American Doctor

I watched the documentary American Doctor as part of my double feature at the Broadway last night and, even though it is extremely difficult to watch, I think it is very important that everyone does.  It follows Dr. Mark Perlmutter, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, three American doctors with diverse backgrounds, as they travel to Gaza both before and after the 2025 ceasefire to provide medical aid to the civilian casualties of the genocide.  It includes compelling footage of them treating patients, mostly children, in challenging conditions and with very few resources at the Nassar Hospital in Khan Younis only to have the hospital targeted by an Israeli strike (the images of the strike as it happens are absolutely devastating).  The most poignant moment comes when a child they just fought hard to save is killed by the bombing.  We also see their interactions with the media upon their return to the United States, in which the veracity of their accounts is challenged by the pro-Israeli news outlets, and their advocacy in favor of ending military aid to Israel (at one point Sidhwa calls their efforts futile after visiting with a number of senators).  There were several moments that particularly caught my attention.  The first is when the director Poh Si Teng tells Perlmutter that she will probably pixelate some of the more disturbing images and he vehemently opposes this because he feels that people need to see what is happening in order to believe it.  Another is when Perlmutter, who is Jewish, says that you can love Israel without supporting the current regime and you can be Jewish without being a Zionist.  The next is when Sidhwa wonders aloud if he paid for the mortar round that injured his patient with his tax dollars (this was especially upsetting to me).  The last is when the epilogue states that over 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed during the conflict simply for trying to render aid.  This is an incredibly powerful reminder of what is still going on in the region and I think everyone should see it.

If I Go Will They Miss Me

Last night I had another double feature at the Broadway (these are becoming a regular occurrence on Tuesdays) starting with If I Go Will They Miss Me.  This is an incredibly lyrical examination of the sometimes fraught relationship between fathers and sons and I really enjoyed it.  Anthony "Little Ant" (Bodhi Dell) lives in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in Watts, California, which is in the flight path of LAX so he has an obsession with flying as a result.  His father Anthony "Big Ant" (J. Alphonse Nicholson) has been in and out of prison most of his life so the only information he has about him comes from the embellished stories that his mother Lozita (Danielle Brooks) tells him.  When Big Ant returns home from his most recent incarceration, he struggles to reconnect with his son.  Little Ant is studying Greek mythology in school so he rationalizes his father's absences by thinking of him as Odysseus trying to return to Ithaca.  He also views himself as Pegasus because of his love of flying which makes his father Poseidon.  Big Ant is uneasy with his son's hero worship because he doesn't really know how to be a good father.  It is only when Little Ant sees his father for who he is that Big Ant is able to work to repair the relationship.  This uses magical realism to tell the story and it is filled with beautiful images.  In addition to the scenes evoking Greek mythology, there are many shots of the airplanes flying overhead (which represent adventure to Little Ant and the desire to escape to Big Ant) as well as shots of the current inhabitants of Nickerson Gardens to ground the fantastical narrative in reality.  Both Nicholson and Brooks give highly nuanced and powerful performances as flawed parents who are trying to break the cycle of generational trauma (their scenes together crackle with electricity) but I was most impressed with newcomer Dell because I found his sensitive performance to be very compelling (I had tears in my eyes several times).  I also liked a monologue by Myles Bullock, as Big Ant's best friend from childhood, in which he tells Big Ant to be the hero his son believes him to be.  This is a slow burn with a resolution that might be too ambiguous for some but I highly recommend it.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I love the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame and, even though I have seen it many times by now, I always look forward to a new production, especially one that has received rave reviews like the one currently playing at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse. I got to see it last night and it is now among my favorite productions at this theatre! Quasimodo (Jake Haywood) is a physically deformed orphan being raised in isolation in the bell tower of Notre Dame by his hypocritical guardian, Archdeacon Claude Frollo (Blaine Hickman). Desperate to see the outside world, Quasimodo defies Frollo and attends the Feast of Fools where he is attacked by the crowd before he is rescued by the gypsy Esmeralda (Olivia Lusk-Garibay). Frollo, Quasimodo, and Phoebus de Martin (Nicholas Balaich), the Captain of the Cathedral Guard, are all captivated by Esmeralda but Frollo becomes obsessed by his lust for her which eventually leads to a dramatic confrontation in the bell tower. I enjoyed everything about this show starting with the four amazing leads. My favorite song is "God Help the Outcasts" and Lusk-Garibay sings it beautifully with so much pathos. Hickman's version of "Hellfire" is incredibly powerful and dramatic (I also loved the staging). Haywood has an innocent childlike wonder in "Out There" and "Top of the World" but his version of "Heaven's Light" brought tears to my eyes and his palpable anger in "Made of Stone" gave me goosebumps. Balaich shows a bit of vulnerability in the middle of his spirited performance of "Rest and Recreation" and he is impossibly romantic during "Someday" with Lusk-Garibay. I was also very impressed by the sheer size of the ensemble and I loved all of the intricate patterns they create in the choreography for "Olim" (this also gave me goosebumps), "The Bells of Notre Dame," "Topsy Turvy," "The Tavern Song," "Esmeralda," "The Court of Miracles," and "Kyrie Eleison." I also loved the clever staging for some key moments, including having Esmeralda dance tantalizingly out of reach during the aforementioned "Hellfire," the use of a moving staircase when Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda from the pyre, and some ingenious choreography when Quasimodo stops the guard from advancing on the cathedral and when he finally confronts Frollo. The set is incredibly immersive with bricks of stone and a large illuminated rose window (which changes color to reflect the mood) dominating the main stage. Quasimodo's bell tower, complete with ringing bells and a trapdoor, and Frollo's chamber are on platforms located on either side of the stage with moving staircases that connect them (I loved the attention to detail because Gothic arches are used in all of the designs). Finally, the colorful costumes worn by the gypsies add to the spectacle but my favorites were the ones worn by the gargoyles because they are the most elaborate I've seen. I am always nervous when I walk into a theatre with high expectations (there has been a lot of hype for this show) but they were more than met and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). There are only three more performances left and tickets are going fast but I guarantee that it is well worth the effort!

