Singin' in the Rain at Hopebox Theatre

I had the best time seeing Singin' in the Rain at Hopebox Theatre last night because the show is a favorite of mine and they did a great job with it! Don Lockwood (Braden Charles Hull) and Lina Lamont (Caitlin Olsen) are popular silent film stars in the 1920s.  They are working on their latest collaboration but, when Monumental Pictures is forced to transition to "talkies," Lina's obnoxious voice and terrible acting threaten to ruin the picture. Don's best friend Cosmo Brown (Garrett Stephenson)  suggests that they dub Lina's voice with that of Kathy Seldon (Jordyn Tracy), an aspiring actress with whom Don has fallen in love. Complications ensue when Lina finds out and wants Kathy to keep singing for her. I love this show so much because it features so many big song and dance numbers (you know I love to see tapping) and the choreography in this production is so much fun. The female ensemble really shines in "All I Do Is Dream of You," "Beautiful Girls," and "Broadway Melody" and I also enjoyed "You Were Meant for Me" because it features some fun effects and Hull and Tracy have a lot of romantic chemistry in this number, "Good Morning" because Hull, Tracy, and Stephenson perform it with so much energy, and "Make 'Em Laugh" because Stephenson steals the show with his physicality and comedic timing. However, the highlight of the show is the iconic number "Singin' in the Rain" because, not only does Hull tap dance beautifully around a lamp post, he does it in the rain! I am so impressed that a small community theatre actually made it rain on stage because it was very impressive (it rained once again when the cast came out in raincoats for the bows). All of the leads have beautiful voices but shoutouts go to Matty Boyd for his lovely rendition of "Beautiful Girls" and Olsen who is an absolute hoot in "What's Wrong With Me?" (she is also really funny in the scene where Lina struggles to use a microphone). The set is also noteworthy because the stage is configured as a large Art Deco Theatre with panels that open to become a screen (the movie footage from The Dueling Cavalier is hilarious, especially when the sound is out of sync with the images) and various set pieces are brought on and off by the ensemble to become other locations (my favorite was the large cake hiding Kathy). The 1920s costumes include some gorgeous flapper dresses and headdresses as well as some dapper suits and sweater vests. Finally, the mission of the Hopebox Theatre is to provide support for someone in the community battling cancer and Heidi Green is the recipient for this production (go here to learn more about her). I had a smile on my face during the entire show and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 14.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

Late last night I went to see Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die and it is absolutely bonkers!  An unnamed man (Sam Rockwell) from a dystopian future arrives in the present day and takes all of the patrons of a popular Los Angeles diner hostage.  He is looking for a specific combination of people to help him save the fate of humanity but tells them that, since this is his 117th attempt, he is not very optimistic about their chances for survival.  He eventually coerces Bob (Daniel Barnett), Marie (Georgia Goodman), Scott (Asim Chaudhry), and the couple Mark (Michael Pena) and Janet (Zazie Beetz) to join him and then Susan (Juno Temple) and Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson) volunteer for reasons.  He explains that people in the future have become obsessed with virtual reality to the exclusion of their own reality and, as a result, the natural resources in the real world have run out causing a catastrophic number of deaths.  The only hope for the future is to find the nine-year-old boy responsible for creating the AI that is about to take over the world and install a safety protocol into the program (he doesn't want to destroy the program because he believes that AI is inevitable). However, there are forces working against him and mayhem ensues. I enjoyed the surreal tone and the satirical humor made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion but there is also a powerful message about the dangers of technology that really resonated with me, especially the scene showing students enslaved to their phones.  I also enjoyed Rockwell's performance because he commits fully to the insanity.  His physicality is almost manic and it is fun to watch, particularly when he is trying to convince the customers at the diner that the world is about to end.  I sometimes found the pacing to be a bit off because the action is periodically interrupted by flashbacks to the backstories of some of the characters and, while these are interesting and inform what is happening, the transitions back to the present are jarring.  I also think the third act is unwieldy and goes on far too long (the drawn out explanations of several twists become very tedious).  This was a mixed bag for me but it is entertaining and I recommend it to those who appreciate a bold, if not always effective, swing for the fences.

