THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR FEB 6 - 12 

• Laura Chapman

Salt Lake Acting Company: The Robertassey
Salt Lake Acting Company has established quite a relationship with Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Kathleen Cahill over the years, from producing her play The Persian Quarter in 2011 to premiering the dance-theater hybrid Silent Dancer in 2019. So it was a natural for Cahill to workshop her play The Robertassey as part of SLAC's New Play Sounding Series in April 2019, and a natural follow-up to that involvement in the play's development that SLAC now gets to offer the world premiere of The Robertassey.

The odd title is a portmanteau for "Roberta's odyssey"—the Roberta in question being a woman who travels to Dublin for the purpose of leaving the ashes of her departed alcoholic father, which whom she had a strained relationship, in the city of his birth. There's just one small problem with the plan: The suitcase that contains her father's ashes has been lost in transit. That's only one part of the comedic odyssey that ensues for Roberta as she seeks not just to find the lost ashes, but to find herself, as she tries to understand how the legacy of her relationship with her father has impacted her life and relationships, mixed up in a meeting with plenty of colorful local residents.

The world-premiere production of The Robertassey at Salt Lake Acting Company (168 W. 500 North) runs Feb. 5 – March 2, with performances Wednesdays through Sundays (showtimes vary by date). Special sensory, open-caption and ASL-interpreted performances are also available. Tickets are $45 at saltlakeactingcompany.org. (Scott Renshaw)

• Courtesy photo

Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock Live
Beyond being an innovative and influential artist, the late Jim Henson was a visionary who took the art of puppetry to new heights and not only helped revolutionize children's entertainment, but created entertainment that could engage and entertain audiences of all ages. After developing his Muppet characters for the much-heralded educational television series Sesame Street, he went on to share his puppet creations as part of the first season of Saturday Night Live before developing his own sketch series, The Muppet Show, and ultimately garnering two Emmy Awards for his efforts.

One of Henson's final projects involved creating the HBO series Fraggle Rock, a children's fantasy-comedy about the adventures of new characters in an underground world. Although Henson passed away prematurely nearly 35 years ago, the show's legacy lives on, through reboots, revisits, rebroadcasts and touring shows featuring the beloved Fraggle friends Gobo, Red, Mokey, Wembley and Boober. This production provides an opportunity to follow along as they set off on a journey to find the legendary Celebration Stone, a source of magical power feared to be lost forever. The life-size characters, spectacular set designs and extraordinary special effects add to the enjoyment. Then there's the VIP experience, including photo ops, show souvenirs and an opportunity to meet some Fraggle favorites. What parent wouldn't be proud to watch as their youngsters indulge a Fraggle fascination?

Live at the Eccles presents Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock Live on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.). Tickets cost $25.50 - $47.50 at saltlakecountyarts.org. (Lee Zimmerman)

• Walt Disney Pictures

Utah Symphony: Disney's Beauty and the Beast in Concert
There are few examples I would offer for what I consider "perfect cinema," but I know what one of them would be: the ballroom sequence from Disney's 1991 masterpiece Beauty and the Beast. Everything that precedes and follows that moment is wonderful as well, telling the story of a bold young woman and the cursed prince who fall in love accompanied by charming supporting characters, glorious animation and the classic songs of composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman. But nothing compares to what happens once the initial strains of the title song begin, with Angela Lansbury's gentle, wise vocals evoking the miracle of a new relationship being born, and that true love isn't just flowers and chocolates, but "finding you can change, learning you were wrong." Accompanying the sweeping perspectives accomplished by an early CGI assist, it makes for a breathtaking work of art.

Now imagine getting the chance to experience that scene, and all the rest of this beloved film, with the Utah Symphony performing Menken's score live to the screen. Audiences all over the country are embracing the experience of watching classic films with audiences again, and it becomes even more special when an orchestral score is swelling in the legendary acoustics of Abravanel Hall.

Utah Symphony performs its accompaniment of Disney's Beauty and the Beast for two performances only, Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $16.50 - $107, and availability is most limited for Saturday at press time. Visit utahsymphony.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)