Noises Off at the Grand Theatre

Noises Off is one of my very favorite plays and I have seen it many times, including productions at PTC and the Utah Shakespeare Festival, so I was thrilled when I found out that the Grand Theatre was performing it this season.  I saw it last night and it wasn't quite up to par with those other productions but I definitely enjoyed it.  Lloyd Dallas (David Hanson), a temperamental and sarcastic director, is staging a play called Nothing's On starring Dotty Otley (JJ Neward), an aging television star, as Mrs. Clackett, Gary Lejeune (Nick Dunn), a scatterbrained actor incapable of improvising, as Roger Tramplemain, Brooke Ashton (Taylor McKay Barnes), a young and inexperienced actress involved with Lloyd, as Vicki, Frederick Fellowes (Michael Scott Johnson), an insecure and accident prone actor, as Philip Brent, Belinda Blair (Amy Williams), a reliable actress who knows all of the gossip about the cast, as Flavia Brent, and Selsdon Mowbray (Richard Scott), an accomplished actor who has a drinking problem and a tendency to miss his cues, as the Burglar.  Poppy Norton-Taylor (Anne Louise Brings) is the put-upon assistant stage manager who is also involved with Lloyd and Tim Allgood (Alvaro Cortez) is the overworked stage manager tasked with fixing every problem.  Act I involves a disastrous dress rehearsal before opening night involving missing props, a malfunctioning set, an actor questioning his character’s motivation, and a missing contact lens.  Act II takes place backstage while the show is on tour and features the deterioration of a relationship between Dotty and Gary where they do everything to sabotage each other's performance and Lloyd's ill-fated attempts to keep both Poppy and Brooke happy (and multiple attempts to have Tim buy them flowers).  Act III takes place at the end of the run and features a complete breakdown with the actors ad-libbing the entire scene.  I thought the performances were a bit uneven and the pace was sometimes sluggish (especially in the first act) but the physical comedy throughout had me laughing out loud.  I especially enjoyed it when Gary has a spectacular fall down the stairs (the audience spontaneously applauded after this), when two different understudies play the Burglar after Selsdon misses his cue and then finally enters, and when Frederick tries to perform with a head injury and a broken arm.  The elaborate set, especially backstage, and the costumes work really well for a play-within-in-play that fails so dramatically.  It has flaws but it is a lot of fun!  It runs at the Grand Theatre on the south campus of Salt Lake Community College through April 16 and tickets may be purchased here.

X

Last night I finally had the chance to see X and it was not at all what I was expecting.  It was so much better!  A group of free-spirited filmmakers decide to make an adult film in the late 1970s.  Maxine (Mia Goth) is hoping to use this film to escape her mundane existence and become a star, Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and Jackson Hole (Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi) are more seasoned performers in it for the thrill, Maxine's boyfriend Wayne (Martin Henderson) is a wannabe producer hoping to cash in on the burgeoning home video market, RJ (Owen Campbell) is an idealistic director who believes that porn can be elevated into serious art, and Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) is RJ's timid girlfriend who disapproves of the genre but acts as his sound technician.  They travel to a remote farm in rural Texas to stay as paying guests but they film secretly without the owner's knowledge.  When the elderly owners Howard (Stephen Ure) and Pearl (Mia Goth, in a dual role) witness what is going on, things turn deadly.  This is very definitely an homage to the slasher films of the 1970s (particularly The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) but the narrative also manages to be entirely original and fresh.  It is tense and atmospheric with some gruesome kills but underneath it there is a very powerful message about regretting one's lost youth.  This theme is subtly, but brilliantly, emphasized by having Goth portray both Maxine and Pearl (I actually didn't realize this until almost the end) because it is appears as if Pearl is looking at her younger self whenever she sees Maxine.  The structure is also absolutely brilliant because there are quite a few moments that seem to be incongruous but ultimately pay off later in a big way, particularly an accident on the road involving a collision with a cow.  The technical aspects are outstanding, especially the lighting and sound design, and I think the editing is highly effective because there are many quick cuts between images that mirror each other throughout.  This movie is really good on so many levels but it might not be for everyone because of the subject matter.  I had a blast watching it and, if the post credits scene is to be believed, I will definitely watch the prequel!

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I am so excited because I just discovered a new venue for community theatre called the Terrace Plaza Playhouse and I now want to see every show in their upcoming season (go here to check it out). I was able to attend their latest production, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, last night and it was so much fun! This is one of the movie musicals I grew up watching at my Grandma Anderson's house and, even though the story is actually quite problematic, I love it for the singing and dancing! Adam Pontipee (Brian Sears) leaves his frontier home in the mountains in search of a wife in the nearest town. He finds the perfect candidate in Milly (Victoria Hall) but she is dismayed when she discovers that she must also care for his six brothers. Her solution is to get them all married off so she tries to teach them how to court women.  After all of the brothers meet women they like at the town social, they ruin their chances with them by getting in a brawl with their suitors. Adam fears that Milly has made his brothers too soft and suggests that they simply go get the women they want and marry them. Chaos ensues! Sears and Hall have lovely voices (although it was sometimes hard to hear Hall) and I especially enjoyed their renditions of "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" and "Wonderful, Wonderful Day," respectively.  All of the brothers, Benjamin (Danny Hall), Caleb (Kimball Bennion), Daniel (Trevor Griffin), Ephraim (Garret Rushforth), Frank (Dallin Johnson), and Gideon (Peter Jenkins), harmonize beautifully, especially in the song "We Gotta Make It Through The Winter."  All of the brides, Dorcas (Katie Hamblin), Ruth (Katelyn Webb), Liza (Megan Griffin), Martha (Cami Johnson), Sarah (Anna Higgins), and Alice (Andrea Poll), each have distinct personalities (beyond the different colored gingham dresses they wear) and are fantastic dancers, especially in "The Challenge Dance" at the town social because they whirl seamlessly between the brothers and the suitors without missing a beat! All of the big song and dance numbers feature really fun choreography and are executed very well.  Besides "The Challenge Dance," I really loved "Goin' Courting," because the way Milly tries to teach the brothers how to dance is absolutely hilarious, and "Spring Dance," because you can see the brides and brothers falling in love with each other through their interactions. There is also a fun recurring bit of business between Daniel, Ephraim, Liza, and Martha that had the audience laughing every time it happened. The stage is small and intimate and the space was utilized very well for all of the various chase scenes and I was very impressed with the elaborate set pieces for the Pontipee cabin and barn which rotated for scenes inside and outside. I enjoyed this show very much and I am looking forward to seeing a lot more at this theater!

