A rich set and joyous performances from Lily Hye Soo Dixon and Jason Bowcutt make for a stellar premier of Deboar Threedy’s new play. Image credit: Sharah Meservy

Plan-B never misses and they have another absorbing evening of socially conscious theater on hand with Debora Threedy’s “Balthazar,” a world premiere running through March 3 at the Rose Wagner Studio Theatre.

Threedy has degrees in law and theatre arts and retired fairly recently from teaching law at the University of Utah to spend more time writing plays. Her two-character take on Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” is a joy, due to rich dialogue as well as sympathetic (and terrific) performances by Jason Bowcutt and Lily Hye Soo Dixon.

The two were in top form Friday night, and deservedly played to a full house, with Bowcutt very capably performing the role of Bellario, a charming gay lawyer in 16^th-century Venice, and Dixon acting as his bubbly cousin, Portia, a noblewoman who passionately desires to become an attorney in an era when women just couldn’t. The two riffed off of one another delightfully.

Lily Hye Soo Dixon plays Portia, a Renaissance woman who just wants to lawyer up. Image credit: Sharah Meservy

Guided by Debora Threedy’s fine writing, Jason Bowcutt brings to life a character who only appears off stage in Shakespeare’s original. Image credit: Sharah Meservy

Portia nonetheless goes to court dressed as “Balthazar” in Bellario’s legal robes to defend Antonio, whom she loves, from having to surrender to Shylock, a money lender, a pound of his flesh in lieu of funds he borrowed to aid his friend Bassanio—with whom he is in love. There is a lot of fun to be found in this confusion and it’s all resolved in about 80 minutes with no intermission (and no late seating). Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 4 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Sensory Friendly Feb. 23.

The effective set (designed by Janice Chan, built by David Knoell), is dressed with a stellar back drop of paintings and a couple of candelabra-type wall sconces beneath red draperies framing a wooden desk atop a blue-and-white checked rug. Stacks of old books and a large globe complete the look. Lighting is by Marley Keith. Show art and costume designer: Aaron Asano Swenson. Director and Sound Designer: Cheryl Ann Cluff. Intimacy Director: Liz Whittaker. Props Designer: Arika Schockmel.

Balthazar, Plan-B Theatre, Studio Theatre at Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake City, through Mar. 3

Ann Poore

A graduate of the University of Utah, Ann Poore is a freelance writer and editor who spent most of her career at The Salt Lake Tribune. She was the 2018 recipient of the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Artist Award in the Literary Arts.