by Megan and Shelly Wallentine
The latest installment in the Juanito Bandito series, Love and Death vs. El Bandito, is currently playing at Pickleville Playhouse in Garden City, Utah. Writer T.J. Davis created the character over 11 years ago, and has been writing a new show every year since. Bandito continues the exploits of wily Juanito Bandito (T.J. Davis) as he attempts to claim the treasure of the very recently deceased pirate El Diablo. Along the way, he has plenty of run-ins with Sheriff Griff (Nathan Sheppard/Slater Astenhurst) and falls in love with the beautiful Luna (Sara Sanderson/Julia Davis.) The Bandito series has become extremely popular within Garden City and the rest of the Bear Lake Valley.
Lights? Check. Sound? Check. Random, powerful hallucinations of giant pink bunnies dancing the Harlem Shake? Check.
Pickleville Playhouse is a cozy theater that uses its small size to its advantage. Sometimes when attending a smaller theatre, patrons leave with the feeling of a less-than-premium experience. This is not the case at Pickleville. Rather than fight against it, the cast and crew embrace the size of their theatre and use it to engage the audience to create a more authentic experience. Pickleville is a very “audience friendly” theatre. During the performance of Bandito, they choose an audience member to briefly interact with onstage. Not only are the cast members your ushers as you arrive, they sell concessions at intermission too. Additionally, they are available outside after the show to meet the audience and take pictures, and are wonderful with the younger guests.
Davis is also the director of Love and Death vs. El Bandito. Along with Bandito, Griff, and Luna, the show’s characters include Gratilda (Kenzie Davis), Grim (Nathan Kremin), Jessie (Emma Larsen/Sydney Howell), Stubbs (Quinn Osborne/Jeremy Egan), and the piano player (Luke Shepherd/Camille Decker).
Bandito isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If you are looking for a production with a new, exciting plot and round, dynamic characters, this isn’t the show for you. With Bandito, the plot is a predictable Western melodrama, except that the protagonist is the “bad guy”. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Bandito’s focus isn’t the plot. The plot is just a loose structure into which they have crammed as many jokes and pop culture references as possible. For this production, I would recommend going into it expecting something more akin to sketch comedy, a la Studio C. It all depends on your style of humor. Personally, we loved it. I was doubled over for most of the performance, as the talented cast referenced the Harlem Shake, Dora the Explorer, dabbing, hashtags, Donald Trump, Kanye West, Star Wars, and much, much more. The vocal talent for this production is wonderful, as is the choreography. Several different styles were shown during the show, including rap, hip hop, traditional Broadway, and much more. The costumes (Erin Davis) fit the show and each character well.
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A digital backdrop creates multiple visual scene changes to minimalize the need for set props on this small stage. Very affordable ticket prices ($15-$26) make this a production worth seeing. An added bonus to this playhouse is the option to enjoy a full meat with your performance ticket. The Pickleville Grill offers an outstanding outdoor family dining experience at only $15 for adults and $9 for kids.
Pickleville Playhouse presents Love and Death vs. El Bandito by T.J. Davis
Pickleville Playhouse, 2049 S Bear Lake Blvd, Garden City, UT, 84028
Wednesday-Saturday through September 1, 2017, Showtimes vary
Tickets: $15-26
Contact: 435-946-2918
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