Note:  During the intermission, this little old lady came up to me and told me that I had a big smile on my face during the whole first half.

Compartment No. 6

Yesterday I went to see Compartment No. 6 at my favorite art house theater (I was very intrigued because it won the Grand Prix at Cannes this year along with A Hero) and I loved it because it is so charming.  Laura (Seidi Haarla) is a young woman from Finland who is studying archaeology in Moscow.  She lives with her lover Irina (Dinara Drukarova), a professor of literature at the university, and she longs to be a part of Irina's cultured and sophisticated world.  They have planned a trip to Murmansk to view some ancient petroglyphs but Irina suddenly backs out and Laura goes on her own.  To her dismay she is sharing a compartment on the train with an uncouth Russian laborer named Lyokha (Yuri Borisov) who is on his way to Murmansk for temporary work at a mine.  She takes an immediate disliking to him and not only tries to get another compartment (to no avail) but contemplates getting off the train at a stop in St. Petersburg.  She ultimately opts to continue and, as her relationship with Irina deteriorates, she begins to see Lyokha in a new light.  Once she reaches Murmansk she is told that it is impossible to get to the famous petroglyphs in the winter so Lyokha goes to extraordinary lengths to get her there.  She eventually discovers that the journey with Lyokha has been more meaningful than the destination.  I loved both of these characters so much because, on the surface, they couldn't be more different but over the course of the journey they come to understand that they have more in common than they realize.  The connection that they form with one another is so warm especially in contrast with a harsh Russian winter.  Haarla and Borisov give wonderful performances, particularly in a pivotal scene when their characters finally acknowledge the pain they both feel, and their chemistry is palpable.  The camera work on the train is very effective at creating a mood and I loved that the titular compartment is incredibly claustrophobic at the beginning of the journey but seems to grow larger and as the characters become more comfortable with each other.  The ending, which is a callback to an amusing moment when they first met, put a huge smile on my face!  This is definitely a slow moving character study but it is brilliant in its simplicity and I highly recommend it.

Infinite Storm

Last night I went to see Infinite Storm and, while this survival thriller based on true events is visually stunning, I found it to be a bit underwhelming.  Pam Bales (Naomi Watts) frequently climbs Mt. Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire but, as she prepares for her next attempt, a colleague warns her not to go because of a coming winter storm.  The date seems to have some significance for her and she mentions that she needs to get up on the mountain as therapy for a past trauma.  She is very skilled and incredibly prepared but the storm soon becomes too much for her and she decides to head down.  However, she sees footprints in the snow and decides to follow them to an unresponsive man (Billy Howle) who is so ill-prepared for the mountain that it is implied he is suicidal.  Pam is determined to rescue him, even when he becomes combative, and they face many hardships beyond the weather as they struggle to survive.  During several moments of peril, there are flashbacks to an earlier time in her life that attempt to provide some context for the purpose of her journey but they are annoyingly vague until Pam and the man she calls John have a reunion during the third act.  I really enjoyed the woman against nature narrative and the cinematography is so immersive that there were moments when I felt like I was on the mountain with Pam.  The mountain scenery (the Alps in Slovenia stand in for the White Mountains) is breathtaking and Watts gives a riveting and physical performance that is entirely believable.  Where this movie loses its way is when it leaves the mountain and tries to become a human drama.  The explanation of why Pam and John both came to be on the mountain is such a tonal shift from what precedes it that it feels almost anticlimactic and unnecessary.  This is probably a movie that you can wait to see on a streaming platform.

Tito Munoz Conducts Beethoven 6, Sibelius & Buxtehude

Whenever Augustin Hadelich comes to town to perform with the Utah Symphony I always make a point of being in attendance because I think he is absolutely brilliant (go here and here).  I am certainly not alone in my admiration because there was a sizable crowd at Abravanel Hall last night to hear him perform the Violin Concerto by Jean Sibelius.  Before the Sibelius, the orchestra began with Chaconne in E Minor by Dietrich Buxtehude with an arrangement by Carlos Chavez.  As explained by guest conductor Tito Munoz, this piece was originally written by Buxtehude for the organ during the German Baroque period.  Several hundred years later Chavez orchestrated it for the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional emphasizing more modern instruments.  I had never heard this piece before (Munoz further explained that it is not performed in the United States very often) but I absolutely loved it!  I loved the opening fanfare by a solo trumpet and horn along with the timpani and I also loved how the same progression of notes seems to be repeated again and again with more and more intensity.  It was very powerful!  Next came the Violin Concerto with Hadelich.  Sibelius is one of my favorite composers (I discovered him on a trip to Finland) and this piece is widely considered to be one of his greatest masterpieces.  It calls to mind a dark wintry night and I particularly enjoyed the first movement because the solo violin plays a haunting melody that is beautifully echoed by a clarinet.  I also liked the final movement because the speed with which Hadelich moved his fingers was absolutely mind-blowing.  He gave an incredibly passionate performance and the audience leapt to its feet immediately for a thunderous ovation.  After the intermission, the orchestra concluded with Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale" by Ludwig van Beethoven and it was amazing.  This piece is meant to evoke feelings about nature and I especially liked a motif played by the strings mimicking the sound of moving water in the second movement and the sound of a thunderstorm created by the cellos, basses, and timpani in the fourth movement.  I loved every minute of this concert and it just might be my favorite this season (which is no mean feat because it has been a season full of wonderful music).  I highly recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance featuring the same program (go here).

