SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 21, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — It’s often said that the same musicals are produced again and again in Utah. And if you’re a little bored of the usual suspects, now you have the chance to transport yourself to 1960s Italy with “Nine,” a dazzling production from Hart Theater Company.
The company’s mission is to produced fully-mounted musical productions as well as original works written by local artists, and lesser-known plays and musicals that are not commonly done in the Beehive State. It’s is now in its second season; past shows include “The Wild Party” and a staged reading of “Possessive! The Musical.”
“Nine” plays through Aug. 24 at Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center in Taylorsville, with shows this week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available here. It then moves to the Egyptian Theatre in Park City through Sept. 10, with shows on Sept. 1 and 2 at 8 p.m., Sept. 3 at 6 p.m., Sept. 7, 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. Tickets are available here.
The show, which is based on Fedrico Fellini’s 1963 film “8 1/2,” centers around Guido Contini, a famous Italian film director and ladies’ man. His last couple of movies have been panned by the critics, and he is under pressure to make a return to form with his latest project. But there is one major problem: he hasn’t written a line of the script and has lost all inspiration. Contini’s professional and personal lives become intertwined as he attempts to save both his career and his marriage at a Venetian spa. As he struggles to find a storyline for his film, his mind becomes increasingly preoccupied, and fantasy and reality begin to blur. Contini must ultimately face the women in his life as they haunt, scold, seduce, teach and eventually encourage him to move forward.
“Nine,” with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit, opened on Broadway in 1982, starring Raul Julia. It won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. There was a revival of the show on Broadway in 2003 that featured Antonio Banderas, and won two Tony Awards. It was also made into a 2009 film, with Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren.
My first thought on reading who had played Guido Contini in the past was who among Utah thespians would be right for the role? And the answer is one of the best things about this production: the actor Diego Rodriguez, who carries the entire show on his shoulders. Rodriguez, who hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is making his debut with the company. His singing voice is excellent, he dances well, and he’s also a competent actor, giving Contini a necessary depth. The character of Contini is not entirely likeable, but Rodriguez imbues him with such passion and intensity that he’s a thrill to watch even though we don’t always root for his choices.
Another standout in the cast is Shane Farber, who at age 10 is playing a 9-year-old version of Contini. Farber has a clear-as-a-bell singing voice and a charming stage presence. He plays his role with a good deal of focus and heart and the scenes featuring him and Rodriguez were some of my favorite.
The two also ground a show, which is massive in all senses of the word. The cast consists of 14 actors total, plus three understudies, then there is a seven-piece band. The band, conducted by Anne Puzey, is absolutely outstanding; Puzey is also music director and plays keyboards. A total of 13 people are listed as the production team. If you think that’s a lot, a concert version of “Nine” was staged in London in 1992 with a cast of 165.
The 12 women in the cast play various females that have populated Contini’s life, from his long-suffering wife, the film star Luisa del Forno, to his hot-blooded mistress, Carla Albanese, to his impatient producer, Liliane La Fleur, who is insisting Contini’s film project be a musical. We also meet Saraghina, a prostitute he encountered as a young boy, his muse, Claudia Nardi, and his mother, as well as six others. Every female member of the cast has plenty of talent; standouts for me were Jin-Xiang Yu as Contini’s wife; the actress recently moved from New York and has a master’s degree in opera from Yale University. Her voice is stunning and her performance is beautifully multi-layered. The same goes for Julia Gershkoff as Contini’s mother; the actress is also a trained opera singer. I also enjoyed Emily Wells’ performance as Carla (she’s also the co-founder of Hart Theater Company and the costume designer) and Becky Jean Knowles’ turn as Saraghina. The cast’s Italian accents are convincing; the dialect coach is Paul McGrew, who is also the company’s co-founder.
The direction by Amber Hansen and choreography Ashley Gardner Carlson is bold and exciting. The dance numbers sparkle and have a plenty of variety since they often feature props; feathers, fans and even little tambourines. I do feel that with a cast as big as this one, there could have been a little more work done in differentiating the female characters. Because there are so many characters and often they are dressed alike, I found it a little hard to follow who was who at times. I do appreciate that it’s hard to communicate every character’s back story, particularly in such a song-and-dance heavy show, but it would have given the piece even more heart if there was a little more digging done as to what’s motivating each character and what they want in each scene.
As I mentioned before, this is a big musical in all senses and there is no expense spared with the production values. The set, designed by Hansen, consists of a raised playing space with two platforms at the back, adorned with two pillars, and various flights of steps, with a bed on one side and the band on the other. The cast worked well in the space, particularly considering how many actors plus band members share the stage.
The other production values are flamboyant in the best way. The lighting design by Kyle Esposito goes hand in hand with the scenic and projection design, also by Hansen. The projections are mostly very large images that correspond with whatever is going on in the scenes; a beach, the Grand Canal in Venice, hundreds of light bulbs for a Folies Bergeres dance number. In the latter part of the show there are a series of videos that I believe are supposed to be scenes from Contini’s films; I actually really enjoyed this device and wondered if it could have been used effectively in other parts of the show. The lighting design consists mostly of washes in rich, sumptuous colors such as blue, purple and pink.
The costumes too, are lavish. Wells acts as costume designer and Kirsten Gale Morgan as wig designer. There are multiple costume changes for the actresses; each has a glittery dress in black, gold, and for the end of the show, silver, with matching jewelry. Then there are multiple other changes to indicate each character they play. Between them also wearing wigs and dealing with mic packs, the whole show is a workout for the ladies. Rodriguez and Farber have fewer costume changes, wearing simple black and white. While we’re on the subject of mic packs, the sound was another area of the production I felt needed a little finessing. Each cast member is mic’ed and while in the first half, the volume was comfortable, in the second act, some of the songs felt uncomfortably loud. I should mention I saw the preview performance, and this may have been fixed for the rest of the opening weekend of the run.
All in all, the musical is an engaging look into the complex mind of an artist, with the extreme highs and lows that go hand in hand with brilliance. “Nine” is an fun, ultimately uplifting evening at the theater and credit should be given to Hart Theater Company for transporting us to Venice without us ever having to leave Taylorsville. You have until Sept. 10 to catch “Nine,” then the company’s bold choices continue with its first non-musical, “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” in November, written by Martin McDonagh and directed by Morag Shepherd. This will be followed by “The Other Wise Man,” in December, with book, music and lyrics by local author and composer Daniel Carter and direction and choreography by Ismael Arrieta. For more information on the company click here.
