Les Miserables at Tuacahn Amphitheatre

Before I became obsessed with Hamilton, Les Miserables had a 30 year run as my favorite musical.  I still absolutely love it and try to see it every chance I get so I took a quick road trip to St. George yesterday for a production at Tuacahn Ampitheatre.  It was an incredible experience to see such an epic story performed against the dramatic red rock of the ampitheatre!  I have obviously seen this show many times so I really appreciated several bold changes in the staging, particularly the use of the natural backdrop in the Prologue when the prisoners in the chain gang cut the red rock into blocks using pick axes and the use of real farm animals as Valjean searches the countryside for work.  I was also struck by the inclusion of the Young Eponine on the periphery in the scenes between Valjean and the Young Cosette because it really adds to her characterization and I was incredibly moved when the women place articles of clothing worn by the students who died on the barricade at the edge of the stage during "Turning" and then when the students rise up from the pit to claim them during "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" (this song always makes me cry).  I had goosebumps during "Stars" because the stars projected on the red rock are so beautiful and during the final battle on the barricade because the pyrotechnics are pretty spectacular.  I was very impressed with the cast, especially with how Mindy Smoot Robbins as Fantine, Randal Keith as Javert, Kelsey Lee Smith as Eponine, David Toole as Valjean, and Coby Oram as Marius (the understudy) are able to command such a large stage alone in "I Dreamed a Dream," "Stars," "On My Own," "Bring Him Home," and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," respectively.  The large LED screens feature illustrations reminiscent of the ones used by Victor Hugo in his novel and elaborate set pieces are configured and reconfigured to become the factory and waterfront in Montreuil-sur-Mer, the Thernardier's inn, the streets of Paris, the barricade, and the sewers.  The period costumes are very much informed by those in the original production but I found the wide-legged trousers worn by the guards and sailors to be very amusing.  This is the biggest show I've seen at Tuacahn (it is even bigger than their 2008 production of Les Miserables) and it is so well-done!  It was definitely worth the four hour drive to see it and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).  It is being performed in the Outdoor Amphitheatre at Tuachan in repertory with Disney's Finding Nemo and Grease through October 23.

Obsession

Last night my nephew and I went to a Thursday preview of Obsession and we both had so much fun watching it with a big crowd.  Baron "Bear" Bailey (Michael Johnston) wants to tell his childhood friend Nikki Freeman (Inde Navarrette) that he has feelings for her but his co-workers Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless) try to talk him out of it for reasons.  When he misses a perfect opportunity to tell her in a moment of vulnerability, Bear uses a novelty item to wish for Nikki to love him more than anything in the world.  His wish immediately comes true although both he and Nikki recognize that something is amiss when she makes advances towards him.  He eventually comes to enjoy her attentions and they become a couple much to the chagrin of Ian and Sarah.  However, Nikki is increasingly needy, then possessive, and then absolutely terrifying.  Even though he fears for his life, Bear ultimately realizes that Nikki is the real victim and takes drastic steps to cancel his wish.  The scenes in which Nikki shows her *ahem* devotion are so much fun to watch, especially in a packed theater, because they are uncomfortably disturbing (the people in our audience were either laughing out loud or jumping out of their seats and, at one point, I wanted to throw up).  I loved the way these scenes are lit and framed because Nikki is often obscured and that adds to the unbearable tension.  Johnston is perfect as a character so passive that he doesn't even recognize that the girl he has a crush on might reciprocate his feelings without having to go to such extraordinary lengths and watching his downward spiral is oddly compelling (I loved his mannerisms and facial expressions) but Navarrette is brilliant because she is absolutely unhinged (in the best possible way) and yet she is also sympathetic as a woman who has lost her agency.  This is much more thought-provoking that it might seem on the surface but it is so wildly entertaining that my nephew and I had a blast with it.  I highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

Hokum

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was Hokum.  The story is a bit messy but there were moments when I was genuinely scared.  Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is a popular horror author suffering from writer's block (and his own personal demons) so he decides to travel to the remote and atmospheric hotel in Ireland where his parents spent their honeymoon so he can scatter their ashes there.  He is incredibly rude and antagonistic to the staff, including the owner Cob (Brendan Conroy), the front desk clerk Mal (Peter Coonan), the groundskeeper Fergal (Michael Patric), the bartender Fiona (Florence Ordesh), and the bellhop Alby (Will O'Connell), and dismisses their claims that the honeymoon suite is haunted by a witch from Irish folklore.  He also encounters an eccentric local named Jerry (David Wilmot) who lives in the woods and frequently ingests hallucinogenic mushrooms.  He eventually bonds with Fiona (for reasons) and, when she mysteriously goes missing after a Halloween party, he suspects that she might be trapped in the locked honeymoon suite.  He sneaks inside to look for her and becomes trapped and increasingly tormented by a supernatural figure that may or may not be the witch.  This sometimes doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be (is it an exploration of grief and trauma, a mystery involving a missing person and a possible murder, or a supernatural ghost story?) but there is no doubt that it is incredibly unnerving.  Most of the action takes place in one darkly-lit and claustrophobic location that is only accessible by a creepy elevator and an even creepier dumbwaiter.  The tension builds and builds, more from what you don't see than from what you do, and Scott does a great job communicating his escalating terror (his performance is outstanding because he excels at making unsympathetic characters compelling).  There are some really effective jump scares (someone in my audience screamed) and I loved the use of folklore because I think that always makes the threat more plausible and, therefore, more frightening.  I had a lot of fun watching this with a large crowd late at night and I recommend it to fans of the genre.

