Scream 7

Despite the controversy surrounding Scream 7, I thought the trailer was really intriguing so I decided to see a Thursday preview with my nephew last night.  I am only a casual fan of the franchise but I was incredibly disappointed with this installment (I am 0 for 3 with movies this week).  When Ghostface sets fire to the Macher house in Woodsboro, California after killing a couple spending the night there as part of the "Macher Experience," there is speculation that Stu (Matthew Lillard) is still alive.  Sidney Prescott-Evans (Neve Campbell) now lives with her husband Mark (Joel McHale) and daughter Tatum (Isabel May) in quiet Pine Grove, Indiana.  When she receives a video call from Ghostface threatening Tatum, she is unnerved when the killer unmasks and it is Stu.  However, when her family is attacked, Ghostface is revealed to be a mentally ill serial killer.  She suspects that the call was AI and begins investigating with Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) but soon all of Tatum's friends, including Hannah (McKenna Grace), Lucas (Asa Germann), Chloe (Celeste O'Connor), and Ben (Sam Rechner), are brutally killed.  Eventually, Tatum must confront Ghostface in a scene that mirrors what happened to Sidney 30 years ago.  I did not mind the nostalgia that some have taken issue with because I think the dynamic between Sidney and Tatum, and her fear of passing on generational trauma to her daughter, is very compelling.  I also liked the subplot with Gale as she passes the torch of reporting on Ghostface to the Meeks-Martin twins (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding).  There are even some really grisly kills and I did enjoy the opening sequence.  In fact, I liked the first two acts well enough despite the fact that the meta-commentary about horror tropes that makes these movies so much fun is largely missing.  What is most disappointing is the ridiculous and underwhelming Ghostface reveal because the motivation is convoluted and makes absolutely no sense (it also makes one of the kills truly diabolical).  What I also found incredibly frustrating is that, in my opinion, the perfect ending (to the movie and to the franchise if this is actually the final one) was right there.  Ugh!  Definitely avoid this!

Midwinter Break

The second movie in the double feature with my nephew last night was Midwinter Break and, based on the trailer, this looked like the kind of slow-burn drama that I usually enjoy.  However, I found it even more disappointing than the first movie we saw.  Stella (Lesley Manville) and Gerry (Ciaran Hinds) are an older couple who seem companionable but have grown apart so Stella surprises him with a trip to Amsterdam for Christmas.  They excitedly pack, gush about their hotel room, and begin seeing all of the usual sights.  However, as they visit churches for her and pubs for him, flashbacks slowly reveal that Stella was the victim of an attack forty years ago during the troubles in Northern Ireland.  She views her survival as a miracle and, as a result, she is extremely devout but he views what happened as a failure to protect her and buries his pain in alcohol.  Tensions, which appear after he mocks her piety and she criticizes his drinking, eventually force them to address their long-buried trauma.  There are way too many tedious scenes in which Stella and Gerry do everything but talk about what is wrong (she tries to pretend that everything is fine and he is completely oblivious) and I spent most of the runtime waiting for some kind of catharsis which, when it does happen, is incredibly rushed and anticlimactic.  The ambiguous resolution also left me feeling very frustrated and made me wonder what the point was.  Manville and Hinds are brilliant actors but not even they can elevate this dull material into something compelling.  I did enjoy the beautiful cinematography featuring the city of Amsterdam (and my nephew loved the soundtrack) but I recommend giving this a miss.

How to Make a Killing

Last night my nephew and I had a double feature and we started with How to Make a Killing.  I was really looking forward to this because the trailer reminded me of the hilarious stage musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (both are inspired by the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets) but, unfortunately, it was very disappointing.  Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) is visited by a priest (Adrian Lukas) hours before his scheduled execution for murder.  He recounts the events that led him to his fate beginning with when his mother Mary Redfellow (Nell Williams) was disinherited by her wealthy father Whitelaw Redfellow (Ed Harris) for becoming pregnant with him.  His mother tells him that, even though there are seven people ahead of him, he is still in line to inherit the vast Redfellow fortune and, when he reconnects with his childhood crush Julia Steinway (Margaret Qualley), she gives him the idea to kill all of them to get the money.  Party boy Taylor Redfellow (Raff Law), photographer Noah Redfellow (Zach Woods), megachurch leader Steven Redfellow (Topher Grace), philanthropist Cassandra Redfellow (Bianca Amato), and pilot McArthur Redfellow (Alexander Hanson) all die under unusual circumstances but suspicious FBI Agents Brad Matthews (Stevel Marc) and Megan Pinfield (Phumi Tau) are unable to prove Becket was involved.  He eventually inherits the fortune when stock broker Warren Redfellow (Bill Camp) dies from a heart attack and when he shoots the patriarch of the family, Whitelaw Redfellow, in self-defense but complications ensue when he begins a relationship with Noah's ex-girlfriend Ruth (Jessica Henwick) and when Julia wants in on the fortune.  What I love most about the musical, which is one of my favorites, is the manic energy as each member of the family is dispatched in an absurd and completely over the top sequence.  This version is strangely inert because it plays it straight with an eat the rich message that becomes muddled in the third act and the family members have little more than cameos in scenes without any bite.  Powell's charisma is wasted, in my opinion, as a character that is surprisingly bland and Qualley does not do much beyond displaying her long legs for the camera.  I wanted this to be funny, or at the very least satirical, but I found it boring and I recommend giving it a miss.

