Kayenta Arts Foundation hosts Neil Simon’s “The Dinner Party,” a melocomedy filled with charm and heart
By Grisha Syssoyev
Cedar City’s Neil Simon Festival is teaming up with the Kayenta Arts Foundation to bring their production of Neil Simon’s “The Dinner Party” to Ivins Jan. 17. A witty and tender comedy about three divorced couples tricked into attending a private party in a Paris restaurant, the play begins as farce and transforms into a more self-reflective and sentimental consideration of relationships and their meaning. The play draws inspiration from Simon’s own five marriages and marks a departure from his previous works, exhibiting a serious side that his earlier comedies did not.
Directed by Henry Ballesteros and featuring members of the Neil Simon Festival directorate — Richard Bugg, Peter Sham, and Clarence Gilyard — along with Holly Barrick, Alyson King, and Kirsten Sham, the piece opened in Cedar City this past August to strong reviews. Front Row Reviewers, Utah called it “a lovely little piece of life that can give you a perspective about relationships and will make you think” (Jennifer Mustoe), and the St. George Spectrum noted that “Although technically a comedy, there is some real drama here … this phenomenal cast delivers [Simon’s] lines in a genuine and immersive way” (Brian Passey).
“It’s been amazing,” said Kayenta Arts Foundation executive director Jan Broberg speaking of Kayenta’s collaboration with the Neil Simon Festival. “They are top notch, wonderful to work with, the production is outstanding, professional, and they’re just a lot of a fun — the tagline is ‘come laugh with us,’ and they exude that in pretty much every way.” Having herself previously acted and directed for the festival, Broberg wants to see the partnership grow and hopes to have the Neil Simon Festival bring one to two shows to Kayenta annually.
“The Dinner Party” is an exciting theatrical offering in this inaugural season of the Kayenta Arts Foundation’s new Center for the Arts, the work of a professional director and cast dedicated to keeping the plays of Neil Simon alive and enchanting for southwest Utah audiences. If the Cedar City performance is any indication, Jan. 17 will be an evening filled with laughter, suspense, and heart.
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