Little Shop of Horrors at CPT

Little Shop of Horrors is such a fun show and I loved seeing a fantastic production at CPT with my sisters and nephew last night. Seymour (Jake Heywood) and Audrey (Janae Klumpp-Gibb) both work in a run-down flower shop on Skid Row but the owner, Mr. Mushnik (Robert Gibbons), decides to close it because there are no customers. Seymour thinks that an unusual plant, which he found during a total eclipse of the sun and named Audrey II after his co-worker, will bring more business. The shop becomes wildly successful but Mr. Mushnik is concerned because Audrey II isn't thriving. Seymour inadvertently discovers that Audrey II likes drinking his blood after he cuts himself on a thorn and, eventually, it grows to a giant size demanding more and more blood. When Seymour can't spare any more of his blood, he feeds it the body of Audrey's abusive boyfriend Orin Scrivello (Brock Dalgleish), a sadistic dentist who has an unfortunate laughing gas accident, which wins him the love of Audrey but makes Audrey II even more insatiable. Seymour enjoys the notoriety Audrey II brings him but soon feels guilty about everyone who has died so he could feed it. He decides to get rid of it but eventually he and Audrey succumb to Audrey II's evil plan for world domination! There is a girl group, including Crystal (Kortney King-Lives), Ronnette (Tory Sandoval), and Chiffon (Alexandria Bird), who narrates the show with music that is a mixture of rock and roll, doo-wop, and Motown and they sound amazing together. I also really loved Klumpp-Gibb's performance because she has a beautiful voice and her versions of "Somewhere That's Green" and "Suddenly Seymour" brought the house down. Heywood is awkwardly adorable in "Grow For Me" and Dalgleish is completely over the top in "Be A Dentist" but Austin Payne steals the show as the voice of Audrey II by singing the blues in "Feed Me (Git It)." All of the puppets used for Audrey II, which get bigger and bigger, are incredible and the way that they are manipulated by puppeteer Mitch Gibb is so much fun to watch! Finally, I loved the set which features a street on Skid Row with lots of really fun details (my favorite is the fire escape where the girls often appear). The exterior of Mushnik's Flower Shop opens up to reveal an interior that gets more elaborate as the show goes on, including more and more of Audrey II's tendrils which eventually reach out into the audience during "Finale Ultimo (Don't Feed the Plants)." The cute couple sitting next to me told me that I had a smile on my face during the whole show and I'm sure that I did because I had such a great time watching it. I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) during its run on the Mountain America Main Stage through October 14.

The Long Walk

I am a huge fan of Stephen King but the movie adaptations of his books are hit or miss with me (The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and The Shining are among my favorites and The Dark Tower is definitely my least favorite) so I was both excited and nervous to see The Long Walk last night with my nephew.  I am happy to report, Constant Readers, that it is in the former category!  It is set in a dystopian future in which an economic collapse after a devastating civil war has led to a totalitarian regime.  Circumstances have become so dire for the population that thousands of young men volunteer to be part of an annual televised event called "The Long Walk."  Fifty are chosen to compete and they must walk at a steady pace of 3 miles per hour (those who fall below that pace are given three warnings and then are executed by soldiers) along a predetermined route until only one is left to be declared the winner and rewarded with a substantial cash prize and the fulfillment of a wish.  The contest is overseen by the Major (Mark Hamill) who taunts the boys as they battle against fatigue, the elements, and their own inner demons.  At the start of the race Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) says an emotional goodbye to his mother Ginnie (Judy Greer), befriends Peter McVries (David Jonsson), Hank Olsen (Ben Wang), Arthur Baker (Tut Nyuot), Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick) and Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), and antagonizes Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer).  As the race continues for four brutal days and nights and the boys are killed one by one, Ray and Peter form a meaningful friendship and help each other survive as long as they can.  This is one of the bleakest movies I have ever seen because, not only is the story about people so desperate that they are willing to participate in an ordeal of state-sanctioned violence in which they have almost no chance of success just for the possibility of bettering their lives, it features color grading that is washed out and muted as well as locations that reflect the economic depression in the country (all of the towns they walk through seem abandoned and the spectators look as if they could be extras in The Grapes of Wrath).  However, I loved the portrayal of friendship and how the boys are able to comfort and support each other in moments of extreme duress and, even though the ending is ambiguous, I interpret it as somewhat hopeful for the fate of humanity.  I was very surprised by how compelling this movie is (I didn't think the premise could be sustained for so long) and this is due, in large part, to the dynamic performances of Hoffman and Jonsson (some of their interactions brought tears to my eyes).  I especially loved a monologue delivered by Jonsson in which he says that his whole life has been a long walk and that you just have to keep going.  This is extremely well done and I highly recommend it with the proviso that the violence is very graphic.

Silent Sky at Parker Theatre

I have seen two very different productions of the play Silent Sky, an elaborate and stylized one at HCT and a more stripped down version at the Empress Theatre, so I was really eager to see what Parker Theatre would do with it. I had the opportunity last night and I think the staging falls somewhere in between the two and I loved it just as much. It is a beautiful story about the real-life astronomer Henrietta Leavitt (Emma Widtfeldt) and her trailblazing discovery that allowed future astronomers to calculate the distance between galaxies. She begins working in the Observatory at Harvard University in 1900 as a human computer along with Annie Cannon (Emily Parker Holmgren) and Williamina Fleming (Hillary McChesney) and, even though they are not allowed to use the university's refracting telescope because they are women, her questions about the universe compel her to work long hours analyzing the images on the glass photographic plates taken from the telescope. However, her dedication to her work puts her at odds with her sister Margaret (Jalyn Bender) over family obligations and with her supervisor Peter Shaw (William McAllister) over their romantic relationship but her legacy is secured. What I love most about this story, besides seeing a group of strong and determined women defy societal expectations, is the exploration of what a legacy means through the juxtaposition of the two sisters. The play opens with Margaret receiving a marriage proposal and Henrietta receiving a job offer and this is very effective because it establishes that Margaret believes in home and family while Henrietta believes in opportunity and hard work. Then, in the epilogue, we learn about Margaret's children and grandchildren as well as the lasting impact of Henrietta's work (including the Hubble telescope) and that both legacies are equally valuable. Widtfeldt gives a lovely performance that is more subdued in the portrayal of Henrietta's romance with Peter but more passionate in her search for answers than I have seen before. I especially enjoyed her excitement when she makes an important connection while listening to her sister play the piano and her exhilaration at seeing her work published. The rest of the cast is also outstanding and I particularly loved McChesney's imperiousness (I laughed out loud at her sash and pamphlets) and McAllister's awkwardness. The set is simple but effective and includes an academic office with desks and stools (I loved the way the glass photographic plates are displayed) and smaller set pieces for Margaret's home in Wisconsin, Henrietta's apartment in Cambridge, and an ocean liner. There are stunning images from space projected on scrims multiple times throughout the show and the depiction of the telescope is very dramatic. The lighting design is also very dramatic, especially the spotlights on characters as they read letters to Henrietta. While each production that I've seen has been very different, the commonality is a beautiful and inspiring story and I highly recommend getting a ticket Parker's version playing Fridays and Saturdays through October 11. Go here for tickets.