Journey at the Vivint Arena

Last night I saw my first concert of 2022 and I certainly picked a good one to begin with!  Journey is a nostalgic favorite of mine and I have seen them in concert many times (including an epic show featuring Journey and Foreigner at Red Rocks in Denver with my friend Tony).  I haven't listened to their music for quite some time but, as they played all of their hits one after the other, I somehow remembered every single word of every song!  All the band had to do was play one or two opening notes to a song and the crowd would go crazy!  It was so much fun!  Normally I try to control myself because I realize that the people sitting around me didn't pay money to hear me sing but everyone in the arena was singing at the top of their lungs (sometimes Arnel Pineda would stop singing and hold his microphone out to the crowd, as lead singers are wont to do, and there would be no difference in volume).  The girl sitting next to me was probably about 15 or 16 and even she knew the words to every song which I thought was really cool.  As I mentioned, they played the hits for almost two hours starting with "Only the Young" and then continuing with "Stone in Love," "Lights," "Send Her My Love," "Who's Crying Now," "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," "Faithfully," "Open Arms," "Wheel in the Sky," "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)," "Be Good to Yourself," and, finally, "Any Way You Want It."  There is always one song, usually a more obscure track, that I always hope the band will play and in this case it was "Girl Can't Help It" but I wasn't too disappointed when they didn't play it because they played my favorite song, "Don't Stop Believin'," really early in the evening!  Arnel Pineda, who has been with the band since 2007, is a great frontman because he sounds a lot like Steve Perry but he has been able to make the songs his own and he is so energetic.  He was running all over the stage and jumping off the speakers all night and I thought he was really fun to watch.  I had such a good time at this concert and, even though it got out really late, I'm so glad I was able to go!

Note:  The opening band was Toto.  I am not as familiar with their discography as I am with Journey but I recognized "Hold the Line," "I Won't Hold You Back, and "Rosanna."  Of course they ended their set with their most popular song "Africa" which got the crowd on their feet singing every word.  I enjoyed them, as well.

The Lost City

I had the chance to see an early access screening of The Lost City last night and, even though I am not a big fan of romantic comedies (for some reason I really dislike the abbreviation often used for this genre), I really enjoyed it!  Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) is a romance novelist who is still grieving the death of her husband.  She has become a recluse but Beth (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), her publicist, needs her to promote her latest book, The Lost City of D, which features a recurring character named Dash McMahon who is searching for a valuable artifact.  Beth invites Alan Caprison (Channing Tatum), the model who has portrayed Dash on all of Loretta's covers, to join her on the book tour but Loretta dismisses him as superficial.  An eccentric billionaire named Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) kidnaps Loretta because he believes the artifact in her novel is real and wants her to help him find it.  Alan, wanting to prove to Loretta that he is more than just a dimwitted model, attempts to rescue her and chaos ensues as both Loretta and Alan are ill-equipped to deal with the jungle.  The physical comedy is absolutely hilarious, especially since Loretta is wearing a purple sequin jumpsuit and high heels, and I laughed out loud multiple times (as did the audience).  Bullock and Tatum are incredibly charming and their chemistry is off the charts!  I also really enjoyed Radcliffe as a petulant villain and Brad Pitt just about steals the show as a former Navy SEAL (I laughed so hard when he flips his hair).  This doesn't reinvent the wheel but, in my opinion, it doesn't need to because it is so much fun.  I had a great time watching this movie and you can be sure that if I liked it fans of the genre are sure to love it!

The Outfit

Since I was out of town last weekend, I missed several new releases that are on my list.  I decided to see one of them, The Outfit, last night and I really enjoyed it.  Leonard Burling (Mark Rylance) is a meticulous and fastidious cutter (not just a tailor) who learned his trade on Savile Row in London and now makes suits for members of the mob, the only clientele who can afford his services, in Chicago during the 1950s.  There is more to Burling than meets the eye because it is implied that he left London under mysterious circumstances.  He keeps to himself as the members of the Boyle crime family, the boss Roy (Simon Russell Beale), his son Richie (Dylan O'Brien), and their enforcer Francis (Johnny Flynn), use his shop as a drop but his receptionist Mable (Zoey Deutch) notices everything.  Over the course of one evening, Richie is shot and he and Francis take refuge in Burling's shop in order to elude a rival crime family.  Eventually, Roy and his henchman (Alan Mehdizadeh) show up looking for them and for evidence of a rat who has been informing on them to the FBI.  Burling and Mable are coerced into helping them but who is double-crossing whom?  This is definitely a slow burn (there is an extended sequence in which Burling demonstrates the entire process of creating a suit, including making the pattern, transferring it to the cloth, cutting it, and sewing the pieces together) but I found it very compelling.  The tension builds and builds with lots of unexpected twists and turns and, just when I thought I had everything figured out, there was a new revelation that made me rethink everything I thought I knew!  All of the action takes place in a single setting, almost as if it is a stage play, but Burling's shop provides many opportunities for misdirection with all of its nooks and crannies and I loved the production design.  Rylance is always at his best when portraying an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary circumstances and he is absolutely mesmerizing, even when he doesn’t say a word.  This is a very well-crafted crime thriller that will keep you guessing and I highly recommend it!

Spring Camping Trip

For the past three days I have been at my favorite KOA in Fillmore relaxing!  I needed a little getaway and I couldn't think of anything better than sitting on the front porch of a cabin and reading all day.  I really like this KOA because it is in the middle of nowhere so it is very quiet and peaceful and it is close enough that it doesn't require a lot of travel time (it is about two hours south of where I live) but far enough away to feel like a real getaway.  I have been coming here for years (by myself and with various members of my family) and the former owners knew me by name.  There are new owners now but they are very kind and welcoming and I had to laugh when they offered to show me the way to my cabin because I've stayed in this exact one several times (as well as others).  I didn't take any day trips this time because I just wanted to relax but there are quite a few things to do within driving distance.  The weather was a bit too cold to stay outside for long periods (it even snowed on Sunday) so I spent most of the day inside the cabin reading under a blanket (the cabin has a heater) which was wonderful.  I spent the evening watching movies on my laptop before falling asleep to the sound of rain hitting the roof.  It was perfect!  My sisters and I are caring for our Mom full-time now and I really appreciate the fact that they were willing to pick up the slack so I could have a weekend away!  It was exactly what I needed!

