By Kathryn Olsen
Utah Symphony has had an incredible season at the Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City and their summer season finale, Kristin Chenoweth with the Utah Symphony, is the perfect culmination of their efforts. Chenoweth is a 4’11” powerhouse of the stage, screen, and recording studio who has won an Emmy and a Tony. She is as beloved as Glinda from Wicked as she is despised for her antagonism as Mildred in Schmigadoon! She has also been welcomed to Utah on a number of occasions so that the audience felt her love when she said “Besides Oklahoma and New York, this is my place.” I was fortunate to come at the last minute, so put on my favorite Wicked shirt, packed up my camp chair and joined the hundreds of other theater-lovers at Deer Valley for an unforgettable night..
Chenoweht’s program covered old favorites as well as new treasures. Starting the show with “Que Sera, Sera” from The Man Who Knew Too Little and Henry Mancini‘s “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, she took the audience on an emotional journey that included Peggy Lee‘s “I’m A Woman,” Karen Carpenter‘s “Yesterday Once More,” and even a song based on her own children’s book. Some of Chenoweth’s vocal stylings are sassy and brash in numbers with a sly wink to them, such as “What Would Dolly Do” or the fan favorite “Popular,” but she regularly reaches for the metaphorical rafters as an acclaimed singer who has performed sold-out concerts at opera houses. It is in the middle where she is most lyrical for pieces made famous by Judy Garland. This is particularly impressive given that she was recently recovered from COVID-19 and has asthma, but this weekend’s performance did not seem any less spectacular than any other performance.
Much appreciated was her regular interruption to the program for personal disclosures. Before performing the Mancini classic, she described it as one of the first songs her parents danced to fifty-nine years ago. She thanked global ambassador for the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square Ron Gunnell for bringing artists like her to sing with that ensemble before regaling the crowd with Alabama‘s “Angels Among Us,” a song she learned for one of her performances with them; she set the stage for that by recounting her experience of living across the street from a New York hospital during the pandemic. One of my favorites was “We Are Lights,” a newer song written by Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz for Hanukah, which prompted dozens of audience members to light the darkness of the hillside by waving with their phone lights.
The greatest highlights of the evening, however, were when Chenoweth introduced artists she has great respect for/ Marissa Rosen, one of her “team,” invigorated everyone in attendance with her virtuosic and exhilarating performance of Dusty Springfield‘s “Son of a Preacher Man” and the audience agree, with Chenoweth that calling her associates “background singers” was inadequate to their skills.
In “Act 1,” Chenoweth promised a big surprise after intermission and to the intrigue of many and the eventual awe of all, she introduced Alex Farnsworth, one of the talented young artists who attended the Kristin Chenoweth Broadway Boot Camp. Farnsworth, a 15-year-old local, first tackled the emotionally-riveting “Heart of Stone” from the musical SIX. He performed with remarkable vocal clarity and powerful expression of the adamant spirit in the song, embellishing some of the passages with ease and demonstrating stage presence that can only improve with his obvious hard work and maturity. Chenoweth then joined him for the stirring “For Good” from Wicked, for which he earned his second standing ovation of the night.
The Symphony itself was wonderfully versatile under the guest conductor and long-time Chenoweth collaborator Mary-Mitchell Campbell. The concert was greatly enhanced by her ability to draw out the more bluesy or theatrical styles of the music and the ensemble responded with enthusiasm to her leadership.
As ever, Chenoweth was a source of pure joy, whether encouraging a fellow artist, introducing her beloved Thunderpup to the audience, or acknowledging the connection that the attendees felt with her and vice versa.
The Deer Valley Music Festival concluded with this performance, but the Utah Symphony season begins in September with more exciting guests, inspired programs, and Maestro Thierry Fischer‘s final season. Don’t delay in getting tickets for many wonderful things to come.
Deer Valley Music Festival Presents Kristin Chenoweth with the Utah Symphony.
Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater 2250 Deer Valley Dr S #501, Park City, UT 84060
August 6, 2022, 7:30 PM
Tickets: $15-78
www.usuo.org
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