National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire

Yesterday afternoon I was able to see a screening of the National Theatre Live production of A Streetcar Named Desire, filmed live in 2014 at the Young Vic in London, presented by the Tanner Humanities Center and Salt Lake Film Society.  I was blown away by this bold interpretation of the classic play by Tennessee Williams!  Blanche DuBois (Gillian Anderson) arrives unannounced at the New Orleans apartment of her sister Stella Kowalski (Vanessa Kirby) and tells her that she has lost Belle Reve, their ancestral home in Mississippi, and has taken a leave of absence from her teaching job.  She intends to stay for an indeterminate amount of time and this, along with her obvious disdain for the cramped apartment in a working class neighborhood, earns her the enmity of Stella's husband Stanley (Ben Foster).  The genteel Southern belle shows her contempt for the crude and often violent mechanic on a daily basis until he discovers that she is not quite as respectable as she pretends to be.  When Stanley ruins Blanche's chances with a new suitor (Corey Johnson), the two of them have a highly charged physical confrontation which forces Stella to choose between her sister and her husband.  This is over three hours long and I was completely riveted!  The most intriguing aspect of this production is the set because, not only is it very modern and minimalist (everything is a bright white and looks like it came from Ikea), it continually revolves which provides a 360 degree view of what is happening.  This staging allows the audience to see the characters during moments when they are not part of the action and this really emphasizes the claustrophobia of the Kowalski apartment.  It also gives a new perspective on the characters and I found them to be much more sympathetic than I usually do (especially when Stanley sits on the fire escape and overhears Blanche tell Stella to leave him and when Blanche soaks in the bathtub and overhears Stanley criticize her).  I think this was probably even more powerful live because the camera often dictates where the audience should look in the filmed version.  The three central performances are all outstanding but Anderson is absolutely brilliant because you can actually see moments of fragility behind the haughty exterior.  The scene when she comes undone in a ball gown, a rhinestone tiara, and smudged lipstick is very powerful but I found her expression when trying to summon her dignity before being led away by the doctor to be one of the most poignant things I've seen on stage (or screen).  My only criticism is that some of the anachronistic dialogue should have been cut to fit the more contemporary set, costumes, and music (I found the line about Edgar Allan Poe in reference to the Kowalski apartment to be incredibly incongruous).  I loved seeing this (I wish I could have seen it live) and I am looking forward to the upcoming National Theatre Live productions of Inter Alia on October 18 and Mrs. Warren's Profession on November 8 at the Broadway.

The Full Monty at the Grand Theatre

Last night I went to the musical The Full Monty at the Grand Theatre.  I saw the Broadway touring production but that was over 20 years ago so I was really excited to see it again!  An unemployed steel worker in Buffalo, New York named Jerry Lukowski (Aaron Naylor) is worried when his ex-wife Pam (Becca Lemon) threatens to take full custody of their son Nathan (Oscar Bateman-Rapier) because he hasn't been paying child support.  He and his best friend Dave Bukatinsky (Trevor Blair) follow Pam and Dave's wife Georgie (Maggie Gadd) into a club where they have gone to see the Chippendales dancers and he gets the idea to form a striptease group himself to make some fast cash.  He eventually convinces Dave, who is self-conscious about his weight, and they recruit Malcolm MacGregor (Darrin Burnett), who is under the thumb of his invalid mother Molly (Chloe Ray Wood), and coerce Harold Nichols (Skylar Hawker), who hasn't told his materialistic wife Vicki (Alexa Shaheen) that he lost his job.  After they hold try-outs at the abandoned steel mill with Jeanette (Brandwynn Michelle), a chain-smoking veteran of show business who came with the piano, and add Noah "Horse" Simmons (Kiirt Banks), who is old with arthritis but can really dance, and Ethan Girad (Ian Fernandez Andersen), who is *ahem* well-endowed, they begin rehearsing as the group "Hot Metal."  Complications ensue but, with nothing left to lose, they decide to go "the full monty," or strip all the way, during their show and they not only impress their friends and family but they find their self-respect again!  This was so much fun and I loved it when the ensemble came out in the audience to get us cheering during the song "Let It Go" for Hot Metal's striptease (it got pretty rowdy!).  The main cast gives incredibly brave and heartwarming performances and they all have beautiful voices.  I especially loved Naylor in "Breeze Off the River," Blair and Hawker in "You Rule My World," and MacGregor and Andersen in "You Walk With Me."  Banks is a fabulous dancer and Michelle is an absolute hoot (I loved the plume of smoke that followed her).  The choreography is really clever, especially in "Michael Jordan's Ball" when the men equate dancing with playing sports and in "The Goods" when the men see what it feels like to be judged by their appearance like women are.  I also really enjoyed the costumes (the hockey fan in me loved all of Buffalo Sabres shirts) and the set made of wood, corrugated metal, and brick panels which are reconfigured throughout to become various locations is very effective at conveying a time and place.  This is a feel good show that will definitely have you cheering at the end (keep in mind that it does feature lots of profanity and nudity) and I had a great time!  It runs at the Grand Theatre on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 4 and tickets may be purchased here.

Flowers for Mrs. Harris at The Ruth

Last night, for the second night in a row, I was able to see a show that was new to me (a rare treat).  This time it was the North American premiere of the musical Flowers For Mrs. Harris at The Ruth.  I really love the movie, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, but I didn't love this adaptation quite as much.  Ada Harris (Dianna Graham) is a war widow in 1950s London who is content with her life working as a cleaning lady and spending time with the spirit of her dead husband (David Morley-Walker) and her friend Violet Butterfield (Janae Koralewski Thomas) until she sees a glamorous Dior gown owned by Lady Dant (Melanie Muranaka), one of her wealthy clients, and dreams of owning one herself.  She scrimps and saves and even takes in sewing in order to afford a Dior original but she still willingly helps everyone around her, including Bob Smith (Tanner Sumens), Pamela Penrose (Neena Warburton), Major Wallace (Jeff Thompson), and Countess Wyszcinska (Marcie Jacobsen).  She eventually travels to Paris to choose her gown and her kindness transforms the lives of everyone at the House of Dior, including Madame Colbert (Melanie Muranaka), Monsieur Armand (Jeff Thompson), Andre Fauvel (Tanner Sumens), and Natasha Raimbault (Neena Warburton).  When she returns home to London, she realizes that she has something much more meaningful than a dress.  I really love the message about the importance of having a dream, even one that is seemingly impossible, and the willingness to work hard in order to achieve it.  I also love the message about the importance of kindness and that it will eventually be rewarded in unexpected ways.  The design of this show is beautiful and I especially loved the multi-level rotating set featuring Ada's London flat on one side and the House of Dior on the other as well as the gorgeous couture gowns based on flowers (my favorite was "The Bluebell").  Graham gives a lovely performance that is very moving and it was fun to see most of the actors playing two similar characters in both London and Paris.  Unfortunately, I did not care for the music because it features lots of dialogue that is sung, instead of spoken, without a melody (much like a recitative in an opera) and I often found the piano accompaniment to be discordant (this may be due to the sound mixing because the music often overshadowed the voices).  The man sitting next to me said that he didn't think he would be humming any of the songs in the lobby after the show because they weren't very memorable.  An exception is the song "Rain On Me" because it is quite poignant and I really enjoyed it and its reprises.  I wish I could say that I loved this more than I did but I am glad that I saw it because it is always nice to see something new.  It runs in the Lindsay Legacy Theater through November 15 and tickets may be purchased here.