Jazz Game With Angela

It has been more than two years since I have been to a Jazz game (the last time I went was over Christmas break in 2019 with Sean and Tashena) and I have really missed going!  It has also been almost two years since I have seen any of my former colleagues from Hunter High and I have really missed them.  My friend and former colleague, Angela, invited me to the Jazz game against the Los Angeles Clippers last night and it was so much fun to catch up and watch the game together!  Even though quite a few players, including my favorite Donovan Mitchell, were out for injuries, it was a really good game and the atmosphere at the Vivint Arena was positively electric.  The Jazz took an early 17-4 lead in the first few minutes of the first quarter and they never gave it up!  They went on a 30-4 run before half-time and that got the crowd on their feet cheering!  The Jazz lost a little momentum in the third quarter but were never in any danger of losing the lead and ended up beating the Clippers 121-92.  It was really exciting to watch because Rudy Gobert, Jordan Clarkson, Eric Paschall, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Jared Butler were all on fire and ended the night in double digits.  Both Angela and I had smiles on our faces during the entire game and I had such a great time.  She invited me to another game next month and I am so excited!

The Band's Visit at the Eccles

I didn't know anything about the musical The Band's Visit, other than it won ten Tony Awards including Best Musical, before I saw the Broadway touring production last night.  It was unlike anything I have ever seen before but I found it to be a bit underwhelming, especially for a show that has received so much acclaim.  The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives at the Tel Aviv airport in Israel after being invited to perform at a cultural center in Petah Tikvah.  The representative appointed to meet them is not there so they decide to take a bus.  However, they mispronounce the name and arrive in the desert town of Bet Hatikva (the mispronunciation of the name of the town is a running joke throughout the show) instead.  They stop at a cafe owned by Dina (Janet Dacal) and, when they ask for directions to the cultural center, she figures out the mistake.  She and two of her employees, Papi (Coby Getzug) and Itzik (Clay Singer), offer to put them up for the night.  Once the band members realize that they have missed the one and only bus to Petah Tikvah and that there is only one pay phone, which is guarded by a man (Joshua Grosso) waiting endlessly for his girlfriend to call him back, they reluctantly agree.  Three of the band members, Tewfiq (Sasson Gabay), Simon (James Rana), and Haled (Joe Joseph), share their stories and have a positive effect on the lives of Dina, who feels like her life is going nowhere and yearns for a connection, Papi, who doesn't have the confidence to approach his secret crush, and Itzik, who is struggling to live up to the responsibilities of being a husband and a father.  The action is very slow and very understated and it almost seems like a series of vignettes rather than a cohesive story.  The musical numbers are also strangely unremarkable, except for "Papi Hears the Ocean" and "Answer Me" which were my favorites, and there are long periods of total silence as the characters, who speak different languages, struggle to communicate with each other in English (I found the silence very disconcerting).  None of the actors have particularly strong voices, but I was especially disappointed by Dacal because she was unable to project the strength and charisma required by her character.  I did really enjoy the traditional music played by the band members (Yoni Avi Battat, Roger Kashou, Brian Krock, Kane Mathis, and Wick Simmons) in between the scenes, the drab colors used in the minimal set juxtaposed with the bright blue of the band member's uniforms, and the message that people are more alike than different but I didn't especially like the show as a whole.  The Band's Visit has been on my list for a long time so I am glad I had the opportunity to see it.

Note:  I was extremely tired last night so there is every possibility that I was not in the proper mood to appreciate the subtleties of this show.  Others may find it more appealing (go here for more information and tickets).

Utah Opera's Tosca

Utah Opera is slowly but surely converting me into a fan of modern librettos and more artistic interpretations of traditional operas but I will always be a fan of the classic tragedies where desperate lovers die for love and I will always prefer productions that stay true to the time and place in the source material.  For this reason, I have been looking forward to Tosca for what seems like forever!  Not only is this one of my very favorite operas but the performance last night was amazing!  Floria Tosca (Katie Van Kooten) is a fiery and passionate singer with two men in love with her:  her lover, the painter Mario Cavaradossi (Dimitri Pittas), and the Police Chief, Baron Scarpia (Stephen Powell), who wants to possess her at any cost.  Scarpia arrests Cavaradossi for aiding a political prisoner and sentences him to death.  He tells Tosca that he will release him if she submits to him, promising her that the firing squad will be a ruse.  She agrees but when he embraces her, she stabs him with a knife.  She visits Cavaradossi in the Castel Sant'Angelo to tell him that he must pretend to die and then they can run away together when the guards leave.  However, Scarpia has betrayed her and Cavaradossi is actually killed by the firing squad.  Knowing that she will be accused of Scarpia's murder and unwilling to live without Cavaradossi, Tosca leaps to her death from the parapet of the Castel Sant'Angelo.  The music by Giacomo Puccini is incredibly beautiful (Conductor Steven White has a very light touch and I really enjoyed his interpretation of the music) and the three main actors give brilliant performances!  There were so many moments that took my breath away, including a scene in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle at the end of Act 1 where Scarpia reveals his plan to execute Cavaradossi and possess Tosca while a procession sings the Te Deum (I loved the Choristers of the Madeleine Choir School in this scene), Tosca's aria "Vissi d'arte" at the end of Act 2 where she asks God to help her, and the scene in Act 3 where Cavaradossi sings the aria "E lucevan le stelle" reminiscing about his love for Tosca while awaiting execution (my favorite moment in the opera).  The sets of the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle, Scarpia's study in the Palazzo Farnese, and the Castel Sant'Angelo are very elaborate and they add to the overall dramatic feeling of the opera.  I also loved the sumptuous costumes, especially Tosca's magenta dress (which is unceremoniously removed by Scarpia).  I loved everything about this opera and I highly recommend getting a ticket for one of the remaining performances (go here).

