Monday, October 30, 2023
The Holdovers
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in Concert
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Anatomy of a Fall
Friday, October 27, 2023
Nyad
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Jazz vs. Kings
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
The Rocky Horror Show at PTC
I have been waiting for PTC's production of The Rocky Horror Show with great ANTICI.....say it.....PATION. I was able to see it last night and I had so much fun! This cult classic is a campy spoof of science fiction B-movies complete with an usher named Magenta (Ginger Bess) who introduces the story. While driving home on a rainy night, a young and naive couple named Brad (Alex Walton) and Janet (Alanna Saunders) get a flat tire and end up at the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Jeremiah James), a cross dressing mad scientist from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy Transylvania, who is having a wild party with his entourage, including Riff Raff (Hernando Umana) and Columbia (Micki Martinez), to unveil his latest creation Rocky (Michael Dalke), a beautiful and muscular man designed to give pleasure. Hi-jinks (and a floor show) ensue! The Narrator last night (the role rotates between three different Utah personalities) was the popular former news anchor Randall Carlisle and he got some of the biggest laughs of the evening, especially with his references to BYU. The rest of the main cast is also outstanding with great voices and excellent comedic timing! James is perfect as Frank with all of his over-the-top facial expressions and I loved his flamboyant rendition of "Sweet Transvestite" and his surprisingly poignant version of "I'm Going Home." Walton provides a lot of the comedy as the nerdy Brad and I laughed out loud during "Damn It, Janet" and "Once in a While." The same could be said of Saunders as the prudish Janet because the physical comedy as she loses her sexual inhibitions during her performance of "Touch-A Touch Me" is a highlight of the show. The choreography is so much fun, particularly the iconic number "Time Warp" and the dazzling "Floor Show." I also loved how Frank's seduction of both Janet and Brad is staged and the ending of the song "Space Ship" provides a lot of laughs. The costumes, including corsets, garters, fishnet stockings, and high heels, are fabulously outrageous and the hair and makeup are very glam while the stage features a spooky castle backdrop (I loved all of the freestanding candelabras) with lots of quirky laboratory set pieces. A live band is also located on stage and they sound fabulous! Of course, what makes a live performance of The Rocky Horror Show so much fun is all of the audience participation! Even though it had been quite a while since I'd seen it, I remembered the words to the songs, when to use all of the props (prop kits are available to purchase for $5.00 online and in the lobby before the show), and most of the talk backs! I always think it is so funny to yell "asshole" and "slut" every time the names Brad and Janet, respectively, are mentioned. To be sure, this show provides a fun and raucous night out but, more than anything, it has a powerful message about acceptance that is needed now more than ever and I highly recommend it! It runs at PTC through October 31 with several matinees and late night performances (go here for tickets).
Note: One of my fondest memories from participating in high school theatre is when a bunch of us climbed up to the catwalk and performed "Time Warp" at a late night rehearsal. It was so fun to perform it again last night at the end of the show.
