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Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Pioneer Theatre Company: The Prom

The word “wokeness” has lost all meaning as it has become a conservative bugaboo, making it harder for the notion of “performative wokeness” to retain its original intent. But it’s hard to find a better expression for the silliness at the core of The Prom, the 2018 Tonynominated musical from the creative team behind Elf: The Musical which got a Netflix movie adaptation in 2020, and makes its Utah premiere with Pioneer Theatre Company.

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, MAY 11-17, 2023

It’s the story of a group of Broadway actors who, for a variety of reasons, find themselves at down-and-out phases in their careers. Seeking to make themselves relevant again, they look for a cause to which they can attach themselves on social media. They find it in Emma (Celeste Rose, pictured), a lesbian high-school student in Indiana who has been told that she can’t take her girlfriend to the school prom. When the actors show up in an attempt to help Emma—but really to help themselves—a media circus ensues, involving the actors, the students, the PTA and the principal all working towards different ends. According to PTC artistic director Karen Azenberg, who directs and choreographs the show, “The Prom, with its feel-good message of love and acceptance, is exactly what our world needs right now.”

Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of The Prom runs at the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre (300 S. 1400 East) May 12 – 27, with performances MondayThursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Tickets $48 - $72 in advance, $5 more day of show; visit pioneertheatre.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Plan-B Theatre Company/KUER Radio Hour: The Case of the Missing Dog

After 15 previous installments, Plan-B Theatre Company’s Radio Hour project—collaborating with KUER on broadcast performances in the style of vintage radio drama—is hardly a brand-new concept, especially for returning artists like actor Jay Perry (who has been part of every previous installment). That doesn’t mean it can’t be a fun new experience for folks like playwright Brandon Ngo, who penned The Case of the Missing Dog in a humorous homage to old-school gumshoe tales.

But more than just playing within the detective genre, Ngo is having fun with the particular requirements of writing for radio. “I knew I would have to rely on pure dialoguedriven storytelling,” Ngo shared in a Plan-B blog interview. “Every plot point, every joke, every moment of character building relied entirely on dialogue. It was an exciting challenge and I soon discovered this was my favorite kind of dialogue in media: indulgent, extremely drawn-out monologues where, for no particular reason, characters divulge to each other way too much information about their thoughts and intentions.” And as for the canine character of the title: “This play features speaking parts for a dog because I want to hear actors make dog noises. Was this worth my time, and will it be worth anyone else’s? That’s for listeners and god and Hollywood to decide.”

Plan-B Theatre Company’s production of The Case of the Missing Dog can be heard in a live broadcast on Saturday, May 12 at 11 a.m. on KUER (90.1 FM), and rebroadcast at 7 p.m. on RadioWest. Visit planbtheatre.org for additional information. (SR)