Salt Lake City Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations

Review: SHREK THE MUSICAL at the Eccles Theater is Story Theatre for Young Audiences
by Tyler Hinton - December 28, 2024

The national tour of SHREK THE MUSICAL, currently playing at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City as part of the Live! at the Eccles series, is a reimagined telling of the saucy but ultimately moving story with a remarkable contemporary score....

Review: DEREK HOUGH: DANCE FOR THE HOLIDAYS at the Eccles Theater is Mesmerizingly, Upliftingly Joyful
by Tyler Hinton - December 19, 2024

DEREK HOUGH: DANCE FOR THE HOLIDAYS, touring at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, is mesmerizingly, upliftingly joyful and even spiritual, encapsulating everything wonderful about the holidays....

Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Plays an Emotional Last Note at Hale Center Theater Orem
by Tyler Hinton - December 14, 2024

A CHRISTMAS CAROL closes the final chapter at Hale Center Theater Orem with an emotional last note. In January, the theatre will open its new home at the Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater (The Ruth) on the dōTERRA campus in Pleasant Grove. It’s a bittersweet feeling to leave behind the intimate space in ...

Review: Carolee Carmello as KIMBERLY AKIMBO at the Eccles Theater is a Treat
by Tyler Hinton - December 11, 2024

The national tour of Best Musical Tony winner KIMBERLY AKIMBO, currently playing at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, is darkly funny and lightly sad, anchored by three-time Tony nominee Carolee Carmello’s astounding interpretation of the title role. What a treat for Utah audiences to experience...

Review: SOUVENIR at Pioneer Theatre Company Lifts Spirits
by Tyler Hinton - December 10, 2024

Pioneer Theatre Company’s professional production of SOUVENIR, playing in the new Meldrum Theatre at the Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse, is a gentle comedy that lifts spirits and is filled with diverting music....

Review: Hale Centre Theatre Brings Back BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’s Spectacle and Soul
by Tyler Hinton - November 18, 2024

This team has somehow brought back not only the spectacle of the original Broadway production but also its soul. The audience is completely enraptured by both sincere storytelling and production value that is beyond compare, including scenic design that needs to be seen to be believed, swoonworthy p...

Review: PETER PAN is Revitalized at the Eccles Theater
by Tyler Hinton - November 06, 2024

The national tour of PETER PAN, currently playing at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, is a refreshingly refreshed iteration of a beloved musical that can sometimes feel a bit stodgy in its original form.  Set in modern America with a male teenager playing the title role and more agency for the ...

Review: PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC at Pioneer Theatre Company is a Contemplative Post-Broadway Premiere
by Tyler Hinton - October 27, 2024

Pioneer Theatre Company’s Utah premiere of PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC brings a contemplative new play that only recently closed on Broadway to local audiences, invoking meditation on the past and prayer for the future....

Review: JEKYLL & HYDE at West Valley Arts is Hauntingly Otherworldly
by Tyler Hinton - October 12, 2024

West Valley Arts has done it again with a production of JEKYLL & HYDE that is beyond any reasonable expectations for a local theatre company. The set, lighting, and costuming are otherworldly, with staging, choreography, and acting that induce chills. ...

Review: FUNNY GIRL is Gorgeous at the Eccles Theater
by Tyler Hinton - October 09, 2024

The national tour of FUNNY GIRL, currently playing at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City, is a gorgeous rendition of a timeless classic that runs the gamut of emotion from self-deprecating comedy to heart-wrenching drama to chill-inducing performance. ...

Review: OZMA OF OZ at UVU is a Genuine Journey
by Tyler Hinton - October 04, 2024

OZMA OF OZ, presented by the Utah Valley University theatre department in the Noorda Center’s Bastian Theatre, takes the audience on a journey filled with genuine feeling and good old-fashioned wonder. Read BroadwayWorld's review! ...

Review: Hale Centre Theatre's THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT is Quirky and Heartwarming
by Tyler Hinton - September 21, 2024

The U.S. premiere of THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT on Hale Centre Theatre’s Centre Stage in Sandy is a quirky and heartwarming new musical that provides the welcome opportunity of experiencing something fresh and original. ...