The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 at HCT

Last night I was really excited for The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 at HCT because I had never seen it before (this is something that doesn't happen very often). It is a hilarious spoof of both the noir detective thrillers and the slapstick comedies that were popular in the 1940s and I had so much fun watching it! A maid named Helsa Wenzel (Kristi Curtis) is murdered (although no one will notice until the end of Act 1) in the library of a mansion in Chappaqua, New York owned by a wealthy and eccentric impresario named Elsa Von Grossenknueten (Claire Kenny). Elsa has invited Nikki Crandall (Corinne Adair), a young and beautiful singer/dancer, Eddie McCuen (Kyle Baugh), a struggling comedian, and Patrick O'Reilly (Bryan Dayley), an Irish tenor, to the mansion to audition for the creative team behind a new Broadway musical, White House Merry-Go-Round, including the director Ken De La Maize (Zac Zumbrunnen), the composer Roger Hopewell (Dustin Bolt), the librettist Bernice Roth (Jasmine Jackman), and the producer Marjorie Baverstock (Eden Benson). However, it turns out that Ken, Roger, Bernice, and Marjorie were also part of the creative team for the musical Manhattan Holiday during which the "Stage Door Slasher" murdered several women, including Elsa's friend Bebe McAllister. She has assembled everyone together so that an undercover policeman, Michael Kelly (Scott James), can discover the identity of the "Stage Door Slasher" but, instead, there is another murder and Helsa's body is finally discovered. Chaos ensues, including secret passageways, secret identities, and a secret code, until the murderer is revealed! In this production, the plot is presented as a play-within-a-play with an Author (Davey Morrison) who is writing it (with projections of the text on a scrim when the show opens and above the stage periodically during the show) as it is being performed. The Author also speaks all of the stage directions and sometimes interacts with the cast (especially Eddie who is his stand-in during the romantic scenes with Nikki) to great comedic effect. The production design, including the set, the costumes, and the make-up, is incredibly clever and I won't spoil it here because it is such a dramatic reveal! The characters are completely over-the-top and I especially loved the flamboyant Roger and the emotional Bernice because they are constantly bickering with each other as well as Ken because he is so bombastic. The performances are also a lot of fun and the entire cast does a great job with the rapid-fire dialogue and the exaggerated physical comedy. Shout-outs go to Benson for the spectacular way in which she falls out of a chair and Dayley (one of my favorite frequent performers at HCT because he always makes me laugh) for his unhinged facial expressions. I thoroughly enjoyed this because it is both extremely funny and highly original and I definitely recommend it (go here for tickets). It runs on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through November 15 with best availability for the matinees.

Splitsville

I was in desperate need of a laugh so my nephew and I went to the Broadway last night to see Splitsville because the trailer looked really funny.  I did laugh out loud at some of the absurdist physical comedy but it is not the funniest film I've seen this year.  After a traumatic experience, Ashley (Adria Arjona) asks her husband Carey (Kyle Martin) for a divorce because she has been unfaithful and wants to continue sleeping with other people.  Carey commiserates with his best friend Paul (Michael Angelo Covino) and his wife Julie (Dakota Johnson) but he is shocked when Paul brags about having an open marriage and suggests that Carey and Ashley should do the same.  However, when Carey and Julie sleep together, both Ashley and Paul reconsider and realize that they didn't appreciate what they had until it was gone.  The entire premise is revealed in the trailer and, while it is amusing to see the increasingly ridiculous lengths to which both Ashley and Paul resort to get their spouses back, the story is really thin and the resolution is a foregone conclusion.  The characters are pretty unlikable and it is a bit frustrating that none of them seem to have any growth (the final scene mirrors one from the beginning beat for beat).  That being said, there are some hilarious scenes, including an extended fight between Carey and Paul that destroys the house (it is much more involved than what is shown in the trailer) and a sequence with goldfish on a roller coaster, and I did really enjoy many of the secondary characters, particularly all of Ashley's former lovers who move in with her and Carey.  This is a lot of fun if you can ignore the shortcomings and simply appreciate it as a screwball comedy and I recommend it to fans of the genre.

Note:  This has been billed as the funniest film of the year but I think it falls short of that description.  I do not see a lot of comedies but the funniest film I have seen this year is The Ballad of Wallis Island (it features very dry British humor so not everyone will agree with me).

Hamilton on the Big Screen

Seeing the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton was one of the best experiences of my life!  I cannot adequately describe my excitement as I sat in the Richard Rodgers Theatre (in the balcony) eagerly anticipating the iconic opening notes of "Alexander Hamilton" or the exhilaration I felt when I walked out of the theatre with all of my impossibly high expectations exceeded.  A filmed version of this production was released on Disney+ in the middle of the pandemic but it is now in movie theaters for the first time in celebration of its 10th Anniversary!  Even though I have now seen it *ahem* many times on Disney+, I just had to see it on the big screen last night and sitting in the dark with a large crowd made me feel like I was back at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (but with a much better seat).  I loved seeing all of my favorite moments up close, especially Jonathan Groff's pout (and his projectile spitting) when George III whines about the colonies in "You'll Be Back," Renee Elise Goldsberry's look of regret after Angelica Schuyler introduces Hamilton to her sister in "Satisfied," the look of panic Jasmine Cephas Jones gives as Daveed Diggs leers at her when Lafayette walks down the aisle with Peggy Schuyler in "Satisfied," the look of contrition on Lin-Manuel Miranda's face when Washington orders Hamilton to go home in "Meet Me Inside" and his look of disappointment when Angelica announces that she is leaving to get married in "Non-Stop," the mega-watt smile Diggs flashes when Thomas Jefferson milks the crowd in "What'd I Miss" and the look of absolute glee on his face when Jefferson realizes that Hamilton is no longer a rival in "The Reynolds Pamphlet," Phillipa Soo's simmering anger over Hamilton's betrayal of Eliza in "Burn," the devastation on her face over Philip's death in "Stay Alive (Reprise)," and the exact moment she forgives Hamilton in "It's Quiet Uptown" as well as the tears brimming in Goldsberry's eyes in this song, Leslie Odom, Jr.'s look of incredulity when Hamilton endorses Jefferson over Burr in "The Election of 1800," his exasperation when Hamilton delivers all of his grievances one by one in "Your Obedient Servant," and his remorse over Hamilton's death in "The World Was Wide Enough," and the look of tenderness Miranda gives Soo as Eliza describes preserving Hamilton's legacy in "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story."  I also loved the different perspectives shown through the dynamic camera work, particularly the view of Christopher Jackson just before Washington turns around and storms the stage in "Right Hand Man" ("We are outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, outplanned.  We've got to make an all out stand!") and the views that put the audience in the middle of the action in "My Shot," "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)," and "Hurricane."  Finally, it was great to see a new introduction featuring behind the scenes footage from the production as well as contemporary interviews with the cast about the legacy of the show.  My crowd was kind of subdued but there were a few of us singing (quietly) and applauding after every number and it was so much fun!  I highly recommend seeing this on the big screen, even if you have seen it on Disney+, because it is the next best thing to being there for the OBC at the Richard Rodgers Theatre!

Jaws

I had a blast seeing Jaws, the original summer blockbuster, on the big screen in a packed theater at the Broadway yesterday.  It is back in theaters with a 4K restoration for a limited engagement in honor of its 50th Anniversary and I think it holds up really well.  After several suspicious deaths happen in the waters around the island of Amity in New England, Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) and marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) believe it to be the work of a man-eating great white shark and want to close the beaches until it can be caught.  However, Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) fears that closing the beaches over the Fourth of July holiday will hurt the economy and refuses to allow it.  After another attack on a crowded beach, Vaughn eventually agrees to hire an eccentric fisherman named Peter Quint (Robert Shaw) and both Brody and Hooper join him on his boat, the Orca, for a perilous hunt for the shark.  The fact that the audience rarely sees the shark but instead hears a menacing score by John Williams featuring the iconic alternating pattern of two notes adds to the unrelenting tension.  The scenes in which the shark actually appears are terrifying as a result, especially when it comes up on the deck of the boat to attack Quint, and I admit that I jumped out of my seat multiple times (although the first time was when Hooper dives down to the wreckage of a boat that was attacked by the shark).  I haven't seen this in a really long time, probably decades, and the narrative is much more thought-provoking than I remembered.  One of the themes that I really noticed is the clash between experience, as represented by Quint, and technology, as represented by Hooper, but I found it very interesting that Brody, the "everyman" character, is ultimately the one who is able to kill the shark (in a dramatic scene that elicited cheers from my audience).  This is such a great movie and I highly recommend seeing it as it was meant to be seen while it is back in theaters.

