Music dominates stage selections

Broadway musicals (with and without the music) are among this week's stage offerings in the region.

• "OLIVER!" the late Lionel Bart's Tony Award-winning musical based on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," opens Friday and continues through April 4 at Hale Center Theater Orem, 225 W. 400 North.

Co-directed by Scott Montgomery and Marcie Jacobsen, the double-cast ensemble includes Taylor Shumway and Blaze Call sharing the title role, Brandon Bringhurst and Cameron Lowry as the Artful Dodger, Devin Asay and Curtis Adams as Fagin, Lara Johnson and Brandalee Bluth as Nancy, and Paul Hill and Greg Johnson as Bill Sykes.

During the first two weeks (through Feb. 26), performances will be Mondays and Thursdays-Saturdays, after which the production will continue nightly except Sunday through April 4, all at 7:30 p.m.

There will also be Saturday matinees at 3:30 p.m. on March 12, 19 and 26. Prices range from $12.50-$16.50, depending on date and seating location (226-8600).

• "JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR," Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's somewhat controversial rock musical chronicling the last days of Christ's life, will play Friday-March 6 at the Mary G. Steiner Egyptian Theatre, Park City.

Directed by Dana Durbano-Keiter, the Egyptian Theatre Company's artistic director, the cast includes Stuart Metcalf in the role of Christ, with Ginger Bess Simons as Mary Magdalene, Daniel Simons as Judas, Brett Bradford as Simon, Marc Raymond as Caiphas and Ken Wayne as Annas, the priest.

Durbano-Keiter notes that " . . . 35 years ago, this show might have been considered divisive, but today I think people see that it transcends religious boundaries and, no mater what your beliefs, it will move you."

The show is not recommended for young children.

Performances are 8 p.m. on opening night and 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, with matinees at 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Ticket prices are $27-$32 for adults, $24-$26 for senior citizens, $15-$18 for students and $13-$16 for children. The lower prices are for weeknights and Saturday matinees; the higher prices are for Friday and Saturday evenings (435-649-9371 or 888-243-5779).

• "EXPERIMENTS IN INK VI," the University of Utah Theatre Department's sixth annual playwrights' festival, will showcase five original one-act plays from Thursday through Feb. 13 in the Studio 115 Theatre.