SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 26, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake Acting Company’s summer show has been reinvented a handful of times these past few years.
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. 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, last summer, 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.
For the summer of 2023, the company is calling the piece, simply, “SLAC’s Summer Show.” The full title is “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, who also makes an appearance in the show in a form you might not expect.
“Bring your favorite summer treat and be swept up in the childhood nostalgia of the beloved public television programs that educated generations through song and, of course, puppets,” the press release for the show says. The piece, which is for mature audiences, opened July 12 and runs until August 20 with performances Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a Saturday matinee August 5 at 2 p.m. and shows on Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
This year also sees 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.
With this piece, Custodio has really found her groove and has struck a perfect balance in her writing of comedic, but not unduly mean, which was always my issue in the Voyeurs I saw; the skewering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints got a little bitter and cruel, and to me, became less and less amusing. What Custodio does here is to gently roast a lot of things about living in Utah without seeming to browbeat a certain sector of our population. There are sections of the show that are just out-and-out hilarious and infinitely relatable (let’s be honest, who DOESN’T have a crush on Doug Fabrizio?) then segments about the absurdity of living in Utah that are funny because they’re so true but are also at times slightly depressing (who LIVES in all those massive apartment buildings that seem to sprout up overnight like mega mushrooms?) Then finally, there are some jokes that will make you laugh because otherwise you’ll cry (arsenic in the Great Salt Lake, anyone?)
The show is again directed and choreographed by SLAC’s executive artistic director Cynthia Fleming, whose work is fun, crisp and straightforward, and she has an excellent cast to work with this year.
The piece is set around an annual telethon, put on by UBS and hosted by Subaru Sorensen, played by Madison Archibald, and Tesla Hale, played by James Wong. This vehicle is a perfect way of then incorporating comic takes on classic PBS children’s shows, including “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” “Sesame Street” and “Reading Rainbow.” Both Archibald and Wong have plenty to do; Archibald plays other characters including Mr. McTouchy, a parody of Mr. McFeely, the delivery man in the Mr. Rogers (or Mr. Roberts in this case) segments, whose dour nature will have you laughing out loud, and also a rather earnest, solemn Post Malone. Wong also gets to portray drag queen Snatchma Wig in the “Reading Rainbow” section. Wong works alongside Trevor Bird in this segment, who plays the brilliantly named drag queen Rita Book. Bird is also Brigh Bird from Sagebrush Street in the “Sesame Street” parody. Yes, you read that right, Brigh Bird is a delightful combo of our popular yellow feathered friend and the notorious Utah religious leader nicknamed “Lion of the Lord.”
Puppets play a big part in the show, and actor Trevor B. Dean, who it says in the program was taught puppetry by his mother more than 30 years ago, brings to life Mike Lee the Trash Person and Cookie Creature. The puppets are designed and constructed beautifully by local husband-and-wife team Linda L. Brown and Steven Glenn Brown. Another standout actor is Wendy Joseph, who gets to show off her comedic chops but also is often the character that is the foil for others’ shenanigans. She also has a gorgeous singing voice, which is showcased well particularly in the second half of the show. Sean J. Carter and Akina Yamazaki are also competent in multiple smaller roles.
I’ve seen enough “Saturday’s Voyeur”s, as well as both SLACabararets, to be able to identify pretty quickly when an actor is going to steal the show. There’s a certain talent that a few actors have that allows them to be completely zany and free with their comedy work, while also creating characters that are utterly specific and rooted in reality. In this case, that person is David Knoell. His first big entrance is rather like a explosion of quirky confetti as he portrays the goofy, zesty Bob Nood the Science Dood, who reminded me a little of Dr. Emmett Brown in “Back to the Future,” then goes on to play Mr. Roberts (Mr. Rogers of course.) There’s an unbridled joy to his performance, and it was this segment of the show that had me and my husband absolutely cracking up as Knoell creates a Mr. Roberts that is desperately wholesome with a side order of restrained hysteria. Knoell also plays Ken Sunders, (yes that would be bearded local bookstore owner and all-around icon Ken Sanders) in an “Antiques Roadshow” parody segment that also is total a riot.
I should also mention that the cast are supported by talented musicians Zach Hansen on keys (Michael G. Leavitt was on keys for the first week of the run and is also the musical director) as well as Spencer Kellogg on soprano, alto and digital saxophones.
The production values nicely enhance the show. The scenic design, by Eric Reichert, is simple but effective, with a curved raised playing area flanked by three screens on which segments of the actual shows referenced in the piece are played, as well as real news clips that will have you giggling (remember back in summer 2021 when Gov. Spencer Cox asked Utahns, over the space of a weekend, to pray for rain? The crazy thing is that, judging by this past winter, those prayers may have worked). There is also a set that slides on and off for the “Sagebrush Street” segments, which consists of the front of a house with a small porch and a fence behind which the puppets appear from.
The lighting design by Jesse Portillo and costume design by Heidi Ortega add to the general pizazz of the show. Portillo’s designs are always subtle and sophisticated (I also loved the bubble machine, not sure if that falls under the lighting designer’s umbrella?). Ortega’s costumes are playful and nicely comedic when it’s needed; for example Brigh Bird, who wears a Brigham Young-style suit and has a long gray beard that dangles in front of his feathers. At the same time, the costumes are simple and easy for the characters to move in and for the many quick changes that take place. During the “Reading Rainbow” segment, for example, those who are playing the children each get a fun ’80s style T-shirt, decorated with such icons as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mario Bros. The drag queen ensembles are also completely stunning; the wig designer is Daniel Jacob Hill and the drag queen consultant is Salt Lake’s own Sequoia.
The show, all in all, is a source of laughter and light in a world that, for different reasons, can seem very dark. That, in itself, is a great reason to pack a picnic, round up your friends and family and spend a memorable couple of hours at SLAC. This summer show is brought to you by the letter “F,” for fun and fabulous, and the number 10, for 10 out of 10.
The summer show plays at Salt Lake Acting Company, at 168 W. 500 North, through August 20; tickets are $41-$51. Tickets and more information are available here or by calling 801-363-7522.