The Roses

The second movie in the double feature at the Broadway with my nephew last night was The Roses, another movie we were both looking forward to seeing.  Unfortunately, it was not at all what I was expecting and I found it very disappointing considering the talent of the two leads.  Theo Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a successful and visionary architect and his wife Ivy (Olivia Colman) is a gifted chef who has put her career on hold to care for their children Hattie (Hala Finley) and Roy (Wells Rappaport).  Theo buys her a small restaurant so she can indulge her passion several times a week as he designs a maritime museum in the shape of a sailboat but an unexpected storm reverses their fortunes.  Theo's museum is destroyed, and his design is blamed, while stranded motorists, including an influential food critic, congregate at Ivy's restaurant.  He is fired and her restaurant becomes a huge success so she decides to work full-time while he cares for the children and indulges his passion by designing their dream home.  This role-reversal leads to dissatisfaction because he feels unappreciated and resents her success while she feels like she is missing out on family time with her children.  These simmering recriminations eventually lead to all-out war between the two of them.  This is definitely not as funny as I thought it would be (I didn't hear any laughter from my audience).  All of the humor is spoiled in the trailer and, even then, when we see these moments in the context of the movie, they do not seem as funny.  However, my biggest complaint is that it isn't dark enough.  I never felt like Theo and Ivy truly hated each other (Cumberbatch and Colman have too much chemistry as lovers and not enough as enemies) because they are always tearfully making up with each other and the final "war" is very rushed and underwhelming (I waited impatiently through the whole movie for the fireworks to finally start and then they were over in fifteen minutes).  The supporting characters do not add much to the proceedings (I have grown weary of Kate McKinnon's schtick as the sexually inappropriate friend and I am struggling to remember if Sunita Mani even had any lines as a sou chef in Ivy's restaurant).  The exception is Allison Janney because she steals the show with her five minutes of screen time as Ivy's aggressive divorce lawyer.  Ugh!  I love both Cumberbatch and Colman so it pains me to say this but you should give this a miss.

Caught Stealing

Last night my nephew and I returned to the Broadway for another double feature.  We started with Caught Stealing, which is a movie that both of us were excited to see, and we really liked it!  Henry "Hank" Thompson (Austin Butler) is a former baseball phenom whose life and career were derailed by a car accident that took the life of his friend.  It is now 1998 and he is slumming as a bartender in New York City but still makes a point of cheering for the San Francisco Giants.  When his punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to watch his cat Bud (Tonic) after he is unexpectedly summoned home to London, his girlfriend Yvonne (Zoe Kravitz) convinces him to do it even though he doesn't like cats.  However, this brings him unwanted attention from two Russian mobsters (Yuri Kolokolnikov and Nikita Kukushkin), their Puerto Rican associate (Benito Martinez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny), and a narcotics detective (Regina King), who are all looking for the money Russ stole from two Hasidic drug dealers (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onofrio) who are also looking for the money.  Hank is beaten, bruised, and chased all over New York but, when his friends and family are threatened, he must finally reconcile his past (and rescue Bud).  This thriller is a lot of fun with some humorous scenes involving a cat who bites, a perpetually annoyed neighbor (George Abud), a black and white cookie, a shabbos dinner (with Carol Kane), and the propitious use of a Giants hat but the tension keeps escalating with stakes that are much higher than I was expecting (the trailer is a bit misleading) because Hank has no idea what Russ has gotten him into or how to get himself out of the mess.  There are some fantastic action sequences, particularly several spectacular chases and car crashes, with epic needle drops (my favorite was "Rock You Like a Hurricane" by the Scorpions).  The ensemble cast is great, especially Schreiber and D'Onofrio who play the most unlikely villains, but Butler is very impressive in both the action scenes and the more poignant moments.  Darren Aronofsky is very hit or miss with me but I think this is probably his most entertaining movie and I highly recommend it.

Something Rotten at The Ruth

I have now seen the musical Something Rotten many times (I have already seen it twice this year with another production scheduled in a few months) but that didn't damper my excitement for The Ruth's version last night in the least!  I always joke that it was written specifically for me because I am a former English teacher who loves musical theatre and I don't think I stopped laughing once while watching this entertaining show!  Brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom (Ryan Shepherd and Austin Dorman, respectively) are desperate to write a hit play but they are constantly overshadowed by the wildly popular William Shakespeare (Jordan Nicholes).  When the soothsayer Thomas Nostradamus (Scott Rollins) tells Nick that the future of theatre involves singing and dancing, they set out to write the world's first musical.  However, inspiration fails so Nick returns to Nostradamus to learn what Shakespeare's most popular play will be and Omelette The Musical is born!  Eventually, the Bottom brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self.  I loved everyone in the cast but there were several standouts for me.  Rollins had everyone in the audience laughing out loud at his antics while trying to see the future (at one point he was lying upside down on a set of stairs).  Ondine Morgan-Garner as Portia, the repressed daughter of a Puritan and the love interest of Nigel, has hilarious facial expressions as she responds with *ahem* pleasure to Nigel's poetry (much of the profanity is toned down but most of the innuendos remain).  Nicholes oozes charisma as the bard and he is an incredible dancer with some impressive rock star moves (I especially loved the moonwalking and the athletic jumps in the song "Will Power").  However, I think Matt Baxter steals the show as Brother Jeremiah because his physicality and line deliveries are both playful and naughty (he is positively gleeful whenever he accuses the theatres of debauchery).  I really like Izzy Arrieta as a choreographer and his work in this show is very dynamic, especially with such a small stage.  I absolutely loved seeing so many different styles of dance from specific Broadway shows in "A Musical" and "Make an Omelette."  I always notice something new in these numbers every time I see this show and, in this production, I noticed references to The Music Man in both of them.  The set, which is configured as an Elizabethan theatre, is different from the ones I've seen in other versions but it is very effective and I particularly loved the backdrop used on the balcony (it reminded me of The Unicorn Tapestries).  I also loved the period costumes.  My favorite is the one worn by Lord Clapham (Josh Tenney) because it features pink and purple frills and it makes his line accusing Nick of making him look ridiculous even funnier!  If you are a fan of this show I definitely recommend getting a ticket (go here) because this production is very well done!  It runs in the Smith Grand Theatre through October 4.

