One notes the curious timing, of course. Bill Engvall, a perfectly adequate comedian – platinum albums, one gathers – taking up residency at The Egyptian Theatre precisely as the final Sundance Film Festival descends upon Park City. It’s…convenient. A calculated buffer against the usual January crush, perhaps? The Park City Institute, predictably, is framing it as a celebration of the theatre’s centennial, a noble, if somewhat transparent, endeavor. One trusts the valet parking will be meticulously managed.
The man seems genuinely affable, this Engvall, and commendably involved with local charities – the National Ability Center and the People’s Health Clinic both receive his attention, which is more than can be said for most transient residents. He speaks of “the juice,” of connection, and one supposes that is what fuels these smaller engagements. It’s not the glamour of The Eccles, certainly, nor the manufactured buzz of a premiere, but a quiet competence. Still, one detects a whiff of desperation in his return, a concession that 'Real Housewives' have proven a more potent distraction than a well-crafted joke. A pity. The step-and-repeat red, when it unfurls, will likely lack the usual wattage. A solid, if unremarkable, contribution to the Park City social calendar. Attend, if you have a driver.