Reports from northern Utah indicate that, on Oct. 1, Park City can expect an influx of zombies, skeletons and mummies accompanied by a posse of possessed children described as a “Chucky-rama.”
Yes, Odyssey Dance Theatre is bringing its statewide touring production of “Thriller” back to the Egyptian Theater for a 13th residency.
The Salt Lake-based troupe will be in Park City performing its 28th season of “Thriller” from Oct. 1-12, with nightly shows and weekend matinees. Over two hours and 15 minutes, a series of vignettes spotlights Halloween’s spookiest, from Children of the Corn to the Addams Family.
The show is recommended for ages 8 and up, and frights and laughs will intermingle as dancers include ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary and ballroom numbers. Tickets in the Egyptian’s 300-seat theater have already begun selling out, and all shows typically do.
Yet, Odyssey’s founder and “Thriller” writer, director and principal choreographer Derryl Yeager recalls that Utah was not the Halloween haven residents recognize today when he first set his sights on the haunted holiday.
“When we first started this 28 years ago, there was maybe one haunted house. There was nothing else going on in Utah as far as Halloween was concerned,” Yeager said. “I needed to find something that could be my ‘Nutcracker,’ the performance all ballet companies use to sell a lot of tickets and make a lot of money for their budgets.”
Set costs prohibited the “Dracula” production Yeager envisioned. Then, an Odyssey board member suggested vignettes in a Halloween variety show. Yeager choreographed the lovers’ dance between Frankenstein and his bride, gave a hip-hop twist to the Curse of the Mummy, then continued his productive streak to include all the haunting greats.
First-run ticket sales were not extraordinary, but returning fans brought friends the next year, and sold-out October theaters soon were standard. “Thriller” became Odyssey’s primary moneymaker and has enabled decades of year-round theater ballet.
Seventy percent of the numbers in 2025’s production appeared in the original performance. When Yeager introduces new dances to the “Thriller” setlist, he stays true to his blend of tricks and treats, he said.
“This year we’ve added Gomez and Morticia Addams doing a tango together which makes perfect sense,” Yeager said. “So much of theatrical dance is ‘woe is me, working out my demons on stage.’ Here the demons are onstage, but they’re being laughed at and enjoyed.”
Yeager seeks to maintain a twisted sense of gender representation within the production.
“We have a new piece called ‘Dark City Lights,’ which shows all the evil women out there, because usually women are the victims in horror movies,” Yeager said. “Very rarely do you see evil women. We try to be even-handed as far as those who are evil in the show.”
He also notes attending “Thriller” is a great date night.
Yeager’s wife of 51 years, Cheryl Yeager, is the costumer and copilot for Odyssey. The couple met while dancing for Ballet West and have helmed the Odyssey troupe over 31 years of programming that has included winning Utah’s Best of State — Best Dance Company 18 times and Best of All Arts and Entertainment twice. Over half of Odyssey’s 28 dancers are Utah-born, and alumni include Julianne Hough, Derek Hough and Brandon Armstrong from “Dancing with the Stars,” Natalie Lecznar, a dancer for Taylor Swift, and Thayne Jasperson, the only original “Hamilton” cast member still performing the role on Broadway.
“Our dancers are really good at every style, and that’s why they’re so successful out there in the real world,” Yeager said.
The troupe began “Thriller” rehearsals in mid-August and toured through Ogden, Logan and Layton in September before reaching Park City. After, Odyssey will play 12 nights at its home base, the Grand Theater in Salt Lake, before a three-night Halloween finale in the 2,500-seat Tuachan, Utah’s largest theatre.
“I don’t know what it is, but Utahns just love their Halloween,” Yeager said. “Now there’s a haunted house on every corner, and ‘Thriller’ has become an annual event for our audiences. They love to come back and see the show year after year and have a great time.”
The Egyptian is the smallest venue on Odyssey’s tour, which ensures that everyone present will feel immersed in the action.
“The show is really a lot of fun because of that intimacy,” Yeager said. “Even in the back of the house, you can get an up-close and personal performance right in your face.”
Tickets to see Odyssey Dance Theater’s performance of Thriller at The Egyptian are on sale at parkcityshows.com