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
The Birds
Monday, October 23, 2023
Pumpkin Carving 2023
Sunday, October 22, 2023
Ballet West's Dracula
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2
Friday, October 20, 2023
Killers of the Flower Moon
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
When I'm Dead
My October Book of the Month selection was When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey (the other options were Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, Wellness by Nathan Hill, The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young, The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis, and The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwonk). It should come as a surprise to no one that I picked the thriller but this one ended up being good not great. Axel Winthorp, a homicide detective, and his wife Rowan, a medical examiner, are frequently called away to investigate murder scenes in the crime-ridden town of Black Harbor, Wisconsin (Morrissey takes great pains to remind the reader that Black Harbor is extremely violent every other page). This means that their teenage daughter Chloe, who has undergone a radical change in personality in recent months which her parents have largely ignored, is often left to her own devices and she bemoans this fact by saying that they will only pay attention to her when she's dead. Axel and Rowan are inevitably called away from Chloe's performance in the school musical to investigate the death of a young girl who appears to have been strangled and they are dismayed to discover that it is the body of Chloe's best friend, Madison Caldwell. After they finish processing the scene, they discover that Chloe never made it home and, when they cannot reach her, they realize that she is missing. They initially suspect that Chloe's disappearance and Madison's murder are connected but, in the course of their investigation, they learn that Madison and another girl named Sari Simons were bullying Chloe and spreading rumors about an inappropriate relationship between her and the theatre teacher which may or may not be true. When Sari becomes the next victim, they are forced to question how well they know their daughter as well as confront the possibility that she might be involved in these murders. This is a dark and atmospheric police procedural told from the perspectives of Rowan, who believes that her daughter's disappearance is retribution for a past transgression, Axel, who is tormented by the fact that he may have failed to protect his daughter from a predatory teacher, and Libby, a teenager who lives next door to the Winthorps and has a strange obsession with Chloe. It is very suspenseful with lots of possible suspects, twists and turns, and red herrings which definitely kept me guessing. However, the psychological examination of the main characters, which rehashes the same events over and over again, and the endless descriptions of the poverty, despair, and crime found in Black Harbor slow down the pace after a strong beginning (but that didn't stop me from reading well into the night to find out what happens). Also, there are quite a few elements that seemed very unrealistic to me, particularly having a detective be involved in his own daughter's case and the lack of urgency in the police department's efforts to find her. While I didn't love this, I did enjoy it (it is especially appropriate for October) and found the resolution to be very intriguing so I would recommend it.
Note: This is the third installment in The Black Harbor series but I definitely think it works as a stand-alone because I haven't read the first two and there weren't any references that I didn't understand.
Monday, October 16, 2023
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
Saturday, October 14, 2023
U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas
Thursday, October 12, 2023
The Music Man at HCTO
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
The Royal Hotel
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Utah Opera's La Boheme
Monday, October 9, 2023
The Exorcist: Believer
Sunday, October 8, 2023
The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Parker Theatre
Last night I saw the absolutely hilarious musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Parker Theatre and I had so much fun! I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud so much! This show features a play-within-a-play as a Victorian acting troupe performs The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens at the Music Hall Royale. Will Cartwright (Tyler Oliphant) is the Chairman, who acts as a narrator and master of ceremonies for the show, but he is also called upon to perform the role of Mayor Sapsea in the middle of the show with a script in hand. Leading man Clive Padget (Spencer Hohl) is John Jasper, ingenue Deidre Peregrine (Lisa Zimmerman) is Rosa Bud, London's most famous male impersonator Alice Nutting (Jasmine Hohl) is guest starring as Edwin Drood, the grand dame of the theatre Angela Prysock (Mary Parker Williams) is Princess Puffer, character actors Victor Grinstead (Brandan Ngo) and Janet Conover (Janzell Tutor) are Neville and Helena Landless, respectively, veteran Cedric Moncrieffe (Curt Jensen) is the Rev. Crisparkle, vaudeville duo Nick Cricker, Sr. (John-Tyrus Williams) and Nick Cricker, Jr. (Caleb Ceran) are Durdles and his Deputy, respectively, and bit player Phillip Bax (Jonathan McBride) is Bazzard (although he yearns for a bigger part and is eventually allowed to sing his original song "Never the Luck" as consolation). With lots of amusing commentary to the audience (some of which is ad-libbed), the Chairman introduces the characters as they appear and the