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South Valley Riverton Journal

A Deadly Good Performance

Mar 10, 2016 09:45AM ● By Bryan Scott

By Hope Zitting | [email protected]

South Valley - Valentine’s Day is traditionally filled with hearts, candy, flowers and love. Rarely is this romantic holiday associated with zombies and the aftermath of a potential apocalypse. Yet, the Herriman Arts Council incorporated all the traditional Valentine’s practices with the unorthodox customs to create the annual Valentine’s Cabaret, “Night of the Loving Dead.”

On Feb. 11-13, the city council chambers were transformed into a stage for the Herriman Harmonyx to perform the musical theatre. 

The Herriman Harmonyx wrote an original script for the performance and sang a myriad of classic musical numbers, with the lyrics tweaked just enough to accommodate the zombie apocalypse theme. 

“We started as an a capella group. They were Herriman A capella, but now they are Herriman Harmonyx. Part of the reason behind the whole creation of the group was something like this. We thought Valentine’s was the perfect time to do it. This would be our sixth year that we’ve done the script and played the music. And they absolutely love to do it. They get together, they come up with the concept, they come up with the theme and they write the script and then they choose the songs to perform. They’ve gotten so good they don’t need to look at the script anymore,” James Crane, the Herriman Arts Council chairman, said.

“They’re all volunteers. No one gets paid. I mean, the payment is that they love what they do and they can share their talent. And they love it. We’re passionate about the arts,” Crane said. 

The Valentine’s Cabaret cost $20 a table or couple and lasted the duration of nearly two hours, including two parts separated by a 10-minute intermission, during which desserts were served. 

“It’s really fun. We started [rehearsing] around Christmas. We wrote the script beginning in Octoberish, and finished around mid-January. Our first year, we started with two nights with one show a night, and it didn’t sell out. And then the next year, we sold out. Now we’re at five shows, and all but three or four [tables] are sold out now out of all five of the shows. I think we might add another show for next year,” Brian Taylor, one of the members of Herriman Harmonyx, said.

“I have a couple of roles in the arts council, and I just love to be there for the community. I really love to do it. I got involved and it was just so fun. The people that I do it with are amazing, and they may it look so easy. Part of this is for the community, part of this is for me,” Deb Taylor, the Herriman Arts Council assistant chairman and member of the cast, said. 

 “I think they did a fantastic job,” Kristin Kerr, the piano player for the performance, said. 

“It’s fun to have something that you create all on your own. It’s unique and completely new. It’s fun to put it together with a bunch of friends. It helps break up the monotony of life. It’s good for both the audience and us. We have a lot of passion for music. This particular show is a little difficult. How do you play a zombie? Thankfully, the audience has a good imagination,” Brent Rindlisbacher, a guest performer for the play’s cast, said. 

For more information concerning upcoming performances by the Herriman Arts Council, visit their website at http://www.herriman.org/arts-council/.