Noises Off at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts

Last night I had so much fun at SCERA's hilarious production of Noises Off (one of my favorite plays). Lloyd Dallas (Gregory Rampton) is a frazzled director trying to conduct a dress rehearsal along with his sleep deprived stage manager Tim Allgood (Kaden Renz) and his put-upon assistant stage manager Poppy Norton-Taylor (Kristin Young). The cast, including Dotty Otley (Dixie Mann), Garry Lejeune (Carson Davies), Brooke Ashton (Chloe Barrus), Freddie Fellows (Seven Harrison), Belinda Blair (Shannon Follette), and Selsdon Mowbray (Dane Allred), struggle with words, doors, boxes, bags, and sardines. Several months later, chaos erupts backstage at a matinee performance over relationship drama between two love triangles: Lloyd, Poppy, and Brooke and Dotty, Garry, and Freddie. By the end of the run, the performance completely disintegrates and the cast must get through it any way they can. The highlight of this show is the physical comedy and the cast executes it with split-second timing and precision while making it look effortless. I especially loved the frenetic energy of the second act because, once the play-within-a-play starts on stage (which we can see through a large window), we only hear the dialogue from that show while the actors are at each other's throats backstage in complete silence. I laughed out loud at an extended sequence involving an ax, one in which everyone tries to keep a bottle of whiskey from Selsdon, and another one in which Tim tries, unsuccessfully, to buy flowers for Lloyd to give to Brooke. It is absolute mayhem! I also laughed out loud every time Brooke loses a contact lens, Freddie has a bloody nose, Dotty forgets the sardines, and Garry is forced to improvise. As I mentioned, everyone in the ensemble cast is outstanding but my favorite performances are from Barrus, because Brooke (my favorite character) is hyper-focused on delivering her lines without regard to the other actors and she nails this with blank facial expressions and overly rigid poses, and Davies, because his dithering is highly amusing and his fall down the stairs is absolutely spectacular. Finally, I loved the set because it is as twee as a 1980s sitcom with lots fun little details. If you are looking for a fun night out this is definitely the show for you! I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to one of the performances on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 10.

Elgar's Cello Concerto & Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5

I always love attending the opening concert for Utah Symphony's Masterworks series because the orchestra plays "The Star-Spangled Banner."  I think it is very moving to hear it performed in Abravanel Hall, more so than in any other setting, and last night was no exception.  After the anthem, the concert began with Medea's Dance of Vengeance by Samuel Barber and it is very dark and ominous (it is based on the myth of Medea and Jason and focuses on how she killed her children in a jealous rage to punish their father for abandoning her) but also very lush.  I especially liked the eerie xylophone solo at the beginning, the mournful themes played by the strings and brass, and the relentless repetition of a theme by the piano with frenzied rhythms played by the percussion that build in intensity until the dramatic conclusion.  Next, the orchestra was joined by soloist Zlatomir Fung for Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto.  This piece was written in the aftermath of World War I by an aging composer as a poignant farewell to the pre-war world he once knew and, as Principal Guest Conductor Delyana Lazarova told the audience, it is his most personal work.  The piece begins with a slow and solemn solo by the cello and these themes are repeated several times throughout, sometimes in fiery bursts of virtuosity (I loved watching Fung's nimble finger work) and sometimes in heartbreaking elegiac passages, with the rest of the orchestra acting as a sparse accompaniment.  The final movement returns to the themes of the first and ends on a defiant note to signal that, although we may never return to our earlier triumphs, we can persevere.  I loved this piece as well as Fung's brilliant performance which resulted in a well-deserved standing ovation (and an encore featuring the "Prayer" movement of Ernest Bloch's From Jewish Life).  After the intermission, the concert concluded with Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5.  This was written at the height of World War II as a tribute to the triumph of the human spirit (and was first performed in Moscow after news of a great victory against the Germans on the Vistula River).  I loved all of the soaring melodies played by the flute, bassoon, and clarinet in the first movement, the use of the trumpets and brass to evoke the machinery of war in the second movement, and the energetic conclusion featuring the strings, piano, harp, and percussion.  This concert was an absolutely thrilling way to begin the 2026-2027 season and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) for tonight's performance of the same program.