Blue Heron

Last night I had a double feature at the Broadway starting with Blue Heron.  This is an incredibly moving look at the fallibility of memory and I absolutely loved it.  The narrative begins with flashbacks to when an eight-year-old girl named Sasha (Eylul Guven) moves to Vancouver Island in the 1990s with her mother (Iringo Reti), father (Adam Tompa), and older brothers Jeremy (Edik Beddoes), Henry (Liam Serg), and Felix (Preston Drabble) and her parents become worried about her brother Jeremy's increasingly erratic behavior.  Events are shown from Sasha's eight year old perspective with images that are hazy and fragmentary as the family settles into their new surroundings (the cinematography is beautiful).  Jeremy's actions are largely on the periphery with little explanation for what is motivating his behavior and dialogue is often muted, particularly when Sasha overhears tense phone calls to family members and conversations with psychologists and social workers.  The narrative then shifts to Sasha (Amy Zimmer) as an adult twenty years later.  She is working on a documentary about the events depicted and, as she views the photographs and videos taken during this period and listens to the interviews with psychologists and social workers with a different perspective, her memories are recontextualized.  She is finally able to reconcile her lack of understanding about her brother and his mental health issues and to absolve her parents for his fate (in an incredibly poignant twist that I will not spoil here).  I really love the theme of art as a way to heal and not only is this theme beautifully and hauntingly portrayed in this film but, because it is semi-autobiographical, the film itself is director Sophy Romvari's attempt to process her own childhood memories.  The structure is very impressionistic but every seemingly random vignette is imbued with meaning that is eventually revealed and I found it spellbinding.  I cannot recommend this enough but be prepared for an emotional response.

Utah Opera's La Traviata

I was thrilled to be at Capitol Theatre last night for Utah Opera's production of La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi because it is one of my favorite operas (I always prefer the tragedies). It was magnificent and I loved everything about it!  Violetta (Lydia Katarina) is a beautiful and glamorous courtesan who lives only for pleasure.  Even though she is suffering from consumption, her patron, Baron Douphol (Christopher Clayton), hosts a lavish party for her and she encourages her guests to sing a wild drinking song.  When she grows too tired to dance, a young man named Alfredo (Isaac Hurtado) approaches her and declares his love.  She resists him because she likes her simple life of pleasure but, when he leaves, she realizes that she is in love with him.  They live happily together in the country until Alfredo's father Germont (Weston Hurt) comes to ask Violetta to end the affair because their relationship is scandalizing the family and ruining his daughter's prospects for marriage.  Violetta tearfully agrees and returns to Paris leaving Alfredo heartbroken.  She attends a masquerade ball hosted by her friend Flora (Julia Holoman) with the Baron but, when Alfredo see her with him, he treats her with such contempt that his father reveals the truth.  Alfredo eventually begs Violetta to forgive him and she dies in his arms.  The music in this opera is very well known and the three leads performed my favorite arias beautifully.  Katarina is thrilling in her passionate performance of "Sempre Libera" as she questions whether her love for Alfredo is worth giving up her life of freedom and incredibly moving in "Addio, del passato bei sogni ridenti" as she contemplates her death.  She also gave me goosebumps with her emotional outburst begging Alfredo to love her ("Amami, Alfredo").  Hurtado did not disappoint with his stirring rendition of the famous Brindisi ("Libiamo ne'lieti calici") but his captivating performance of the aria "De'miei bollenti spiriti" as Alfredo sings of his life with Violetta is especially swoon-worthy.  Other highlights included Hurt's performance of "Pura siccome un angelo" as he begs Violetta to think of his family because it is very genuine and deeply felt and when the Chorus denounces Alfredo for his treatment of Violetta in "Di donne ignobile insultatore, di qua allontanati, ne desti orror!" because it so dramatic.  This production also features six dancers (Maeve Friedman, Emily Marsh, Ruger Memmott, Madeline Nelson, Tyler Schnese, and Brandin Steffensen) who perform a waltz at Violetta's party and Spanish dances at Flora's masquerade ball but I was particularly struck by the reprise of the opening waltz at Violetta's deathbed because the dreamlike sequence symbolizes everything that she has sacrificed for love (I have never seen this done before and it was definitely another goosebump moment).  As always, the sets and costumes are striking (I loved the opulent ballroom and Violetta's dramatic red gown).  I find tragic operas to be very cathartic and this production left me breathless!  I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) because, even if you are not an opera aficionado, you will probably recognize a lot of the music! It runs at Capitol Theatre through May 17.