SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 23, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — It seems rather apt that our review of Salt Lake Acting Company’s “Summer Show” arrives on the eve of Pioneer Day itself, since the musical leans pretty heavily on the LDS culture for laughs.
The summer show has been reinvented a handful of times these past few years, but it has kept many of the same themes. In 2020, the company announced that after 41 years, “Saturday’s Voyeur,” the evolving summer satire that contained parody songs and broad comedy lampooning both local and national events, had been discontinued, which I thought was a smart move. Taking its place there would be a new summer tradition called SLACabaret.
The first SLACaberet in 2021, by Martine Kei Green-Rogers, Aaron Swenson, and Amy Wolk, was set in Salt Lake International Airport and was billed as “a joyous celebration of Utah told through comedy and song.”
For the second SLACabaret, in 2022, writers Olivia Custodio, Emilio Casillas, and Michael Leavitt crafted a story called “Down the Rabbit Hole” about a group of people gathering at an essential oil conference in order to heal something in themselves. It was a nod to “Alice in Wonderland,” and described as an adult fairytale.
In 2023, “SLAC’s Summer Show: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” written again by Custodio, supported by dramaturg Latoya Cameron and script consultant Robert Scott Smith, explored the childhood nostalgia of the beloved public television programs that educated generations through song and, of course, puppets. Last year also saw the return of tables to the theater, as was offered during “Saturday’s Voyeur.” Audience members have the option of sitting in the regular theater seats, or at floor tables that flank the stage, high top tables that are a little behind these, and sky boxes, which seat two people each at the back of the theater. For this show only, audiences are invited to bring picnics to enjoy, and some of the audience took it upon themselves to dress up in low-key alien garb, which was cute.
The full name of this year’s piece is “SLAC’s Summer Show: Close Encounters in the Beehive,” which is described in the press release as follows: “When two aliens are sent on a mission to Earth, they’re not quite sure what they will find. However, their instructions are clear: determine if Earth is worth saving by observing its people and their lives. Only problem — they’ve landed in Salt Lake City, where the people are… unique. ‘SLAC’s Summer Show’ is back with a comedic out-of-this-world romp in the Beehive State as we follow our intergalactic friends and their close (maybe a little too close) observation of the Jorgensen family.” This year’s musical is written by Custodio, David Knoell and Penelope Caywood. The piece, which is for mature audiences, opened June 26 and runs until August 18 with performances Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and shows on Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
I mostly enjoyed the script; I’ve made no secret in the past of the fact that I’m not a massive fan of the skewering of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in these shows, going back to “Saturday’s Voyeur” days. I felt like this year, the parts focusing on the Mormon family were weaker than the rest of the show. The writing was just fine, but I personally don’t feel super comfortable laughing at someone’s religion, and also, if you’ve seen any number of these summer shows, you can bet that just about every joke has been made; the subject just feels tired and a little limp to me. The stronger elements of the piece, I thought, were the bits about living in Utah not directly tied to Mormonism, and also the nationally-themed stories. On a local level, I thought the segments about bringing weapons into schools, the abatements of the unsheltered, the part about Antelope Island, and the section dealing with Kevin Bacon coming to Payson High School 40 years on from when “Footloose” was filmed, landed more successfully. It’s also amusing that the alien pair, Zeb and Skruuk, played by Joseph Paul Branca and Nate Ginsberg, respectively, emerge from the 9th and 9th whale at the beginning of the show and go back to their homeland by returning to the whale at the end.
The piece is again directed and choreographed by SLAC’s executive artistic director Cynthia Fleming, whose work is sleek and uncomplicated, and she has assembled a strong cast this year.
The most successful performances, I thought, were those in which the actors really studied the quirks of the real-life people they were playing. For example, Noelani Brown is absolutely hilarious as a sassy Gayle King, hosting a presidential debate between President Joe Biden, played by Robert Scott Smith, and former President Donald Trump, portrayed with the requisite ear bandage by Marc Nielson. Brown, dressed in jazzy sunflower-hued specs and a sunshine yellow dress, bends and snaps, preens and dances around the stage to prepare for the debate, while the “Sports Illustrated” cover she appeared on is projected behind.
Nielson also does a spot-on Trump impersonation, and his earnest, bumbling Governor Spencer Cox earlier in the show is also very funny. Smith always shines in the summer shows he’s in and this year is no exception; his Biden is amusing as he shuffles super slowly to the stage then gets distracted and goes to talk to a member of the band. I will say though, that I saw the show on the very day the real Biden exited the presidential race, so there was a understandably a slightly somber element to this section of the show, and Smith received appreciative cheers when at the end of the scene, he removed his baseball cap and said “Thank you President Biden.” I also understand that if you see the show this week, that material has been reworked to reflect the latest developments and new characters may have been added. Smith is also very funny as Bacon, with his tousled pompadour and ultra-humble demeanor.
The cast is rounded out by numerous triple threats whose singing, dancing and acting is excellent, including Micki Martinez, who is great in everything she’s in, and Alexa Kelly Shaheen and Melody Baugh, both making their SLAC debuts.
I should also mention that the cast are supported by talented musicians Zach Hansen on keys (he’s also the musical director) as well as Spencer Kellogg on woodwinds and strings; both are outstanding.
The production values are fun and playful. The scenic design, by Erik Reichert, is quite streamlined and simple this year, with the usual curved raised two-level playing area and some set pieces that slide on and off, such as the whale sculpture. I also enjoyed the projections of Overlord Musk, designed by David O. Smith. The lighting design by Jesse Portillo is lively and jazzy, with a disco feel, and it was fun to watch the show from a sky box, which I haven’t done before, because you can see production values such as the lighting more completely. The costumes by Alicia Kondrick are nicely comedic when it’s needed, but are simple and easy for the characters to move in and for the many quick changes that take place. For example, the two aliens have funny round heads like giant peas, and wear green bodysuits, with shorts over the top and Converse boots, with large drapey fingers, and, when they appear as missionaries, white shirts with green ties, as if that would actually disguise them.
All in all, I enjoyed the show, and I think the rest of the audience did too; the two ladies sitting in the sky box next to me definitely did; they provided a running commentary in normal speaking voices throughout, which definitely was interesting. The piece is absolutely worth seeing, and while I thought last year’s show was stronger, that simply means there’s room for improvement next year.
The show plays at Salt Lake Acting Company, at 168 W. 500 North, through Aug. 18; tickets are $40-$50. If you choose to go tonight, Tuesday, or tomorrow, on what SLAC calls Pie and Beer day, you can purchase $20 tickets using the code “PIEANDBEER.” The show is at 7:30 p.m. today and 6 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets and more information are available here or by calling 801-363-7522.
