Broadway Classic Get's Turned On It's Ear In Returning Comedy!

Desert Star Playhouse is bringing it’s beloved comedic makeover of the Broadway musical, “Les Miz,” back to Utah’s Funniest Family Theatre.  Opening March 28, “Les Miserables –Or– A Lot Less Miserable” is an over-the-top parody of the Broadway classic that offers big laughs with kooky characters, silly songs, and a healthy dose of local humor.

“This show has long been one of our audience favorites,” said Scott Holman, who has directed the show twice before at Desert Star.  “So, with the popularity of the recent movie adaptation, many of our patrons wondered why we weren’t doing our version of the Broadway classic. With this great fan feedback we decided the time was right for the return of our comedy version, Audiences can enjoy the drama of the big screen blockbuster, and then get a good laugh from our hysterical deconstruction.”

You may have seen the recent movie of "Les Mis" with its incredible music, and dramatic storyline.  Now here’s you chance to see the laugh-out-loud funny parody! Even if you've never seen the original musical, we guarantee you'll enjoy our hilarious parody of this classic tale! The story centers around Jean Levi-Jean, a man who was imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread, and Inspector Javert, the merciless constable who hounds him after he breaks parole. With funny songs, outrageous French accent, and lots of humor, it's fun for the whole family.

According to Executive Producer Mike Todd, “The main reason to come to Desert Star is to laugh, and “Les Miserables” promises to have audiences laughing until their sides ache.” You’ll boo the villain and cheer the hero as you experience our fast-paced precision comedy.”  Actor ad-libs and skilled improvisations are also part of Desert Star’s unique style.  Don’t be surprised if jokes about local politicians, sports teams, celebrities, and current events find their way into the production.  “If it’s in the news this morning, it’ll be on our stage tonight,” says Todd.

Tickets are on sale now and patrons can call the theatre box office at 801-266-2600 or visit www.DesertStarPlayhouse.com for reservations.  With audience interaction, lively music, and side-splitting comedy …It’s ALWAYS Fun at Desert Star Playhouse!

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Get A Sneak Peek At Kicking The Hobbit

Tickets are selling fast but great seats are still available for Saturday 11:30 matinees!  Hurry to get your tickets today!

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Audiences Are Getting A kick Out Of Kicking The Hobbit

Our 25th anniversary season has begun and audiences are loving the first show of 2013!  Don't take our word for it, read what some of our patrons are saying about "Kicking The Hobbit: Bored Of The Rings" 

Great show--one of the best we've seen in a long time.  -C. Reaves (Riverton)

I absolutely loved it.  I think that everyone can relate to this show.  Whether this show reminds them of themselves or someone they know, it is a wonderful show to see!  -Kimberly Mulholland (Layton)

Since I'm not a Lord of the Rings fan I was worried that I wouldn't get the humor. That was not the case.  Very enjoyable evening.  -Steve Duke (South Jordan)

As usual the show wss great.The actors gave it their all and you can tell they enjoy what they are doing.We always enjoy our night out at Desert Star. Looking forward to another great season.  -Robert & Joann Nye (Lehi)

Funny, funny show! We enjoyed the storyline and goofiness that is a trademark of Desert Star. 

Loved the Olio -2 shows in one- you can't get better than that!  -Pam Saley (Salt Lake City)

I enjoyed Kicking the Hobbit. It was funny and silly cute!  -Teri Vanderpoel (Taylorsville)   

My kids and I look forward to each show and will all agree that Kicking the Hobbit was the funniest show we've seen so far. Thanks for another "Mommy and Us night out."   -Nancy Ah Chong (Taylorsville) 

 I was really impressed with the fresh ideas and new players.    Thanks!  -Jill Anderson (Holladay)

Very fun :) One of the funnier shows in a while. -Becky Fitch (Herriman)   

It was one of the best ones I laughed so hard and had so much fun Loved it, it is a date night I look forward to with great friends.  -Shonna Clift (West Valley City) 

We had a great time and loved it when they forgot their lines.  -Betty Rodgers (Murray)

