Desert Star Theater is a dinner theater establishment in Utah. It started out as a small theater called the Gem, which showed silent movies with a piano for music. It was later closed down and demolished, but rebuilt and expanded into the Iris Theater by owner Tony Duvall. After his retirement, the Iris changed hands several times before being renamed the Vista.
The theater first became Desert Star when Mike and Alyce Todd attempted to produce a play near Pioneer Trail State Park. This play was the first to exhibit the common traits found today in Desert Star plays. After the summer ended, they attempted to find an indoor location for their plays. They considered the closed down Vista, and eventually took it and renamed it the Desert Star Playhouse.
In 2000, after several successful plays, the city of Murray said that the building had to be brought up to code or torn down. The owner wanted to go with the latter, but the Todds decided to buy the theater and renovate. Today, the playhouse features Dinner and Cabaret theaters, as well as performing two shows in different theaters.
Desert Star is known for parody plays, doing spoofs of classic movies and stories. They are also known for political jokes, and their themes tend to revolve around Utah. Each show also ends with a musical olio, in which the performers dress up in various costumes and and do musical numbers.
Shows
2005
- Kicking the Hobbit: Bored of the Rings, tells the story of a Lord of the Rings/Star Wars geek named Walter whose girlfriend sends back his engagement ring because he is such a geek. Falling asleep while watching the extended edition of Lord of the Rings, Walter is visited by Gandolf the Wizard. She tells him to shape up, and inspires him to set out on a quest to the city of rings to return his girlfriend Donnalea's ring to her. To aid him, Gandolf summons a fellowship of geeks: Ken Jennings (proving that being rich can't buy you out of being a geek) who is trying to get his wife a ring; Carl Malone/Gollum (a blonde Caucasian with a split personality) who seeks a ring of his own; and Fraudo (a Hobbit whose gender is confusing to everyone) who has no particular reason to go, except for the adventure. Unbeknownst to the fellowship, the evil Dark Lord Sharon has plans to capture the fellowship and steal all their money (people have already proven you can't rule the top of the world, who wants to rule the middle of it). To assist him, he summons Dog the Bounty Hunter from A&E (used to stand for Arts and Entertainment, now stands for Alcohlics and Ex-convicts). The fellowship, meanwhile, is joined by Princess Leia, who wandered onto the wrong set and was forced to stay (LotR and Star Wars are the same story anyway). The fellowship then begin their quest, facing obstacles such as Carl/Gollum's split personality, Ken Jennings' Jeopardy habits, and the appearance of Sharon in the form of John Kerry.
- Legally Brunette: Not All Dumbs are Blonde, is about a brunette (dumb obviously) who gets a job as an assistant prosecutor. Her partner doesn't want a thing to do with her, despite the pressure from the governer's office. Their case is against A.J. Samson, who is accused of murdering his ex-wife and her new boyfriend. Defending him is the nefarious Melvin Farkas, a corrupt lawyer responsible for Marsha's (head prosecutor) father being ruined and humiliated in a case years ago. In their efforts to defeat Samson, Marsha and Elle (brunette) team up Lenny Brillio and Joe Hunk, two detectives who help the girls out. The show climaxes in a grueling trial in Judge Judy's courtroom, featuring Napleon Dynamite as a witness.
- Harry Podder: Dude Where's My Wand?, tells the story of Harry Podder, a boy whose parents were killed by the Dark Lord Voldie. Harry himself survived the attempt with nothing but a scar on his chest in the shape of the word 'Dude'. Harry was taken to his aunt's house in Murray, where he lived for sixteen years. He was then picked up by Bumbledore, Headmaster of Warthogs, the finest wizarding school on the enitre Wasatch Front. There he met fellow students Hermione Ranger, Ron Sneasely, and Draca Malfolk. He also met two teachers: Prof. McGargoyle, Spells 101; and Prof. Squirrel, Abstinence from the Dark Arts. Squirrel is secretly an accomplice of Voldie's, and the two plot to steal the copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince kept at Warthogs from the Lair-That-Must-Not-Be-Named, so that Voldie can know the future and figure out how to defeat Harry.
- CSI Provo: Decaffinated DNA, begins with Gil Grimace, a Mormon science professor and CSI Provo forensic scientist, announcing the imminent speaking of Murphy Moor, director of Farfig Nugen 911. After demonstrating to his class his robot Robo Cop, Gil is approached by his superior officer Chief Biggs, with the announcement of Murphy Moor's murder. Gil's third attempt at getting married is in 2 hours, so he thinks he has time to investigate his first homicide. Meanwhile, at the home of his bride-to-be, Lavell Edwards (actual name is Dutch, but goes by Lavell after her father, an ex-BYU football coach), her old boyfriend Shelby Snoot (talks like Prince Charles, but comes from American Fork) is trying to convince her to leave Gil and marry him. After a humerous encounter with the anti-University of Utah Coach Edwards and the arrival of the western style bishop, it returns to Gil. On the BYU campus, he and the chief meet up with their partner Darlene Small, a forensic scientist/Relief Society president. After discovering that Mr. Moor had consumed a Carl's Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger before his death, Gil forgets his wedding. Meanwhile, Shelby continues to advance on Lavell, and the distraught girl agrees to go on a date with him after Gil shows up late and she breaks up with him. At the Provo Crime Lab, Gil drowns his sorrow in a bottle of Sprite, and more evidence turns up in Murphy Moor's remains, including a locker key. Later, Gil spies on Lavell and Shelby at Utah Lake, where another confrontation ensues, due to Lavell and Gil still having feelings for each other but with Lavell being too angry to acknowledge him. Meanwhile, another murder occurs at the same site of Mr. Moor's, the victim a mister Howard Iknow, maker of the Neener-Neener fruit drink (supposedly a favorite of Saddam Husein's). Meanwhile, Mr. Moor's briefcase is discovered, in which startling info is revealed, but Gil runs off to save his relationship. At the BYU country club, everything comes together with the revelation of a character's secret life as an author named Cinnamon Buns, Howard Iknow's plans to smuggle Indonesians into Provo to work at WalMart, and the revelation that the murderer of Mr. Iknow drinks caffeine (only done by non-members or Mormons living in Salt Lake City) resulting in the murderer's lack of...decaffinated DNA.
- Desert Star Christmas Vacation: The Bi-Polar Express, tells the story of a family torn by rivalry, forced to gather together as part of a will. The executor of the will, George Bailey, wants nothing to do with his family, and an angel's attempt to show him life born into another family to show him how fortunate he is doesn't work out, as the alternate George has the best life imaginable. Meanwhile, the family snobb Virginia Burger Meister (no relation) and her idiotic son Horace plan to steal the inheritance for themselves. The situation continues to deteriorate as the senior couple of the family, Uncle Roy and his wife, announce that they're divorcing. As part of the will, the group has to buy Christmas trees at the festival, but Horace-disguised as Larry Miller-ruins the attempt. They then go out caroling, while Uncle Roy and his wife get counseling from a spiritual therapist and Virginia sends Horace to steal the money. The whole event climaxes with Horace's capture, Virginia's confession, and the revelation that the will was all a ploy by Mr. Bailey-deceaed-to get everyone together and show them that being together is what Christmas in about, and that they can all change-well except mayber Roy.
2006
- Star Wars Episode MDCCLXXXIV: Sequel to the Prequels that were the Sequel
- Desperate Homemakers: There Goes the Neighborhood
- Pirates of the Carribean 2: the Seaquel
- Mission: Incredibles
- Jack Frosty: He'Snowman to Mess With!