This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Pioneer Theatre Company will produce the American regional premiere of Sting's "The Last Ship," a Broadway musical with a fantastic theatrical pedigree about the death of the shipbuilding industry in a gritty industrial British port town.
The show is notable for that Sting soundtrack, which New York Times reviewer Charles Isherwood called "seductive," even while he criticized the ambitious, earnest book by John Logan ("Red") and Brian Yorkey ("Next to Normal") as "unfocused and diffuse."
"I listen to that album — it's gorgeous — and I think it's a compelling story," says artistic director Karen Azenberg, who secured rights from the original Broadway producers.
Azenberg acknowledges the show's mixed reviews. "With all due respect to that production — I saw it and I thought it was really solid — but I see the storytelling a little differently, and I want to bring the storytelling forward," she says. "I think the show needs another shot, and I'm thrilled that I get the chance to do it."
The season also includes another fresh-from-Broadway title, Mike Bartlett's "King Charles III," which critics lauded as a story with ripped-from-the-near-future urgency and Shakespearean audacity. "I saw it in New York, and I thought the second we can get it, I'm doing it," Azenberg says. "It's really funny and very clever. You don't wholly realize the breadth of its cleverness until it's 30 minutes in."
The new season also includes two American classics — August Wilson's "Fences" and a first-at-Pioneer production of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" — and two musicals, the well-loved "Oliver!" and "The Will Rogers Follies."
She underscored the universal themes about athletics at the core of "Fences" and hopes the region's avid Polynesian football community will find "things they recognize in that storytelling."
As for "Oliver!," Azenberg says she last directed the musical two decades ago in Sacramento. The 10-year-old lead in the production was Joseph Medeiros, who played Nigel in Pioneer's 2013 production of "Something's Afoot" and is currently performing in the Broadway musical "Matilda."
Also notable on the season lineup is "Women in Jeopardy" by Wendy MacLeod, whose "Slow Food" was read in 2015 as part of PTC's Play-by-Play development series. It's a contemporary comedy about three divorced women who are concerned, among other things, about the dangers of camping in Southern Utah and one particular boyfriend, who may or may not be a serial killer.
About the wide-ranging season, Azenberg says: "I want the audience to feel like every time they come here, they're having a different kind of experience. That's critical."
Season ticket prices remain the same for the 2016-17 season, ranging from $98 to $323, with a variety of ticket options (including Seven-Play, Pick-5, Upper Balcony, Flex and Rush passes).
One big change is that curtain will be 7 p.m. (instead of 7:30) for Monday through Thursday shows and 7:30 p.m. (instead of 8) on weekends. More than 70 percent of theatergoers filling out the company's annual survey requested the earlier start time, Azenberg says.
In addition to the seven-show season, the company will produce a concert staging of the rarely produced musical "Chess," notable for spawning the 1985 hit "One Night in Bangkok." The full score features songs by ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and lyrics by Tim Rice.
Pioneer will also continue its Play-by-Play series, with three titles to be announced later.
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What's playing at Pioneer in '16-17
'The Last Ship' • Score by Sting, with book by John Logan ("Red") and Brian Yorkey ("Next to Normal"). Sept. 16-Oct. 1.
'The Glass Menagerie' • The much-revived 1944 memory play that launched Tennessee Williams to fame. Oct. 21-Nov. 5.
'Oliver!' • The well-loved, often-produced stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist." Dec. 2-17.
'Fences' • Part of August Wilson's Pittsburgh cycle of plays about African-American contemporary life, the drama set in the 1950s tells the post-career story of a former baseball great who played before the color barrier was broken. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play in 1987. Jan. 6-21.
'Women in Jeopardy' • Wendy MacLeod's contemporary comedy about three divorced women in Utah. Feb. 10-25.
'King Charles III' • Mike Bartlett's contemporary script — with Shakespearean ambitions — that focuses on the real-life British prince after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth. March 25-April 8, 2017.
'The Will Rogers Follies' • A Best Musical, Best Score Tony Award winner, circa 1991, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and book by Peter Stone. May 5-20, 2017.
Season add-ons • A concert staging of the musical "Chess," March 10-11, 2017; and Play-By-Play new-play reading series, dates and titles to be announced.
Available • Current season-ticket holders can reserve their seats by July 1. New subscriber orders will be filled in the order in which they are received.
Ticket sales • Subscription to the seven-show season ranges from $98 to $323, the same as last year), at 801-581-6961 or pioneertheatre.org.
Options • Pick-5 package; Flex pass, which provides $250 worth of credit for any shows a theatergoer chooses; Upper Balcony package for $98; Rush pass, $125, which allows theatergoers to request the best ticket available one hour before the show.