Something Rotten at Murray Park Amphitheater

I love attending outdoor performances during the summer so I had a lot of fun seeing Something Rotten at Murray Park Amphitheater last night.  This show is absolutely hilarious and I was very impressed with this production (it is definitely one of my favorites at this venue).  Nick Bottom (Nathan Holcomb) and his brother Nigel (Patrick O'Boyle) are playwrights in London during the Renaissance but they haven't been very successful.  Their patron, Lord Clapham (Jesse Rogers), is withdrawing his support, Shylock (Jeff Young) wants his loan repaid, Nick's wife Bea (Katherine Frandsen) is pregnant, and Nigel has fallen in love with Portia (Emma Roberts), the daughter of a Puritan named Brother Jeremiah (Dwight Western) who wants to shut down the theaters for debauchery, but, even worse, they are constantly overshadowed by the immensely popular William Shakespeare (Aidan Hughes)!  They need a big hit so Nick decides to consult the soothsayer Nostradamus (Alan LaFleur) to see what will be popular in the future.  Nostradamus suggests writing a play with singing and dancing!  When inspiration fails, he asks Nostradamus to look into the future again to see what Shakespeare's most popular play will be and, instead of Hamlet, he sees omelette (so close!).  As Nick tries to produce Omelette: The Musical, Shakespeare suffers from writer's block and attempts to steal his own play back!  Chaos ensues until Nigel convinces Nick to be true to himself.  What I love most about this show is all of the clever references to musical theatre, especially in the songs "A Musical" and "Make An Omelette," and all of the allusions to Shakespeare's plays in the song "Will Power."  Every time I see a new production I find even more of these references (this time I was able to catch a brief reference to Twelfth Night).  I really enjoyed the performances from everyone in the cast but my favorites are O'Boyle as Nigel because he is so sweet and endearing, especially in the song "To Thine Own Self," and Hughes as Shakespeare because he is really over the top and incredibly funny as he struts around the stage like a rock star with his entourage and groupies.  The choreography is very clever and I particularly loved seeing the iconic dance steps from popular musicals incorporated into "A Musical" (my favorites are from A Chorus Line and Chicago), all of the tap dancing (the dance off between Nick and Shakespeare in "Bottom's Gonna Be on Top" is hilarious), and Shakespeare's epic stage dive in "Will Power."  The Renaissance costumes are absolutely incredible, some of the best I've seen for this show, and the quick costume change during "We See The Light" elicited a lot of laughter from the audience.  I was also very impressed with the amazing painted backdrops featuring thatched Renaissance buildings and the Globe Theatre (I laughed out loud at the red velvet ropes placed in front of the theatre for Shakespeare's appearances).  I had a blast at this show (I don't think I stopped laughing all night) and I highly recommend it for a fun evening under the stars.  Go here for tickets to this show (which runs June 13-14, 16, and 19-21) and to all of the fun shows playing at Murray Park Amphitheater this summer.

Hadestown: Teen Edition with the JAKS Theatre Company

Last night my sister Kristine and I were able to see another production of Hadestown: Teen Edition (we both love this musical so much), this time by the JAKS Theatre Company at the Regent Street Black Box at the Eccles Theatre (I had never been to this venue before and I was very impressed by the space). I think the theme of hope in the face of hardship explored in this show is especially appropriate for a young cast (this teen version is very popular in Utah at the moment). Eurydice (Jane Wuthrich) is a hungry girl who has experienced the world as it is so she is lured to the underworld by Hades (Caden Feller) in exchange for food. Orpheus (Xander Rohwer) is a poor boy with the gift of music who dreams of the world as it could be so he journeys to the underworld to rescue her when she is trapped in a cycle of endless work and desperation. He is aided by Persephone (Lauren Hunter), who is also trying to convince Hades to let her return to the living world, in his quest to save her but the Fates (Ava Nelson, Kimara Parcell, and Violet Rohwer) intervene and he is ultimately plagued by doubt. However, Hermes (Thom Fox) reminds us that, even though the song is a sad one, we must keep singing it if we want to change the outcome. Once again, I was absolutely blown away by the caliber of the talent in this young cast. Fox has a swagger as Hermes that is fun to watch in "Road to Hell" and "Way Down Hadestown," Rohwer does a great job emphasizing Orpheus's naivete in "Come Home With Me," "Wait For Me," and "If It's True," and Hunter is a very charismatic Persephone in "Livin' It Up on Top" and "Our Lady of the Underground."  Nelson, Parcell, and Rohwer have a lot of attitude as the Fates (I especially loved Parcell's facial expressions) and the way they harmonize in "When the Chips Are Down," "Nothing Changes," and "Word to the Wise" is a highlight of the show. Feller is incredibly compelling as Hades because he has dangerous charm in "Hey, Little Songbird," frightening intensity in "Why We Build the Wall" (this gave me goosebumps), and sizzling chemistry with Hunter in "How Long?" I especially loved Wuthrich's performance as Eurydice because she sings my favorite songs, "Any Way the Wind Blows" and "Flowers," with so much emotion and her impassioned plea in "Doubt Comes In" is so heartbreaking that I had tears in my eyes. The ensemble is also very strong and I was particularly impressed with their performance in "Chant" and its reprise, "Wait For Me" and its reprises, and "Why We Build the Wall" because it is extremely powerful. The live band on stage also features some unbelievably talented teens and I was blown away by Dylan Thomas on guitar. The set, costumes, and choreography are very reminiscent of the Broadway production and I loved all of it. I would highly recommend supporting these talented teens in this amazing production but, unfortunately, the remaining four performances are sold out (but you can go here to learn more about the JAKS Theatre Company).

