Death of a Unicorn

Last night my nephew and I went to the Broadway for Death of a Unicorn, a movie we were both looking forward to, and we had a blast watching it.  Lawyer Elliot Kitner (Paul Rudd) and his estranged daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) travel through a wildlife preserve to spend the weekend at the home of Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant), a wealthy pharmaceutical executive who is dying of cancer, his wife Belinda (Tea Leoni), and his son Shepherd (Will Poulter).  Elliot wants the visit to go well because Odell is a potential client but Ridley is not very enthusiastic and is further traumatized when he hits and kills a unicorn. They eventually confess what they have done to the Leopolds and, because contact with the unicorn has cured Ridley's acne and Elliot's allergies, Odell believes it will cure his cancer and has his scientists experiment on it.  Ridley begins researching the mythology surrounding unicorns and warns against this but, when the dust from the unicorn's horn cures Odell, he, his family, and even Elliot want to sell it to the highest bidders which angers the other unicorns in the area.  This is obviously a satire criticizing the evils of big pharma and corporate greed but, while it is really funny (Poulter and Anthony Carrigan, who plays the silent and put-upon butler Griff, steal the show with their hilarious performances), I especially enjoyed the interactions of Rudd and Ortega as a father and daughter who discover what is really important in life.  The unicorn sequences in the third act are absolutely wild (I was rooting for the unicorns as they hunt all of these despicable people) even if the visual effects are sometimes a bit sloppy.  This has a lot of really bonkers tonal shifts but they all somehow work and it is so much fun.  I recommend seeing it with a large late night crowd.

The Sting at Parker Theatre

Last night I went to see Parker Theatre's production of The Sting (based on the 1973 movie starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman) and I really enjoyed it. It is 1936 and Johnny Hooker (Spencer Hohl) and his partner Luther (Brinton Wilkins) are grifters working in Joliet, Illinois who trick a courier out of $11,000 unaware that the money was to have been given to the powerful mobster Doyle Lonnegan (Owen Richardson). Luther wants to retire and tells Hooker that he should go to Chicago and learn from Henry Gondorff (Roger Dunbar) because he is ready for the big time. When Hooker discovers that Luther has been killed by Lonnegan for revenge, he escapes to Chicago and finds Gondorff living with his girlfriend Billie (MacKenzie Pedersen). He agrees to help Hooker run an elaborate con game to ruin Lonnegan and they enlist Billie and various criminals, including Kid Twist (Mike Hohl) and J.J. Singleton (Anthony Lovato), for "The Set-Up," "The Hook," "The Wire," and "The Shut-Out" but, before they can get to "The Sting," they must deal with Snyder (Duane Stephens), a corrupt policeman from Joliet chasing Hooker for counterfeiting, and Polk (James Parker), an FBI agent searching for Gondorff. This features snappy dialogue and the talented cast delivers it brilliantly. I especially enjoyed the interactions between Spencer Hohl and Roger Dunbar because they play off each other so well. Seeing the criminals play their roles in the con is also a lot of fun. The fast-paced action takes place in multiple settings which are portrayed on stage with projections, moving panels, and set pieces that are moved on and off stage by the ensemble (it was opening night and I was really impressed with with how seamless the transitions were). My favorites were the projections denoting each part of the con (they reminded me of title cards in a movie), the metal beams representing the elevated train in Chicago, and the elaborate set pieces used for the betting parlor. The staging is very clever, particularly the poker game on the train and a chase scene between Hooker and Snyder through the aisles. This production kept me very engaged and I highly recommend it (I have seen the movie but it was so long ago that I had forgotten a big twist at the end). It runs on Fridays and Saturdays (with matinees on Saturday) through May 3 and tickets may be purchased here.

Note:  Last night was the biggest crowd I've seen at Parker Theatre (there were only a few empty seats) so get your tickets now!

The Woman in the Yard

I was very intrigued by the trailer for The Woman in the Yard because the premise looked so unsettling.  I went to see it last night and it is even more disconcerting than I was expecting.  Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) is almost completely debilitated by depression, guilt, and grief after being seriously injured in a car accident that also killed her husband David (Russell Hornsby).  She is isolated in a rundown farmhouse, which was purchased by her husband as a fixer-upper, in a rural area and is struggling to cope with her two children, Taylor (Peyton Jackson) and Annie (Estella Kahiha).  When a mysterious woman (Okwui Okpokwasili), shrouded in black, suddenly appears in the yard, the tension within the house escalates until Ramona is forced to confront her.  This is a compelling exploration of how mental illness can literally haunt a house and there are moments in the third act that are genuinely scary.  I loved the use of reflected images, shadows, and atmospheric sound design to create a feeling of unease.  Deadwyler is haunting as a mother who is coming undone by the weight of her grief and Okpokwasili is absolutely terrifying.  This features a lot of symbolism and there are several scenes that are open to interpretation, especially the ambiguous ending, but I think there is hope at the end of one of the bleakest sequences I've seen in a long time.  I recommend this to fans of psychological horror with the proviso that one interpretation of the ending could be triggering and upsetting for some.

