Musicals Archives - Utah Concert Review

March 1, 2024March 1, 2024

MJ The Musical

MJ The Musical • February 27, 2024 • Eccles Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

When I first heard they were doing a Broadway musical of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, I thought, this will have great music and dancing, and it’ll surely bring in tourists. But I wondered how good it would be. This seems like a show that a production could easily get wrong. I was thinking if I ever saw it, I’d be seeing a watered-down, cash grab of a jukebox musical. But when MJ was announced as part of the Broadway at the Eccles 2023/24 season, I started to hear good things about the production coming from New York. I was hearing that it was actually a good show. I was excited to find out for myself.

February 21, 2024February 22, 2024

Broadway at The Eccles announces 2024/2025 Broadway Series

Announcing our biggest season ever,
the new 24/25 Broadway Series features
the show with all the #1 hits & Juliet,
the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Kimberly Akimbo,
the return of Salt Lake City’s most “popular” musical WICKED, and more!

Salt Lake City, UT – We are pleased to announce the 24/25 Zions Bank Broadway at the Eccles season, bringing five premiere engagements to Salt Lake City, and the return of crowd-pleasing Add-Ons.

July 25, 2023

The Principle Wife

The Principle Wife• July 22, 2023• Cover Center for the Arts

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

*This review contains spoilers. If you’re planning on seeing The Principle Wife come back and read this after you’ve seen it. Otherwise, you may proceed.*

I saw the billboards, I’ve seen the social media ads, and I thought, ‘Is this a musical about polygamy?’ Then I received an email with an invitation to review the production of The Principle Wife. So I read up on it and sure enough, it is. I’m sure many of you might be thinking, why would anyone write a musical about polygamy, why would Kevin go review a musical about polygamy, and do we need a musical about polygamy, are people wanting this? I’ll do my best to answer those questions.

May 31, 2023

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical• May 30, 2023• Eccles Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Naomi Rodgers as ‘Tina Turner in the North American touring production of TINA THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL Photo by Matthew Murphy

It’s hard to believe that within a week of the great Tina Turner’s passing, I was sitting inside the beautiful Eccles Theater in downtown Salt Lake City, watching Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. As I walked into the theater I could overhear several conversations talking about the legend’s passing. Many patrons lined up to sign a memorial that was set out for Tina Turner. Some stated that they were looking forward to the show because they didn’t know much about her life. Others claimed to be the biggest Tina Turner fans ever and were excited to see the musical. Either way, there was a different buzz in the theater lobby. I wouldn’t quite call it a sadness but more like a reverence for the situation. The timing of the opportunity to see this show just after Tina’s passing did not seem lost on anyone.

April 13, 2023

Hairspray

Hairspray the Musical• April 11, 2023• Eccles Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographs by Jeremy Daniel

The 2022/2023 season of Broadway at The Eccles has been one for the books! Shows like Moulin Rouge, Ain’t Too Proud, and Dear Evan Hansen has thrilled audiences. Eccles Theater has been packed to the rafters with satisfied patrons. The shows of this season have been excellent, but I must admit, when this season was announced, I was thrilled to see Hairspray on the list. I didn’t know there was a tour up until that point. Outside of the occasional regional or community theater productions, my Hairspray musical experience had ended. I really love this musical so I’m sure you can imagine how delighted I was to see it on the season schedule, and how much more ecstatic I was to be sitting in my seat Tuesday night waiting for the show to begin.

March 15, 2023

Broadway at the Eccles 2023-2024 Season Announced!

Zions Bank Broadway at the Eccles is Excited to Announce

the upcoming 2023-2024 Broadway Season featuring

SIX, MJ, HAMILTON and more!

Salt Lake City, UT – We are pleased to announce the 2023-2024 Broadway at the Eccles season, bringing the best of Broadway to Salt Lake City. The season begins with one week of the timeless classic MY FAIR LADY, nominated for 10 Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival, followed by the smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, MAMMA MIA!, and don’t lose your head, but Broadway’s hottest new ticket, winner of 23 awards in 21/22, SIX, will be in Salt Lake for two weeks. The season continues with the premiere of the most Tony Award®-winning new show of the season MJ, the hit musical sensation that explores the creative mind and collaborative spirit of the legendary artist, Michael Jackson and one of Hollywood’s most beloved romantic stories of all time, PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL. Our fourth premiere coming to the Eccles will be GIRL FROM NORTH COUNTRY, featuring the legendary songs of Bob Dylan set in a guesthouse filled with music, life and hope. And as previously announced, the return of HAMILTON for 5 weeks in the summer of 2024.

April 28, 2022

Broadway at the Eccles Announces 2022/23 Season

Zions Bank Broadway at the Eccles is Excited to Announce
the upcoming 2022-2023 Broadway Season featuring
Moulin Rouge!, Tina and Les Misérables and more!

Salt Lake City, UT – Broadway Across America is pleased to announce the 2022-2023 Broadway at the Eccles season, bringing the best of Broadway to Salt Lake City. The season begins with two weeks of the smash Broadway hit Moulin Rouge! The Musical, winner of 10 Tony Awards – including Best Musical last year, followed by the Detroit Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, and you can’t stop the beat when an all new production of Hairspray returns in April. The season continues with the premiere of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical and one of Utah’s favorites Les Misérables plays an extremely limited two-week engagement opening in June of 2023. Concluding the season is the musical comedy, Beetlejuice, based on Tim Burton’s hilarious film.

February 16, 2021

UCR INTERVIEW: Nina Herzog

Nina Herzog is a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles California. Nina first stepped into the spotlight as the speaking and singing voice of Odette, The Swan Princess, in Sony Animation’s “The Swan Princess” series. She has also done an extensive amount of session and voice over work along with various performances with symphonies around the country including the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C.

Nina will be releasing her EP Together Away on March 12. She has just recently released her version of the Elvis Presley Classic, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in February. I had the opportunity to chat with Nina about making her own music after performing and recording other people’s songs for so long. Enjoy!

–Kevin Rolfe

March 24, 2020

Announcement: Disney’s Frozen Postponed

ALL SALT LAKE COUNTY ARTS VENUES

CLOSED FOR PERFORMANCES THROUGH

MAY 15, 2020. DISNEY’S FROZEN POSTPONED.

March 9, 2020

Dear Evan Hansen March 4, 2020 Eccles Theater

By: Kevin Rolfe

Every once in a while we’ll get a musical that has been written in the present tense, with modern themes and modern lessons. Sure you’ll have a show like Hamilton which has many modern elements and musical stylings, but the story takes place over 200 years ago. I’m talking about shows like Hair, which in which the story took place in the ’70s and debuted on Broadway in the ’70s. Another show like this that comes to mind is Rent from the ‘90s. The show takes place in the ‘90s, it’s themes are from current events of the day and the show debuted on Broadway in the ‘90s. You get the idea. Now we have Dear Evan Hansen. A story for our time.