By Marci Sayers
If you have never taken the time to see a show at Desert Star Playhouse, it’s time to repent of your WICKED-er ways. Located in Murray, the average person driving past the venue might never know what they’re missing inside. Once you walk in the door, though (either from the front entrance on State Street, or more commonly from the parking lot entrance to the east), you immediately know you are in for a night of fun.
An adorable mix of modern and nostalgia, Wicked-er is a delightful musical parody that introduces our Dorothy as a washed-up Lady Gaga (Kerstin Davis) from the set of “Jeopardy”, as she is transported to Oz. She meets both the Mostly Good Witch Glinda(Melissa Cecala) and the Wicked Witch Alphabette (Hillary Akin Carey) when her dressing room falls from the sky killing Alphabette’s beloved sister. Of course, the ruby red slippers that make an appearance as wish-granting Converse, quickly become the disputed property of Gaga and Alphabette. She meets a trio of fellow travelers Chris, Ronald Gump, and Justine Bieber, and follow their adventures as they travel the Yellow Brick Road, which leads to a remarkably Salt Lake City appearing Emerald City. On paper, the plot may seem a bit confusing when you reference the original Wizard of Oz character, their Wicked counterpart, and then match up their role in Wicked-er, but Desert Star is known for combining just the right recipe of old and new, original and parody, along with masterfully witty pop culture references, and comments with a distinctly Utah flavor. The show ending was hilarious. I really felt like “how did I not see that coming?”, but the overwhelming audience reaction assured me I was not alone in the surprise. Artistic Director Scott Holman and Musical Director Ben Mayfield have put together a great show for their audiences.
One of the most amazing things about Desert Star is how accessible they make theater. This is not a stuffy theater, where you need to threaten your children and your husband with their lives if they misbehave. It’s also nice to know you don’t have to dress in a particular way for the theater. The script itself is not AP English test literature or Shakespeare, where you feel you need to read the CliffsNotes ahead of time or be a true theater aficionado to understand. You can bring Grandma (without offending) and your six-year-old nephew (without boring) and anyone in between, and they would all have an equally enjoyable evening. There are opportunities for booing the villain, cheering on the hero, all accompanied by a brilliant pianist to make sure new theater-goers catch the cues for participation. After the show, they recognize and celebrate those special events and have a little audience participation sing-along. Be sure you don’t check out too soon, or you might miss the after-show Olio. Wicked-er mixes the Broadway mega hit Wicked, with a little more emphasis on The Wizard of Oz, so even if you have never seen Wicked, you will easily be able to follow the plot line and references. The adrenaline jolt when you hear the opening bars of favorites like “Popular”, “For Good”, and several other Wicked songs, will be enough to satisfy any true Idina Menzel junkie and make you want to sing along and wish for another chorus of “Depravity” (“Defying Gravity”).
Davis as Lady Gaga is definitely “On the right track, baby…” as she sings, dances, and poses along the Yellow Brick Road, with Siri giving befuddling driving directions that I swear I have actually followed on my own GPS. Davis is best when she is in full Gaga mode because her regular speaking voice occasionally left me a bit perplexed about the accent. However, her enthusiasm, dance moves, and humor fully made up for it.
It took me a minute to realize that Andrew Nadon as Chris is channeling Chris Farley, but as soon as the “Down by the River” reference came out, I almost had to slap myself on the forehead. He may not be the most current pop culture reference, but us old timers appreciate the old SNL references.
My favorite actor ,Daniel Akin as Ronald Gump has voice impersonation every bit as good as Alec Baldwin’s, and the writers have some absolute winners for tweets and hashtag lines. While Akin may not have the Hollywood makeup/hair that Baldwin has access to, his physical appearance is still very good, and the voice could not be any better. Of course, the show pokes some fun at our president, but not in the same mean-spirited vein as most political impersonators. It is funny and silly and done in a way that Conservatives and Liberals can both enjoy.
The token Millennial Justine Bieber (Brittany Shamy) has the physicality down perfectly. I would have been happy to see more of Carey as Alphabette and Cecala as Glinda. I love that Carey is able to perfectly capture the nostalgia of the voice of the original Wicked Witch of the West from Wizard of Oz. When the lighting effect (designed by Eric Jensen and run by Jenna Farnsworth) spins on the walls, it totally brought back the whimsy of the black and white original movie, and made me whisper to my husband, “Ah!” Carey and Cecala were also my favorite vocals of the night, playing off of each other with beautiful mix of harmony, humor, and sentimentality during “For Now”. I would have to award a very close runner-up for the Chris/Trump/Bieber trio. Obviously, it is not the same level of vocals as Glinda and Alphabette’s songs (nor is it intended to be), but it is oh so funny.
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I would be remiss if I did not mention Todd Michael Thompson as Cameo Man. He plays a parade of various characters throughout the show, from Tom Cruise in Live. Die. Repeat. to Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. It is really difficult to play the minor but very comedic parts without either being unmentioned or stealing the show. Thompson does such a fantastic job, so much so that even when you could only see his face as one of the castle guards, his facial expression changes had me laughing out loud. I could not even count the number of characters he plays, and didn’t realize until I talked to the box office that it was all the same person, giving new meaning to no small parts, only small actors. He has small parts, lots of them, which are essential to the show. He is like the salt to the show, seasoning it throughout, and bringing out the true flavor of each of the other parts and actors. This is a small cast, only seven onstage actors, but they make the cast seem much larger with their ability to connect with people even on the back row.
The choreography by Allison Cox is well done enough that even the un-hip (like me) can enjoy the references. I appreciated that it was not so complex that it took over the show. It is a perfect fit and felt like just the right amount of dance and movement, and represented the characters well. David Slack is an excellent accompanist–my husband even made sure that we had his name, because he is such an integral part of the show.
One thing I cannot fail to mention in any review of Desert Star is the food. While many dinner theaters leave a lot to be desired in the dinner part of the equation, the food here is not only good, affordable, and on par with the show—it’s great. They also have a new bar menu with alcoholic beverages ranging from $3.25 for a Budweiser Beer to $6.00 for a show-themed mixed drink such as “Yellow Brick Road”.
If you love Wizard of Oz, Wicked, fun live theater, or great food, Wicked-er at the Desert Star Playhouse will fit your bill nicely.
Desert Star Playhouse presents Wicked-er, by Ben E. Millet 2017, revision by Scott Holman with additional lyrics by Ben Mayfield. Desert Star Playhouse, 4861 S. State Street Murray, UT 84107 Tickets: Adults $24.95 Children 11 and under $14.95 (special events may have special pricing) August 24-November 4 Monday, Wednesday*, Thursday 7 PM, Friday and Saturday 6:00 PM, 8:30 PM, Saturday 11:30 AM*, 2:30 PM *as scheduled—check the website. Contact: (801) 266-2600
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