THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR OCT 10 - 16 

• Eric Christensen

Odyssey Dance: Thriller
When City Weekly spoke to Odyssey Dance founder Derryl Yeager in September 2022 about his decision to put the company—and its popular productions like the Halloween-themed Thriller—on hiatus while he and his wife served an LDS mission, he wasn't sure at the time that the show would go on upon his return. But he can recall the very specific moment when he realized the company would come back. "We had a great experience," Yeager says via email, "but at one point I was pressure-spraying 114 toilets one day, and I thought, 'I think I'm better at this dance thing!' And we realized that providing a professional dance experience to Utah's talented dancers was a 'mission' in and of itself."

The show's return also marks the company's 30th anniversary season, so what better way than to kick it off with its trademark show? Those who spent years making it a part of their Halloween-season traditions will find a familiar parade of pop-culture characters—Friday the 13th's Jason, Frankenstein's monster, zombies, skeletons and more, along with the titular paean to Michael Jackson's hit—dancing their way through lively numbers, leaning into the fun and funny rather than the genuinely creepy.

After wrapping its stint at Park City's Egyptian Theatre (parkcityshows.com) through Oct. 13, Thriller takes up residence at the Grand Theatre (1575 S. State) Oct. 14 – 26, with performances Monday – Saturday, 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday matinees. Tickets are $42 - $77; visit odysseydance.com to purchase tickets, and for information about other performance locations. (Scott Renshaw)

• Courtesy Photo

Utah Opera: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
When it comes to identifying a distinction between "opera" and "musical theater," Utah Opera artistic director Christopher McBeth isn't particularly interested in definitive categories—and he has good company in composer Stephen Sondheim, the late genius behind Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the 1979 grand guignol masterpiece about a homicidal barber in Victorian London. "He never really thought of one as being different from the other," McBeth says. "It was music and words, and the power of them coming together. Any kind of proprietary thoughts that people had that created class distinction about any art form really irritated Stephen."

Whether you call it opera or musical theater, though, Sweeney Todd has clearly carved out (pun intended) a place for itself among the most fascinatingly dark tales setting theater to music. Despite its content involving murder and cannibalism—or, indeed, perhaps because of that content—there's an undercurrent of grim comedy threaded throughout, in songs like "The Worst Pies in London" and "A Little Priest." And Sondheim's songs dip and weave their way through unconventional approaches to melody, like in the dissonant love ballad "Johanna." Halloween-season entertainment doesn't get much better than this.

Utah Opera's production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street comes to the Capitol Theatre (50 W. 200 South) for five performances, beginning Saturday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. and also including Monday, Oct. 14 and Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $26.50; visit utahopera.org for tickets and additional event information (SR)

• Courtesy Photo

Ogden Día de los Muertos
There's a tricky grey area between cultural appropriation and recognizing the universal appeal behind a culturally-specific tradition, but in recent years, it has become common for the Latin American celebration of Día de los Muertos to be recognized even by those who didn't grow up in that tradition. Honoring the memory of departed ancestors is an idea we can all get on board with, and Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music continues its own recent tradition of bringing Día de los Muertos to the wider community for the fourth year.

The 2024 version of the celebration features music by several Mexican musical acts, including Los Angeles-based headliners Las Cafeteras, returning from the 2021 event to bring their unique fusion of traditional Mexican folk, soul, electronic dance music and hip hop. Additional live performance acts include Ballet Folklorico Eck, Tamborazo Diamante de Utah, Mariachi Fuego de Utah and mariachi students from Ogden School District. Also on the agenda are an equestrian showcase, an art show by Ogden students, pedestrian parade and a marketplace of local vendors, in addition to plenty of wonderful food. And for anyone who wishes to honor the memory of a departed loved one, a community ofrenda, or altar, will allow anyone to participate with pictures or mementos; a pet altar will also be featured.

Día de los Muertos comes to Ogden Amphitheater (343 E. 25th St.) on Saturday, Oct. 12 from noon – 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Visit ofoam.org/dia-de-los-muertos for full schedule of events and additional information. (SR)