Review: Broadway Star of MRS. DOUBTFIRE Amazes and Amuses at the Eccles Theater
by Tyler Hinton - September 13, 2024

How often can you see the star of a Broadway musical perform their Tony-nominated role in Salt Lake City? You have the rare opportunity now as Rob McClure leads the national tour of MRS. DOUBTFIRE at the Eccles Theater, and its one you really shouldn’t miss....

Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Hale Centre Theatre is Scary Good
by Tyler Hinton - August 25, 2024

After just five years, the popular musical adaptation of THE ADDAMS FAMILY is back on Hale Centre Theatre’s Jewel Box Stage in a new production. It’s a bittersweet celebration of what makes us all different, and, ultimately, what makes us all the same....

Review: LEGALLY BLONDE at West Valley Arts Will Capture Your Heart
by Tyler Hinton - August 10, 2024

You guys…LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL at West Valley Arts is frickin' wicked stunnin'. Seriously, the quality of every production mounted by this theatre is positively miraculous, and this show is no exception. It will capture the hearts of stans and newcomers alike. Show support for West Valley Arts ...

Review: HAMILTON at the Eccles Theater is Stunningly Intricate
by Tyler Hinton - August 02, 2024

Returning to the Eccles Theater is the national tour of the smash hit HAMILTON – an intricate piece of historical, theatrical storytelling that tautly weaves together complex language and stunning stage pictures with contemporary momentum....

Review: DISNEY'S NEWSIES THE MUSICAL at Sundance Amphitheater
by Hayley Westwood - July 29, 2024

What did our critic think of DISNEY'S NEWSIES THE MUSICAL at Sundance Amphitheater?...

Review: Ben Platt Shines at the Eccles Theater
by Tyler Hinton - July 17, 2024

BEN PLATT: THE HONEYMIND TOUR has landed at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City with many elements directly lifted from the recent Broadway residency BEN PLATT: LIVE AT THE PALACE. Read BroadwayWorld's review....

Review: Hale Centre Theatre's THE NUTTY PROFESSOR is a Joyful, Tuneful Triumph
by Tyler Hinton - July 14, 2024

The joyful regional premiere of THE NUTTY PROFESSOR on Hale Centre Theatre’s Centre Stage in Sandy is one of the first productions of the new musical since the composer unexpectedly passed away during the initial run in Nashville in 2012. If you are a fan of Jerry Lewis, romantic comedies, or tunefu...

Review: A Beautiful Journey to the Past with ANASTASIA at the Valentine Theater
by Hayley Westwood - June 24, 2024

This may be a community theater, but this is no amateur production. In almost seven years of reviewing shows across Utah, I’ve rarely come across both the level of talent and the production quality that the Timpanogos Community Theater offers with its rendition of ANASTASIA, directed by Andrew Jeffr...

Review: THE LIGHTNING THIEF at West Valley Arts is Satisfyingly Exhilarating
by Tyler Hinton - June 13, 2024

There are three big reasons to see THE LIGHTNING THIEF at West Valley Arts: 1. The show is a hidden gem with an exhilarating pop score that adults, teens, and kids can all enjoy together. 2. As always, West Valley Arts has put on a fabulous production in one of the best theatrical venues in the stat...

Review: GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY at Eccles Theater
by Hayley Westwood - June 12, 2024

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY (book by Conor McPherson, music and lyrics by Bob Dylan) is a Tony-winning production, now on tour across the U.S., U.K. and Australia. The show is a re-imagining of 20 legendary Bob Dylan songs used to stitch together a patchwork of stories of several strangers in 1930s ...

Review: Hale Centre Theatre's THE TIME MACHINE is Heart-Pounding and Full of Heart
by Tyler Hinton - May 14, 2024

The world premiere of THE TIME MACHINE on Hale Centre Theatre’s Jewel Box Stage is a thrilling science fiction ride with a beating heart at its core that adults and teens alike will enjoy. ...

Review: NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 at Pioneer Theatre Company is Deliciously Opulent
by Tyler Hinton - May 13, 2024

Pioneer Theatre Company’s Utah premiere of NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 is deliciously, opulently staged and performed. It is unlikely that the rarely staged musical will ever be seen in the state again in such glorious trappings. Anyone with even a hint of interest should race to PTC t...

Review: THE HELLO GIRLS at Hale Center Theater Orem is a Stirring Portrait
by Tyler Hinton - May 05, 2024

THE HELLO GIRLS at Hale Center Theater Orem is a stirring portrait of fortitude, patriotism, and resiliency against all odds....