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BOUNTIFUL — An elementary school in Davis County has found an unconventional way to honor two of Utah’s most prominent figures.
Valley View Elementary in Bountiful is putting on the musical “Our Home Court” this week. It’s an original show based on the life story of Utah business moguls Larry and Gail Miller.
It’s the latest production in a series of musicals that have been based on the stories of real-life Utahns, producer and co-writer Mary Jane Ferguson said.
“We’re really excited about it, and we think it’s been something that’s been really meaningful to the kids,” Ferguson said.
Three previous shows at the school were based on the lives of Utahns Gail Halvorsen, the World War II Candy Bomber, Olympians Noelle Pikus-Pace and Steven Holcomb, and television inventor Philo T. Farnsworth.
Shows started on Tuesday and continue through Saturday at the school, 1395 S. 600 East in Bountiful. Visit valleyviewmusical.org for more details about the performances.
Ferguson and her husband Andrew wrote “Our Home Court” together. The story follows the lives of Larry and Gail Miller, starting when they met as children, she said.
A large part of the show focuses on the Millers’ childhood lives since it’s a show written for kids to perform, she said.
“It was fun for (the students) to learn about that and to learn more about their lives as children,” Ferguson said. “We really wanted to focus on their childhood because we thought that would be really applicable to the kids in elementary school.”
She said before the show most of the students at the school were familiar with the Miller family. If they didn’t know the Millers, they at least knew the Utah Jazz, she said.
The musical continues following the Miller family story as Larry and Gail are married and Larry buys his first car dealership. It also depicts their purchase of the Utah Jazz.
The story also includes Larry Miller’s death and ends with Gail being awarded the Giant In Our City award by the Salt Lake Chamber in 2015.
Students in kindergarten through sixth grade at the school are involved in the musical, including Ferguson’s two daughters in second grade and sixth grade, she said.
The development of the show began in May 2017, Ferguson said. Several representatives from the school met with Gail Miller and some other family members to discuss their plans for the musical.
The Miller family is passionate about education and literacy and family members were excited to hear that the production would be created specifically for kids, Ferguson said.
On Feb. 22, Gail Miller visited the school at an assembly to talk about the upcoming musical and answer questions from the students.
“It sounds like you’re in for a treat because I know they’ve done a really great job,” she told the students during the assembly.
One of the students asked Miller if she had met Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell. She said she had, and she’d also met Mitchell’s mother.
Gail Miller was planning to attend one of the performances of the musical, according to Ferguson. The show also includes other family members aside from Larry and Gail, Ferguson said.
She said she hopes the show and the story of the Millers’ perseverance will stay with the students long after the final curtain is drawn.
“We’re excited to show some of that as well, and overall show that it really was a family effort their whole lives,” Ferguson said. “They worked together to stay together as a family and then to continue on this legacy after Larry passed away.”
