POST #12 -- Cultural Cornucopia

Each summer Logan serves up a positively chock-a-block cornucopia of culture.  The Old Lyric Repertory Theater is in full swing with comedies, dramas and musicals.  There are free performing arts events every weekday at the historic LDS Tabernacle on Main Street.  The music department at Utah State produces a full summer's worth of high-caliber concert offerings.  And the (now famous) Utah Festival (www.UFOC.org) stages some of the best opera in the country... largely by recruiting the best opera singers in the country who would otherwise be unemployed in the summer off-season.

Opera critic Edward Reichel writes about the two stars who helped make the 2012 production of 'Tosca'  "...an unqualified success. Soprano Carla Thelen Hanson (Tosca) and tenor Jonathan Burton (Cavaradossi) own their roles. They bring depth, understanding, passion and expression to their portrayals. They are utterly credible, infusing their characters with deep insight and great power, but without falling into caricature. And they are stunning as singers.  Hanson’s Act II 'Vissi d’arte' and Burton’s Act III 'E lucevan le stelle' are the vocal highpoints of this production."  

Seasonally unemployed orchestra members flock to Logan, too, and the result is a full pit of top-flight professional musicians. Sounds a lot better than the couple of synthesizers and a kazoo one typically finds in the cash-strapped summer music festivals almost everywhere else in the country. The Utah festival is extremely audience-attentive, offering Academy Classes, Literary Seminars, pre-show 'informance' talks, after-performance mingling with the stars, plus other meet-the-actors/directors events.       Wow. 

During my stay in Logan, I've seen 2 plays, 2 musicals and one opera.  My descriptions and comments on each are included at the bottom of this page, after the last photo.

Ellen Eccles Theatre, the jewel in the crown

Tosca, Opening Night

Tosca, ensemble

Meeting Tosca stars Hanson & Burton

The Eccles set for Noel Coward's "Private Lives"

Eccles Theatre at intermission

Lyric Theater, Greater Tuna set

Utah Theater, undergoing rennovation

Daily noon performances are free at the Tabernacle

'Big River' ensemble at the Tabernacle

young talent at the Tabernacle

Academy classes and Literary Seminars are held in the Dansante

Jim Lyden's seminar on scenic design

Vanessa Ballam's seminar on opera role prep

Nicholas Morrison directs the Utah State University Alumni Band

Michael sez...    (described in the order seen) 

"Private Lives" -- this Noel Coward play is a perennial of regional theater and repertory companies.  And it's done very well here . Depicting the most unlikely circumstance of a formerly married couple who meet on their honeymoons with their 2nd spouses, it is quick, witty and clever.  Considered sensationally risque when written in the 1930s, it seems far less so now.  It's a lot of fun to watch.

"Kiss Me Kate" -- Cole Porter's attempt to co-mingle the Big Song-and-Dance Broadway musical with Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew."  Whereas it's a treat to see a 30-member troupe all on stage at the same time performing the well-choreographed dance numbers, the play is long on ambition and short on grabbing power.  The earnest efforts of the talented UFMOT cast just couldn't save this one, for my taste.  I left feeling exhausted. 

"Big River" -- with wonderfully lyrical music by Roger Miller, wonderfully performed by the Logan cast, this stage adaptation by William Hauptman of Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" was just a delight. Stephan Espinosa as Huck and Lego Luis at Jim were superb.

"Greater Tuna" -- I thought I'd love this wacky set-up about a bevy of eccentric characters in the 3rd smallest town in Texas, especially because Stephan Espinosa ('Big River') was one of the 2 actors playing all 18 roles in the play.  But I found it unimaginative and painfully over-played.  Most audience members seemed to be loving it.  I walked out at intermission. 

"Tosca" -- Hey, I admit it.  I'm not a big fan of traditional opera. But I love Puccini's music.  And I couldn't help but be impressed by UFOMT's staging of this classic, the 3rd most performed opera of all time.  Edward Reichel's review (above) nailed it.  A stunning success, it was.