A Working Man

I am an unapologetic fan of action movies starring Jason Statham (I submit that we should get a new one every year) so I was really excited to see A Working Man with my nephew last night.  There are definitely flaws (I think The Beekeeper is better) but we had a lot of fun with it.  Levon Cade (Statham) is a former commando with the Royal Marines who is trying to put his violent past behind him in order to get a better custody arrangement with his daughter Merry (Isla Gie). He now works for a family-run construction company owned by Joe and Carla Garcia (Michael Pena and Noemi Gonzalez, respectively) and he feels especially protective of their nineteen year old daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas).  When Jenny is abducted from a club, he reluctantly dusts off his commando skills, reconnects with an old war buddy (David Harbour), and promises the Garcias that he will bring her home.  His investigation leads him to the head of a Russian crime family (Jason Flemyng), a rogue member of that family named Dimi (Maximilian Osinski) who traffics young girls to the highest bidder, the head of a biker gang (Chidi Ajufo) who inadvertently helps him infiltrate Dimi's inner circle, and, finally, the kidnappers Viper and Artemis (Emmett Scanlan and Eve Mauro, respectively) who are bringing Jenny to the client who purchased her.  This leads to an epic showdown in which Cade must neutralize everyone (literally everyone!) involved in order to rescue Jenny and return home to his daughter.  One does not go to movies like this for the plot (this one is convoluted and messy) or for the acting (some of the performances are incredibly cheesy at times).  Rather, one goes to movies like this for the action and Statham (doing what he does best) executes the thrilling fight choreography very effectively as Cade improvises with whatever tools he has at hand.  I especially loved a scene in which Cade fights against two henchmen in the back of a van while he is restrained and the final shootout is a definite crowd-pleaser.  (However, my nephew and I could not suspend our disbelief when the henchmen are unable to hit Cade with a barrage of gunfire as he flees on a motorcycle in a straight line in front of them).  In addition to the action, I also enjoyed seeing a bit of heart in Cade's characterization as a father protecting a daughter as well as his touching interactions with Merry and Jenny.  This is exactly what I was expecting and, if you are a fan of Statham's other movies, I'm sure you will enjoy this.

The Sound of Music at CPT

There are a few shows that just put a smile on my face no matter how many times I see them and The Sound of Music is definitely one of them because my mom loved it so much during the final year of her life. Last night my sisters and I went to see a production at CPT and all three of us really loved it! The story of how a prospective nun named Maria Rainer (Emily Henwood) brings music back to the household of Captain von Trapp (Clay Rockwood) when she becomes the governess to his seven children is so heartwarming and I always anticipate all of my favorite songs (although the order is a little bit different from the movie and I always find that a bit disorienting because I've watched the movie so many times). I really have to stop myself from singing along to every one of them! Henwood has a beautiful voice and her performance is lovely. Her interactions with the von Trapp children, Liesl (Kali Garrett), Friedrich (Jack Fillmore), Louisa (Audrie Corbaley), Kurt (Ty Wilson), Brigitta (Malan Poll), Marta (Eleanor Stephens), and Gretl (Kacey Kemp), are endearing in the songs "Do-Re-Mi" and "The Lonely Goatherd" and those with Rockwood when they dance the Landler and in the song "Something Good" are incredibly romantic. I always enjoy watching the young actress who plays Gretl and Kemp is adorable but in this production Poll steals the show as Brigitta because her line deliveries and facial expressions are hilarious (be sure to watch her if you see the show). I also really liked Garrett's performance because her chemistry with Drew Dunshee, who plays Rolf, is really sweet in "Sixteen Going on Seventeen." Other highlights are Valerie Parker's powerful rendition of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and Rockwood's emotional performance of "Edelweiss." There are some interesting variations in the staging of several numbers, including having Captain von Trapp and the children walk towards Maria during the wedding, having soldiers stationed throughout the theater wearing Nazi armbands during the music festival (it is so ominous), and having the von Trapp family climb to safety through a window in the abbey. The use of archival footage projected on screens around the stage, which I have never seen done before, is also very powerful. Finally, the set is absolutely incredible! It features a large structure that resembles a cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows on top and a snow-capped mountain with a valley filled with flowers below. This structure opens up to become the von Trapp villa with a spectacular double staircase and a terrace while dramatic set pieces are moved on and off stage to become Nonnberg Abbey and other locations (the large eagle and swastika over the stage during the music festival is particularly striking). This show is a classic for a reason and every aspect of CPT's production is outstanding! I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) but they are going fast so don't delay!

No Other Land

Last night I went to see the Academy Award winning documentary No Other Land at the Broadway and, no matter where you stand on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, you cannot help but feel devastated and heartbroken after seeing firsthand the fate of people who have been displaced from land owned by their families for generations and who now have no place to go.  In 1980 the Israeli government declares that Masafer Yatta, a collection of 20 rural villages on the southern edge of the West Bank, will now be used for military training.  After a protracted legal battle fighting against expulsion, the Israeli high court rules against the villagers and the army begins demolishing homes with bulldozers.  Basel Adra, inspired by the activism of his parents against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, decides to to start documenting the destruction in 2019 with the hope that people might be moved by what they see and do something to help.  He gains the attention of an Israeli journalist named Yuval Abraham, who disagrees with what the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank, and together they shoot footage with Hamdan Hallal, a Palestinian filmmaker, and Rachel Szor, an Israeli cinematographer and editor.  The images they capture are visceral and very difficult to watch.  I was in tears when a mother begs the soldiers to stop the bulldozers from tearing down her house because her two daughters are still inside and they tell her that they don't care, when the soldiers shoot a man because he won't give them his generator, when the mother of this man tearfully wishes that he would die because she doesn't have a house in which to care for him now that he is paralyzed, and when a family goes looking for any of their chickens that might still be alive after the soldiers bulldoze their chicken coop but the scene that affected me the most is when a group of crying children watch their school bulldozed to the ground.  I was really struck by the attitude of the Israeli soldiers, which ranges from callous indifference to outright cruelty, towards the villagers in the name of following the law.  However, I was also struck by the growing friendship between Basel and Yuval, contemporaries who have very different lives simply because they were born 30 miles apart, in scenes where they discuss the ongoing conflict because it gives some hope that Israelis and Palestinians might eventually be able to work together for peace despite the events of October 2023 depicted in the epilogue.  This is one of the most powerful and important documentaries I've seen and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to see it (it still does not have a distribution deal in the U.S. so independent theaters like the Broadway are screening it on their own).