Relay

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway with my nephew last night was Relay.  This is an old-fashioned thriller with a clever premise that kept me invested until the final twist and I really liked it.  Ash (Riz Ahmed) is a clandestine fixer who specializes in brokering deals between whistleblowers and corrupt corporations.  He is also a recovering alcoholic with complicated reasons for doing what he does. In order to maintain his anonymity, he communicates with his clients through a relay service used by the deaf and hard of hearing to make and receive phone calls because they have strict rules regarding confidentiality and do not keep records.  He goes to extreme lengths to keep himself and his clients safe by establishing elaborate rules and procedures and insists that they be followed explicitly.  He is contacted by Sarah Grant (Lily James), a woman in possession of documents implicating Cybo Semantis Research Institutes in a cover-up of the toxic side effects found in their genetically engineered wheat, because the company has been intimidating and harassing her ahead of a lucrative merger.  He helps her elude a team led by a man in the company's employ named Dawson (Sam Worthington) and arranges for a document handoff with the CEO but, when the plan goes awry, he breaks his own rule and contacts her directly to protect her.  The first half of this movie involves a slow and steady build-up involving surveillance, counter-surveillance, hidden cameras, disguises, and other elements of spycraft but it is strangely compelling because Ahmed gives such a gripping performance.  The action ramps up in the second half, including a suspenseful dead drop in the middle of Times Square and a tense chase sequence during a symphony performance, with lots of twists and turns to keep the audience guessing (I did predict a big twist early on but I was still surprised by the motivation for it).  I thoroughly enjoyed this and I recommend seeking it out as it is another movie that seems to be flying under the radar.

Honey Don't

Even though I was not a fan of Drive-Away Dolls (to put it mildly), I decided to see Honey Don't, the second in Ethan Coen's proposed lesbian trilogy, with my nephew as the first in a double feature at the Broadway last night.  Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this movie, either, and I will definitely not be seeing the third one.  Honey O'Donahue (Margaret Qualley) is a tough-as-nails private detective in Bakersfield, California who visits the scene of a fatal car crash after she discovers that the victim had scheduled an appointment with her for later that day.  She begins investigating and discovers that her death may not have been an accident.  Honey is a compelling character because she is a throwback to the famous private detectives in classic noir thrillers and Qualley does a good job embodying her world-weary, cynical, and stoic attitude but there is not much for her to do because the central mystery is so underdeveloped.  There are lots of fun and eccentric characters, including Drew Devlin (Chris Evans), a sleazy reverend who uses his church as a front for trafficking drugs, Chére (Lera Abrova), a fixer in town to keep Drew in line for his mysterious bosses, Marty Metakawich (Charlie Day), a police detective who propositions Honey every time he sees her despite the fact that she likes girls, MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza), a troubled police officer involved with Honey, Heidi O'Donahue (Kristen Connolly), Honey's sister who struggles to keep her many children under control including her rebellious daughter Corinne (Talia Ryder), Honey and Heidi's estranged father (Kale Browne) who wants to reconnect with them, and Shuggie (Josh Pafcheck), Drew's incompetent henchman, but most of these characters are involved in random subplots that go nowhere.  The resolution is very abrupt and unexpected and the killer's motivation makes absolutely no sense.  Finally, there are many continuity errors and, even though this is a very minor point, they really bugged me.  Honestly, the only point of this movie seems to be to show as much gratuitous sex as possible.  I was really hopeful that I would like this because the opening credits are some of the best I've seen but it is a jumbled mess and I recommend that you don't watch it.

Note:  I think Ethan Coen should stop collaborating with his wife and start collaborating with his brother again.

Aaron Tveit at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre

I am a huge fan of musical theatre so I could not have been more excited for last night's concert at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre with Broadway star Aaron Tveit! It was a beautiful night (the temperature was perfect) filled with beautiful music and I loved every minute! Tveit was backed by the Utah Valley Symphony under the baton of Cheung Chau and he told the crowd that he specifically picked the songs in his setlist in order to take advantage of singing with an orchestra. It was an eclectic program as a result but I really enjoyed it! He began with a beautiful version of "Fly Me to the Moon" which I loved because I went through a Frank Sinatra phase when I was in my twenties (it was a strange time).  He continued with "Younger Than Springtime" from South Pacific and then returned to music made famous by the Rat Pack with performances of "What Kind of Fool Am I?" and "The World We Knew" (this was a highlight for me because it is one of my favorite songs by Sinatra and I still remember every word!). Next came "You Can't Tame Me" and "Doorway to Where" from Schmigadoon (I am so sad that we didn't get a third season of this show). Another highlight came next when he performed "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from Les Miserables. He played Enjolras in the movie adaptation but he told the crowd that he auditioned for Marius and so he wanted to sing one of his songs for us. This always brings a tear to my eye and his arrangement was amazing! He originated the role of Christian in Moulin Rouge on Broadway so he ended his first set with "El Tango de Roxanne" and this made all of the theatre girlies in the audience lose their minds! Just kidding. I lost my mind. I am theatre girlies. Tveit took a short break while the orchestra played "Polovtsian Dances" from the opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin. The audience got a bit restless during this number but I really enjoyed it (you know I love the Russian composers). He returned to the stage for a medley from West Side Story, featuring "Maria," "Something's Coming," and "Tonight," and joked that he had never played Tony in a professional production but he did play him in eleventh grade! Next came the Sammy Davis, Jr. version of  "As Long As She Needs Me" from Oliver (he really likes the Rat Pack). He continued with "Johanna" from Sweeney Todd. He played the role of Sweeney on Broadway but I am glad he sang Anthony's song from the show because his version was beautiful!  He told the crowd  that he was inspired to sing his next song, "What Was I Made For?" from the movie Barbie, when he saw Billie Eilish perform it with a full orchestra at the Oscars and this brought another tear to my eye! He ended this set with an incredible version of "Being Alive" from Company which gave me goosebumps! For the encore, he sang "Your Song" from Moulin Rouge which brought the crowd (one of the biggest I've seen at the SCERA Shell) to their feet! Not only does Tveit have an incredible voice, he is also very charming and I enjoyed all of the anecdotes interspersed between the songs. I have been looking forward to this concert all summer (I bought a ticket they day they went on sale) and it was thrilling to hear him perform live after being a fan for so long!

Note: I love SCERA because, among other things, they brought both of my theatre crushes, Aaron Tveit and Jeremy Jordan, to town for amazing concerts!  The couple next to me argued over which concert was better and they wanted me to be the tie breaker but I couldn't possibly choose!

The Lord of the Rings Marathon

Yesterday I went to another movie marathon at the Megaplex and this time it featured the extended versions of the three The Lord of the Rings movies.  I love these movies so much (I saw all three of them in the theater on the first day they were released) and I had a lot of fun spending the entire day seeing them on the big screen again!  In The Fellowship of the Ring, a young hobbit named Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is accompanied by eight companions, including the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), the hobbits Samwise "Sam" Gamgee (Sean Astin), Peregrin "Pippin" Took (Billy Boyd), and Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan), the elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), the warrior Boromir (Sean Bean), and the ranger Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), on a journey to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom after the Dark Lord Sauron (Sala Baker) threatens to use it to conquer Middle-earth.  They are betrayed by the wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) when he creates an army of orcs that attack them and break the fellowship. In The Two Towers, the remaining members of the fellowship split into three groups and continue to fight against Sauron.  Frodo and Sam form an uneasy alliance with Gollum (Andy Serkis), a former ring-bearer whose mind has been poisoned by the One Ring and wants to get it back, after he promises to take them to Mount Doom.  Merry and Pippin escape from the orcs and then convince the ents to join the fight against Saruman at Isengard.  Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli rally the kingdom of Rohan, including King Théoden (Bernard Hill), his nephew Éomer (Karl Urban), and his niece Éowyn (Miranda Otto), in a battle against the orcs at Helm's Deep.  In The Return of the King, Pippin mischievously looks in the defeated Saruman's palantir and sees that Sauron plans to attack the kingdom of Gondor next.  While Frodo, Sam, and Gollum reach Mordor and begin their final perilous journey to Mount Doom, the others travel to Minas Tirith in Gondor to rally the steward Denethor (John Noble) and his son Faramir (David Wenham) in the epic Battle of the Pelennor Fields.  Aragorn, the true heir to the kingdom of Gondor, leads a final charge at the Black Gate in Mordor to distract Sauron so Frodo can destroy the One Ring.  I really love Aragorn and Frodo as characters because they both go on a hero's journey as they ultimately recognize and embrace their destinies.  I also love Sam because he is the embodiment of friendship.  I love all of the locations (I actually went on a tour of many of the locations when I was in New Zealand), the sets, especially the harbor in Rivendell and the courtyard in Minas Tirith, the creature design, my favorites are the ents, and all of the battle sequences, particularly the siege warfare in the Battle of Helm's Deep and the attack on Minas Tirith.  The large crowd wasn't as spirited as I thought they would be but I cheered when Gandalf is rescued from Isengard by an eagle, when Galdalf suddenly appears on Shadowfax at Helm's Deep, when the beacons are lit to call for help from Rohan, when Galdalf strikes Denethor (the crowd cheered with me when this happened), when Elrond (Hugo Weaving) gives Aragorn the reforged sword that belonged to Isildur, and when Éowyn kills the Witch-king.  I had tears in my eyes when Boromir dies ("I would have followed you, my brother.  My captain.  My king."), when Sam carries Frodo up Mount Doom, and when Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor and I laughed out loud when Gimli and Legolas have a drinking contest.  I had such a great time!  These are some of my favorite movies so this is definitely my favorite marathon so far even though no one in my family wanted to go with me!

