Scene from the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2023 production of “The Play That Goes Wrong,” Cedar City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Karl Hugh/Utah Shakespeare Festival, St. Created by the British (of course) trio of Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, this play-within-a-play scored major awards and has already spawned several similarly-themed stage productions and even a television series. Now, for those who don’t want to expend much effort to enjoy a live theater presentation, the relatively new “The Play That Goes Wrong” is the show to see. And that’s a good word to describe the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s presentation – wonderfully charming from the jump, with delightful Regency-era costuming and a radiant garden visual design to support the winning cast that proves, when in the right hands, Ausen’s inestimable work is as fresh as ever. With equal aplomb, Rhett Guter, so entertaining last year as the Pirate King in “Pirates of Penzance,” makes Emma’s admiring antagonist Mr. Laura Brennan’s take on her is fun and quirkily expressive, and she practically steals the second act with her rendition of “Humiliation.” Consider Emma’s protégé and object of her frequently bungled schemes, Harriet Smith. Some Austen fans consider “Emma” to be her most comedic effort, and director-choreographer Valerie Rachelle’s sprightly vision emphasizes both in blocking and casting the often hilarious material. Seemingly channeling Julie Andrews by way of Kate Winslet, Babich handles the talky and seemingly relentless vocal requirements beautifully, so despite her character’s rather spoiled nature, we can’t resist her. While the book, music and lyrics by Paul Gordon (“Daddy Long Legs,” “Jane Eyre”) may lack the sweeping melodies popular in musical theater, songs like “I Made the Match Myself” allow the frequent musical soliloquies to shine and keep the focus on the sweetly simple storytelling.Īllie Babich sparkles as Austen’s heroine Emma Woodhouse, who fancies herself the flawless matchmaker but who in fact causes chaos wherever she meddles. That’s because, while devoted fans of Jane Austen have never demanded a musical, the festival’s version of her novel “Emma” will easily convince both the author’s purists and more than a few doubters with its old-fashioned melodies brimming with pop sensibilities. REVIEW - With Jane Austen’s “Emma the Musical” and “The Play That Goes Wrong,” the Utah Shakespeare Festival has returned to the solid ground that made it famous by eschewing the shaky choices of recent years.įans of the Bard will have to chime in on the quality of its titular works this season, but as for these productions, both earn a hearty “huzzah!” and an unconditional recommendation.
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