Salt Lake Acting Company’s annual satire Saturday’s Voyeur is always dependent on Utah’s latest cultural quirks and political adventures to provide fodder to playwrights Allen Nevins and Nancy Borgenicht. As a result, it’s natural to expect some primo material in years when, say, the Utah Legislature delivers something like hot-tubbing trysts with teenage girls or another in a long line of idiotic revisions to Utah’s insane liquor laws.
In watching the 2013 edition of the long-running SLAC fundraiser, it would seem Utah politicians have been on their best behavior because the show is unusually lacking in homegrown flavor, instead dwelling on the 2012 presidential election and Mitt Romney’s role as savior to Mormon voters hoping for a national leader they can call their own.
If the Romney-Obama showdown seems like a lifetime ago, well, it seems the same as one watches the latest version of Saturday’s Voyeur, this one subtitled 2013: The End of the World. In fact, it seems like a direct sequel (or maybe even rerun) of last year’s version, taking place in the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City and showcasing largely the same characters, from Austin Archer’s charming Nephi Jensen (one of only two Democrats allowed to work in the COB) to Justin Ivie’s obsequious Elder Neldon Marriott to Kalyn West’s island girl-turned-female missionary MoHanna.
With the collection of LDS security guards, elders, docents and (of course) Gayle Godzicka—this year played by Eb Madson, stepping in for long-time favorite Steven Fehr—anxiously awaiting confirmation of the Romney landslide prediction given by Karl Rove, aka the “oracle of Olympus,” on their beloved Fox News, the story seems to stagnate, veering between episodes of characters bemoaning Obama’s policies or fantasizing about what Willard Romney’s ascension to the White House might mean.
Nevins and Borgenicht do briefly touch on some more recent hot-button issues, including the Boy Scouts’ curious choice to allow gay scouts, but not gay scout leaders, as well as the Salt Lake Valley’s atrocious air quality. But considering Utah Attorney General John Swallow has been wallowing in scandals since around the same time as the 2012 election, it was disappointing that his dalliances with alleged bribery and influence-peddling didn’t get more than a couple passing mentions. The same goes for Sen. Mike Lee’s obstinate, out-of-touch style of “leadership” his first year in Washington, D.C.; he seems like a natural target for the playwrights’ barbs, but he gets off largely unscathed.
While the subject matter of this year’s Voyeur is ultimately stale, you can’t say the same for the performances. Director/choreographer Cynthia Fleming elicits some stellar song-and-dance routines from a cast full of familiar faces like Alexis Baigue and Jacob Johnson as the security guards and the three docents (played by Janessa Bowen, Connor Norton and Emilie Starr) who collectively act as a walking, talking, dancing Greek chorus of sorts.
With winning backing by the three-piece band delivering adaptations of songs like “Leader of the Pack,” “Can’t Touch This” and “Call Me Maybe,” the production did provide its share of energetic performances and laughs from the audience I saw it with, but there was no shaking the feeling that 2013’s version of Voyeur left a lot of potential on the table. Given the playwrights’ consistently strong past scripts, that was a bit disappointing.
Here’s hoping the Utah government and dominant religious culture find a way to inspire a whole new satire next year. Or at least some new situations for these characters to sing and dance their way through.
Saturday’s Voyeur 2013: The End of the World runs at Salt Lake Acting Company through Sept. 1. Visit the Salt Lake Acting Company Website for tickets and showtimes. All photos by David Daniels.
GET OFF MY CLOUD: THE SONGS OF THE ROLLING STONES, PROVO ROOFTOP CONCERT SERIES, Friday, July 5, 7:30 p.m., Free
For the third year running, local singer/songwriter Paul Jacobsen has put together an all-star cast of Utah talent to take on the songs of a legendary band for a show at the excellent Provo Rooftop Concert Series. Two years ago, they tackled The Beatles’ Abbey Road in its entirety, playing the complex work beginning to end. Last year, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ catalog offered an excellent platform for singers ranging from Jacobsen, Ryan Tanner and Sarah Sample to members of Fictionist, Neon Trees and The Devil Whale. This year, Mick, Keith and the crew from the Rolling Stones get the Provo treatment. Not only are you guaranteed an excellent night of some of the best rock tunes ever written–you also get to experience one of the best summer concert environments in the state on top of the parking garage in downtown Provo. Be sure to check out some of the Provo restaurants that set up booths nearby, or go to Provo early enough to hit up Communal or Black Sheep Cafe.
LOS LOBOS, LOS LONELY BOYS, ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, DEER VALLEY, Thursday, July 4, 6:30 p.m., $35 lawn/$45-$55-$65 reserved
I can’t think of a more worthy way to spend the July 4 holiday than heading to Park City. Not only do you get the town’s day-long party in City Park, fireworks at Park City Mountain Resort and the parade on Main Street–this year you also have the chance to see the season opener of the Deer Valley summer concert series, featuring Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys and Alejandro Escovedo. Anyone who reads my stuff knows that there are few artists I holder in higher regard than Escovedo and the men in Los Lobos, all of whom have been delivering smart, rootsy rock and roll since the ’70s. In between, you have acolytes Los Lonely Boys, who clearly owe a debt to both fellow Texan Escovedo and the little band from East L.A.