Note:  The young man sitting next to me was attending his very first opera.  He definitely picked a good one!

The Cartographers

My March Book of the Month selection was The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd (the other options were Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma, The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley, The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith, Tell Me Everything by Erika Krouse, The Verifiers by Jane Pek, and The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James). The novel begins as an intriguing murder mystery when Nell Young is informed that her estranged father, Doctor Daniel Young, has been been found dead at his desk in the Map Division of the New York Public Library under suspicious circumstances. When she returns to the NYPL after an absence of seven years to deal with her father's estate, she finds a worthless gas station map of New York state from the 1930s in a secret drawer. This map was the source of a bitter argument between the two of them and she wonders why he still has it in his possession.  As she begins investigating its origins, she discovers that there is much more to this map than meets the eye and that it may even be the reason her father was murdered. It is at this point that the novel becomes a fantasy with elements of horror as clues lead her to her father's friends from university and a dangerous group known as The Cartographers who are willing to stop at nothing to get the last copy of this map. I stayed up reading until the wee hours of the morning because I had to know why the map was so valuable and I was not disappointed because the reason is so clever and imaginative! The narrative alternates between Nell's investigation in the present and flashbacks to her early childhood as her mother and father begin their careers in cartography and this is very effective in building suspense. There are lots of twists and turns as each of the characters from Daniel's past tell Nell their stories and reveal a little bit more of the mystery. Nell is an incredibly compelling protagonist because she begins to experience the same dark obsession that set these events in motion and I enjoyed her character arc. As a bit of a history buff, I found all of the detailed descriptions of historical maps and the intricate processes (and secrets) involved in making them to be fascinating. I also loved all of the supernatural elements because, even though the plot is fantastical, it is grounded in reality. I absolutely loved this novel and would definitely recommend it, especially to fans of mysteries and magical realism (and nerds like me who appreciate an academic setting).

Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at CPT

Last night my sister Marilyn and I took our Mom to see Cinderella at CenterPoint Theatre and we had so much fun! My Mom has late stage dementia and she also has some mobility issues but she loves the show so much and really wanted to go. Since she had a good day yesterday we called the box office and were able to get ADA accessible seats (the CPT box office is, hands down, the best in the SLC valley). It was a lot of work to get her there but she absolutely loved it so it was worth all of the effort! The Rodgers & Hammerstein version of the story is definitely not my favorite! I don't like the commentary on class structure or the fact that Cinderella is a social reformer who must rescue the prince from the advisors in his court who are deceiving him about the conditions in his kingdom. I also don't like the portrayal of the stepsisters as silly girls, rather than mean ones, who end up as Cinderella's sympathetic co-conspirators. However, I really enjoyed HCT's production a few years ago because it infused the magic back into the more contemporary story. CPT's production is just as magical! The cast is incredibly strong and I especially loved Mailee Halpin as Ella and Cynthia Klumpp as Marie/ Fairy Godmother. The songs require an impressive range and these actresses more than deliver in the songs "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "Glass Slipper/ It's Possible," and "There Is Music In You." Halpin has great chemistry with Doug Wadley, as Prince Topher, and their songs "Ten Minutes Ago" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful" are incredibly romantic. Jaycee Harris (who is my brother-in-law's niece) as the stepsister Charlotte just about steals the show in "Stepsister's Lament" and "A Lovely Night" because her facial expressions are absolutely hysterical. She received more applause and laughter than any one else for good reason. The choreography is so much fun and I really loved how "The Prince Is Giving A Ball" with all of the townspeople in the town square and "The Pursuit" after the ball are staged, especially the transformation of the Fox (Kirsi Jarvis) and the Raccoon (Caleb Hodson) after the stroke of midnight. Speaking of transformations, Cinderella's change into her sparkling ball gown and tiara is absolutely magical and her coach, including horses made of puppets, is spectacular. I loved how the lights around the proscenium blinked in coordination with the Fairy Godmother's wand. Finally the set pieces for Cinderella's cottage, the prince's castle, the woods, and the town square are some of the best I have seen from CPT. I also loved the projection showing the chiming clock at midnight because it is so dramatic! I really feel like CPT has stepped up their game this season because I was also really impressed with the set for The Play That Goes Wrong! My Mom thought the whole show was beautiful (that was what she kept saying on the drive home) and I had such a great time watching her experience it! I would highly recommend Cinderella with the proviso that it is quite different from the Disney version that young children are more familiar with (the little girls in front of me seemed really bored at times but they seemed to enjoy the spectacle). It runs on the Barlow Main Stage through April 9 (go here for tickets).

I Am Here

Last night I went to my favorite art house theater to see the documentary I Am Here and I found it to be incredibly inspiring.  On the occasion of her 98th birthday, Ella Blumenthal gathers her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren around her in order to tell them the story of her survival during the Holocaust for the first time.  Through interviews in the present, archival footage, and animation sequences, she describes the German occupation of Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and the horrors of the Majdanek, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belson concentration camps.  She also recounts her guilt at being one of only two survivors in her family, meeting her husband Isaac Blumenthal, starting her own family, and her decision to remove her tattoo and put her experiences behind her.  Blumenthal is incredibly vibrant and charismatic and her story is very affecting.  I was particularly struck by the use of animation to tell the darker aspects of the story because, in my opinion, it made the images more palatable without taking away from the impact.  The symbolic use of blue butterflies, which represent rebirth, is incredibly effective in portraying her fight to survive, especially during a scene where she returns to Warsaw after the war and confronts all of the damage to the city.  I also really enjoyed her message of forgiveness and that one should not return hate with hate because that does not solve the problems found in the world today.  She wakes up every morning with gratitude for every day that she is allowed to live and that is such a lovely attitude, especially after everything she has gone through.  My only disappointment is that a letter by Blumenthal to a Holocaust denier offering compassion and conciliation introduced in an opening montage about the rise of hate crimes around the world is never referenced again (I was waiting through the whole film for this to be explored more fully).  Nevertheless, Blumenthal's story is a powerful one and I highly recommend this documentary.