Note:  Megaplex has announced marathons for The Hunger Games in January and for Harry Potter (again) in August next year.

East of Wall

My second movie set in the state of South Dakota last night was East of Wall.  I was excited to see this because it got a lot of buzz at Sundance this year (it won an Audience Award at the festival) and I mostly enjoyed it.  Tabatha Zimiga plays a fictionalized version of herself in a semi-autobiographical story about how she comes to terms with her grief by training horses on a ranch in South Dakota (this docudrama format reminded me a lot of The Rider).  After the suicide of her husband John, Tabatha struggles to keep the 3,000-acre ranch he left to their three-year-old son Stetson.  She lives there with Stetson, her mother Tracey (Jennifer Ehle), her older son Skylar, her daughter Porshia, her new partner Clay, and a group of wayward teens who have found a home with her.  She has an affinity for communicating with horses and is just able to keep her head above water by rehabilitating rescue horses and selling them on TikTok and in sale barns but she has less success communicating with her daughter Porshia who blames her for John's death.  She encounters Roy Waters (Scoot McNairy), a wealthy rancher from Texas, at a sale barn after he buys one of her horses for an exorbitant price.  He also offers to buy the ranch but, while this will solve her financial difficulties, she eventually realizes that the horses, her daughter, and the other teens in her charge need her.  The story is really thin (this may have been better as a documentary) and it takes a long time to get going with a resolution that doesn't necessarily feel earned.  I also struggled to keep track of all the many different characters, the majority of whom are people who actually live on the ranch with Zimiga and play themselves, because they mostly appear in random slice-of-life sequences without a lot of exposition.  However, I did enjoy getting an immersive and authentic glimpse into what life is like in the American West, especially for women, and I really admire Zimiga's fierce determination in rehabilitating horses and providing refuge for her found family (she gives an incredibly powerful performance).  I also really enjoyed the beautiful cinematography showcasing the rugged landscape of the Badlands as well as the horses in motion (I especially loved the rodeo sequences) although the use of actual footage from TikTok is jarring in comparison.  I personally found this to be compelling enough to recommend but it might not be for everyone.

Americana

Last night I went to a double feature at the Megaplex with two movies set in South Dakota.  I began with Americana and it was a big surprise to me because I really enjoyed it!  Roy Lee Dean (Simon Rex), a sleazy black marketeer, Dillon MacIntosh (Eric Dane), a petty thief, Mandy Starr (Halsey), MacIntosh's abused girlfriend, Cal Starr (Gavin Maddox Bergman), Mandy's younger brother who believes that he is the reincarnation of Chief Sitting Bull, Lefty Ledbetter (Paul Walter Hauser), a lonely veteran, Penny Jo Poplin (Sydney Sweeney), a waitress who dreams of becoming a country singer, and Ghost Eye (Zahn McClarnon), the leader of a militant Native American group, all become embroiled in the theft of a valuable and sacred Lakota Ghost Shirt in a small South Dakota town.  All of their stories eventually converge in an epic shoot-out on a ranch in Wyoming owned by Mandy's father Hiram Starr (Christopher Kriesa), a radical fundamentalist.  I liked the nonlinear structure featuring chapters that focus on individual characters and it was fun to see how the different narratives come together.  The tone is all over the place because it is really funny with quirky characters, snappy dialogue, and outlandish situations (that get more and more outlandish as time goes on) but there is also an undercurrent of sadness and desperation as the characters attempt to improve their situation and it is quite violent.  However, I think the tonal shifts work and the neo-Western genre serves the story very well (the cinematography is very striking, particularly the wide shots of the vast landscape).  I loved all of the performances, especially the interactions between Sweeney and Hauser because they are so charming together, but the standout for me is Halsey because her character has the biggest transformation and she portrays this arc very convincingly.  I had low expectations for this movie and I ended up being very entertained by it.  I encourage people to seek it out because it seems to be flying under the radar.

Highest 2 Lowest

Last night my nephew and I went to see Highest 2 Lowest at the Broadway.  We both had been looking forward to this for weeks and we couldn't have been more disappointed.  David King (Denzel Washington) is a successful music mogul trying to structure a deal to take back control of the music label he founded.  However, these plans take a back seat when his son Trey (Aubrey Joseph) is kidnapped and a $17.5 million ransom is demanded.  When he realizes that Kyle (Elijah Wright), the son of his driver Paul (Jeffrey Wright), was mistakenly taken instead of Trey, things become more complicated because now he doesn't feel obligated to pay the ransom.  He needs the money to save his record label but ultimately agrees to pay because he doesn't want to be cancelled on social media.  Kyle is eventually released but the police lose track of the money during the handover which puts King's deal in jeopardy.  He decides to search for the kidnapper himself and discovers that the culprit is a disgruntled rapper named Yung Felon (A$AP Rocky) who wanted to be signed to his record company.  After several confrontations with Yung Felon, he relinquishes control of his company to get away from the business and get back to the music.  The plot is an incoherent mess with a very muddled message about class inequality.  There are lots of editing and pacing issues and it features some of the most cringe-worthy dialogue I have heard in a long time.  I still don't know how I feel about Washington's performance because, while it is often very melodramatic, there is no denying that he is a compelling presence.  Wright is absolutely brilliant (one of the few highlights of this movie) and I did like A$AP Rocky (even though he is essentially playing himself) but all of the other performances are almost laughably bad.  Ilfenesh Hadera, as King's wife, and Dean Winters, as a police detective, are the worst offenders.  There are lots of cameos but most of them feel shoehorned in (Ice Spice is on screen for about a minute).  The score is particularly egregious (which is ironic in a movie about the music business).  It feels like it belongs in a completely different movie and it undercuts the tension in every scene because it is so incongruous.  The only reason this isn't the worst movie I've seen this year is because of an incredibly dynamic sequence on a subway filled with Yankees fans and on the street in the middle of a Puerto Rican Day festival but this is not enough for me to recommend it.  You can definitely wait until it streams.

Note:  The only message I got from this movie is that Spike Lee hates sports teams from Boston!

