• Acting as a sort of flip-book for the history of Utah landscapes, the exhibition REVISITING UTAH’S PAST: THE TRANSFORMED LANDSCAPE reminds visitors that the state’s profile has changed since its settlement. The exhibit highlights the way in which Utah landmarks, including Eagle Gate and the Great Salt Lake, have changed over the years. Today, author BILL SEIFRIT (Utah Painting & Sculpture) speaks about the importance of art as part of the historical record. Bill Seifrit lecture @ Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 Campus Center Drive, 581-7332, 1 p.m.; Revisiting Utah’s Past runs through Aug. 12
FRI27Shelagh Stephenson’s THE MEMORY OF WATER introduces three sisters who have drifted so far apart that only their mother’s funeral can bring them together. But the play, presented by Pinnacle Theatre Company, deals with emotions beyond awkwardness and regret. Each of the sisters’ quirky stories about her childhood—with the assistance of the youngest sister’s reefer—help piece together exactly why the family fell apart in the first place. The Memory of Water @ Midvale Performing Arts Center, 695 W. Center Street, Midvale, 309-8934, July 26-Aug. 4
SAT28 Pay homage to the music of musicals tonight at BRAVO BROADWAY, part of the Utah Symphony’s DEER VALLEY MUSIC FESIVAL. Conductor Gerald Steichen takes the audience through scenes from My Fair Lady to The Sound of Music—and singing along is encouraged. Deer Valley Music Festival: Bravo Broadway @ Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater, 2250 Deer Valley Drive, Deer Valley Resort, Park City, 533-NOTE, 7:30 p.m.
SUN29They could call it an open house, but it wouldn’t be as fitting—or snappy—as the PIERPONT PLACE SUNDAY SOIRÉE. The newly designed venue is showing off tonight in hopes of becoming a swanky, coveted social-events hall. Enjoy live music from the Legendary Porch Pounders and peruse work from the Aura Art Gallery—all while sipping cocktails and nibbling free appetizers. Go ahead and make your Sabbath a day of “fest.” Pierpont Place Sunday Soirée @ Pierpont Place, 163 Pierpont Ave., 706-0911, 4-7 p.m.
MON30 Those rebels. It’s hard to believe it’s the fifth-year anniversary of Plan B-Theatre Company’s exposé of banned literature, AND THE BANNED PLAYED ON. Unfortunately, they’re a long way from running out of material. This year, enjoy presentations of banned children’s book And Tango Makes Three (about a nontraditional penguin family), The Higher Power of Lucky (for the use of the word “scrotum”) and Nena’s Cold War-era protest song, “99 Luftballoons.” The fund-raiser for the company, emceed by Scott McCoy and Doug Fabrizio, usually sells out. Go against the crowd and reserve tickets beforehand, you rebels. Plan-B Theatre Company’s And the Banned Played On @ Jeanne Wagner Theatre, 138 W. 300 South, 7 p.m. Tickets: 355-ARTS
TUE31 After last night’s dose of political reality (see Monday), you may enjoy escaping Earth’s gravity for an evening. EXTREME PLANETS NIGHT takes you to the depths of outer space and the unknown, featuring a discussion with Space Telescope Science Institute specialist and author Ray Villard about extra-solar planets. Then, see a screening of Villard’s film Extreme Planets, which takes humankind on the quest for Earthlike planets—if they exist. Extreme Planets Night @ Clark Planetarium, 110 S. 400 West, 456-4966, 6:30 p.m. ClarkPlanetarium.org
WED1 Sometimes opera gets a bad rap, invoking only images of large, busty women tragically singing about a long, lost love in acrobatic arpeggios. But the folks from UTAH FESTIVAL OPERA have set out to change that. Bringing excitement and humor—along with talent—to its latest opera roundup, the festival hopes to make the art form less intimidating. Today, see THE MOST HAPPY FELLA, set in the rolling hills of California’s wine country, and SHOW BOAT, set on the Mississippi River. See the Website for the whole lineup. Utah Festival Opera @ Ellen Eccles Theatre, 43 S. Main, Logan, through Aug. 11. Show Boat, 1 p.m.; The Most Happy Fella, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: 800-262-0074, UFOC.org