Reel Rock/Fly-Fishing Film Festival
Utah is well-known throughout the world as both a film-festival destination (thanks to the Sundance Film Festival every January) and an outdoor-recreation destination (thanks to its diverse terrain). Every once in a while, however, those two worlds come together. That happens in multiple venues this week, as creative filmmakers capture the beauty and splendor of recreational activities.

The annual Reel Rock tour—marking its 17th installment in 2023—shares fascinating stories from the world of climbing, presenting thrilling images of daring achievements, and the people behind those achievements. This year brings three world-premiere films: DNA, showcasing 29-year-old French climber Seb Bouin as he tackles the risky sport climb of Verdon Gorge; Resistance Climbing, telling the story of Palestinian climbers using the sport as a place for community and solace; and Burning the Flame, presenting Austrian climbers Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher free-climbing Pakistan's Nameless Tower. The program comes to Salt Lake City's Rose Wagner Center (138 W. 300 South) on Sunday, March 12 at 7 p.m., with tickets $25 at arttix.org.

Up the road in Ogden, we have films representing a sport that's a bit less death-defying, but just as full of beautiful settings. The 2023 International Fly-Fishing Film Festival brings a lineup of nine films, spanning the globe to discover a range of different arenas for the fly-fisher, from the Snake River to the Appalachians to the Amazon Basin. The event takes place at Union Center's Browning Theater (2501 Wall Ave., Ogden) on Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m., with tickets $12 advance/$15 door. Visit ogdencity.com for additional information. (Scott Renshaw)

Brian Regan
When Vanity Fair dubs you "the funniest stand-up alive," that's high praise to live up to. Fortunately, that doesn't faze Brian Regan; given a three-decade career that finds him performing in nearly 100 cities a year, he's had ample opportunity to hone his comedic chops, whether making observations about everyday encounters, sharing some hints of sarcasm or delivering his self-deprecating humor.

Likewise, he can claim two Netflix stand-up specials and a four-episode Netflix series, "Stand Up And Away! With Brian Regan" which, it so happens, was executive produced by some guy named Jerry Seinfeld. (We hear he's pretty good, too!) His 2015 Comedy Central special Brian Regan: Live From Radio City Music Hall made history as that network's first-ever live stand-up special broadcast. He made his dramatic debut as a recovering addict on Amazon Prime's series Loudermilk, and can claim frequent appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and, prior to that, some 28 appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman. And let's not forget his two appearances on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, also alongside that Jerry Seinfeld guy. When you're frequently referred to as "a comedian's comedian," ya gotta take your humor seriously.

A Utah favorite for many years, Brian Regan performs at Delta Performance Hall in the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Theater for a multi-show run beginning at 8 pm, Friday, March 10, and continuing Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, March 17 at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, March 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $59.50 - $172; visit arttix.org for tickets and event information. (Lee Zimmerman)

St. Patrick's Day Parade & Siamsa
We rarely appreciate what we have until we're without it, and that's certainly the way it was with so many beloved parades and festivals taking a hiatus during the height of the COVID pandemic. St. Patrick's Day events were among the first cancellations in 2020, but the Hibernian Society of Utah's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade & Siamsa made a grat return in 2022 at its Gateway venue, according to Hibernian Society President Sean Clark: "Last year's return to The Gateway was a tremendous success. ... It's a festive atmosphere with spectators able to view the parade from both upper and lower levels."

With St. Patrick's Day itself falling on a Friday in 2023, the parade and accompanying events take place the preceding Saturday. The parade itself begins at 11 a.m., with a route beginning at 200 S. 600 West and proceeding east towards Rio Grande. Once the parade is done, guests can enjoy the siamsa (Gaelic for "amusement" or "entertainment") on the Olympic Plaza, featuring live music by bands including Shanahy, Pladdohg and Murphy and the Giant; traditional Irish dance entertainment from Scariff, Smith Irish Dance, Harp Irish Dance and Rinceoiri Don Spraoi; vendors; food and adult libations. An additional indoor area will be featured behind the stage, with an additional entertainment stage.

The 2023 St. Patrick's Day Parade & Siamsa comes to The Gateway (400 W. 200 South) on Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; all events are free, open to the public and family-friendly (not counting those adult libations). Visit irishinutah.org for additional event information. (SR)

Utah Opera: Verdi's Rigoletto
The notion of fate has always been a popular one in classic storytelling—the notion of how much of one's life is in one's own hands, as opposed to the hands of Destiny or some other supernatural force. According to director Stephanie Havey—who oversees Utah Opera's production of Giuseppe Verdi's 1851 masterpiece Rigoletto, based on a story by Victor Hugo—the idea of believing that something terrible is destined to befall you becomes a kind of self-fulling prophecy within the structure of the narrative.

"The curse sets the parameters for each of the characters in this story," Havey says via press release. "But they each have their own way of interacting with it and in doing so, they're able to almost determine their fate—or lack thereof—based on this half-real, half-imaginative relationship."

In Rigoletto, that curse involves the powerful Duke of Mantua (Matthew White) and his jester Rigoletto (Scott Hendricks), who are on the receiving end of a curse as the result of the Duke's wanton seduction of any woman he desires, and Rigoletto's mockery of the men humiliated by this behavior. The set design full of boxes and the lighting cues supervised by Havey emphasize the sense of characters feeling trapped by the expectations built into a curse.

Utah Opera's production of Verdi's Rigoletto—including live accompaniment by the Utah Symphony—visits the Capitol Theatre (50 W. 200 South) for five performances only beginning Saturday, March 11. Tickets pricing begins at $30; visit arttix.org for tickets and additional event information. (SR)