The Wizard of Oz at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I had a lot of fun at Terrace Plaza Playhouse's production of The Wizard of Oz last night! Dorothy Gale (Maren Messerly) is transported from Kansas to the magical land of Oz by a tornado. When she wants to return home, she seeks help from Glinda the Good Witch (Mailee Halpin) who tells her to follow the yellow brick road to get to the Wizard (David Storm) in the Emerald City. Along the way, she encounters the Scarecrow (Autumn Spangler), who wants a brain, the Tin Man (Trey Montgomery Cornell), who wants a heart, and the Cowardly Lion (David Hales), who wants some courage. They must face the Wicked Witch of the West (Jacci Florence) before they learn that they had the power to achieve their desires within themselves all along. Messerly is a very appealing Dorothy and her rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is beautiful. I was also very impressed by Spangler, Cornell, and Hales because they are outstanding in "If I Only Had a Brain," "If I Only Had a Heart," and "If I Only Had a Nerve," respectively. I especially enjoyed Spangler's dancing because it really seemed as if her body was made of straw. This does not have the same spectacle as some other productions I've seen but it is extremely clever. I especially loved the way the tornado, the snow on the poppies, the melting of the Wicked Witch, and the lift-off of the Wizard's balloon are staged. I also loved the use of puppets for Toto (Beckett Ronnow), the Crows, and the Flying Monkeys. The costumes are fun and whimsical and I particularly liked seeing Dorothy's gingham dress transform from grey in Kanasas to blue in Oz and then sparkly green when she arrives in the Emerald City (a fun detail), all of the colorful costumes worn by the Munchkins, the sparkly pink ball gown worn by Glinda, and the parasols carried by the poppies. The set, featuring a large and circular yellow brick road in the middle of the stage, is one of the most striking I've seen at this theatre and I loved the use of very muted tones in the set pieces for the door of the farmhouse, the picket fence, and a large windmill before an explosion of color happens once Dorothy gets to Oz. The apparatus used by the Wizard, complete with moving eyes and a moving mouth, is also very impressive. I often feel like the second act of this show gets bogged down but I think the pacing in this production is really tight and my attention never wavered. I now count this among my favorite productions at this theatre and I recommend it to families. It runs on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through September 13 and tickets may be purchased here.

Nobody 2

I really liked Nobody so I was excited to see the sequel, Nobody 2, at a matinee yesterday.  It is not quite as good as the first movie but I enjoyed it.  Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is still going on missions for "The Barber" (Colin Salmon) to repay the debt he owes after burning the Russian mob's money and his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) feels that he is neglecting his family as a result.  He decides to take a break so he can take Becca, his son Brady (Gage Munroe), his daughter Sammy (Paisley Cadorath), and his dad David (Christopher Lloyd) to the same amusement park in the small town of Plummerville that he once visited as a child with his dad and brother Harry (RZA).  Hutch eventually runs afoul of Abel (Colin Hanks), the corrupt sheriff, and Wyatt (John Ortiz), the owner of the amusement park who runs a bootlegging operation for the notorious crime boss Lendina (Sharon Stone).  He must ultimately break his promise to Becca to leave the violence behind in order to protect his family from Lendina's henchmen.  The non-stop action sequences, particularly those in an arcade, on a duck boat, and the final confrontation in a booby-trapped amusement park, are really fun, violent, and chaotic and I loved the use of ordinary objects in the fight choreography.  Odenkirk, once again, does most of his own stunts and he is very kick-ass in the role.  I enjoyed all of the humor, especially the needle drops because they are hilariously on the nose, but the villains are so ridiculously evil that it often verges on parody.  What is missing in this sequel is the novelty of an ordinary suburban dad who also happens to be an assassin.  In this version, an assassin tries to be an ordinary suburban dad and, in my opinion, it is not as compelling because it is not as unexpected.  I still had fun with it and fans of the genre will definitely love it.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at West Valley Arts

Last night I was absolutely thrilled that my performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the West Valley Performing Arts Center was completely sold out because I have long been a fan of this theatre and they are so deserving of this support, especially for this show! I have seen it many times over the years and I can honestly say that this production is my favorite! It is simply amazing and you should probably stop reading right now and get a ticket (if you can). Quasimodo (Taylor J. Smith) has been hidden by his uncle Frollo (Chase Petersen) in the bell tower of Notre Dame Cathedral all of his life because of a deformity. However, he yearns to leave the cathedral and decides that the Feast of Fools would be the perfect opportunity to do so. He is eventually crowned the King of Fools but, when the crowd turns on him, he is rescued by the gypsy Esmeralda (Beatriz Melo). She also catches the eye of Phoebus de Martin (James Carter), the captain of the cathedral guard, and bewitches Frollo who becomes obsessed with possessing her. When Esmeralda rejects Frollo, he orders Phoebus to arrest her but he refuses and they become fugitives. Quasimodo gives them sanctuary in the cathedral which forces a dramatic confrontation in the bell tower. I was blown away by the staging of certain scenes and by the performances of my favorite songs. The childlike wonder and yearning expressed by Smith in "Out There" and "Heaven's Light" is palpable and I was incredibly moved by his performance of both songs.  I really liked seeing the actual portrayal of the trauma experienced by Phoebus on the battlefield juxtaposed with his desire for a bit of fun in the staging of "Rest and Recreation." Melo's entrance in the song "Rhythm of the Tambourine" is very dramatic and she absolutely commands the stage with her singing and dancing. It is easy to see how Quasimodo, Phoebus, and Frollo would be captivated by Esmeralda and I loved seeing the three of them circling her at the end of this number. She gives another incredible vocal performance of my favorite song, "God Help the Outcasts" (it brought tears to my eyes), and I loved her tender interactions with Smith in "Top of the World." In the staging of "Hellfire," Frollo lies prostrate at a statue of the Virgin Mary (Sophia Morrill Mancilla) and this image is unbelievably powerful. Petersen has rich deep voice and does an outstanding job of portraying Frollo's torment in this scene and in the scene where Frollo expresses his love for Esmeralda (I was actually stunned by the physicality of his advances because it is more aggressive than I have ever seen before). The interactions between Quasimodo and Phoebus when they search for Esmeralda are quite amusing and provide a bit of comic relief before the emotional and heartbreaking performance of "Someday" by Melo and Carter.  I loved the way the gargoyles are portrayed by Emily Duncan, Soren Ray, and Scot Struble because they seem like real people who interact with Quasimodo, especially in the passionate performance of "Made of Stone." The staging of Quasimodo's rescue of Esmeralda from the pyre and Frollo's fall from the bell tower are very striking and I loved seeing Jehan (Roman Curiel) embrace Quasimodo and Florika (Sophia Morrill Mancilla) embrace Esmeralda during the final scene. The costumes and sets, especially the bell tower, the bells, and the rose window that appears in the final scene, are all some of the best I've seen from this theatre. Everything about this production is very special and I loved experiencing it with a large and appreciative crowd! I highly recommend getting a ticket for one of the six remaining performances through August 30 (go here).