The Alto Knights

Last night I went to see The Alto Knights with my nephew.  I was very intrigued by the idea of having the same actor play the two main characters but I eventually found this gimmick to be incredibly tedious.  Frank Costello and Vito Genovese (Robert De Niro) were once childhood friends who got their start in the criminal underworld as bootleggers.  The hotheaded Genovese is forced to flee the country in order to avoid a double murder charge and this leaves the more diplomatic Costello in charge of their organization.  While World War II keeps Genovese trapped in Europe, Costello legitimizes much of their business, which makes him and members of their organization very wealthy, and he also takes an interest in politics and the charities organized by his wife Bobbie (Debra Messing).  When Genovese eventually returns, he wants to go back to business as usual and to expand into narcotics but Costello strenuously objects to this.  They each vie for control of their organization until Genovese orders an unauthorized hit on Costello, which he survives.  The rest of the narrative, which is convoluted and moves at a glacial pace, focuses on how Costello attempts to leave organized crime and retire.  This is a true story that culminates in a raid that brings organized crime to the attention of the FBI but I didn't find it very compelling.  I actually found it very confusing because there are a lot of secondary characters and they are not developed very well (one very important character is assassinated in a barber shop and I didn't know who he was or why his death had such an impact on the organization until I researched it after the movie).  Even though De Niro does a good job differentiating the two characters (it is amusing to see him play off himself several times when the two characters sit down for meetings), I found it very distracting because I always had to wait until the character spoke to determine who was who.  The best thing about this movie is the 1950s production design, especially all of the cars, but the archival footage does get a bit old.  I would only recommend this to fans of gangster movies but there are definitely better ones out there to watch instead.

Note:  My nephew told me that he could tell I was bored watching this because I kept fidgeting.

Jazz vs. Celtics

Last night I went to another Utah Jazz game with my friend Angela and I had a lot of fun even though the Boston Celtics beat them pretty soundly.  I think there were twice as many Celtics fans than Jazz fans (a conservative estimate) at the Delta Center and that made it really interesting because they were very vocal whenever their team scored (and that happened often).  The Jazz won the opening tip off and Collin Sexton scored with a jump shot.  One minute later he got a nice three-point shot to put the Jazz ahead 5-0.  I joked that this would be the only lead the Jazz would have during the whole game and, sadly, I was right!  Boston went on to score six three-point shots out of their first seven baskets and they ended the first quarter firmly in control leading Utah 35-18.  The Jazz really struggled with offensive rebounds but they stayed competitive in the second quarter to end the first half down 60-51.  The Jazz battled back in the third quarter with three three-pointers from Sexton and a nice shot from Keyonte George to cut Boston's lead to 71-69.  Then Jayson Tatum (a lot of people sitting near us were wearing his jersey) scored 19 seconds later and that sparked a 13-0 run to put the Celtics up 89-75 at the end of the quarter.  Sexton, who ended the night with an impressive 30 points, and George tried to keep it close in the fourth quarter but Payton Prtchard scored 10 points to lead the Celtics to a 121-99 victory.  It seemed like the only fans in the arena at the end of the game were wearing green!  It has been hard to be a Jazz fan this season (we have the worst record in the entire NBA) but it is always fun to go to games with Angela!

Snow White

I was really interested in the new live-action remake of Snow White because I wanted to determine for myself if the online furor about it was warranted.  Now that I have seen it I can say that some, but definitely not all, of the criticism is unfair and I actually liked it.  A young Snow White (Emilia Faucher) is taught by her parents, the King (Hadley Fraser) and Queen (Lorena Andrea), to be kind and fair to the people of the kingdom but darkness comes when her mother dies and the King marries a temptress (Gal Gadot).  She becomes an Evil Queen after the King is lost in a faraway war and keeps Snow White (Rachel Zegler) locked in the castle as a servant.  The Evil Queen becomes jealous when her Mirror (voiced by Patrick Page) tells her that Snow White is now the fairest one of all so she commands her Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) to kill her and bring back her heart.  He releases her in the forest, instead, where she meets seven dwarfs and a bandit named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap).  When the Evil Queen learns of this deception, she attempts to kill Snow White herself with a poisoned apple but the spell is broken by Jonathan and love's first kiss.  The seven dwarfs as well as Jonathan and his bandits help Snow White become the leader the King knew she could be and she defeats the Evil Queen.  In my opinion, the story is quite faithful to the original (more so than I was led to believe) but I did really like the updates, including the development of the romance between Snow White and Jonathan before the kiss happens and the defeat of the Evil Queen by Snow White's kindness to the people.  I loved Rachel Zegler's charismatic performance and I really enjoyed the new songs, especially "Waiting on a Wish," "Princess Problems," and the romantic "A Hand Meets a Hand" (fun versions of "Heigh-Ho" and "Whistle While You Work" are also included).  The CGI animals are absolutely adorable and the scene where Snow White meets them in the forest is enchanting.  However, the GGI for the seven dwarfs is really creepy!  Their eyes are realistic but their faces are cartoonish and I couldn't get past how weird that combination looked whenever they were on screen.  Gal Gadot is terrible because some of her line readings made me want to laugh (not in a good way) and her singing is even worse (although I did like special effects in her transformation into a hag).  This is not the best live-action remake I've seen (Cinderella holds that title) but it is not as bad as people are saying and I recommend giving it a chance.

