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Back by Popular Demand, Taylor Mac Returns to UtahPresents with “24-Decade History of Popular Music (Abridged)”

Taylor Mac (Utah Presents)

As part of the UtahPresents 2018-19 season, audience favorite Taylor Mac will perform an abridged version of the acclaimed A 24-Decade History of Popular Music at Kingsbury Hall on Friday, November 2 at 7:30PM.

Tickets start at $25, with a $5 ticket for U of U students and a $10 ticket for non-U students, and are available at 801-581-7100 or utahpresents.org.

“[Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music] was one of the great experiences of my life.”—Wesley Morris, The New York Times

“Taylor Mac defies all comparisons and adjectives.” – Washington Post

“The commanding Mac is a genuine leader of our times.” – Time Out

Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music is an acclaimed, bedazzled mashup of music, history, and theater that decodes the social history of the United States—all 240 years—through 246 songs that were popular throughout the country, and in its disparate communities, from 1776 to the present day. This abridged performance will feature selections spanning the 24-hour work.

Mac debuted the full, epic A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, in New York in October 2016, over a 24-hour period, to rave reviews, with The New York Times proclaiming, “Normally, [Taylor’s] a star. This weekend [Taylor] was a solar system.” The performance was named to three New York Times Best of 2016 lists, including Best Theatre and Best Performance.

Following the performance in Salt Lake, Taylor will return to New York where judy’s new play Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus will open next spring, starring Nathan Lane and Andrea Martin.

A 24-Decade History of Popular Music is created, written, performed and co-directed by Taylor Mac, with co-direction by Niegel Smith. In addition to music direction and arrangements by Matt Ray and costume design by Machine Dazzle, the work features dramaturgy by Jocelyn Clarke, scenic design by Mimi Lien, and lighting design by John Torres. “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music” is produced by Pomegranate Arts (Executive Producer, Linda Brumbach; Associate Producer, Alisa Regas) and Mac’s company Nature’s Darlings.

About Taylor Mac

Taylor Mac (who uses “judy”, lowercase sic, not as a name but as a gender pronoun) is a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, director and producer. “A critical darling of the New York scene” (NY Magazine), TimeOut NY has called Mac, “One of the most exciting theater artists of our time.” The Village Voice named Taylor the Best Theater Actor in New York (2013) and Best Male Vocalist (2015).

About UtahPresents

UtahPresents, a multi-disciplinary presenter at the University of Utah, brings diverse artistic and cultural experiences to campus and the region, exploring and enriching the human experience through the lens of creativity and the arts.

As stewards of the iconic Kingsbury Hall, we provide a valuable gathering space for community events and campus partners. Through a breadth of collaborations, UtahPresents encourages curiosity, enhances cultural vibrancy, and creates connections beyond the stage.

About Pomegranate Arts:

For the past twenty years, Pomegranate Arts has worked in close collaboration with a small group of contemporary artists and arts institutions to bring bold and ambitious artistic ideas to fruition. Founder and Director Linda Brumbach, along with managing director Alisa E. Regas, produced the Olivier Award-winning revival of Einstein on the Beach, the multi-award-winning production of Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music, the Drama Desk Award-winning production of Charlie Victor Romeo and Available Light by John Adams, Lucinda Childs and Frank Gehry among others. Since its inception, Pomegranate Arts has produced over 30 major new performing arts productions and tours for Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Lucinda Childs, Dan Zanes, London’s Improbable, Sankai Juku, Batsheva, and Bassem Youssef and collaborated on new productions with the Kronos Quartet, Leonard Cohen, Robert Wilson, and Frank Gehry. Together with Taylor Mac/Nature’s Darlings, Pomegranate Arts produced and developed A 24-Decade History of Popular Music.