Freakier Friday

To be honest, I was not very excited about a sequel to Freaky Friday but I eventually decided to see Freakier Friday at a matinee yesterday and, to my surprise, I actually really enjoyed it.  Twenty-two years after Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) swapped bodies, Anna is now a single mother to Harper (Julia Butters) with lots of support from Tess and has a job as the manager of a pop star named Ella (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan).  When she becomes engaged to British chef Eric Reyes (Manny Jacinto), both his daughter Lily (Sophia Hammons) and Harper, who have had several confrontations at school, are against the marriage.  On the night of Anna's bachelorette party, all four of them get their palms read by Madame Jen (Vanessa Bayer) and this leads to a four-way swap.  Tess and Anna swap with Lily and Harper, respectively, and mayhem ensues as Lily and Harper try to stop the wedding by reviving Anna's relationship with her high school boyfriend Jake (Chad Michael Murray) and by disrupting an immigration interview for Eric.  Lily and Harper ultimately discover that they are more alike than they are different and that their parents truly love and belong with each other and this realization returns everyone to their own bodies.  There was not a lot for Butters as Anna and Hammons as Tess to do but there are some fun scenes where they rebel during detention (I loved the cameo by Stephen Tobolowsky), ride scooters, and eat as much junk food as they can.  However, Lohan as Harper and Curtis as Lily are absolutely hilarious and so much fun to watch, especially when Curtis attempts to play pickleball and gets lip filler for a passport photo and when Lohan goes to a dance lesson and tries to flirt, but there are also some really poignant moments when they acknowledge that they were wrong, particularly about how much their parents love them.  The two of them have a palpable chemistry with each other and look like they are having a blast in their return to these iconic roles.  The plot does get really convoluted, particularly the subplot involving Ella (although, without it we wouldn't have the reunion of Pink Slip performing "Take Me Away" on stage), with too many characters (many actors are reprising their roles from the first movie).  I also wish that Hammons and Curtis would have switched their British and American accents because I think it would have made their swap easier to follow since their characterizations don't really match.  These criticisms didn't really detract from my enjoyment and I liked this a lot more than I was expecting.

Shrek the Musical at Hopebox Theatre

I was really happy to see Shrek the Musical at Hopebox Theatre last night because it is such a fun show and it is for a very worthwhile cause! Shrek (Gregory Harrison) is an ogre just minding his own business when his swamp is invaded by the Fairytale Creatures banished from Duloc by Lord Farquaad (Justin L. Cook). After some encouragement from Pinocchio (Ace Johnston), he decides to visit Farquaad himself to get his swamp back. Along the way, he saves Donkey (Lance McDaniel) from Farquaad's guards and they end up traveling to Duloc together. Farquaad agrees to give Shrek back his swamp if he rescues Princess Fiona (Dusti Mulder) from a tower guarded by fire-breathing Dragon (Kaylee Echeverria) so he can marry her and become King. Donkey distracts Dragon so Shrek can rescue Fiona but chaos ensues on the way back to Duloc when Shrek develops feelings for Fiona. I was very impressed with the talented cast because everyone gives a performance that will put a smile on your face. Harrison is great in the title role because he is very charismatic but he also shows a lot of vulnerability behind the gruff exterior, especially in the songs "Who I'd Be," "When Words Fail," and "Build a Wall." McDaniel is so much fun as Donkey because his energetic physical performance is hilarious (I laughed out loud at his pole dance in "Make a Move"). Mulder has a beautiful voice and I particularly enjoyed her versions of "I Know It's Today" with Lizzie Abercrombie as Young Fiona and Everleigh Jensen as Teen Fiona (they harmonize so well together) and "This is How a Dream Comes True" with Harrison and McDaniel but I also enjoyed her physical performance in "I Think I Got You Beat" and "Morning Person" because her comedic timing is spot on. I loved Echeverria as Dragon because she can really sing the blues and her rendition of "Forever" is definitely a highlight. However, Cook steals the show as Farquaad because I don't think I stopped laughing whenever he was on stage! I especially loved seeing him dangle his tiny legs from his tower in "What's Up Duloc," ride in on a rocking horse to meet Fiona for the first time (when he dismounted from the rocking horse, it accidentally rolled away from him and his ad-libs had the crowd in hysterics), and walk down the flower-strewn aisle to his wedding. The ensemble is also very strong and I enjoyed the colorful costumes and lively choreography in "Story of My Life" and "Freak Flag." An honorable mention goes to Johnston as Pinocchio because their performance is very heartfelt. I am always impressed with how well the small space is utilized and for this show the stage features a series of steps configured to look like forest that revolve to become Farquaad's castle and the Dragon's keep with Shrek's swamp on one side of the stage and Fiona's tower on the other.  I had such a great time watching this show and I encourage everyone to get a ticket because not only will you be entertained but you will also be supporting the mission of Hopebox Theatre which is to bring hope to families battling cancer through the performing arts (go here to meet the inspiring recipient for this show). It runs Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays (including a Saturday matinee) through September 6 and tickets may be purchased here.

The Bad Guys 2

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed The Bad Guys so I decided to see the sequel last night as part of my double feature at the Megaplex.  The plot is a little bit silly and farfetched but it is funny and I loved the dynamic animation.  The Bad Guys, including Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), are finding it difficult to fit into society after giving up their criminal ways so, on the advice of Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz), they attempt to help the newly promoted police commissioner Misty Luggins (Alex Borstein) capture the Phantom Bandit.  However, they soon realize that the Phantom Bandit is really a criminal gang of Bad Girls, including a snow leopard named Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), a raven named Doom (Natasha Lyonne), and a wild boar named Pigtail Petrova (Maria Bakalova), who eventually blackmail them into helping with one final caper.  They steal a smartwatch that controls the MOON-X rocket from the billionaire inventor Mr. Moon (Colin Jost) so the Bad Girls can hijack it to use a substance known as MacGuffinite (this Alfred Hitchcock reference made me laugh out loud) to steal the world's gold from space.  Will the Bad Guys choose the allure of power offered by the Bad Girls and join them or will they choose to be respected rather than feared and stop them?  The story is surprisingly convoluted for an animated movie for children but it has a great message about not being defined by past mistakes and there are a lot of hilarious references to each animal's defining characteristics (I laughed out loud again when Mr. Snake accuses another character of being duplicitous).  I really enjoyed the vivid animation, particularly in the action sequences (which pay homage to the Mission: Impossible franchise and other heist movies).  My favorite scenes include a high-speed chase through the streets of Cairo after stealing a car and a stealthy infiltration into a high security society wedding.  The voice cast is outstanding with the back and forth banter between Rockwell and Brooks as the highlight.  I enjoyed The Bad Guys 2 and I recommend it to fans of the first movie.

Sketch

Last night I saw the movie Sketch as part of another double feature, this time at the Megaplex, and I was very surprised by how much I loved it!  Taylor Wyatt (Tony Hale) is a recent widower who believes the best way for his children Jack (Kue Lawrence) and Amber (Bianca Belle) to move on from their mother's death is to remove all traces of her.  However, Amber begins acting out because she is suppressing her grief.  The school psychologist suggests that she channel all of her feelings into her drawings and she gives her a sketchbook which Amber uses to create terrifying monsters, some of whom specifically threaten a bully at school named Bowman (Kalon Cox) and her father after he disciplines her.  Meanwhile, Jack discovers a mysterious pond in the woods behind their house and, when Amber accidentally drops her sketchbook in the water, all of her drawings come to life.  The siblings must find a way to save Bowman, Taylor, and the rest of the town from Amber's monsters.  I loved the animation of the monsters because they accurately reflect the medium used to create them in the sketchbook (colored pencils, crayons, markers, and embellishments such as glitter and googly eyes) and the images look so cool.  I also really loved the way in which the children ultimately defeat the monsters because, without spoilers, it emphasizes the very powerful theme that one of the best ways to confront the bad is to remember the good (this is definitely one of the best explorations of grief that I have seen).  The performances are fantastic and I was especially impressed by how well Belle is able to portray Amber's simmering rage and Cox made me laugh out loud.  I also think Hale gives one of his very best performances as a father who thinks he doing what is best for his children but must learn to listen to what they really need.  I was really moved by this and I highly recommend it!

Note:  Every year I make the goal to see 100 new releases in the theater and I reached that milestone with this movie a month earlier than last year.