Last Breath

My sister recommended the movie Last Breath very highly to me so I braved a snowstorm to see it last night.  I really enjoyed this riveting true story about a group of saturation divers who repair underwater pipelines in the North Sea.  Veteran Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson), taciturn and unemotional David Yuasa (Simu Liu), and rookie Chris Lemon (Finn Cole) are deployed 100 meters beneath the surface for routine repairs when their support vessel loses power, and the dynamic positioning system fails, during a storm.  This causes the vessel to drift away from the dive site while David and Chris are underwater.  David is able to make it to safety on the diving platform, known as the "bell," but Chris's umbilical cord is snapped leaving him untethered without a communications link to the surface, power for his light, and, more importantly, air to breathe.  He is left with only ten minutes of air from his auxiliary tank while David, Duncan, and the crew on the ship mount a desperate attempt to rescue him.  This is very straightforward without a lot of embellishment but it is still incredibly tense, almost unbearably so, and there were several times when I was on the edge of my seat and holding my breath.  The hand-held underwater cinematography, atmospheric lighting, and dramatic sound design add to the sense of claustrophobia and terror.  The performances are solid and I really enjoyed seeing all of the technical aspects involved in this highly dangerous job, particularly the pressurized pods the divers must live in for the entire duration of their rotation.  I definitely recommend this taut thriller, especially now that it is available to stream.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Los Angeles

Over the weekend my sister Kristine and I went on a quick road trip to Los Angeles to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Pantages Theatre and we had so much fun!  I saw this show several years ago in San Francisco when it was performed in two parts so I was really intrigued to see the new production and my sister, who is a huge Harry Potter fan, was even more excited to see it for the first time.  We both loved it because it is absolutely magical!  It is nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts and Harry Potter (John Skelley) now works for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his wife Ginny Potter (Trish Lindstrom) writes for The Daily Prophet, Hermione Granger (Ebony Blake) is the Minister of Magic, and her husband Ron Weasley (Matt Mueller) manages Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.  Their children Albus Potter (Emmet Smith) and Rose Granger-Weasley (Naiya Vanessa McCalla) are on their way to Hogwarts when the story begins.  Albus soon forms an unlikely friendship with Scorpius Malfoy (Aidan Close), the son of Harry's nemesis Draco (Benjamin Thys).  They are drawn together because they are both unpopular and bullied.  Albus is bothered by his father's notoriety and feels that he is a disappointment while Scorpius is plagued by unfounded rumors that he is really the son of Lord Voldemort.  They feel that they have something to prove so, with the help of Delphi Diggory (Julia Nightingale), they steal a time-turner from the Ministry of Magic in order to go back in time to save Cedric Diggory (Caleb Hafen) from his fate.  This has unintended consequences and now Scorpius must enlist Hermione, Ron, and Severus Snape (Larry Yando) to help him go back in time to change the future back.  However, Delphi has her own reasons for wanting Cedric to return and compels Scorpius and Albus to use the time-turner once again to restore the alternate timeline which leads to an epic confrontation in Godric's Hollow.  Even though this new version is close to three hours long, there are obviously some elements that have been removed from the earlier one but I honestly didn't miss anything.  The biggest changes I noticed were that the Dementors appear on stage rather than fly through the audience (I was a bit disappointed but my sister still thought they were really cool) and the relationship between Albus and Scorpius is more romantic than I remember.  I really loved the touching story about father-son relationships, the fun performances (my favorite was Close and my sister's was Mackenzie Lesser-Roy as Moaning Myrtle), and the iconic costumes and sets (fans of Harry Potter will immediately recognize the Gothic architecture, the House Banners, and the moving staircases at Hogwarts) but the way the magic is staged is what makes this show so amazing!  Seeing the students run through Platform 9 3/4, use their wands, travel by flue powder, and drink polyjuice potion caused the audience to gasp out loud but the duel between Harry and Draco and the transfiguration scene received spontaneous applause!  The staging of other scenes is also very clever, particularly when Albus and Scorpius jump off the Hogwarts Express, when they emerge from the lake, and when they are separated by the moving staircases.  Even the choreography used by the ensemble to move set pieces on and off stage is incredibly dynamic!  The show is absolutely spellbinding (pun intended) and I am so glad that I had the chance to see it again, especially with my sister!  It will be on tour in various cities through 2026 (I hope it eventually comes to SLC) and I highly recommend getting a ticket if you have the opportunity.

Note:  I had to drive through a severe snow storm and my sister had to drive in Los Angeles traffic.  I'm not sure which was worse (although we still had the best time on this trip).