The Foreigner at West Valley Arts

Last year I had the opportunity to volunteer as an usher at the West Valley Performing Arts Center and I had a lot of fun while getting to see some great shows. Unfortunately I am not able to do it any more because of family responsibilities but I went back as a patron last night to see The Foreigner which is an absolutely hilarious show. Froggy LeSueur (Xander Richey) is a British demolition expert who is visiting rural Georgia to conduct training sessions at an army base. Froggy brings his friend Charlie Baker (Joseph Paul Branca) with him because he is depressed over his marital difficulties and installs him at a fishing lodge owned by Betty Meeks (Vicky Pugmire) while he is on maneuvers. Charlie doesn't like this arrangement because he is painfully shy and fears having to interact with strangers but Froggy solves the problem by telling Betty that Charlie is a foreigner who doesn't speak English. The other guests at the lodge are drawn to Charlie because they believe he can't understand them. Catherine (Amanda Anne Dayton) pours her heart out to him because he is a good listener, Ellerd (Brandon Green) gains confidence by successfully "teaching" him English, and David (TJ Thomas) inadvertently reveals a plot he has hatched with a local member of the Ku Klux Klan (Oran Marc de Baritault). Chaos ensues until Charlie begins to feel like he belongs. The show is incredibly funny because it exaggerates the idea of being a fish out of water but there are also some really important deeper themes about fearing those who are different so, even though I was laughing out loud through most of it, I was also thinking about how much we need a little understanding in the world right now. The entire cast is fantastic but the standouts for me are Green (who I have seen in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Peter and the Starcatcher at CPT and Is He Dead? and Arsenic and Old Lace at HCT) and Branca. Ellerd is a little bit slow so when he tries to teach Charlie the words to a few of the items in the lodge (fork has somehow become a two syllable word) it is absolutely hysterical because of Green's facial expressions. At one point, Charlie is asked to tell a story in his native language, which is completely made up, and Branca's delivery is the highlight of the show!  I couldn't breathe because I was laughing so hard. The set of the fishing lodge is a lot of fun and I was particularly impressed with the attention to detail (I loved all of the knickknacks everywhere). My only complaint with this show is a really strange costuming decision which put the Ku Klux Klan members is army fatigues instead the white robes they would normally wear (I've seen this show several times). I understand that the production team might have wanted to be sensitive in their portrayal of this group but it is very clear from the beginning of the play who they are so the robes wouldn't have been a surprise and this decision lessened the impact of the climax in my opinion.  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this show and would definitely recommend it.  It runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 26 and tickets are very reasonable (go here).

Dog

I didn't get a chance to see Dog when it was first released a couple of weeks ago so I decided to make time to see it last night and my dog loving heart is so glad that I did!  Jackson Briggs (Channing Tatum) is a former U.S. Army Ranger who is suffering from PTSD after a traumatic brain injury.  He is trying to join a global diplomatic protection service but he needs clearance from his former commanding officer who is hesitant to give it because of some lingering effects from his injury.  When a fellow Army Ranger commits suicide, Briggs is asked to drive his dog Lulu, a Belgian Malinois who has also been severely traumatized by combat, from Washington to Arizona to attend his funeral and then to a nearby military base to be euthanized afterwards.  He will receive his clearance if he is able to deliver the dog as promised but Lulu doesn't make it easy for him.  They have a series of misadventures, some of which are very amusing (ahem) and some are incredibly heartwarming, before they end up saving each other.  I really enjoyed Tatum's performance as a man so damaged that he can't make a connection with anyone in his life until he is finally able to make one with a dog.  He imbues Briggs with a lot of vulnerability and I think it is one of his best performances.  I also loved Lulu (the three dogs who play her are pretty good little actors) and several of her scenes reduced me to tears, especially her actions at the funeral of her handler.  The resolution is totally predictable and a bit emotionally manipulative but it hardly matters because I spent most of the movie hoping for the very thing that happens.  I love dogs and I honestly can't remember a time when my family hasn't had at least one so I really enjoyed this feel-good movie.  It might not be for those who are expecting a road trip buddy comedy or for those who don't like dogs but otherwise it is definitely worth checking out.

Uncharted

I am not a gamer and I do not know anything about the world-building or the characters in the popular Uncharted gaming franchise but I finally had the chance to see the movie adaptation last night and I thought it was a lot of fun.  Fortune hunter Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) recruits Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), bartender, pickpocket, and younger brother of his former partner Sam, to help him locate the long lost treasure of Ferdinand Magellan.  They form an uneasy partnership with Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali) and attempt to stay one step ahead of Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), a descendant of the family who financed Magellan's voyage, and Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle), a mercenary hired by Moncada.  Drake faces many physical challenges as the search for clues takes him from Barcelona to the Philippines but his biggest challenge is deciding who to trust.  The characters are very thinly drawn, especially the villains, but Holland and Wahlberg, who is very hit or miss with me, are incredibly charismatic and I really enjoyed their chemistry together and the physicality of their performances.  The treasure hunting plot is one that we have all seen many times before (there are even references to Raiders of the Lost Ark and Pirates of the Caribbean, which are better movies, in the dialogue) but I was still really engaged with the story and I think a lot of that has to do with Holland.  Despite some of the sub-par CGI, I found the action sequences to be very exciting, especially Drake hanging out of a cargo plane and Magellan's ships being airlifted by helicopters.  There are flaws but I enjoyed this movie much more than I thought I would and I recommend it for a fun night out.

Note:  As the post-credits scenes (there are two) suggest, there is definitely the possibility of a sequel and I would probably watch it.

Riverdance at the Eccles

I was able to see Riverdance many years ago at Kingsbury Hall and I remember thinking that it was absolutely spectacular.  The show is once again on tour with a new production commemorating its 25th Anniversary and I was able to see it last night at the Eccles Theatre.  I really loved the dancing, which was amazing, but I was a little bit underwhelmed with the performance as a whole.  The show features stylized Irish step dancing that is incredibly energetic and so much fun to watch with high kicks, leaps across the stage, and instantly recognizable poses.  I especially loved it whenever the dancers would get in a line and kick in unison!  There is a story loosely connecting all of the dances together with narration, lighting, and dramatic projections and this focuses on nature in the first act and migration in the second.  I particularly liked "Reel Around the Sun," "The Countess Cathleen," "Thunderstorm," "Firedance," "Riverdance," "Anna Livia," and "Home and the Heartland."  I also really enjoyed seeing the addition of flamenco dancing in "Andalucia" and Russian dancing in "Macedonian Morning" and "Russian Dervish."  However, my favorite number of the night was "Trading Taps" which is basically an epic dance off between tap dancers and step dancers and it was amazing.  The dancers in the troupe are insanely talented, especially the lead dancers Amy-Mae Dolan and James Greenan.  There are musical numbers between each of the dances featuring the bodhran, fiddle, saxophone, and uilleann pipes and, while the performers are incredibly talented, I found these interludes to be a bit boring after a while.  I tend to grow weary of long improvisational solos (even at rock concerts) and whenever the musicians were on stage I kept wishing that the dancers would come back soon.  I don't remember these "filler" numbers in the original production but, to be fair, it was a long time ago.  I enjoyed the show but I wish that there had been more dancing in Riverdance.  The run at the Eccles ended last night but the production will be touring around the country through the summer and, if it comes to a city near you, I recommend it.

Louis Schwizgebel Plays Mozart's Piano Concert No. 12

It is always nice to start the weekend with the Utah Symphony but last night's concert was something really special!  The orchestra began with Escaramuza by Gabriela Lena Frank.  This piece is meant to symbolize the dance of an Inca warrior and it is incredibly energetic and dynamic.  It begins with the rhythmic pounding of a bass drum that doesn't let up until the end and the strings play a frantic theme that is really exciting to listen to.  I could almost see the dancers in bright and colorful costumes and I thought it was really cool.  Next came Piano Concerto No. 12 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with soloist Louis Schwizgebel.  I've mentioned this many times before but I was first introduced to classical music by watching the movie Amadeus when I was fourteen.  I became obsessed with Mozart's music, especially the music from the movie, and the first Utah Symphony concert I ever attended featured Mozart's Requiem (and the rest is history).  I think his music is really light and airy and highly accessible to the casual listener (which does not mean that it is simple).  Piano Concerto No. 12 is beautiful with almost playful themes and I really enjoyed it.  Schwizgebel was so much fun to watch because his fingers were moving so fast but he made it look so easy!  The concert concluded with Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich but, after the intermission, it was announced that the Utah Symphony organization had contemplated changing composers in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  They ultimately decided to keep Shostakovich on the program because, even though Symphony No. 5 was written to appease the Soviet state, it is actually a condemnation of the horrors found under Stalin.  I thought it was incredibly appropriate and the parallels to the situation today made the performance even more powerful.  Before the Shostakovich, the orchestra performed the national anthem of Ukraine and it was such a beautiful and powerful moment!  I became quite emotional because, for some reason, the music made the situation in Ukraine very real for me but I take solace from the fact that the people are as heroic as their anthem.  The first movement of Symphony No. 5 is bold with militaristic marches played by the brass and the second is very stirring (I loved the opening theme played by the cellos and basses).  However, my favorite was the third movement because it is so affecting, particularly a theme played by the harp and flute, and it provided a way for the public to express their grief over Stalin's purges at the premiere.  I also found it immensely moving.  The final movement becomes celebratory once again with an epic conclusion by the timpani.  This was an extraordinary evening of music and emotion and I am so glad that I got to experience it.  The same program will be performed again tonight (go here for tickets).

Something Rotten at PTC

I saw the Broadway touring production of Something Rotten a few years ago and I absolutely loved it (it is a hilarious spoof of Shakespeare and musical theatre so it was basically written for me).  I was thrilled when PTC announced that it would be part of the 2021-2022 season and I had so much fun watching it last night!  I could hardly breathe because I was laughing so hard!  Nick and Nigel Bottom (Matt Farcher and Daniel Plimpton, respectively) are playwrights in London during the Renaissance but they haven't been very successful.  Their patron, Lord Clapham (Peter Surace), is withdrawing his support, Shylock (Howard Kaye) wants his loan repaid, Nick's wife Bea (Galyana Cstillo) is pregnant, and Nigel has fallen in love with Portia (Lexi Rabadi), the daughter of a Puritan (Kevin B. McGlynn) who wants to shut down the theaters for debauchery, but, even worse, they are constantly overshadowed by the immensely popular William Shakespeare (Matthew Hydzik)!  They need a big hit so Nick decides to consult the soothsayer Nostradamus (Robert Anthony Jones) to see what will be popular in the future.  Nostradamus suggests writing a play with singing and dancing in one of my favorite numbers in the show, "A Musical."  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, Nostradamus sees omelette (so close!).  As Nick tries to produce Omelette: The Musical, Shakespeare suffers from writer's block in another one of my favorite numbers, "Hard to Be the Bard," and tries to steal his play back!  Chaos ensues until Nigel teaches Nick an important lesson in the number "To Thine Own Self."  What I love most about this show is all of the references to musical theatre (the audience applauded during the reference to Les Miserables but my favorite was RENT) and Shakespeare's plays (the allusions to Richard III and Romeo and Juliet during the song "Will Power" had me in hysterics).  It is so much fun when you are able to recognize a show or line of dialogue!  I loved the entire cast but my favorite was Hydzik as Shakespeare because he is completely over the top as the rock star of the Renaissance, especially when he crowd surfs during an appearance at the Globe Theatre, and I loved his bedazzled leather costume complete with a gigantic codpiece.  I really enjoyed the staging of the big song and dance numbers because it mimics the instantly recognizable choreography of the musicals being parodied, especially in "A Musical" and "Make an Omelette."  The set features the aforementioned Globe Theatre and other thatched Renaissance buildings and the period costumes are a lot of fun, especially the codpieces!  I laughed from beginning to end, as did the entire crowd (which was the largest one I have seen at PTC this season), so I highly recommend it, especially if you are a big theatre nerd like me.  It runs through March 12 and tickets may be purchased here.

