Dallyn in the Lion's Den

My big story in today's Ticket for The Daily Herald was an interview with Dallyn Vail Bayles.

Courtesy of Dallyn Vail Bayles

He's toured with Broadway productions of "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables," but a lot of you might know him better as Hyrum Smith in "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration," the recent Church movie, or his albums sold through Deseret Book.

The interview was really great. Dallyn Bayles was so upbeat and gracious, I think to every one of my questions he responded with, "That's a really good question." And even though he made a living in the entertainment industry, particularly an industry that rewards a musical like "The Book of Mormon," he kept his standards and his dignity. And he shows it is possible for someone to be a faithful Latter-day Saint and still make it big on Broadway.

Dallyn Vail Bayles to perform standards at SCERA concert

For my second story, I wrote about another SCERA production. This one is a kid's play about American tall tales like Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed. I didn't know how the story would turn out, but the actor playing Paul Bunyan gave some funny quotes. I think the story turned out to be one of my best for the Herald.

SCERA pampers children with 'Tremendously Tall Tales'

(To get the "pampers" joke, you'll have to read the opening of the article.)

And, the briefs:

Arts briefs: Viva el baile!

Sound briefs: From sea to shining sea

Sound Hot Ticket: Pour some Philharmonic on me (I love this headline)

Perfect Date: Unlock the 'Secret' (A recap of the same "Secret Garden" play I wrote about before)