UtahPresents to Present SUGAR SKULL and Branford Marsalis With Dianne Reeves in October

As the new season of UtahPresents programming gets underway, UtahPresents has several shows coming up in early October.

'Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure,' will take place at Kingsbury Hall on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. The show is a touring bilingual/bicultural musical for young audiences and families that uses traditional regional music and dance from Mexico.

'This performance was phenomenal. Our students were talking about the show for days after!' - Las Vegas Third Grade Teacher.

The show tells the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores. Vita thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. Why throw a party for the dead? But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly springs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning of Día de Muertos.

Meet Sugar Skull, a charismatic skeleton with a secret or two. With her skeletal new friend, Vita dances with ancient ancestors, sings with a sorrowful sorceress, escapes the trickster Chaneques, and even meets the famous Catrina Calavera. But can this clever youth gather the missing pieces needed for her family ofrenda before it's too late?

Following a successful premiere at Kingsbury Hall in 2022, UtahPresents is thrilled to welcome back 'Sugar Skull: A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure' for its new Family Sunday Series. The show is created by Mexico Beyond Mariachi, a multi-cultural ensemble of professional musicians, actors, dancers and teaching artists. Founded in 2005 in New York City, the company was quickly established as one of the leading providers of Mexican performance and education programs for young people and families.

Then on Wednesday, Oct. 7, the Jazz at Kingsbury Hall program begins with Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane.

Renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis is a versatile performer, equally at home playing concertos with symphony orchestras and sitting in with members of the Grateful Dead. His main focus lies with the Branford Marsalis Quartet, a celebrated ensemble that, in the words of reviewer John Zeugner, is 'casually confident...cerebral, and supercharged with energy.'