Escape to Tuacahn
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Tuacahn
It’s easy, when you live in Las Vegas, to fall into the mindset that you don’t have to go anywhere else for entertainment. Sooner or later, every show in the world will come to you. I mean, Spamalot and The Producers will be here next year, and Avenue Q has already come and gone. Phantom looks like it’s here to stay, along with more Cirque du Soleil shows than any one city rightly deserves. And I haven’t even mentioned all the singers, dancers, comedians, actors and musicians that light up all the other stages on the Strip and around the valley every night. Las Vegas really does deserve the nickname “City of Entertainment.”
Even with the glorious overabundance of entertainment venues right here in town, there’s still a reason to drive two hours north for yet another. Las Vegas may have glamour and lights, but Ivins, Utah has something even the Strip can’t match. This little town just north of St. George has Tuacahn, an enchanting outdoor amphitheatre nestled in a breathtakingly beautiful red rock canyon.
When I drove up there recently to see Tuacahn’s production of Cats, I felt as though I’d traveled to another galaxy, and I really had entered a new climate zone. Temperatures are cooler up there, making it a wonderful place to take a short break from the warmth of Vegas. The show was excellent, and the natural setting added to the enchantment. Tuacahn is now on my list of summer and autumn destinations.
Although Tuacahn’s regular season ends in the fall, there are two holiday events well worth the drive up Interstate 15. The amphitheatre’s annual holiday concert, “Christmas in the Canyon,” is on December 1. From November 24th through December 23rd, the annual “Christmas Festival of Lights” will be presented on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday evenings from 6:00 to 9:30 pm. Admission to the festival is free to the public.
In addition to the amphitheatre, Tuacahn’s facilities include the Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts. A Utah charter school, it provides a high school academic program enhanced by training in music and theatre. There’s also a gift shop, and pre-show picnic-style dinners are served. The night I was there, a singer performed on a small outdoor stage before the show began, a nice warm-up for the big production.
After the show, the cast mingled with the audience and posed for photos. It was great to get a chance to see the “cats” and their outfits up close and to thank them for a truly memorable performance.
Tuacahn is definitely not the Strip, and that is exactly its appeal. When it’s time for a taste of something a little different from the neon glitz-but no less professional in quality-a trip to Utah’s wonderful red rock theatre is well worth the time and fuel.
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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