Emma at West Valley Arts

Last night I went with both of my sisters to see Emma at the West Valley Performing Arts Center. What could be better than spending Valentine's Day with the ultimate matchmaker? After Emma Woodhouse (Morgan Fenner) successfully matches her former governess Miss Taylor (April Fossen) with Mr. Weston (Alvaro Cortez), she decides to make a match for Harriet Smith (Sofia Paredes-Kenrick) next. Despite Harriet's budding relationship with the farmer Robert Martin (TJ Horton), Emma encourages her to pursue the vicar Mr. Elton (Garrett Rushforth) instead. When this plot fails, she selects Frank Churchill (Seth Johnson) as Harriet's next suitor but Mr. Weston is trying to match him with her even though he is more interested in Jane Fairfax (Emily Henwood). Finally, Harriet chooses Mr. Knightley (Clayton Barney) but this makes Emma realize that she has been in love with him all along! Chaos ensues until Mrs. Weston plays matchmaker! This is a very loose adaptation of Jane Austen's novel because there are changes to the narrative that give Emma a powerful pretext for her meddling, Harriet some agency independent of Emma, and Knightley a well-deserved comeuppance for his superiority (many of these scenes received spontaneous applause from the crowd). This adaptation also features a more contemporary sensibility and I particularly loved the use of music from the Bridgerton soundtrack because pop songs, such as "Material Girl" as Emma dresses Harriet for the ball and "Love Story" when Emma and Knightley realize their feelings for each other, are instantly recognizable but the orchestrations are still appropriate for the Regency period. Almost none of the original dialogue from the source material is retained in favor of more modern language. In fact, I think William Shakespeare is quoted (by Mr. Elton) more than Jane Austen (although the most romantic line is still included but it is said by Emma rather than Knightley). I am generally a purist when it comes to adaptations of classic literature but I think this particular version makes Austen's novel more accessible to audiences who may not be familiar with the text, especially when Emma breaks the fourth wall to give the audience her commentary on the goings-on. I also think this adaptation is absolutely hilarious because it is more like a farce than a romantic comedy and this is emphasized by the over the top performances. I loved Fenner in the title role because she has so much chemistry with Barney when they continually bicker and roughhouse (I laughed so hard when they started flicking tea at each other) and with Paredes-Kenrick when she tries to instruct Harriet (the repeated use of biscuits as a reward provide many other laugh out loud moments). I also loved Rushforth's physicality in his interactions with Emma and Mrs. Elton (Bryn Campbell) and Brooklyn Pulver Kohler's facial expressions as Miss Bates. The set, which features panels around the stage that are flipped by the cast to become different locations, as well as the period costumes, which are embellished by different pieces to change the look, are simple but effective. Finally, I was really impressed with the lighting design because it is so striking, especially the red lights that are used whenever Emma mentions her rival Jane Fairfax (my sister Kristine thought that there should have been a similar effect for whenever Knightley mentions Frank Churchill). I had so much fun seeing this show with both of my sisters (we are all big fans of Jane Austen) and I don't think we stopped laughing all night (even my sister Marilyn who is very reserved). This is perfect for date night or a girl's night out and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets). There are performances on Fridays and Saturdays through February 28.

Note: Local Jane Austen fans can also see Sense and Sensibility at Parker Theatre through March 7 (go here for tickets).

