By Hannah Hacking Brown
I wasn’t sure what to expect walking into The Grand Theatre in Salt Lake City to watch an original musical. Original theater can be a gamble, but I find it usually pays off, and Dead Certain is no exception. The theater itself is absolutely beautiful with its luxurious gold and green decor, and coming from a very tall family, I’m happy to relate that the seats are both wonderfully comfortable and have an incredible amount of leg room. Even my 6’9” father would’ve comfortably fit. Google Maps led me to the side parking lot instead of the main one in front of the theater, but either lot seems to be acceptable for audience members.
This is the first run of Dead Certain, the third collaboration between Sam Goldstein and Craig Clyde (Book) and Graham Russell (Music and Lyrics). The team’s goal in writing the show was to bring together death and humor, a “challenging endeavor,” as they put it in their note in the program. “We humans share…our fear of the unknown, when we will die, and what happens after we finally pass. No one truly knows so why not laugh while we are waiting!” As a comedy about death, the light tone pleasantly surprised me. I love a good dark humor, but I find light humor on dark topics to be especially entertaining.
Small town assistant mortician Boyd Denning (Holden Smith) searches for a new lease on life after getting fired by his uncle. He sets off for Denver, where he finds a job where he’s needed, a woman to love (Melissa, played by Angie Call), and, upon meeting the same mysterious stranger (Gaylord Parrish, played by Josh Richardson) a few too many times, a new calling in life as a Taker, reaping the souls off a list of the dying. He accepts this calling somewhat reluctantly, even as local reporters falsely tout him as a “messiah”, but he does the job with commitment and compassion.
The first standout for me is the music. Written by Russell, a founding member of the band Air Supply, directed by Jonathan McDonald, and performed live by a six-man band (McDonald himself, Kayson Brown, Jay Lawrence, Mark D Maxson, David Slack, and Davin Tayler), the score alone is incredible, and it’s only added to by the talented voices of the cast, in particular Smith, Call, and Sara McDonald (as Alice AKA The Book Lady), who powerfully and effortlessly soar into the vocal stratosphere with a knack for keeping every word understandable. I was truly blown away.
The sound design, done by Jeremy Cornwall, delighted me with ambient sounds of the city, well balanced with the live band and singers. If there were any technical mishaps, I didn’t notice them, which is a clear mark of good tech.
Dead Certain is both directed and choreographed by Jim Christian, who has done an excellent job bringing together every piece of the show (seen and unseen), and melding them so perfectly into a coherent, heartfelt show. His choreography is sharp and impressive, and at times, emotionally impactful.
John Richardson as Gaylord Parrish stole the show for us. Gaylord is a man out of time in his 1800s garb surrounded by a crowd of 1990s cityfolk, but never a man out of place. And yet, Richardson’s portrayal is totally relatable to a 21st Century audience. He’s always composed and competent, his every word and movement intentional, but he’s also warm and compassionate, even after lifetimes of dealing in death. The depth Richardson brings to the stage resonated with me (even with a furry fox ear headband on his head). Props to the props designer Márie Nelligan who provided the walkmans and headphones, and Shannon MaCullock for the leatherbound book satchel that had the craft nerd in me drooling the whole show.
I was impressed by the whole cast. Smith’s charming cluelessness as Boyd, Call’s exasperation as Melissa bouncing off of Zac Freeman’s Hallmark style villain Elliot Krelman, Britty Marie’s incredible likeability as Frannie – even after she makes her failed pass at Boyd, and McDonald’s attitude as Alice, are all backed by an ensemble of 11, all pouring their hearts out for us.
The costuming, designed by Shannon McCullock, combined with Nelligan’s prop design (Boyd’s walkman and bulky headphones, the corded phone larger around than my arm, and Frannie’s brand new hi-tech flip phone),clearly set the time period in the late 1990s. The ensemble look like they’ve just stepped out of a three decade time machine, or rather, that we’ve stepped into one.
The set, designed by Gage Williams, truly does set each scene for us. The heavy lifting (pun intended) is done with a variety of background pieces that come down for a scene and lift out after, like the train station sign, the bus station sign, the Dead Certain list, the wall of windows, the framed roller coaster, and more. My favorite scene was when they all came down together to illustrate the utter chaos going on outside the funeral home.
The performance is beautifully complimented by the lighting, designed by Drew Bielinski. I was particularly fond of the backlit silhouette effect in the finale, and the big roller coaster moment is also well done.
Dead Certain is rated PG-13 for language and adult themes. In particular, there’s one scene I would call provoking – meaning it will provoke questions from any children unaware of the birds and the bees. Also, if you’re prone to seizures, there’s about 45 seconds of continuous flashing lights in the second act that may be problematic.
I loved Dead Certain. My husband and I spent the next two hours after curtain call talking about it until one of us finally started falling asleep, and “Everyone Wants To Go To Heaven, Nobody Wants To Die” is still playing on loop in my head.
Grand Theatre Company presents Dead Certain—A Killer Musical, Book by Sam Goldstein and Craig Clyde, and music by Graham Russell.
The Grand Theatre, 1575 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Oct 7-8, 13-15, 20-22, 27-29 7:30 PM, Oct 15, 22, 2022 2:00 PM
Tickets: $30, with discounts offered for groups, military, and students. Ticket link
Grand Theatre Contact: 801-957-3322
Dead Certain Contact: 801-532-1484, kathy@SamGoldstein.com
Dead Certain Website
Dead Certain–A Killer Musical Facebook Page
The Grand Theatre Facebook Page
Dead Certain Website
Photo Credit: Troy Smith
Message from Front Row Reviewers CEO Jennifer: Please go to the Dead Certain website and listen to the songs they’ve listed. I’ve been listening to “I Believe in Love” over and over. An amazing song.
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