It’s finally Friday! Here’s your forecast: ⛅ 16 – 44° in Logan ⛅ 28 – 53° in Salt Lake City ⛅ 38 – 73° in St. George Spring is an exciting time for any performing arts lover as this is when all the performing arts companies announce their upcoming seasons. If you’re an avid concert-goer, balletomane or film nerd, there is something out there for you. Here’s what I’m excited about: 🎶 Utah Festival Opera in Logan: From July 5 to Aug. 5, the Utah Festival Opera does a marathon of battle axe operas and musical theatre favorites. This year, they have masterpiece operas like Verdi’s “Aïda” as well as popular favorites like… well, Elton John’s “Aida.” Personally, I would get tickets to both. 🩰 Ballet West in Salt Lake City: If you can believe it, Ballet West will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year — and doing so with some of its audience’s favorite works. In addition to classics like “Swan Lake” and “The Firebird,” they will also perform a triple bill called “Love and War.” 📽️ Salt Lake Film Society in Salt Lake City: They currently have a retrospective series exploring the works of P.T. Anderson and Wes Anderson (no relation). Although both directors have different (immediately recognizable) styles, they have both used incredible visual storytelling and powerhouse acting talent to carve out a niche in the film industry. SLFS will screen one of each of their films every weekend until April 29. 🎻 Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City: This one is close to my heart as I worked at this festival for five summers. This year, they have a stellar lineup including classical guitarist Pablo Villegas, a Disney princess concert, Broadway powerhouse Capathia Jenkins, The Beach Boys and Ben Folds. I’m particularly excited about Broadway star Joshua Jenkins, who was the best Billy Bigelow I ever saw in the most recent remount of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel.” 🎭 Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City: No arts lover’s summer in Utah would be complete without the Utah Shakespeare Festival. This year, they are performing several of my favorite plays: Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as well as Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.” Tell me: Did I miss any great arts events coming up in Utah? Hit reply and tell me some of your favorite things to see. Also on our minds: How Utahns feel about Biden’s handling of Ukraine, Utah’s social media bill might fail in the courts but it's still good for America, and overcoming religious differences in Israel. |