Sunday, November 27, 2022
Gentri Christmas at the Eccles
Saturday, November 26, 2022
Strange World
Christmas Time is Here Again!
Friday, November 25, 2022
Thanksgiving 2022
Thursday, November 24, 2022
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Vivint Arena
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Elf The Musical at CPT
Last night both of my sisters and I saw Elf The Musical at CPT and we all got a big dose of Christmas cheer! This musical is based on the popular movie starring Will Ferrell and it is so much fun! Santa Claus (Dave Hill), the narrator, reads from a book while sitting in an arm chair and he is the source of much amusement with lots of references to popular culture. He tells the story of Buddy (Addison Welch) who has been raised as an elf at the North Pole because he crawled into Santa's bag when he was a baby. After discovering that he is really a human instead of an elf, he decides to find his Dad, Walter Hobbs (Scott W. Butler), and he ends up bringing Christmas cheer to his new family, his girlfriend Jovie (Emily Woods Sparks), and all the people of New York City. I really enjoyed all of the fun choreography in this show, especially in "Happy All The Time" as the elves (played by some adorable children, including McGuire K. Bingham and Bridget Maxwell who got one of the biggest laughs of the night) make the toys for Santa, "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" as Buddy helps the Macy's employees decorate the store for Christmas, "Just Like Him" as Buddy wreaks havoc on Walter's office, "A Christmas Song" as Buddy and Jovie watch the ice skaters at Rockefeller Plaza (every production that I've seen of this show has had really innovative staging for this scene and this show is no exception), "Nobody Cares About Santa" as Buddy and all of the Santas commiserate about the lack of Christmas cheer (I loved the kick line), and "The Story of Buddy" as Buddy comes to Walter's rescue and pitches an idea for a story to his boss. Welch is a fabulous Buddy because not only is he exuberant in all of the musical numbers but he also has great comedic timing and facial expressions that show a wide-eyed wonder! His performance was the highlight of the show for me, especially when he plays the Salvation Army Santa's bells! I also liked John Nelson Wakley, the young actor who plays Michael Hobbs, because he has a great voice in the songs "I'll Believe In You" and "There Is a Santa Claus." The costumes for Santa, Buddy, the elves at the North Pole, and the employees at Macy's are incredibly elaborate and colorful and the set, which looks like a giant snow globe, is impressive. I even liked the use of projections, particularly for Rockefeller Plaza, but I was a bit disappointed that they were used for Santa's sleigh in Central Park because seeing Santa fly away is usually one of the highlights of the show. Other than that, all three of us thought the production was really cute! You would have to be a cotton-headed ninny-muggins to miss this show (go here for tickets) which runs on the Barlow Main Stage through December 17.
Note: I have been really impressed with the shows at CPT this season. My favorites have been The Play That Goes Wrong and Bright Star. I am especially looking forward to Jekyll & Hyde and Something Rotten next season!
Monday, November 21, 2022
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
Sunday, November 20, 2022
She Said
The Menu
Saturday, November 19, 2022
Bernadette Peters with the Utah Symphony
Friday, November 18, 2022
Carrie Underwood at the Vivint Arena
Thursday, November 17, 2022
We Are the Light
My November Book of the Month selection was We Are the Light by Matthew Quick (the other options were The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang, The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh, White Horse by Erika T. Wurth, and Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli). I selected this because it deals with important topics such as PTSD and mental health and I really wanted to like it but, unfortunately, I didn't. Lucas Goodgame, a high school counselor in the town of Majestic, Pennsylvania, is the survivor of a mass shooting that claimed the life of his wife, Darcy. He is really struggling but his Jungian analyst, who also lost his wife in the tragedy, has terminated his sessions and is now refusing to answer his letters. Eli, the younger brother of the shooter, is also struggling because he saw his brother's behavior become erratic but said nothing and now blames himself for what happened. Lucas comes to believe that helping Eli through his trauma will be the way forward in healing himself as well as the people of Majestic. The narrative is completely from the perspective of Lucas because it is in the form of letters written by him to his analyst and this is why I didn't entirely like it as much as I expected to given the subject matter. I found Lucas to be an incredibly unsympathetic character despite his trauma and the obvious mental health issues stemming from his childhood (he was in analysis before the tragedy) and, while I understand that he was suffering, I just couldn't get past my dislike of him as a character and that made it very difficult for me to be invested in what happens to him. Also, I could not understand the motivation for why all of the other characters literally do everything they can to help him, especially his wife's best friend Jill who sells her house and neglects her business to care for him, because we never get their perspectives. Finally, I found all of the constant references to Jungian analysis (phallic energy?) to be incredibly off-putting. Most people seem to have enjoyed this more than I did but it just wasn't for me.