Black Bag

My nephew and I went to a Thursday preview of Black Bag last night.  We were both really looking forward to it and we were not disappointed.  When George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), an intelligence agent who specializes in administering polygraphs, is given a list of five agents who might be responsible for allowing a cyber worm capable of destabilizing a nuclear facility, code name Severus, to fall into the wrong hands, he is dismayed to see that his wife, fellow agent Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), is one of them.  He has a week to find the traitor so he invites the other agents, Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) and Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), who are a couple, and James Stokes (Rege-Jean Page) and Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris), who are also a couple, to an elaborate dinner at his home with Kathryn whereupon he provokes them into revealing intimate details about themselves (in a fabulous tension-filled scene).  He eventually zeroes in on Kathryn and initiates surveillance on her black bag activities (anything too sensitive to be revealed even to a spouse) but is his motivation to expose her or to protect her?  This is a slick and stylish spy thriller but it focuses more on the loyalties and betrayals that happen within three relationships more than those that happen between countries and, in my opinion, that makes it even more compelling.  It also focuses more on dialogue than on action (although there is a great sequence involving a drone), especially in a brilliantly edited scene involving polygraph tests because the answers to the questions posed reveal everything (if you are paying attention).  It is so much fun watching Fassbender and Blanchett spar with each other while delivering the witty dialogue and the rest of the cast is also excellent (Burke is so good at playing a cad).  I love intelligent thrillers and this is a good one.  Go see it!

Rule Breakers

I am a sucker for inspirational movies so I went to see Rule Breakers last night and I really enjoyed this true story about one woman's quest to empower young girls in Afghanistan through science and technology education.  After she was denied the opportunity to use the computers at her school because of her gender, Roya Mahboob (Nikohl Boosheri) eventually teaches herself how to code using a computer in a local cafe, campaigns for computer classes for women at her university, becomes an entrepreneur in the tech field, and establishes computer classes at high schools for girls.  However, she wants to do more and, with the support of her brother Ali (Noorin Gulamgaus) and an Indian tech entrepreneur (Ali Fazal), she decides to sponsor a girls robotics team with the hope of taking them to international competitions and recruits four highly qualified girls, including Taara (Nina Hosseinzadeh), Esin (Amber Afzali), Haadiya (Sara Malal Rowe), and Arezo (Mariam Saraj).  They face many obstacles (so many obstacles!), experience personal tragedy, and receive backlash from the Taliban before they eventually triumph through dedication and determination.  This is incredibly moving and there were moments when I had tears in my eyes over what these girls had to go through in order to achieve their dreams.  I also think this is an important story to tell about the power of knowledge to change the world, particularly now that girls in Afghanistan no longer have access to education beyond the sixth grade.  The performances are all outstanding but I do wish that the movie had developed the characters, especially the girls on the team, more fully because I wanted to know more about them.  My only other complaint is that the scenes at the robotics competitions focus more on the party atmosphere (are robotics competitions really like this?) rather than on what the teams are actually doing and how they are being judged.  The heartwarming story definitely overcomes these minor issues and I highly recommend it!

Les Miserables at the Eccles

The first time I saw Les Miserables while on a study abroad trip to London, I was almost overcome when I heard those dramatic opening notes and, even though I have now seen it more times than I can count, I was still still incredibly moved when I heard them again at the Eccles Theatre last night.  I always wait with great anticipation for all of my favorite numbers and I loved every one of them in this production because it has one of the best casts I've ever seen!  As expected, Nick Cartell (who also played Jean Valjean that last time this show was in town) gives a highly emotional performance of "Bring Him Home" but I was actually moved to tears during Valjean's "Soliloquy" because his transformation is palpable.  I don't think I have ever had such a strong reaction to this song before but I was an absolute mess after Cartell's beautiful rendition.  Lindsay Heather Pearce, as Fantine, is heartbreaking in her version of "I Dreamed a Dream" because you can really feel her disillusionment.  Nick Rehberger, as Javert, is incredibly powerful during "Stars" because he just about blows the roof off of the Eccles Theatre.  Christian Mark Gibbs, as Enjolras, is especially stirring in "Red and Black" and "Do You Hear the People Sing" because I wanted to stand up and cheer (I really loved his voice).  Jake David Smith, as Marius, is absolutely devastating in his performance of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" because I was reduced to tears once again by his anguish during this scene.  I was also really struck by Andrew Marks Maughan, as Combeferre, because I loved both his physicality (he is very tall) and his voice in "Red and Black," "Do You Hear the People Sing," and "Drink with Me to Days Gone By."  Finally, I always judge every production by how Eponine sings "On My Own" (my favorite song in the show) and Mya Rena Hunter absolutely delivered.  She imbues this song (as well as "A Little Fall of Rain") with a vulnerability that is in sharp contrast to her previous interactions with Marius and I loved this characterization.  I love the new staging without the turntable because the sets are more elaborate and truer to the events in the novel, especially in "Look Down" and "At the End of the Day," and the new backdrops feature Victor Hugo's original illustrations which are very striking.  The only element that I miss from the original staging is when the turntable slowly rotates to reveal Enjolras upside down on the barricade with the flag (he is now shown with the flag on a dogcart but it isn't as dramatic).  I love this show and I love that it still has the power to affect me in such a profound way every time I see it.  There are still tickets available for the five remaining performances (go here) and I highly recommend it!