Bright Star at HCTO

I fell in love with the musical Bright Star when I saw a production at PTC a few years ago which featured most of the original Broadway cast, including Carmen Cusack as Alice Murphy.  I was, therefore, really excited to see this show at HCT Orem last night and I loved what they did with it!  The story takes place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina during the 1920s and just after World War II.  After the war, Billy Cane (Zack Elzey) briefly returns to his hometown of Hayes Creek to visit his father (Sanford Porter) and his childhood friend Margot (Maren Miller) but he soon decides to try writing for a magazine in Asheville where he meets the uptight editor, Alice Murphy (Anya Young Wilson), who once made Hemingway cry.  When Daryl (Dayne Joyner) and Lucy (Kelsey Phillips Harrison), staff members at the magazine, tease Alice about her boring existence, she transforms in front of our eyes into a wild and rebellious young girl in the small town of Zubulon.  She begins a romance with Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Benjamin Henderson), much to the chagrin of his father Mayor Josiah Dobbs (Stephen Kerr) who tries to separate them.  The narrative alternates between the two timelines as Alice suffers an unimaginable loss and then is unexpectedly made whole again.  The story is very powerful and heartwarming with amazing bluegrass music written by Edie Brickell and Steve Martin.  My favorite songs are "If You Knew My Story," "Asheville," "Sun's Gonna Shine," and "I Had a Vision."  Wilson has a beautiful voice and her emotional rendition of "Please Don't Take Him" brought tears to my eyes.  When she first appears on stage as the older Alice I was so impressed by her portrayal of the emotionally restrained professional woman that I wondered if she would be able to pull off the reckless teenage girl but she transitions seamlessly between the two with just a change in expression (and some quick costume changes).  The rest of the cast is really strong but the other standouts for me were Miller, as a young woman afraid that she will lose the one she loves to the big city, and Kerr, as a father who thinks he is doing the right thing for his son.  The staging of this show in such a small and intimate space is so clever!  The set includes the facade of a rustic cabin with a fenced in porch, where a three piece band (featuring Braden Williams on fiddle, Marcus Williams on mandolin, and Taylon Mann on banjo) performs, as well as an attached platform and a grassy area where the action takes place with the addition of portable set pieces and projections to denote the bookstore where Margot works and the office of the magazine.  I also really liked the use of vintage light bulbs. The members of the ensemble move props on and off stage very effectively and I was really impressed with how a key moment on a train is portrayed.  This is a wonderful production that should not be missed (go here for tickets).

The Batman

Last night I had the opportunity to see an early screening of The Batman and I had so much fun!  The giant IMAX theater was completely sold out (which I haven't seen happen since The Force Awakens) and full of boisterous fans, many in costume, who cheered throughout and applauded at the end!  This movie is one of my most anticipated this year and, after seeing so many positive reviews, I was super hyped which sometimes leads to disappointment.  I am happy to report that it exceeded all of my expectations!  Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) is a virtual recluse but his alter ego Batman is a vigilante fighting crime in Gotham City.  He has a working relationship with Lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) who summons him to the crime scene of a brutal murder because the killer, known as the Riddler (Paul Dano), has left him a personal message.  His investigation of the clues left by the Riddler at each subsequent crime scene brings him in contact with a cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz), uncovers city-wide corruption involving a mobster named Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and his henchman Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepot (Colin Farrell), and reveals uncomfortable truths about his family before an epic confrontation.  I really liked the darker tone.  It feels more like a classic noir thriller with a brooding protagonist and a setting that is grounded in gritty realism rather than a stylized superhero action movie.  The story is absolutely riveting and, in my opinion, the almost three hour runtime flies by.  I especially enjoyed Bruce Wayne's character arc as a man almost broken by the weight of living up to his parents' legacy to finally accepting their fallibility and Batman's journey from exacting vengeance to becoming a symbol of hope for Gotham City.  I was also really struck by a similarity between the characters of Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, and Edward Nashton (who becomes the Riddler) because their reactions to their experiences are very telling.  Pattinson is brilliant in the role (I think he is very underrated as an actor) and the way he uses his eyes under the cowl to convey emotion is incredibly effective.  I enjoyed the juxtaposition between his more explosive performance as Batman with his restraint as Bruce Wayne because it really shows that he has been using his alter ego as a means of coping with his traumatic past.  He only feels alive when he is the Batman.  The rest of the cast is also outstanding but Dano is truly terrifying as the Riddler and Kravitz is the most realistic Catwoman I've seen on screen.  I loved this movie's version of the Batsuit because it actually looks like something that Bruce Wayne could have made himself and there are some fantastic gadgets.  The action sequences are exciting and intense, particularly a fight in a subway station, an epic car chase involving the Batmobile that ends in flames, and Batman's use of a wingsuit to escape from the police station (this prompted the loudest cheers from the audience).  The images on the screen are absolutely gorgeous and I particularly enjoyed the use of the color red.  Finally, I really loved the atmospheric score by Michael Giacchino, especially a motif that is repeatedly used for the Riddler (I kept wondering if that was really what I was hearing which lead to an incredible "aha" moment).  I loved this movie so much and I will definitely be seeing it again!