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
The Little Mermaid at HCT
I went to see Hale Theatre's production of The Little Mermaid last night and it is one of the most immersive and magical shows I've ever seen! I loved everything about it! This musical tells the well-known story of a mermaid named Ariel who just wants to be where the people are so she defies her father and trades her voice for a pair of legs to make a prince fall in love with her. What I loved most about this show is that you actually feel like you are under the sea during the first act because all of the characters, especially Ariel and her sisters, fly through the air with lots of really cool water effects. I also really loved the amazing costumes and puppets for all of the sea creatures because they are absolutely incredible! Ursula wears an elaborate gown of black sequins with dancers who manipulate her eight tentacles while Flotsam and Jetsam are in silver lamé with segmented puppets that twist and turn around each other! The song "Under the Sea" features neon colored fish carried by dancers with headdresses that look like coral reefs, stingrays that flutter above the audience, giant whales and groups of turtles that come in from the wings, and aerialists who spin around on globes that look like bubbles! It is quite the spectacle! Sebastian is covered from claw to claw in red sequins while Scuttle is covered in white features. Ariel and her sisters each have their own color with jewel encrusted gowns and mermaid tails made of organza and King Triton has regal robes of gold and turquoise. Also, I was impressed by the sheer number of sets and my favorites were Prince Eric's ship, Ariel's grotto filled with her collection, and the lagoon where Eric takes Ariel on a boat ride (the hanging vines and all of the lanterns are so beautiful). I also loved all of the clear glass bulbs, which resemble bubbles, around the perimeter of the stage and up in the rafters. The staging of several of the numbers is absolutely magical, especially when Ariel saves Eric after he falls overboard because they seem to float and the aforementioned "Under the Sea!" Finally, the cast is phenomenal! Sophia Marie Guerrero is the perfect Ariel because not only does she have a beautiful voice but she also has a look of wide-eyed wonder that makes the songs "Part of Your World" and "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" so much fun to watch! Eric was played by the understudy Scott Hendrickson last night and, honestly, I thought he was fantastic! He has great chemistry with Guerrero and is incredibly endearing in "Kiss the Girl." Luseane "Lucy" Pasa, as Ursula, just about blows the roof off HCT with her gospel rendition of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" with Jason Buonforte (Flotsam) and Gunnar (Jetsam) as her back up choir! The same could be said for Alec Powell, as Sebastian, because his rendition of "Kiss the Girl" also had a gospel feel that I really liked. I had so much fun at this show (it is definitely the best production of The Little Mermaid that I have ever seen) and the children sitting around me were mesmerized! You definitely do not want to miss this wonderful show which runs on the Young Living Centre Stage through January 28 (go here for tickets) but act quickly because many shows are sold out!
Monday, November 14, 2022
Aftersun
Sunday, November 13, 2022
Cash on Delivery at the Empress
Saturday, November 12, 2022
Stephen Hough Performs Rachmaninoff
Friday, November 11, 2022
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Dave Matthews Band at the Vivint Arena
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Shucked at PTC
I didn't really know much about Shucked, other than it is a Broadway try-out for a new and original musical here in SLC, but everyone has been giving it rave reviews so I knew I had to see it! I had the chance last night at PTC and I loved it! Two Storytellers (Ashley D. Kelley and Taylor Trensch) introduce us to the small town of Cobb County where the tall stalks of corn, which provide the main source of income, keep people in and keep people out. This is exactly how the townspeople, including engaged couple Beau (Andrew Durand) and Maizy (Caroline Innerbichler), Beau's brother Peanut (Kevin Cahoon), and Maizy's cousin Lulu (Alex Newell), like it until the corn crop starts to fail. Maizy decides, against the objections of Beau, that she should go out into the world to get help and ends up in the big city of Tampa where she meets a conman named Gordy (performed last night by the understudy Quinn VanAntwerp). He is not very good at being bad but he is able to convince the naive Maizy that he is a corn doctor so she brings him home to the consternation of the townspeople, especially Beau who sees him as a rival. Hilarity ensues! Many of the jokes are very "corny" but they definitely land because I don't think I stopped laughing during the entire show (and neither did the audience). Much of the comedy comes from the Storytellers, who are not only the narrators for all of the goings-on but they also periodically become supporting characters (sometimes two characters at the same time). Trensch, especially, is absolutely hilarious with perfect comedic timing and over-the-top facial expressions. Cahoon is also the source of much laughter as Peanut frequently regales us with his deep thoughts. The original songs by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally are a lot of fun and are really catchy. I especially loved the song "Walls" because it is about finding the courage to leave your comfort zone and I think it could stand alone like most of the great songs from Broadway do. Innerbichler, who recently made an appearance in Utah as Anna in the Broadway touring production of Frozen, sings it with so much emotion! The songs "Somebody Will" performed by Durand and "Independently Owned" performed by Newell are absolute show-stoppers and both gave me goosebumps! The staging of this show is so clever because the cast is seated in a semi-circle inside of a crooked barn with corn stalks all around and featured performers use minimal props stashed in bushel baskets around the stage as well as wooden barrels during each number. Artistic Director Karen Azenberg mentioned that some changes had to be made to accommodate the last minute addition of VanAntwerp before the show began but I think that just involved the placement of music stands in front of the actors (VanAntwerp seemed to be the only cast member to have a score in front of him and he rarely used it). I didn't really know what to expect with this show but I had so much fun watching it! I can't wait until it is a big hit on Broadway because I can say that I was one of the first to see it! There are only a few more performances left so act quickly so you don't miss out (go here for tickets).