Utah theatergoers have a whole lot to be happy about

With a flurry of new shows opening last week, I've been hammering away at the keyboard, writing reviews.

Having been in this chair since February, I'm getting a better handle on things. And, so far, I'm loving it.

I've seen roughly 40 shows, from professional to community; from big rousing musicals to intimate one-man shows; from Logan to St. George; and a handful of Broadway musicals to top it all off.

So I thought I'd write a midyear, state-of-the-theater address and give you a few impressions after eight months on the job.

• Utah theatergoers are lucky. We have so many options, so much to choose from. There really is something for everyone, which can be tough as it stretches the entertainment dollar even thinner.

• Utah audiences could use just a bit more focus during shows. I have loved my e-mail exchanges with readers who read my various columns on audience behavior and have their own stories to share.

• Many of the theaters are tremendously dependent on volunteers, who happily step up to the plate; show after show after show. Thank you!

• Playbills, in my opinion, should always list actors in order of leading role, with the actor's name in bold and the character they're playing in parenthesis.

For example, ERICA HANSEN (theater writer). Nothing is more annoying than trying to look up the actor who is knocking your socks off and having to wade through a long list of ensemble actors.

Don't get me wrong, ensembles make or break the performance, they matter immensely. But in the show "Wicked," for instance, having several Ozians listed before Elphaba or Glinda, simply because of the alphabet, doesn't make sense.

• The Utah theater community is passionate. Very passionate. It takes its shows seriously, it takes its performers seriously and it doesn't like negative things being said. Who does, really?

That puts me in an interesting position. On the one hand, my goal is to always encourage people to go see a show. On the other hand, theatergoers are interested in a truthful opinion about where they should spend their hard-earned dollar.

Throw into the mix that my reviews are read by those very performers, their parents and friends the next morning, and it's a tricky spot ... almost a no-win situation.