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Blogs / Lounge Act / June 2008 / Theater review: Saturday's Voyeur; What up tonight?

Theater review: Saturday's Voyeur; What up tonight?

The Salt Lake Acting Company's crew behind Saturday's Voyeur find themselves in a tricky spot as the political satire celebrates its 30th birthday this summer. 

For newcomers to the event, as I was a couple of summers ago, the over-the-top musical numbers and stinging jabs at Utah's "dominant culture" —whether that be Mormon culture, Republican culture, white culture, or a combination of the three—offer a refreshing, eye-opening pronouncement for the progressive-minded that We Are Not Alone; there are actually plenty of people who find Utah's socio-political foibles frustrating, weird and, often, hilarious. I took along a first-time Voyeur viewer to Sunday's show, and his reaction was much like mine when I first saw the show—"I can't believe they can do this in Utah!"  

At the same time, playwrights Nancy Borgenicht and Allen Nevins have to find new ways to please the people who have been coming to Voyeur for much of its 30-year history, a far more daunting task than shocking newbies. There are only so many ways to mock the naivete of the overly religious, or the "aw, shucks, oh my heck" Utah crowd. The fact that the duo manages to find enough new material in the news each year to satisfy most of those regulars is a testament to their skills, and to how well they know the SLAC audience.  

(Above: The "Disco Moes" of Branson, Missouri, — Kent Harrison Hayes and Brenda Sue Cowley— in their opening number) 

Saturday's Voyeur 2008 is, like last summer's edition, more of a musical revue than an overarching, beginning-middle-end narrative, and the approach serves the show well. With various actors serving as narrators to connect the different scenes, Borgenicht and Nevins are able to bounce easily from a Dancing With The Stars parody, complete with fainting Marie Osmond (Arika Schockmel), to a Missionary Training Center bit straight out of the 1978 edition, to a Ralph Becker/Tom Dolan showdown over Salt Lake City and Sandy's competition for a "Broadway-style Thee-a-ter."  

Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker (Alexis Baigue) is one of the more memorable characters, taking on a Mr. Rogers role as teacher to the crowd in both the showdown with Dolan (Duane Stephens) and a scene in the Marmalade "gayborhood." Stephens deserves recognition for his campy send-up of much-maligned state Sen. Chris Buttars in a number called "Rehabilitation," but the entire ensemble cast is excellent, tackling numerous roles in the quick-paced production. Among my favorite numbers were a "SLAC Pledge Break" featuring Kurt Bestor (Christopher Glade) and former Miss Utah, "G.I. Jill" Stephens (Marylynn Ehrengard), the aforementioned "Rehabilitation" and the "Mormon Women for Mitt" bit; numbers about BYU-loving safari hunters and Utah's Nobel Prize winner Mario Capecchi didn't work as well, but they hardly slowed the show's momentum, or ultimate success.

Saturday's Voyeur runs Wednesdays through Sundays at the Salt Lake Acting Company, 168 West 500 North, through August 17. Tickets are available at the theater's Web site or by calling 801-363-7522.

 

WHAT UP TONIGHT?

Plenty for a Monday, it turns out. At Burt's Tiki Lounge, 726 South State St., catch The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band headlining a show, along with Kate LeDeuce and Kate Mann opening.  Over at Squatter's, the Downtown Alliance is hosting a benefit/opening party for the Downtown Farmer's Market, kicking off this Saturday. Lots of food, brew and tunes for your $30. 

And out at West Valley City's E Center, it's one of the greatest voices in hip-hop, and he'll be the first person to tell you so: Kanye West. The man behind "Golddigger," "Jesus Walks," "Diamonds of Sierre Leone" and "Stronger" headlines a show that also includes R&B star Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco.