Theater Archives - Utah Concert Review

September 2, 2025September 4, 2025

Aaron Tveit

Aaron Tveit • August 25, 2025 • Scera Schell Outdoor Theatre

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Over the last few years, we have had a great run of Broadway Stars in concert here in Utah. We’ve had amazing vocalists such as Jeremy Jordan, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jessica Vosk, Ben Platt, Kara Lindsay, Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters, and, of course, just last month, Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara. Utah loves musical theater and its stars. Anticipation was as high as I’ve ever seen it for Tony Award-winner Aaron Tveit. He performed a sold-out show at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre in Orem with the Utah Valley Orchestra.

July 31, 2025September 4, 2025

Sutton Foster and Kelli O’hara

Sutton Foster • Kelli O’hara • July 26, 2025 • Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

The Utah Symphony has been busy this summer. The Deer Valley Music Festival has been filled with a variety of great performances. From artists like Lindsey Stirling, to the music of Disney, to The Beach Boys, the symphony shows their range and brings great performance after great performance to the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater at Deer Valley. July 26 was no exception. Two great Tony-Award Award-winning Broadway Stars, Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara, graced the Park City stage. It was a special night for fans of musical theater. Getting to see two of the best performers Broadway has to offer in our state for one night doesn’t happen here all the time. The show was well attended, and the audience was totally entranced by these vocalists.

June 18, 2025September 4, 2025

& Juliet

& Juliet • June 17, 2025 • Eccles Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy courtesy of Broadway at the Eccles

Jukebox musicals can be a polarizing topic in the musical theater world. Some people love them. Others dismiss them due to the fact that the shows are created with songs that have already been written. I enjoy them. If they’re done right. Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia, Rock of Ages, Crazy For You, and, Moulin Rouge, to name a few, have been well done and are some of my favorite musicals to see whenever I get the chance. I won’t name the jukebox musicals that are not well done, but let’s just say when they’re bad, they’re really bad. The music and story feels forced. The musical & Juliet is one of the most recent jukebox musicals to hit Broadway.

April 19, 2025September 4, 2025

Wicked

Wicked • April 17, 2025 • Eccles Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographed by Joan Marcus courtesy of Broadway at the Ecceles

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus courtesy of Broadway at the Ecceles

What can I possibly say about one of the biggest musicals in Broadway history that hasn’t already been said? Wicked the musical has been seen the world over by millions of people. I know multiple people in my own life who go to see Wicked on a regular basis. It’s their favorite musical and they’ve seen it over and over again. To coin a phrase, this show is in a word, “Popular”. I’m sorry, I regretted it the moment I wrote it. But it had to be done.

April 17, 2025September 4, 2025

A Chorus Line

A Chorus Line • April 12, 2025 • West Valley Performing Arts Center

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographed by Vanessa Olson

Photo Credit: Vanessa Olson courtesty West Valley Arts

A Chorus Line is one of the most successful musicals of all time. Winner of 9 Tony Awards in 1976, including Best Musical, A Chorus Line became the longest-running show in Broadway history. It has since been surpassed by a number of other productions (Phantom of the Opera is the current title holder). But for years, if you went to New York City to see a Broadway show, this was the musical to see. It’s interesting because the show has virtually no set and has minimal costume changes. The show rests completely on the singing, dancing, and acting of the cast.

April 10, 2025September 4, 2025

Dogfight

Dogfight • April 7, 2025 • Valentine Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photos courtesy of Sentinel Theatre

I had the opportunity to see a musical I had never even heard of, at a theater not far from my house (that I had strangely never knew existed), from a theater company producing its first ever show. I was excited for the new experiences. My expectations were not at an all-time high. How can a first-time production from a brand new theater company possibly be as good as some of the many well-established theater companies in the area? Well, I’m here to tell you that Sentinel Theatre is off to a great start. Their production of “Dogfight” was an entertaining night of really well-done theater.

April 4, 2025September 4, 2025

Life of Pi

Life of Pi • April 2, 2025 • Eccles Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographed by Murphy Made and Kevin Rolfe

In April 2025, Salt Lake City’s Eccles Theater hosted the Tony and Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s acclaimed novel Life of Pi.” This theatrical production captivated audiences with its innovative storytelling, breathtaking visuals, and profound exploration of survival and spirituality. We had the opportunity to attend the play on Opening Night, April 1, 2025. Every aspect of the production was impressive.

January 31, 2025September 4, 2025

Ramin Karimloo

Ramin Karimloo and The Broadgrass Band • January 24, 2025 • BYU Concert Hall

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Photographed by Molly McCoy

I find it interesting the way we discover the artists we come to like. Back in the day, we’d hear a song on the radio, buy the album, and fall in love with a band by listening to them over and over. Sometimes, we’ll see a band or singer open a concert for someone we intend to see, and they end up becoming one of our favorites. More often today, we hear a song on TikTok or Instagram and go down the rabbit hole looking for more music than just the 30-second clip we heard. When it comes to becoming a fan of a star of musical theater it can be a little trickier. Most often we’ll hear a cast album and fall in love with a voice. From then on, pay attention to what they’ve done or will end up doing.

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025

The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon • January 20, 2025 • Eccles Theater

It’s not often that a musical can stop through a town and connect with so many people and the culture is such a specific satirical in the way the Tony Award winning, The Book of Mormon does when it comes to Salt Lake City. I’d like to think, when South Park Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and co-songwriter for Frozen and Coco, and Avenue Q creator, Robert Lopez were writing this musical, they envisioned the production coming to Salt Lake City and how so many would love the inside jokes that are so specific to the area and culture. If they did imagine such a day, I’m sure they would know how much people would love the inside jokes.

December 12, 2024December 12, 2024

Kimberly Akimbo

Kimberly Akimbo • December 10, 2024 • Eccles Theater

Reviewed by Kevin Rolfe

Entering Eccles Theater on Tuesday night, I knew about as little about the musical Kimberly Akimbo as I think I have for any show ever. I knew that it won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2022 and that this show was called Kimberly Akimbo. That’s about it, which is rare for me. As a musical theater fan, I am usually up to date on most productions. And while I try to hold off on knowing too much until I’ve seen the show, for some reason this one totally slipped by me. It was only as I talked to another colleague that I learned that the show was about a teenager in high school with a rare condition that ages her faster to the point where she looks like a woman in her 60s.