Essentials: Entertainment Picks July 10-16 

THURSDAY JULY 10

Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre
Every summer, Logan’s Ellen Eccles Theatre becomes the site for enjoying some of the grandest stories ever set to music—or perhaps the grandest music ever set to stories. Now in its 21st season, Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre presents two grand operas and two beloved Broadway musicals. The “opera” part of the lineup includes two choices that aren’t generally considered part of the opera canon. Samuel Barber’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1958 work Vanessa tells the story of a woman who has waited 20 years for the return of her beloved, only to find that it is his son who comes back instead. And Sigmund Romberg’s The Student Prince follows a bored young heir to a mythical kingdom who tries to live as a commoner, then must decide between love and his throne. The musical-theater titles are considerably more familiar: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s wonderful frontier story Oklahoma! (pictured), and the enchanting adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. For the latter, UFOMT will present the only version ever seen in the state that will include a full live orchestra accompanying the songs, with MET Grammy Award-winner Patrick Miller as Jean Valjean. In addition to the wonderful main-stage performances, audiences can also experience interactive events and backstage tours with director Michael Ballam and other cast members, including historical information about the works. Add a few special-event concerts, and you’ve got a great excuse to spend a weekend in Cache Valley. (Scott Renshaw)
Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre: Vanessa, The Student Prince, Oklahoma! and Les Misérables @ Ellen Eccles Theatre, 43 S. Main, Logan, 435-750-0300, through Aug. 9, $13-$77. Full season schedule at UtahFestival.org

THURSDAY JULY 10

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30 Years at Finch Lane Galleries: A Retrospective
The Finch Lane Gallery at the Art Barn is near and dear to the heart the Salt Lake City fine art community, and its current exhibition—30 Years at Finch Lane Galleries: A Retrospective—celebrates “artistic diversity, the Salt Lake Arts Council, and honors those who have contributed to the city’s artistic fabric,” says Kandace Steadman, visual arts program manager for the Salt Lake Arts Council. The work of 30 out of the several hundred artists who’ve shown at the gallery over the course of three decades will be on display. Finch Lane invited one artist representing each year of its 30-year span—two posthumously, including Lee Deffebach and her work “Brown Recluse” (pictured). Those represented are some of the finest in the state, and have seen their art recognized and their careers launched while having a personal experience with Finch Lane. Layne Meacham, one of those selected for the show, recalls that “in the ’60s, I used to run home after a class at the Finch Lane and try to copy Lee Deffebach, Don Olsen, etc.” Justin Wheatley, whose work will also be on display, adds, “I was elated to be chosen to show my work there in 2013. That show was a defining event for me.” For 30 years, Finch Lane has been an exciting, forward-thinking venue, and it continues to contribute to the artistic integrity of Salt Lake City’s fine-arts community. (Ehren Clark)
30 Years at Finch Lane Galleries: A Retrospective @ Finch Lane Gallery, 1320 E. 100 South, 801-596-5000, through Aug. 8, free. SLCGov.com/arts/vizarts

THURSDAY JULY 10

Neil Simon Festival
The Utah Shakespeare Festival might be the most well-known summer theatrical showcase that calls Cedar City home, but it’s not the only way to enjoy classic plays in Southern Utah. Since 1997, the Neil Simon Festival has presented some of the great works from the American master playwright, in addition to other contemporary comedies that have become audience favorites. The 2014 season includes two Neil Simon plays. The Star-Spangled Girl finds two radicals in late-1960s San Francisco involved in a romantic triangle with the conservative Southern girl who moves in next door, while Laughter on the 23rd Floor takes its inspiration from Simon’s youthful work on Sid Caesar’s classic TV variety program Your Show of Shows. Rounding out the season are Nunsense, Driving Miss Daisy, Greater Tuna and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Even if you come for the Bard, take a detour for some all-time favorite laughs. (Scott Renshaw)
Neil Simon Festival @ Heritage Theater, 105 N. 100 East, Cedar City, 435-267-0194, through Aug. 9, $12-$26 per show, package discounts available. SimonFest.org

THURSDAY JULY 10

Night and Day: Karen Horne Paints the Changing Light of Salt Lake City
Karen Horne uses impressionistic strokes to masterfully depict the light at various times of the day in downtown Salt Lake City, capturing the many different faces of Main Street, Capitol Theatre, Temple Square and other landmarks as seen in bright sunlight, cloudy twilight or under a bright moon. Horne—whose great-grandmother Alice Merrill Horne was Utah’s “First Lady of the Arts”—was awarded a Mayor’s Visual Artist Award at 2013’s Utah Arts Festival, and she’s made a point of painting that event in different lights as well, illuminating the artworks, crowds and festival grounds and capturing the life of the annual festival. Her works demonstrate the progression of contemporary impressionism in an urban landscape, and there’s flair to them that renders the city almost Parisian. (Brian Staker)
Night and Day: Karen Horne Paints the Changing Light of Salt Lake City @ The Gallery At Library Square, Salt Lake City Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, 801-524-8200, through Aug. 1, free. SLCPL.org