Utah Opera's Pagliacci

Last night I went to Utah Opera's wonderful performance of Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo and, even though it is very short (the last production I saw was part of a double bill), it is filled with emotion and I loved it.  A traveling commedia dell'arte acting troupe arrives in a small town to give a performance, much to the delight of the crowd.  The troupe consists of Canio (Jonathan Burton) who plays Pagliacci, his wife Nedda (Lydia Grindatto) who plays Columbina, Tonio (Darren Drone) who plays Taddeo, and Beppe (Aaron McKone) who plays Arlecchino.  Canio is worried that Nedda might be having an affair but he is persuaded to drink at the pub with the townspeople and leaves Nedda alone.  Tonio finds her and professes his love but she refuses his advances mercilessly.  Nedda is actually having an affair with Silvio (Eleomar Cuello) and, when Tonio sees them together, he informs Canio in order to punish her for her harsh treatment of him.  Canio is devastated but, singing what is arguably one of the most famous arias in the repertoire, he says that he will drown his sorrows with laughter when he plays Pagliacci on stage.  Art imitates life as Columbina flirts with Arlecchino while Taddeo stands guard but, when Pagliacci comes home early to find the lovers, Canio's reaction is real and he declares that he is no longer Pagliacci.  The crowd is impressed by the passion his performance but they are soon horrified when he dramatically kills both Nedda and Silvio, who is in the audience.  Canio tells the crowd that the performance is over as he stands forlornly in the middle of the stage.  I was very impressed by the entire cast!  Burton's emotional performance of the aforementioned aria "Vesti la giubba" is so heartbreaking that I had tears in my eyes.  I was also very moved by Grindatto's rendition of the aria "Stridono lassu" as Nedda yearns to be as free as the birds she sees in the sky (the Utah Symphony, under the baton of Joseph Coloneri, performs this beautifully because it is so light and airy that it really sounds like birds) and I loved her interactions with Cuello in the duet "Silvio! a quest'ora" because he also has a beautiful voice and the two of them have tremendous chemistry.  In addition, the Utah Opera Chorus and the Choristers of the Madeleine Choir School are captivating and add a lot of energy as excited townspeople eager for a performance.  Finally, I loved the colorful costumes and set (the set within a set for the troupe's performance is really clever) because they really bring the Italian countryside to life.  I'm so glad I decided to get a ticket and I recommend that you get one (go here) for one of the three remaining performances.

Novocaine

Last night my nephew and I went to an early access screening of Novocaine and we both had a blast with it.  Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is a mild-mannered assistant bank manager with a rare genetic disorder, called congenital insensitivity to pain, that causes him to lead a very lonely existence.  When he begins a relationship with a co-worker named Sherry (Amber Midthunder), he thinks that he has found the love of his life.  Three criminals dressed as Santa Claus (Ray Nicholson, Conrad Kemp, and Evan Hengst) rob the bank where they work and take Sherry hostage so Nate decides to go after them to get her back and uses the fact that he can't feel any pain to his advantage.  This has a clever premise with action sequences that are brutal and unrelenting (the gory images might be too much for some) but also very amusing, especially a scene where Nate pretends to react to being tortured by one of the bank robbers.  Quaid is really appealing as a nerdy introvert who becomes an unlikely hero and his interactions with Midthunder and Jacob Batalon, who plays Nate's online gaming friend who is called upon to rescue him in real life, are incredibly charming.  He excels at playing these kinds of goofy roles but he also does a good job in the action sequences and has great comedic timing.  There is a really obvious plot twist but it hardly matters because it is just so much fun.  I recommend seeing with it a group of friends and a big tub of popcorn.

Mickey 17

Last night my nephew and I saw Mickey 17 with a large crowd at the Broadway and it is the most fun I have had at a movie this year!  Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) and his friend Timo (Steven Yeun) are on the run from a loan shark and decide that their only option is to join a crew leaving Earth to colonize the planet Niflheim under the leadership of a failed politician named Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his scheming wife Ylfa (Toni Collette).  Timo signs up as a pilot but, because he has no skills, Mickey signs up as an "expendable" which means that he is given lethal assignments and is reprinted with his memories intact every time he dies.  On the voyage to Niflheim, Mickey begins a relationship with a security guard named Nasha Barridge (Naomi Ackie) and is reprinted seventeen times.  Once on Niflheim, Mickey 17 is assigned to capture one of the native lifeforms, insect-like creatures dubbed "creepers."  When he falls into a crevasse and is swarmed by the creepers, he is presumed dead and is reprinted again but the creepers rescue him resulting in two iterations which is forbidden.  Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 fight each other for control but they ultimately join with Nasha to save the creepers, and the planet, from Marshall's tyranny.  This is a hilarious satire with commentary on the evils of authoritarianism, religion (one of the funniest scenes is when Marshall's religious advisor, played by Daniel Henshall, leads a group in song), and colonialism as well as the ethics of cloning, the fear of death, and the futility of guilt.  Admittedly, there is a lot going on and the narrative does become a bit unwieldy with lots of subplots and unnecessary characters but the theme that resonates the most is the economic disparity found in a post-capitalist society (which is popular with director Bong Joon Ho).  Pattinson gives an absolutely bonkers performance (with two more silly voices in his repertoire and an impressive physicality) that is both highly sympathetic and fun to watch.  Ruffalo and Collette are completely over the top but I suspect that people will either love or hate what Ruffalo does with the character.  The production design and visual effects are distinctive and add to the overall dystopian tone and I loved the ponderous score.  This will not be for everyone but the dark humor really worked for me and I had a blast watching it with a crowd who laughed out loud every time I did.

