiri. (Check out his full review of Theater Camp.)

Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Felicity Kyle Napuli appear in In My Mother’s Skin by Kenneth Dagatan, an official selection of the Midnight section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Epicmedia.

Netflix also picked up Run Rabbit Run and Amazon Prime Video acquired In My Mother’s Skin, two horror standouts at this year’s festival. Director Brandon Cronenburg’s horror film Infinity Pool arrived at the festival with a distribution deal from Neon and Topic in hand, and birth/rebirth will appear on Shudder (read Salt Lake’s reviews of Infinity Pool and birth/rebirth).Talk to Me will be distributed by horror powerhouse A24. “You can sum up Danny and Michael Philippou’sTalk to Me in two words: ‘gripping horror,’” writes Salt Lake contributor Jaime Winston, alluding to a ceramic hand in the film that allows a group of teenagers to interact with, and get possessed by, a ghost. (Read his full review of Talk to Me.) A24 also made a deal prior to the festival to distribute You Hurt My Feelings starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, which is decidedly outside of the horror genre (here’s our review of You Hurt My Feelings).

The Eternal Memory picked up a Grand Jury award and was picked up by MTV Documentary Films. Other distribution deals include: A Little Prayer (Sony Pictures Classics), Passages (Mubi), Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia/CNN Films) and Kokomo City (Magnolia Pictures).

Liyah Mitchell appears in KOKOMO CITY by D. Smith, an official selection of the NEXT section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. | Photo by D. Smith.

2023 Sundance Grand Jury Prizes

The jury and audience-awarded prizes amplify the fearless and dynamic stories across sections, with Grand Jury Prizes awarded to A Thousand and One (U.S. Dramatic), Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (U.S. Documentary), Scrapper (World Cinema Dramatic) and The Eternal Memory (World Cinema Documentary), and the NEXT Innovator Award went to KOKOMO CITY. Check out Salt Lake magazine’s review of The Eternal Memory. The documentary, directed by Academy Award nominee Maite Alberdi, is a deep dive into the lives of Paulina Urrutia Fernández, an actress, activist and former Minister of the National Council of Culture and the Arts of Chile, and her husband Augusto Góngora, a Chilean journalist who reported on corruption and violence during Augusto Pinochet’s presidency, who has Alzheimer’s disease.

Paulina Urrutia and Augusto Góngora appear in The Eternal Memory by Maite Alberdi, an official selection of the World Documentary Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

2023 Sundance Audience Awards

Voted on by the audience, Radical was granted the Festival Favorite Award. The Persian Version (U.S. Dramatic) and Beyond Utopia (U.S. Documentary) and Shayda (World Cinema Dramatic) and 20 Days in Mariupol (World Cinema Documentary also received audience awards. Salt Lake magazine’s Jaime Winston reviews Radical, voted the Festival Favorite, based on a true story of a new sixth-grade teacher at José Urbina López Elementary in Matamoros, Mexico, one of the most underfunded and poor performing schools in the country.

2023 Sundance Awards for directing, screenwriting and editing

The Directing Award for the U.S. Documentary category was presented to Luke Lorentzen for A Still Small Voice. The Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic competition goes to Sing J. Lee for The Accidental Getaway Driver. The Directing Award in World Cinema Documentary was presented to Anna Hints for Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. The Directing Award in the World Cinema Dramatic competition was presented to Marija Kavtaradze for Slow. The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award was presented to Maryam Keshavarz for The Persian Version. The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award was presented to Daniela I. Quiroz for Going Varsity in Mariachi (U.S. Documentary).

2023 Sundance Special Jury Awards

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision was presented to Sofia Alaoui for Animalia, her feature film debut. The film follows Itto, a pregnant woman in Morocco from humble beginnings, who first adjusts to a new life among the wealthy and then a world invaded by aliens. Salt Lake magazine contributor Michael Mejia says, rather than a pure sci-fi or horror film, “Animalia reveals itself as a thoughtful, politically and ethically engaged imagining of the erasure of human dominance, of human motives, of the corrupt, or corrupted, nature of humanity.” Read his full review of Animalia.

Oumaïma Barid appears in Animalia by Sofia Alaoui, an official selection of the World Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for best Ensemble was presented to the cast of Theater Camp. A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision was presented to the creative team of Magazine Dreams. A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting was presented to Lio Mehiel for Mutt. A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Clarity of Vision was presented to The Stroll. A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression was presented to Bad Press. A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Vision was presented to Fantastic Machine. A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Verite Filmmaking was presented to Against the Tide. A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography was presented to Lílis Soares for Mami Wata. A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Performance was presented to Rosa Marchant for When It Melts.

Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Alexander Bello, Kyndra Sanchez, Bailee Bonick, Quinn Titcomb, Madisen Marie Lora, Donovan Colan and Luke Islam appear in a still from Theater Camp by Molly Goron and Nick Lieberman, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute

The award-winning films will screen in-person and online on Saturday, January 28, and Sunday, January 29. Tickets for award-screening films are available.

Jan 27

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Sundance 2023 Film Review: The Starling Girl

By Phillip Sevy Film, Sundance

In the opening scene of The Starling Girl, 17-year-old Jem Starling, looks up at the sky and prays that people will see God through her and her actions. It’s a prayer of consecration and earnest desire to live her life in such a way that shows her devotion to her god. And that’s the central question at the heart of the film. Is living our lives truly and authentically a celebration of God’s creation or do we have to forfeit our lives in service to God’s other creatures?

Jem lives in a community that will seem eerily familiar to those of us who live in Utah. It’s a high-demand, fundamental religious community that allows for no other connections outside of the church. At 17 years old, she is on the precipice of “fulfilling her purpose” in life—i.e., getting married and having children. Modesty culture is heavily enforced. Public shaming happens regularly to keep people scared of stepping out of line. Music is controlled. Dance is monitored. Everything must be done with God and the church at the center. Any deviation is not tolerated and is excoriated as Satan’s control. Smoking and drinking are not allowed. Secularism is the greatest threat that could get between one’s self and God. Weighing heavily on the film is the idea that any action or thought that considers the well-being of one’s self is “selfish” and therefore cuts one off from God. The only way to be closer to God is to sacrifice any sense of self in service of others but mostly in service of their church.

It’s against this stifling backdrop of control and dehumanization that Jem struggles to serve the two masters of happiness, love and fulfillment as well as the church. No one asks her what she wants in life. No one cares about her as a person. She is only her role. Until she meets Owen Taylor, the pastor’s older son who has just returned with his wife from a Missionary trip to Puerto Rico. Owen has experience outside of their small Kentucky town. He has ideas about how to find God and who God is that challenge the existing narrative of control and shame. He sees Jem as a person when they talk. He asks questions about who she is and what she wants to do. He proposes the idea that living our lives as we want—doing what brings us joy—is the highest form of worship. He gives her an avenue for consciousness and awakening—mentally, sexually, and spiritually. Everything that burns between them challenges everything she knows about God and yet she’s never felt more alive and closer to God.

The Starling Girl hinges on that relationship and the dangers and freedom it brings. It’s a quiet, simple movie, grounded in restrained but incredible performances. Eliza Scanlen brings a fiery defiant light to Jem’s eyes, carrying the film in every scene. She’s a powerhouse of an actress and never once lets you forget the strength Jem carries inside her, regardless of how everything and everyone in her life is a threat to her happiness. Lewis Pullman portrays Owen and brings a quiet warmth and charm. The film doesn’t try to obscure the troubling power dynamics between the two or the fact that Jem is still a teenager while he’s in his late twenties. But the film doesn’t try to make a bold statement, either. It sets up the problematic and uneven social structures between men and women in this community to help us understand that even while rebelling against these confines, Owen and Jem still live within them.

Jimmi Simpson plays Jem’s father—a man struggling to live a religious life while haunted by the ghost of his former life of fulfillment, success and fame that he gave up for God. A choice of self-sacrifice that has left him broken, drinking and taking pills in not-so secret. Wrenn Schmidt plays Jem’s mother—a woman whose entire existence is threatened by the struggles of her husband and oldest daughter. She is willing to sacrifice those relationships to reassure and validate her place in her small, confined and limited community.

The Starling Girl is the feature directorial debut of writer/director Laurel Parmet. Parmet developed the script in the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program years back. Parmet’s work is sublime, understated and deeply affecting. She lets her camera hang on her actors and allow them to be in a scene, never rushing moments or lingering too long. The movie feels so real that its quiet, powerful moments are almost lost at times in the naturalistic flow of life.

The result is a coming-of-age story that is incredibly specific but grounded in a world we all understand and see everyday. And though it didn’t come into the festival with the same level of buzz other features had, The Starling Girl is one of the best films of the festival. A meticulously crafted, reserved film that reminds us of the importance and power of independent cinema. It is a moving, indelible and subtle film that shows us that the most radical, most defiant and most disruptive thing we can do to systems of control is to live our life authentically and honestly. The film gently asserts that if we are creations of a loving god, then he created us to be happy.

The Starling Girl premiered in the U.S. Dramatic competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

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Review: Larkin Poe and Goodnight, Texas at The Commonwealth Room

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Sundance 2023 film review: Mutt

Here Are The 2023 Sundance Film Festival Winners

2023 Sundance Grand Jury Prizes

2023 Sundance Audience Awards

2023 Sundance Awards for directing, screenwriting and editing

2023 Sundance Special Jury Awards

Sundance 2023 Film Review: The Starling Girl

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