FRIDAY JULY 11

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Salt Lake Jazz Festival
Unless one hightails it all over town to the bars and clubs that feature jazz, the Salt Lake City Jazz Festival is really the only opportunity to spend a weekend enjoying the city’s finest jazz performers in one place. The backbone of the festival will be the local players who contribute to the state’s ever-growing scene, like The Wasatch Jazz Collective, the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra, Orquesta Latino and The Jim Gus/Emily Merrell Group. National headliners include multi-instrumentalist and five-octave vocalist Ellis Hall (pictured), who will finish Friday night with a Tribute to Motown and then return Saturday for “Memories of Papa Ray” with the SLCJO. Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns—a collective of Las Vegas musicians who are as comfortable backing the likes of Bette Midler as they are jamming at a downtown jazz joint—will close out the festival. (Jacob Stringer)
Salt Lake Jazz Festival @ Gallivan Center, 235 S. Main, July 11-12, $12-$75. SLCJazzFestival.org

FRIDAY JULY 11

Antelope by Moonlight
The annual Antelope by Moonlight non-competitive ride—where kids, costumes, lights and streamers are encouraged—is perhaps the best family-friendly pedal of the summer. Beginning at White Rock Bay just past the causeway, the ride follows the rolling eastern shoreline of Antelope Island 12 miles to the historic Fielding Garr Ranch. Once bikers reach the barn turnaround point, they can grab a quick bite while being entertained by The Endless Summer Band, playing covers ranging from the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” to Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” The best part of the ride is the return trip back to the cars, as the crowds widely disperse and you find yourself rolling along to the night sounds of the island in relative peace. Off on the distant shore, you can spot the lights of the city while you pedal past sleeping bison and the grasses sway in the gentle wind beneath the moonlight. (Jacob Stringer)
Antelope by Moonlight @ Antelope Island State Park, 801-444-2300, July 11, 10 p.m., check-in begins 7:30 p.m., $30. DavisCountyUtah.gov/Go/Moonlight

FRIDAY JULY 11

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Utah Symphony: The Music of John Williams and The Music of U2
It’s that time of year when Utah Symphony takes a break from Abravanel Hall and retreats to cool mountain climes for the Deer Valley Summer Concert Series. The symphony not only drops some of the formality of its home turf, but also typically leaves behind the likes of Beethoven and Mahler and explores the pop charts. That includes work by the iconic film composer John Williams (pictured), so you can listen to the theme from E.T. while watching the moon rise over the distant hills. There might be a sense of relief that you’re nowhere near water when the theme from Jaws echoes off the mountainsides. And you’ll have the chance to lie back on your blanket and stare at the stars as you listen to those unforgettable opening chords to Star Wars. Other planned Williams’ touchstones are music from Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Harry Potter. You can also take a tour through the decades-deep songbook of Irish rockers U2 on Saturday evening. Joined by vocalist Brody Dolyniuk—an expert vocal impersonator who has lent his talents to the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock—Utah Symphony will re-create the atmosphere of a great rock concert. Channelling his inner Bono, Dolyniuk will work through U2 chart-topping favorites like All I Want is You, Sunday Bloody Sunday and Where the Streets Have No Name, all with a full orchestra and Utah’s beautiful great outdoors behind him. (Jacob Stringer)
Utah Symphony @ Deer Valley Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater, 2250 Deer Valley Drive South, Park City, 435-649-1000, July 11 (The Music of John Williams), July 12 (The Music of U2), 7:30 p.m., $15-$85. DeerValleyMusicFestival.org

FRIDAY JULY 11

CUT! Costume and the Cinema
In cinema, acting ability is supposedly the reason top actors are paid top dollar. But in period pieces, it’s hard to imagine even the best actor creating a sense of believability while dressed in jeans and a T-shirt instead of an elaborate Victorian gown. Costumes help make the character. The traveling exhibit CUT! Costume and the Cinema at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art pairs 40 costumes from Hollywood films with paintings from the museum’s permanent collection, curated by Nancy Lawson, the North American representative for Cosprop Ltd., the famous London costume house. It’s fascinating to see the clothes without actors like Sandra Bullock, Johnny Depp, Anjelica Huston, Keira Knightley, Uma Thurman and Kate Winslet wearing them—it’s as though the wardrobes almost have a life of their own. Costumes on display come from films like The Duchess, Sherlock Holmes, Pirates of the Caribbean (pictured), Sense & Sensibility and The Phantom of the Opera, where the wardrobes established the characters through painstaking authenticity. The July 11 opening reception at the museum is a red-carpet night. Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to dress as though it’s a Hollywood red carpet movie opening. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl will be screened outdoors in the museum’s sculpture garden. (Brian Staker)
CUT! Costume and the Cinema @ BYU Museum of Art, 500 Campus Drive, Provo, 801-422-8287, July 11-Dec. 6, opening reception July 11, 7-9 p.m., free. MOA.BYU.edu

SATURDAY JULY 12

The Summer Flea
Some people love the joy of wandering through a second-hand store, finding that perfect thing they’ve been looking for, and at a bargain price, to boot. Others have more stuff than they need, and know that they could give things that still have use in them a new home (while gathering a little walking-around money in the process). And still others are looking for the perfect spot to sell their unique crafts and home creations. Flea markets are the perfect place for all of those people, and the new Summer Flea looks to give them all a spacious seasonal home. At South Jordan’s Salt Lake County Equestrian Park, vendors offer knick-knacks, tchotchkes and surprise treasures, whether from a booth or just the trunk of a car. For the July 12 launch, visitors are invited to bring one or two of their own items for a special Antiques Roadshow-style appraisal. (Scott Renshaw)
The Summer Flea @ Salt Lake County Equestrian Park, 2100 W. 11400 South, South Jordan, 801-916-4189, Saturdays through Oct. 18, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., $6 general admission before 10 a.m., $2 after 10 a.m., children under 12 free. TheSummerFlea.com