Lagoon revue, musical among stage offerings

The first in this summer's Lagoon musical revues and the Utah premiere of a recent Broadway musical are among this week's Wasatch Front stage offerings.

• "THE SPITFIRE GRILL," featuring Jayne Luke, a Salt Lake City-based Equity actress, in one of the double-cast ensembles, is playing from Friday through July 10 at Hale Center Theater Orem, 225 W. 400 North.

Directed by David Morgan, the cast includes Luke and Kaye Woodworth alternating as cafe owner Hannah Ferguson, Jennifer Latimer and Meghan Stettler as paroled ex-convict Percy Talbot and Brad Baillio and Greg Hansen as Sheriff Joe Sutter.

Performances are Mondays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. (but there will be no performances on May 23-24 and 29-31). Matinees are 3:30 p.m. on June 17 and 24 and July 8. Tickets range from $12.50-$16.50 (226-8600).

• "ROCK U2 THE TOP," Lagoon's youth-oriented rock music revue, opens its summerlong run on Saturday in the Carousel Theatre, where it will continue through Sept. 9.

Staged and choreographed by Jennifer Giaque Tingey, the show features a dozen fast-paced rock tunes performed by Michelle Hunt, Emily and Lexi Giaque, Daniel Hamblin, Vaden Thurgood and Steve Shoemaker, with Daysha Hannermann and Cody Jensen in the "swing" cast.

Performances are weekends only (Saturdays and Sundays, plus May 29-30 for the Memorial Day weekend), then daily except Mondays after Lagoon's full summer season kicks in June 2.

Performances will be 6:15, 7:45 and 9:15 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and 5:15, 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. Sundays. The show is included with admission to the park (451-8000 or www.lagoonpark.com).

• "A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD," which premiered in 2002 at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Minn., before moving to New York City, is being staged by the Taylorsville Arts Council for three performance in the town's Assembly Hall, 1247 W. 4700 South.

Co-directed by Joel Kelly and Seth Barney (who plays Toad), the musical is based on Arnold Lobel's classic series of books following two friends, after they awake from hibernation, through the changes of seasons for one year.

The cast also includes John Nielsen as Frog, with Derek Smith, Patti Rogers, Keolani McCleary, Kevin Cottam, Shalise Osborne, Halee Young, Debbie Renquist and Brittania Brady in a variety of other roles, including Snail (soon-to-be reborn into a midlife crisis), Mouse (kleptomaniac is only the tip of the iceberg) and other assorted animals.