Fiddler on the Roof at Hopebox Theatre

I first learned about Hopebox Theatre at the SCERA gala (they were also honored for their contribution to the arts) and I was really impressed by their mission of bringing hope to someone in the community who is battling cancer (they donate a portion of the ticket sales during the run of a show to a nominated recipient) so I knew that I wanted to support them. Their current production is Fiddler on the Roof and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it last night. It tells the well-known story of Tevye (Jacob Draper), a poor Jewish dairyman living in the small Russian village of Anatevka at the turn of the century, and the traditions he clings to in order to guard against the harsh realities of life until his three oldest daughters, Tzeitel (Sidney Brown), Hodel (Abby Rubin), and Chava (Rachel Stephenson), push against them when finding a match. The performances by the talented cast are all outstanding and I had a smile on my face during all of my favorite songs, especially "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" by Brown, Rubin, and Stephenson, "If I Were a Rich Man" by Draper, and "Far From the Home I Love" by Stephenson. The Hopebox Theatre features a small thrust stage and this production has a large cast so I was particularly impressed by the dynamic choreography in "Tradition," "To Life," "Sunrise, Sunset," and "The Bottle Dance" because it makes very good use of the space and I absolutely loved "Tevye's Dream" because Fruma-Sarah (Andrea Whootton) appears very simply by running out on stage but it is still quite dramatic because of the costumes and lighting design (I am always intrigued by how she appears because I once played her and I came up through the bed). I was also impressed by lots of little details that make this production stand out from the many that I've seen before, most notably the extended interactions between Tevye and the Fiddler (Jennifer Ostermiller) during his monologues, the care taken with the authenticity of the religious ceremonies (it is incredibly moving when Tevye removes the mezuzah from the doorpost before leaving Anatevka), and the dance sequence between Chava and Tevye before Fyedka (CJ Rawlins) steps in during "Chavaleh (Little Bird)." The elaborate set features a house and barn made of weathered wood with objects such as benches, blocks, and doors that are cleverly moved and configured to become the village inn, Motel's tailor shop, the railway station, and other locations. This is a great production for an even greater cause (go here to read about Wendy Thurman) and I definitely recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 15.

The Monkey

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was The Monkey.  I was really looking forward to this and, even though a lot of liberties are taken with the original short story by Stephen King, I enjoyed it.  Petey Shelburn (Adam Scott) attempts to get rid of a toy monkey before abandoning his twin sons Bill and Hal (Christian Convery) but they eventually find it in a closet of his belongings.  They wind a key, which makes the monkey play its drum, and their babysitter Annie (Danica Dreyer) is decapitated in a freakish accident soon after.  Hal attributes Annie's death to the monkey and, after Bill bullies him in a cruel incident at school, he turns the key hoping that Bill will be its next victim but it is his mother Lois (Tatiana Maslany) who dies.  They are taken in by their aunt Ida (Sarah Levy) and uncle Chip (Osgood Perkins) who live in a small town in Mane but, when Chip becomes the next victim, Bill and Hal throw the monkey in a well.  Decades later, the brothers (now played by Theo James) are estranged and Hal is horrified when he realizes that the monkey has mysteriously reappeared after Ida dies in another unusual accident.  Terrified for his young son Petey (Colin O'Brien), from whom is is also estranged, Hal returns to Maine in order to find the monkey but he finds more carnage and an even bigger threat.  This is absolutely bonkers with some really wild and gruesome scenes (my favorites are when someone is electrocuted in a swimming pool and when someone's head is smashed by a swinging bowling ball) but I think this absurdist tone works because it emphasizes the irrational fear of death that keeps both Hal and Bill from living.  James gives a great performance, as both the sympathetic Hal and the villainous Bill, because it is his reaction to the almost comical deaths that creates the tension.  I also enjoyed several hilarious cameos, particularly Nicco Del Rio as a clueless priest and Elijah Wood as young Petey's stepfather.  Finally, the design of the monkey is really unnerving and I found the eyes to be especially malevolent.  A lot of horror movies that I've seen in the past year begin with an intriguing premise and then unravel as they go on, including Longlegs which was also directed by Osgood Perkins, but I actually loved the ending of The Monkey because it reiterates the theme that death is inevitable and you have to find a way to live anyway.  I highly recommend this to fans of horror.

Riff Raff

Last night I went to a double feature at the Broadway and I started with Riff Raff because I thought it would be a lot of fun with such a great cast.  It wasn't.  A retired hitman named Vincent (Ed Harris) is celebrating the holidays at his vacation home in Maine with his second family, wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union) and stepson DJ (Miles J. Harvey), who know nothing about his former occupation.  However, his carefully crafted new life is disrupted when his son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) unexpectedly arrives in the middle of the night with his pregnant girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini) and his inebriated mother, Vincent's ex-wife, Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge).  Through endless flashbacks, we learn that Rocco is being pursued by Vincent's former partner Lefty (Bill Murray) and Lefty's new associate Lonnie (Pete Davidson) for reasons.  This eventually leads to a violent confrontation in which Vincent must reconcile his past with his present.  The convoluted story unfolds at such a glacial pace that, by the time everything is revealed, I didn't really care any more because I was so bored.  The ensemble cast is stacked but the performances are surprisingly bland because they all just seem to be going through the motions portraying characters they've played before.  Finally, this doesn't work as a crime drama because the scenes of violence happen so haphazardly or as a comedy because it is not funny (the only time I laughed was during a brief scene with Vincent's overly helpful neighbors).  This had so much potential but it is ultimately very disappointing and I recommend giving this a miss.