Note: We were sitting by a really chatty young girl with lots of friends in the cast.  She told us that she will be in SIX: Teen Edition at the Ziegfeld Theatre in August and she convinced us to get tickets (we both love that show, too).

How to Train Your Dragon

Yesterday I went to a matinee of How to Train Your Dragon and, as a fan of the animated movie, I was a bit nervous about this live action remake but I really enjoyed it.  The Vikings on the island of Berk are regularly attacked by dragons but Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Mason Thames), the son of the chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), is deemed too weak to fight them.  He is apprenticed to the blacksmith Gobber the Belch (Nick Frost), instead, but he wants his father to be proud of him so he makes a mechanical device which he uses to shoot down the rare Night Fury dragon during an attack.  When he discovers that the dragon was only wounded, he can't bring himself to kill him and sets him free.  He eventually befriends the dragon, naming him Toothless because of his retractable teeth, and makes a prosthetic for his wounded tail fin so he can fly again.  Hiccup ultimately discovers that everything the Vikings know about the dragons is wrong and that they must join together to face an even bigger threat.  The visuals are absolutely gorgeous and I especially loved the breathtaking scenes where Hiccup rides Toothless through the clouds, in between rock formations, into the ocean waves, and then to the Northern Lights with Astrid Hofferson (Nico Parker), his rival turned ally. The cast is fantastic and I love that Thames and Parker as well as the dragon-fighting recruits, including Julian Dennison as Fishlegs Ingerman, Gabriel Howell as Snotlout Jorgenson, Bronwyn James as Ruffnut Thorston, and Harry Trevaldwyn as Tuffnut Thorston, embody the key traits of their characters, even if they don't look exactly like their animated counterparts, while adding a little spark to make them fresh.  The rendering of Toothless is extremely well done.  He is very obviously a reptile but he is still recognizable as the adorable character we know and he is able to show emotions, unlike the photorealistic versions of animals in other live action remakes (I am looking at you The Lion King).  The scene where Toothless begins to trust Hiccup is incredibly affecting and I admit that I had a few tears in my eyes when he is captured and restrained.  Finally, the score is epic (John Powell embellished the themes from his score of the original movie) and I loved all of the booming brass and percussion during the action sequences as well the strings and piano in the quieter moments.  My only complaint is that, because it is an almost shot-for-shot recreation of the original, it is not quite as compelling as it could be (since I knew everything that was going to happen my mind started to wander during the third act).  I do, however, think this is one of the best live action remakes I have seen and would definitely recommend it.