PAT BENATAR AND NEIL GIRALDO, SANDY CITY AMPHITHEATER, Wednesday, July 3, 8 p.m., $29-$45
For anyone old enough to remember the first couple years of MTV–back when the channel actually played videos–Pat Benatar was an omnipresent force on the channel, one of the first pop stars to embrace video as a means to get her music to the masses. She was already an established star thanks to songs written with her husband Neil Giraldo, and tunes like “Heartbreaker” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” relayed a tough-girl image that was a fresh approach compared to waifish folkies and plastic pop stars competing with her for airtime. Benatar and Giraldo are still married, and still touring and playing sets full of ’80s-era hits–far more of them you can probably remember. Expect a night of retro fun in Sandy when they take the stage in Sandy Wednesday night.
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN EDITORIAL CARTOONISTS CONVENTION, VARIOUS LOCATIONS, Thursday, June 27-Saturday, June 29
It’s rare that Salt Lake City gets a new addition to its summer social schedule, and this weekend the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists offer a once-in-a-lifetime chance to mix, mingle and talk with some of the country’s best political commentators–artists who happen to work via drawings rather than columns. The group’s annual convention is bringing more than 80 cartoonists from all over the country to Salt Lake City this weekend, hosted by The Salt Lake Tribune‘s excellent homegrown cartoonist Pat Bagley, and the artist aren’t just holing up to talk shop among themselves. There are several events open to the public starting on Thursday, some free, some for a few bucks, and all worth the time if you can get there.
You’ll want to check the complete convention schedule to find an event that suits your own taste. Here are a few open to the public that sound particularly good to me:
1. The Cartoonist Death Match is Thursday at 6:30 at the Tavernacle, and features San Francisco comic Todd Zuniga hosting a competition of competing cartoonists who will be judged for their instant creations by a panel of local celebrities. Cover is $10.
2. Bagley will host a discussion called “Satire and the Sacred: From Mohammed to Mormon Underwear,” Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Salt Lake City Main Library Auditorium. First Amendment advocate and former New York Times Magazine editor Victor Navasky and BYU professor of Islamic Studies Daniel Peterson will face off in what is sure to be a lively, engaging discussion. Free.
3. Saturday night, you can join the artists at the convention at the Cartoons and Cocktails Gala at Little America at 6:30 p.m., You can bid on original cartoons by Pulitzer Prize-winning artists, check out some standup comedy and dance to tunes by the gypsy-jazz local killers Hot Club of Zion. The cost is $40 for individuals, and $75 per couple, and you’ll want to register in advance before it sells out, right here: AAEC Cartoons & Cocktails Salt Lake Benefit and Auction 2013 – Eventbrite.
She & Him throw enough curves musically to hit several of my personal sonic sweet spots–from classic country to twangy indie rock, Spector-style “Wall of Sound” girl-group harmonies to sunny Cali beach-pop.
The combination of the under-appreciated indie guitar god M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel–a multi-talented musician and actress, and an inexplicably divisive figure among Hipster Nation–makes for some fine retro-tinged tunes in my book, and their winning show at Red Butte Garden Tuesday did nothing to change my opinion.
Joined by a band of multi-instrumentalists and backup singers the Chapin sisters–Abigail and Lily, fine artists in their own right–She & Him hit the stage on an ideal night at Red Butte Garden shortly after an announcement essentially pleading with the crowd to NOT spend the entire evening recording videos and taking pictures with their phones. Opening with “I Was Made for You” proved a challenge, as the hiccup-ing vocals of Deschanel and the band’s playing took a few minutes to lock into a good sound mix.
Any audio issues were quickly solved as the band moved into the subtle grooves of “I’ve Got Your Number, Son” and when Ward shifted from guitar to piano and started trading vocals with Deschanel on “Baby.” The band gained momentum through “Snow Queen” and “Lingering Still” before Deschanel took a turn on piano as well, for “I Thought I Saw Your Face Today.” She remained there for one of the highlights of the show, “Take It Back,” delivered with gorgeous violin and pedal-steel flourishes.
From there, it was a consistent mix of songs from She & Him’s three releases (not counting their Christmas album). “Thieves” from their debut settled nicely in the setlist alongside “Take It Back,” and later songs like “Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me” led to expansive takes on “Change is Hard” and “Brand New Shoes.”
After about a dozen songs, the backing band left the stage for Deschanel and Ward to deliver some sparse duets, starting with a cover of The Miracles’ “You Really Got A Hold On Me” and going straight into Frank Sinatra’s “Stars Fell on Alabama,” which they had to start over after a tuning breakdown about a verse in. That glitch was quickly forgotten, though, when the Chapin Sisters joined the duo on stage for a harmony-laden version of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody.” In the end, all the cover songs proved to be some of the best moments of the night, including an energetic pass on NRBQ’s “Ridin’ In My Car” later in the show.
Between-song banter from Deschanel was charming and ingratiating, and also kept to a minimum–another aspect of She & Him I appreciate as a show-goer. And while She & Him’s sound might be too precious or retro for some tastes, you put that sound in the right environment–as it was Tuesday–and you have the makings of a damn fine summer evening. That is a thing anyone should be able to appreciate.
Daniel Nailen 