 We really enjoyed your show. Our 3 kids have retold the whole play to Grandparents, neighbors and anyone who will listen. Thanks for the fun family time!  -Becky Weller (Herriman)

We love Desert Star! The kids laughed and laughed at "Kicking the Hobbit" and have been quoting their favorite lines from the show.  -Brenda Shuleen (Riverton)

The show was perfect!  ALL the shows at the Desert Star are awesome.  Our waitress was fantastic. they all had stellar attitudes. The how waas amazing.  -Rodney Mather (Murray)  

We enjoy the shows so much we bought season tickets for our 7 1/2 year old twins. They loved the hobbit.  -Stephanie Ketterer (Herriman) 

That show was a blast!  The play was very creative with inspired performances.  We appreciate the local humor and the olios.  Boy, that group works hard to entertain us. 
-Jerry Ashton (Salt Lake City) 

 The sets were wonderfully done. The actors and actresses were great. We especially liked the oleo. It was fun and interactive. Great job to all of you.  -Kathy Larrabee (Kearns)

This was one of my favorite performances. There was a lot of improv in the play, and a lot of fun audience interaction. We always love the OLIOS.!  -Megan Isham (Taylorsville) 

Fabulous show! I love how you poke fun at a mix of different shows together.  I also love how you poke fun at 
Utah-isms.  The performers are so talented,  -Shawn Holmstead (Lehi) 

Very Funny, you did such a good Job! I've been telling everyone (especially my Nerdy friends) you must watch this! Thanks for a good time  

-Dave & Ruth Coliard (Uintah)

 

We couldn't go without getting Season Tickets again this year.  We loved Kicking the Hobbit.  It was very funny and very creative.Thanks for having such a great place where my whole family can go together.  -Amy Pace (Clinton) 

FANTASTIC!!  Acting was superb- another enjoyable performance.  -Muriel Wilson (South Jordan)

I liked how the actors interacted with the audience.They were very funny!  -Jeannean Sommer (Riverton) 

We had such a great time! We were in from Florida and discovered your theater. We will be back!  -Carrie Pike (Valparasio, FL)

The show was absolutely wonderful. It was hysterical. The jokes were terrific and we loved the music...it was all so much fun. Thank you!  -Amy Marcelis (WestJordan) 

It was one of the funniest. Easy to follow even though we did not 

know the Hobbit story. As always the Olio was great.  -Bruce & Sandra Barnett (West Valley City)

We all enjoyed the show and the time we had together.The actors were great and the show was a hit.  -Camile Dickerson (Layton) 

Your shows never disappoint. The actors and actresses are all so talented and the shows are so clever. The piano player is amazing!   -Tyson Taylor (Taylorsville)

Well done.  Always like the side jokes. Lots of laughs throughout. Thank you.  -Albert & Karen Leinweber (Pleasant Grove) 

This was another good hit done by Desert Star. We love coming to these plays each year. Thanks for the memories!  -Todd Nunley (Taylorsville)

 

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How It All Began

In 2013 Desert Star will be celebrating it’s 25 year anniversary.  Over that time it has been our pleasure to bring smiles and laughter to both young and old with our family-friendly entertainment.  Desert Star has grown a lot since it’s humble beginnings and while we get ready for our biggest season yet, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at how Desert Star began.  

In 1989, theater lovers Mike and Alyce Todd decided to take on the challenge of starting a live dinner theatre.  This was especially daunting because there had never been a successful dinner theatre in Salt Lake.  Several attempts had been made by others in the past to launch dinner theatres, and they were short-lived.  But Mike and Alyce had an idea for a different kind of theatre and hoped their attempt would be successful.  Their first show was produced at Pioneer Trail State Park (near This Is The Place Monument) as part of a wagon ride and chuck wagon dinner. 

They chose to produce a traditional melodrama, "The Sally Kathleen Claim." The evening also featured a short musical olio with the show. And so, Desert Star was born...under the stars.

Mike recalls the summer was not without mishaps. During one performance, a forest fire raged on the hillside near the show. A helicopter repeatedly filled its water tank from the pond just behind the stage. During another performance, the horses from the wagon ride were spooked and stampeded. But the show went on, and the adventure had begun.