The Pajama Game at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I had never seen the musical The Pajama Game before so I was really excited to attend a production at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse last night. It is a fun old-fashioned show with lots of songs that I recognized. Romance is in the air at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa but things really heat up when a new Superintendent named Sid Sorokin (Nick Balaich) falls for the leader of the union grievance committee Katherine "Babe" Williams (Clarissa Wykstra). They fall in love but their relationship is tested when Mr. Hasler (Spencer Stevens), the owner of the factory, refuses to give the workers a 7 1/2 cent raise and they find themselves on opposite sides of the dispute. Even though the story takes place in the 1950s, the issues are still just as relevant today and I liked that compromise is used to settle the conflict between management and labor as well as the one between the sexes (although some of the characters behave in ways that are very dated and problematic). I can't decide if it is the dialogue that is stilted or if it is the delivery but sometimes the pacing is very sluggish, particularly a scene that is so awkward it made me think that the actors were ad-libbing in order to stall long enough for a costume change that took longer than usual. However, the actors really shine during the big song and dance numbers. Balaich has a beautiful tenor voice and his performance of "Hey There" (one of the songs I immediately recognized) is incredibly touching and it was the highlight of the show for me, Wykstra is confident and sassy, especially in the song "I'm Not At All in Love," and the two of them are perfect foils to each other in the delightful "Small Talk" and "There Once Was a Man" (the other song I recognized). The ensemble do a fantastic job with the energetic choreography in "Once a Year Day," "Think of the Time I Save," and "7 1/2 Cents" and these numbers are so fun to watch. I also really loved "Racing With the Clock," especially when it is slowed down in the reprise to mimic the slow down in production, the Fosse-inspired "Steam Heat" because it is dazzling, and the sultry "Hernando's Hideaway" because the choreography is so dynamic (the lighting design is very effective in this number). The set and costumes are colorful and nostalgic and I especially loved the retro sewing machines and all of the pajamas during the bows. While there are issues, the cast is enthusiastic and the show is very entertaining. It runs on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through April 5 (go here for tickets).

Jazz vs. Pelicans

My friend Angela has a Utah Jazz season ticket package and she very graciously lets me pick a few games to attend with her.  Last night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans was my first of the season.  The Jazz have not been doing very well and last night most of the veterans, including Markkanen, Kessler, Collins, Clarkson, and Sexton, were out with injuries.  The Pelicans took an early lead and kept it for three quarters and, honestly, I kind of stopped paying attention to the game and just chatted with Angela (I hadn't seen her for a long time) which was actually a lot of fun.  Then there was a spark when Cody Williams made a three-point shot at the beginning of the fourth quarter to give the Jazz their first lead of the game.  It got really exciting when the Jazz went on a 27-8 run, including five baskets from Oscar Tshiebwe, to go up 100-94.  The crowd got loud and it really seemed like we had a chance to win but then CJ McCollum hit three straight three-pointers for New Orleans to put them ahead 118-108.  This deflated the crowd and the Jazz ended up losing 128-121 despite 28 points from Keyonte George and 21 from Brice Sensabaugh.  This game was dubbed the battle of the two worst teams in the Western Conference but I had a great time despite the loss (and despite seeing my favorite former Jazz player Kelly Olynyk score 26 points for the Pelicans).

Note:  With five seconds left in the game, the Jazz got a delay of game technical foul after Hardy called a timeout. We thought it was really weird but it turns out the Jazz didn't have any timeouts left.

Between the Lines at the Empress Theatre

I had never heard of the musical Between the Lines before but, when I read the description, I knew that it was obviously written for me because I usually prefer fictional characters to real people! I saw it last night at the Empress Theatre and I absolutely loved it! Delilah McPhee (Ashley Bates) is a seventeen year old girl trying to navigate her parents' divorce and a new school where she is bullied by the mean girl Allie McAndrews (Dusti Mulder) and her friends (Connor Alldredge, Talitha Jo Garrison, Tyler Parkin, and Emma Mendisabal). She finds solace in a children's fairy tale called Between the Lines and is drawn to the protagonist Prince Oliver (Alex Parkin). After a particularly stressful argument with her mother Grace (Lisa Shortridge), Oliver appears to Delilah and she tells him that she wishes that she could be part of his world. However, he tells her that things are not necessarily better in a fairy tale because they must live the same story over and over whenever someone reads it. They conspire to be together but Delilah eventually learns that she must write her own story. As someone who spent a lot of time reading during adolescence to escape from reality, I loved this story and I think anyone who has ever felt different will really enjoy it. The songs are a lot of fun and I especially loved "Mr. Darcy and Me" which is sung by the librarian Ms. Winx (Katelyn Johnson) when Delilah asks her if she has ever had a relationship with a fictional character and "Happily Ever After Hour" when the characters in Between the Lines lament the fact that they can never be who they really are because they must perform for the reader. The young cast does a fantastic job and I was really impressed with every performance! Bates is captivating and she sings "Another Chapter," "Between the Lines," and "A Whole New Story" with so much emotion. Parkin is incredibly appealing in the songs "In My Perfect World" with Bates and "Something to Hold On To" and I loved all of his physical comedy. The ensemble, who play characters in both worlds, is really strong and I enjoyed the songs "Inner Thoughts," especially when the dumb jock Ryan steps forward to sing but doesn't have any lines, and "Out of Character" because I always appreciate tap dancing. The set is one of my favorites at the Empress because it focuses on books with bookcases, book covers, and book pages located all around the theatre. Whenever the characters from Between the Lines appear, they enter from a bookcase that rotates to become a page from the book and this is such a clever way to denote which world we are in. This is an enchanting production and I highly recommend it! There were a lot of empty seats last night and I would love for more people to see this (go here for tickets). It runs at the Empress Theatre through March 15.