An enchanted evening with Broadway soloists at Abravanel

Also reviewed: booty-shaking to ABBA’s giddy love songs at the Eccles.

CONCERT ’Twas a Battle of Broadway-in-Utah Christmas Concerts. On the same two nights, Aladdin soloed at the Conference Center, and Christine Daaé and Gaston were guest performers at Abravanel.

Eschewing any sanctimonious strivings (and winning the war), Claybourne Elder and Sara Jean Ford staged a lovely — and great fun! — Holiday Pops Extravaganza concert with the Utah Symphony.

Elder, who wowed audiences recently in Beauty and the Beast, and Ford, a dazzling leading lady in The Phantom of the Opera, are frequent collaborators, and the duo displayed stunning vocal prowess mixed with holiday reminiscences, equal parts heartfelt and humorous.

With his “heart always in Utah,” the New York-residing Elder introduced Ford to our fair state, which the Southern California native had not previously visited. This welcoming, merry spirit made the audience feel as if one family, albeit large, enjoying together a cozy evening alongside an evergreen-bedecked fireplace.

Most amusing was their “Every Hallmark Christmas Movie Ever Written, A One Act Play,” humorously cobbling the soapy clichés and stock characters of the streamer’s drippy dramas. And Elder relating in his youth mishearing a well-known lyric: “Rejoice, rejoice! The Lord has gum.”

Ford explained a dream role: Fräulein Maria in The Sound of Music, but not a routine Fräulein Maria in The Sound of Music. She yearns to play Julie Andrews as Fräulein Maria in The Sound of Music. Then she playfully evoked Andrews’ recognized cadences of “My Favorite Things,” which we agreed has quizzically become a Christmas standard.

Ford’s “O Holy Night” was heavenly sung with her vibrant, lilting soprano, and Elder brought hefty, soaring heavenward vibrance to “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire),” one of the most iconic holiday tunes.

Under the baton of assistant conductor Matthew Straw, the symphony performed a joyful “Sleigh Ride” — ironically written during a heat wave! The orchestration is innovative, with bells for the sleigh bells, wooden blocks for the horseshoes, two wooden planks slapped together to imitate a whip crack, and a trumpet as a whinnying horse.

So tremendous was the concert that this could easily become a Utah Symphony tradition, with Elder inviting other theater soloists to join him. (Clay is pals with Audra, right?) We won’t be bothered if the out and proud entertainer skips the Abravanel one year to join the Christmas concert at the Conference Center. Yes, that will happen.

STAGE Are you a Dancing Queen, a Super Trooper, or Chiquitita? I have a show for you.

While not the first jukebox musical, Mamma Mia! is credited with kicking off the craze that manufactures recognizable songs into a theater production. And Mamma Mia! has undeniable strength, running on Broadway for 14 years. Yes, years.

ABBA has sold around 400 million records worldwide, with the “Abba Gold” release spending more time on the top 100 charts than any other album.

To dispense with this jukebox staging’s major flaw, ABBA songs are nearly always written into the script arbitrarily — without advancing the story, illustrating characters or themes, or serving any other purpose. A guitar is spotted, which launches a completely irrelevant “Thank You for the Music.”

At the Broadway at the Eccles staging, undiscriminating fans who arrive bonded to the catalog of songs have a wonderful time by simply overlooking this defect — with the benefit of potentially opening the door to more cohesive theater productions. The wildly popular, currently on-Broadway Moulin Rouge! (also with an “!”) is a hugely entertaining introduction to stage productions employing existing popular songs to propel the plot.

ABBA’s bubblegum disco-pop compositions are heartily sung, and well-executed vivacious choreography is another highlight amid the shoehorned sitcom script.

With nearly every other character an ensemble player, the two leads — an enchanting Alisa Melendez, as a bride-to-be who discovers there are three men who might be her father, and Christine Sherrill, her bohemian mother/Greek isle innkeeper unsure which of her former lovers fertilized her — are strong singers and skilled performers. Their characterizations are delightful.

It’s tragic that the sound quality at the barn-like Eccles is so under-balanced, making lyrics to solos a challenge to decipher. And the overly loud steel guitar-driven pit orchestra adds to the difficulty.
Victor Wallace plays the man who has loved the manageress for 21 years and proposes. He heartily overcomes this trial to be the cast’s standout actor and singer, with a vivid stage presence and booming voice, singing “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” the song that appears natural in the storyline.

ABBA fans are guaranteed to be swept away on a wave of collective nostalgia as they dance in the aisles and sing along to the medley that closes the show. Included are lyrics to the group’s biggest-selling smash hit: “You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life. See that girl, watch that scene, diggin’ the dancing queen.” Each adoring audience fan becomes a Dancing Queen.

PLAYFUL THEATER Every great parent knows the great importance of introducing their children to great theater. Proven that the arts greatly enhance students’ educational performance and interest in learning.

The Salt Lake Acting Company youth theater productions, most often helmed by the tremendously talented Penelope Camwood, are thrilling, high-energy plays based on popular children’s books that delight K-2 students. Along with performances at the theater, the cast takes the show as a free gift to underserved, low-income, and academically at-risk Title I schoolchildren.

This season’s offering, Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are In A Play!” keeps the wee audience rapt and bouncingly engaged. Each actor has magnetic energy and enthusiasm. Joining me was my young son, who thrilled with every minute of theatrical physical humor and the cast’s boundless energy. And he was enraptured by a deluge of hundreds of multi-colored ping pong balls that engulfs the stage at the show’s end.

AUDRA The illustrious songstress — one golden boy away from EGOT — is an outstanding choice for Rose Parade grand marshal with its Celebrating Music theme. (We celebrate Audra, who celebrates music.)

BILLBOARDS We really don’t care how many copies you’ve sold, colorscriptures.com.

Blair enjoys subtle shenanigans.