Clue at the Eccles

By now I have seen Clue many times (my favorite version was at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and my least favorite was at HCT) so I was really interested in how the staging for the Broadway touring production would compare. I went to the matinee yesterday and it was so much fun! Six guests using aliases arrive at an isolated manor on a dark and stormy night, including the blustering Colonel Mustard (Nate Curlott), the flustered Mrs. Peacock (Madeline Raube), the womanizing Professor Plum (Kyle Yampiro), the dramatic Mrs. White (Sarah Mackenzie Baron), the accident-prone Mr. Green (TJ Lamando), and the glamorous Miss Scarlet (Camille Capers), at the invitation of the mysterious Mr. Boddy (Joseph Dalfonso). It is soon revealed that he has been blackmailing each of them and, after providing them with weapons, he offers to return the evidence he has against them if they kill his butler Wadsworth (Adam Brett). However, Mr. Boddy, the Cook (AT Sanders), a Motorist (Kebron Woodfin), a Cop (Kebron Woodfin), Yvette the Maid (Zoie Tannous), and a Singing Telegram Girl (AT Sanders) are murdered instead and mayhem ensues as the guests try to determine the killer, the weapon, and the location of each murder. The set is one of the best I've seen for this show and includes a mahogany paneled main entry with backdrops for a hallway and dining room that come down from the rafters and doors that open from the wings and rotate on stage to reveal the lounge, the study, the library, the kitchen, the conservatory, and the billiards room. The elaborate choreography as the characters move from room to room while the set is reconfigured is both extremely clever and hilarious to watch, especially when the characters dance as they separate into pairs to search the entire manor. The lighting and sound cues also add to the hi-jinks. The dialogue is incredibly witty and delivered at lightning speed (the joke about the Republican party got lots of laughs and applause), the sight gags are amusing (my favorite was the use of the board game as a map to the manor), and the physical comedy is the highlight of the show (everyone in the cast has brilliant comedic timing). Mr. Green is my favorite character because he is always so hilariously overwrought and I loved Lamando's physicality as he is trapped under two different bodies and a chandelier but Brett steals the show as Mr. Boddy because he is completely over the top in the scene where he reenacts all of the murders (his imitations of all of the other characters are so spot-on that the audience was hooting with laughter). I probably didn’t need to see this again but I really enjoyed it. I recommend attending one of the two remaining performances (go here for tickets) if you are in need of a laugh.

Note: I still prefer the production at the Utah Shakespeare Festival but this is a close second!

Dumbed Down at Plan-B Theatre

During my last few years teaching at Hunter High School I was lucky enough to have Darryl Stamp in the classroom across the hall from mine. He was an exceptional teacher and a wonderful colleague (he talked me down from the roof on more than one occasion). We retired at about the same time and, while I channeled my energies into a rigorous schedule of reading and napping, Darryl used his experiences at Hunter and other schools to write the play Dumbed Down which is currently having its world premiere with the Plan-B Theatre Company. I had the opportunity to see this play last night with my friend Angela, another former colleague in the English department at Hunter, and we both could definitely relate to the material (we were often the only ones in the audience laughing out loud). Kevin Simon (Danor Gerald) is an English teacher in a tough urban high school who is about to retire. Even though he must deal with endless interruptions from the office and counseling center and students who fall asleep, are on their phones, and request the hall pass multiple times, his lessons are engaging and he is able to get the students thinking about the material because he makes it relevant to them, especially Malcolm Thomas (Jacob Barnes) and Craig Wilson (Alex Smith). Isaiah Rogers (Chad Brown), one of Mr. Simon's former students, doesn't see the point of school because he has been labeled as learning disabled (despite an encyclopedic knowledge of movies) and is always in trouble (as a Black male he often makes his current English teacher feel unsafe and is therefore punished for minor infractions which usually involves picking up trash after school). Mr. Simon eventually retires but finds it difficult to stay away so he takes a job teaching in the prison system where he encounters both Isaiah and Craig who are happy for the opportunity to learn from him again. This is the most realistic portrayal of the teaching profession that I have seen on stage or film and I was particularly struck by a scene where Mr. Simon is praised for being engaging but is also reminded to work harder to prepare the students for an upcoming standardized test during his evaluation by the administrator (Jacob Barnes). This perfectly represents how education as an institution fails so many students by refusing to see them as individuals. I also loved a powerful monologue in which Mr. Simon compares teaching to Tylenol because it is time-released. This is an incredible reminder of the impact that one good teacher can have on the future lives of their students if given the proper support. I loved Gerald's performance because he absolutely nails all of the highs (it is thrilling when a student makes a connection) and lows (it is absolutely exhausting to find ways to facilitate those connections) of teaching. I also loved Brown's performance because he reminded me of so many of my students. Finally, I found it ironic that the minimal set works for both a school and a prison because I often referred to Hunter High as a prison because it is so sterile! This is authentic, thought-provoking, and surprisingly funny, especially if you are an educator or former educator, and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs at the Studio Theatre at the Rose on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 1.

Note:  The line that got the biggest laugh from both me and Angela was when Mr. Simon referred to teaching high school as teen daycare because that was a signature line from Mr. Stamp!