Tonight is one of those nights that makes me so happy that we’re doing this trip, seeing this country, and experience everything that is on offer in this great country of ours.
We spent our evening at the Desert Star Playhouse just south of Salt Lake City, where they specialize in musical spoofs. The 2019 season includes runs of Sunday School Musical: How the Grouch Stole Christmas!: Greenn Eggs and Hilarious Hams; My Big Fat Utah Wedding (Bigger! Fatter! Utah-ier!); The Greatest Roadshow!; Adams Family Reunion; A Christmas Carol Part 2: Scrooged Again!; and tonight’s performance, Freezin: Let it Go Already!
The show, a spoof off the earworm Disney hit movie Frozen, was a world-premier and a hoot-and-a-half. They trolled the Disney original pretty good, they trolled Donald Trump pretty good, and they trolled trolls pretty good too, all set to a recognizable score. Olive the Snowperson (a superior version of Olaf the Snowman) is one of the best characters I’ve ever seen live on stage (picture the original Olaf but played by a drunk Hannah Montana).
And there was a bonus show! After we recovered from the side-splitting farce (which may be my new favorite genre for stage shows) that was the main act, the cast all ran back-stage, threw on their overalls and parachute pants, and came back for a 30-minute revue of all your favorite and least favorite 90s music. That included major mashups, an on-running John Elton bit, a DELIGHTFUL TLC tribute, and a rewrite of “Gangster’s Paradise” titled “Utah Paradise.”
The actors were so fun, the show was so fun, and it was one of those experiences where you felt like you were in on the whole joke, and everyone was just there to have a ball.
And this maximum energy, two-plus-hour show runs 9 times a week. They must all be hopped up on snowballs or something.
Thanks Desert Star Playhouse for the laughs, for the delicious desserts (Mom – they had baked Alaska!), and for the restored faith in why we’re doing this.