When the summer ended, the Todds were not ready to let the curtain close. They began searching for an indoor venue to continue producing shows.

They looked at several locations in the Salt Lake area. One of these was the defunct Vista Theater. Their first reaction was that the building was "un-inhabitable." However, after looking at several other buildings, the Vista was clearly the best choice and a lease was soon signed.

“Many theaters are started by people who love to be on stage, and they start a theater because they want a place to perform. We are just the opposite,” Todd says.  “We are never onstage except to sweep the stage.” 

In the fall of 1989, "Flower of the South" opened, and the Vista was re-christened Desert Star Playhouse.  The old movie theater seats were replaced with tables and chairs. The old sloped floor however remained, making it a challenge for audience members to keep their drinks and popcorn from sliding off their tables! 

“We actually started Desert Star, as much as anything, as kind of a community service,” says Todd. “The product that we have here, we didn’t create it. It’s been around forever but there was nothing like it in Utah.”

The first show ran through the end of the year with the addition of a Christmas Olio in December. It was during this show that Desert Star favorite Mary Parker Williams made her first appearance.

The first full season opened in 1990 with "Calamity Jane." A year later, another favorite, Scott Holman, would join the ranks. Scott recalls in those days they frequently played to nearly empty houses. "People would call and ask, 'What time does your show start?' and we'd say, 'When can you get here?'"

“It was a lark, with the hope that it would become a business. And it did,” Todd says. “It started small and evolved one step at a time. We started by serving candy bars and bottled soda and eventually evolved into our large cabaret-style menu of gourmet food items.

Over the years Desert Star has enjoyed the fact that while wives may have to drag their husbands to the theater for their first visit, once they get here, the men love it and want to come back. 

“We’re the theater for people who think they don’t like live theater,” says Todd.  “One thing we said when we started was, ‘Find out what everyone else is doing, and don’t do that,’  A lot of what we do is Tim Conway, Carol Burnett-esque,” Todd says. “If you’re looking for serious drama, we’re not the place. If you’re looking to wear a suit and tie and a topcoat, we’re probably not the place. It’s casual, it’s laid back, but at the same time it’s quality; it’s professional.”

Desert Star has made a name for itself by producing original musical parodies with jokes aimed at the local culture and references to current events.  Its biggest hit—and record holder for the longest-running theatrical production in state history, “My Big Fat Utah Wedding,” is about a mixed marriage between a Mormon and a “Gentile.”  Actor ad-libs and skilled improvisation are part of Desert Star’s unique style and have made the theatre a can’t miss form of entertainment. Artistic Director Scott Holman said it best: “We always tell people that if it happened in the news today, you’ll probably see it on our stage tonight.” 

2013’s 25th anniversary season promises to bring big laughs and a year of fun for the entire family.  Don’t miss a single show!

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Laugh Lines From "My Big Fat Utah Christmas"

See all the hilarious laugh lines in person!

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Have A Big Fat Utah Christmas This Holiday Season!

Utah theatergoers are in for a special treat this Christmas season.  We are producing a holiday sequel to our biggest hit with the new comedy “My Big Fat Utah Christmas.”  The show opens November 15, and promises wacky characters, big laughs and plenty of holiday cheer for the whole family.

In 2005-‘06, Desert Star Playhouse set the record for the longest running theatrical production in Utah history with it’s blockbuster comedy “My Big Fat Utah Wedding,” which ran for 18 months.  Now we have written a holiday sequel.

"My Big Fat Utah Christmas” is both hilarious and heartwarming.  This show starts with a typical Utah family that wants to have a good old fashioned Christmas, and help their young children learn the true meaning of Christmas.  Mitch and Dana McLaughlin decide to host a family reunion for Mitch's long-estranged family, hoping to bring them together again. But when his weird and wacky relatives start crowding into their home, it turns into a Big, Fat Utah Christmas!  To make matters worse, a pair of sneaky burglars show up posing as Mitch’s long-lost cousins.  Of course, it all turns into a tale of hilarity, hijinks and happy endings!

It's always busy at Desert Star during the holidays so hurry to reserve you tickets today

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