narrative establishes that Jasper, Edwin, and Neville are all rivals for Rosa's affections, that Rosa is dismayed by Jasper's advances, that Helena will do whatever it takes to protect her brother, that the Princess Puffer has an unknown connection to one of the characters, and that the Rev. Crisparkle was once in love with Rosa's mother. After Edwin Drood disappears by the river, the Chairman reveals that Charles Dickens died when he got to this point in his novel and, since no one knows the resolution to the story, it is up to the audience to decide who the murderer is by voting. The show ends when the chosen murderer confesses to the crime! I really enjoyed the melodramatic element to the show, as if the audience is really watching a musical revue during the Victorian era, and I especially loved Spencer Hohl's over the top performance as an opium addicted Jekyll-and-Hyde like character (his facial expressions and exaggerated tics are hilarious) and Tyler Oliphant's perfectly delivered wisecracks and double entendres. I was also really impressed with Williams (the director of the show) because she had to step into the role of Princess Puffer at the last minute after the original actress broke her wrist and she hams it up spectacularly! The songs have a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta feel to them and my favorites are "Both Sides of the Coin" by Sapsea and Jasper, because it is performed faster and faster with energetic choreography, "A Man Could Go Quite Mad" by Jasper, because the physicality of this number is incredibly entertaining, and "Moonfall" by Rosa with accompaniment by Jasper, because it is a beautiful song with the added comedy of Jasper's love-struck responses to it. The set resembles an old fashioned music hall with floodlights and stylized backdrops and the costumes are beautiful. What makes this show so much fun is all of the audience participation beginning before the show even begins with the actors of the Music Hall Royale mingling with the audience and lobbying for their character to be chosen as the murderer. The audience is also encouraged to respond to certain elements of the show, such as the waving of hands when the name Edwin Drood is spoken, and, of course, the audience votes for the murderer as the characters stand on stage holding numbers. My audience voted for Rosa Bud but this is not a spoiler because every performance will be different (which makes me want to see it again!). I cannot recommend this show enough! It runs at Parker Theatre on Fridays and Saturdays through October 28 (go here for tickets).
Saturday, October 7, 2023
Sleepy Hollow at West Valley Arts
Friday, October 6, 2023
Sweeney Todd at the Grand Theatre
Thursday, October 5, 2023
The Exorcist
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Murder on the Orient Express at PTC
I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie so I have been looking forward to PTC's production of Murder on the Orient Express since the 2023-24 season was announced. I saw it last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it! After finishing a case in Syria, the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (John Tufts) is called back to London on urgent business. Despite the fact that it is fully booked, a compartment is found on the Orient Express for Poirot by Monsieur Bouc (Edward Juvier), the director of the railway. Poirot is immediately approached by Samuel Ratchett (Robert Scott Smith), an odious American businessman on board, who asks him to investigate some threatening letters he has been receiving but Poirot refuses. The train becomes snowbound on the first night of the journey and in the morning Ratchett is discovered dead, having been stabbed multiple times, in his locked compartment. Knowing that the murderer must still be on board the train, Monsieur Bouc asks Poirot to investigate. There are numerous clues which Poirot finds puzzling but, as he interviews his fellow passengers including a Hungarian Countess (Gisela Chipe), an aging Russian Princess (Bonnie Black), her Swedish companion (Amy Bodnar), Ratchett's secretary (Matthew McGloin), a Minnesota housewife (Anne Tolpegin), a Scottish colonel (Robert Scott Smith), an English governess (Andrea Morales), and a French conductor (Alec Ruiz), he discovers that they all have an alibi for the time of the murder and a connection to the infamous kidnapping and murder of three-year-old Daisy Armstrong by Bruno Cassetti. Poirot eventually discovers evidence of a mysterious second conductor with a grudge against Ratchett but is he the real murderer? I've seen this adaptation by Ken Ludwig before and I really like the exploration of justice vs. retribution that happens during the narration, during which Poirot breaks the fourth wall, that bookends the action. I also enjoyed the ensemble cast who, despite a few wobbles with accents, are outstanding. Tufts, who is somehow able to make the well-known character of Poirot his own, and Bodnar, who gives a hilarious physical performance, are standouts for me. The set, dominated by the interior and the exterior of the titular train, is also outstanding and I was particularly impressed with the clever transitions from the opulent club car to the passenger compartments and with the way in which the narrow corridor outside of the compartments is used. The backdrop of snow falling in the Alps is very effective at establishing a sinister mood and the sound design creates the illusion of a real moving train. Finally, I liked the use of dramatic spotlights when the previous actions of all the characters are recapped during the resolution. Seeing this production is a journey well worth taking but book quickly because there are only a few more performances left (go here).