Alice By Heart at West Valley Arts

The show I was most excited about when West Valley Arts announced the 2025 season was Alice By Heart. I really love the music (I listen to the original cast recording all of the time) so it was *ahem* wonderful to finally get to see a live performance with sets, costumes, and choreography last night. It definitely exceeded my high expectations! In London during the Blitz, Alice Spencer (Ivy Dunbar Jones) and her childhood friend Alfred Hallam (Charlie Beytieh) are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. Alfred is quarantined in another area because he is extremely ill with tuberculosis but Alice sneaks into that area to be with him. She decides that they should read their favorite book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in order to escape their circumstances but the Red Cross Nurse (Rachel Mardis) is angry that she has broken quarantine and rips up her book. Alice continues telling the story because she knows it by heart and takes Alfred down a rabbit hole into Wonderland. He becomes the White Rabbit while the inhabitants of the shelter slowly turn into the other characters from the book. They encounter two Caterpillars smoking a hookah (April Kerr and Olivia Lane), a Cheshire Cat (Makayla Palos Rodriguez), a Duchess (Sam Teuscher), and the Queen of Diamonds (Carly Haberman) and Queen of Hearts (Rachel Mardis) but the White Rabbit, who is late for a very important date, becomes angry when Alice refuses to turn the page to end the story. He is transformed into the March Hare and confronts her at a tea party with the Mad Hatter (Isaac Carrillo) and the Dormouse (Noah Lee) before returning to the shelter. She wants to follow him but the Jabberwock (Monte Garcia) stops her. She is eventually put on trial by the Queen of Hearts and is about to be beheaded when she realizes that she needs to turn the page and accept Alfred's death.  She escapes Wonderland and comes to terms with her grief by telling the inhabitants of the shelter about her curious dream. I think this is incredibly clever (although you probably need a familiarity with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to understand what is happening) and I love the message about the power of a good book to heal. Jones and Beytieh give amazing performances as Alice and Alfred, respectively, and their renditions of "Another Room in Your Head" and "Afternoon" (my favorite songs in the show) are beautiful and heartbreaking. I also enjoyed "Some Things Fall Away" by Rodriguez and "Isn't It a Trial" by Mardis (I loved both of their voices). The choreography is brilliant, especially when the ensemble mimics the movement of a caterpillar in "Chillin' the Regrets," the militaristic formations in "Brillig Braelig," and when a young Alice (Rosie Darling) and young Alfred (Henry Marshall) mirror the actions of their older counterparts in "Afternoon." The stage is configured as an underground tube station with tracks leading into tunnels located in the wings and it is transformed into Wonderland with the addition of crates, trunks, moving platforms, and the clever use of lighting (the checkerboard pattern used in "Isn't It a Trial" is especially effective). The costumes are a lot of fun because the inhabitants of the tube station become the characters in the book with just the addition of a few pieces. I particularly loved the waistcoat Alfred dons to become the White Rabbit and the use of poppies by the ensemble to become the hookah smoking caterpillar. I have wanted to see this show for a long time and I am glad I finally had the chance with such a great production! It runs at the West Valley Performing Arts Center through June 28 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (go here for tickets).

The Phoenician Scheme

I am a big fan of Wes Anderson (I think The Grand Budapest Hotel is a masterpiece) so I took my nephew to see The Phoenician Scheme at the Broadway last night.  Those who are not already fans of Anderson's quirky and idiosyncratic style will probably not enjoy this but I absolutely loved it!  Wealthy business tycoon Anatole "Zsa Zsa" Korda (Benicio del Toro) has a near death experience during the latest of several assassination attempts on his life in which he is forced to defend his worthiness to enter heaven.  Shaken, he decides to make contact with his estranged daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a novitiate nun, and proceed with a plan to improve the infrastructure of Phoenicia.  However, Agent Excalibur (Rupert Friend) and a consortium of other government agents from around the world attempt to disrupt his plan by manipulating the cost of building supplies.  Korda enlists Liesl and Bjorn Lund (Michael Cera), a Norwegian etymologist acting as his tutor, to accompany him as he meets with all of his business partners in order to coerce them into covering the gap in funding.  These include Prince Farouk (Riz Ahmed), the crown prince of Phoenicia, Leland (Tom Hanks) and Reagan (Bryan Cranston), brothers from Sacramento, Marseilles Bob (Mathieu Amalric), a gangster and nightclub owner, Marty (Jeffrey Wright), a fast talking businessman from Newark, Hilda Sussman-Korda (Scarlett Johansson), his second cousin, and Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch), his estranged half-brother.  Along the way, Korda survives an attack by a revolutionary guerrilla (Richard Ayoade), several more assassination attempts, and an attack by Nubar before deciding to fund the scheme himself, which will bankrupt him, in order to retire and live a simple life with Liesl.  I listed the usual characteristics of a Wes Anderson movie (a specific color palette to denote a mood, symmetrical shot composition, stylized production design, long tracking shots, elaborate title cards, deadpan delivery, an ensemble cast with recurring actors, and melancholy themes about dysfunctional families) for my nephew and he said he found all of them!  However, I found this to be one of Anderson's most philosophical movies with an incredibly touching redemption arc (I loved the black and white scenes in heaven with a hilarious cameo by Bill Murray as God).  I loved the relationship that develops between Korda and Liesl as he slowly realizes how amoral his business practices are and she comes to understand that he loves her the only way he knows how (Threapleton's performance is brilliant).  This is really funny but, as always, the humor is subtle and I was sometimes the only one in the audience laughing (a lot of the comedy comes from Cera's performance and I propose that he be in every future Wes Anderson movie).  I thoroughly enjoyed this (The Grand Budapest Hotel is still my favorite but this is one of his best) and recommend it to fans of the director.