Pillion

Last night I went to see Pillion at the Broadway and I was surprised by how much I loved it!  Colin (Harry Melling) is a timid young gay man who lives with his parents Pete (Douglas Hodge) and Peggy (Lesley Sharp), works a menial job as a parking lot attendant, and spends his free time singing with a barbershop quartet.  When a blind date arranged by his mother proves disappointing, he catches the eye of a handsome and enigmatic leader of a biker gang named Ray (Alexander Skarsgard) which leads to an awkward sexual encounter.  Colin is very inexperienced but Ray quickly initiates him into the world of BDSM as his submissive and he soon proves his aptitude for devotion.  Colin is so desperate for a connection that he allows Ray to have complete control but, as their relationship progresses, he demands more autonomy which Ray initially refuses.  However, Ray eventually begins to allow more and more intimacy but his feelings for Colin overwhelm him and he suddenly disappears from his life.  Colin emerges from the relationship devastated but with more confidence and a greater understanding of his own boundaries which ultimately leads to a new partner.  This is explicit (although, in my opinion, it is not shockingly so) but it is also a very tender love story where both men are transformed by being together even if they cannot stay together.  There are powerful turning points for each of them, including when Colin steals Ray's motorcycle and feels the freedom of actually controlling the bike rather than riding pillion and when Ray kisses Colin for the first time and realizes that he loves him (Ray's moment of truth is more subtle than Colin's but it is no less compelling).  This is also features a lot more humor than I was expecting, especially the scene in which Colin meets up with Ray for the first time with his family's long-haired dachshund only to see that Ray has a rottweiler (it perfectly telegraphs their eventual relationship without saying a word).  Finally, both Skarsgard and Melling give brilliant performances.  I have to admit that my motivation for seeing this movie was Skarsgard, and he is both sexy and vulnerable as Ray, but I was especially impressed by Melling because his portrayal of Colin's journey to self-discovery is incredibly dynamic and I was particularly struck by the difference in his demeanor in the two scenes with his barbershop quartet.  I highly recommend this with the proviso that some of the sex scenes might make some people uncomfortable.

Ballet West's Peter Pan

Last night I went to see Ballet West's production of Peter Pan, a ballet I had never seen before, and I was incredibly impressed by the thrilling athletic performances.  As with Jekyll and Hyde, I really enjoyed how movement is used to tell the story (especially since the story differs significantly from the one that audiences may be more familiar with) and I found the choreography to be very innovative and fun to watch.  The Darling children, including Peter (David Huffmire), Wendy (Lexi McCloud), Michael (Victor Galeana), and John (Jacob Hancock), are under the care of terrifying nursemaids who eventually lose Peter so Tinkerbell (Maren Florence) and other Fairies regularly visit their nursery to protect them.  After Mr. and Mrs. Darling  (Jordan Veit and Katlyn Addison, respectively) say goodnight to the children before attending a party, Wendy has a nightmare in which she is chased by shadows.  When she awakens, she sees that a wild boy named Peter has chased them away.  He teaches the Darling children to fly and invites them to join him in Neverland where they are welcomed by the exuberant Lost Boys who ask Wendy to be their mother.  They have a great adventure rescuing Mermaids (Alexis Bull, Tea Hinchley, and Anisa Sinteral) from Captain Hook (Adrian Fry), who has a mangled hand in the shape of a claw, and his band of Pirates but, when Wendy longs for home, the Lost Boys want to go there with her which angers Peter so he abandons them.  This gives Captain Hook the chance to take everyone prisoner on his ship, and to try to gain their sympathy by having his son James (Vinicius Lima) act out how his hand was mangled by a teacher who beat him, until Peter sneaks on board and challenges him to a duel.  The Mermaids help Peter throw Hook overboard where he is swallowed up by a crocodile.  The Darling children are then reunited with their parents but when Peter returns and asks Wendy to visit Neverland again she refuses and begins a family of her own.  I loved the sequence when Wendy dances with the shadows, both real and those portrayed by dancers, because it is such a cool effect and I loved all of the powerful acrobatic leaps and spins as Peter interacts with the Darling children in the nursery.  The aerial choreography when Peter and the children fly is absolutely magical because it seems like a natural extension of the steps they perform on the ground.  The Lost Boys and the Pirates execute wild and boisterous steps in unison while the villainous Captain Hook's movements are very stylized with flamboyant jumps and spins.  My favorite moments came in Act II when Huffmire and McCloud dance a beautiful and emotional Pas de Deux in which Wendy feels the push and pull between the excitement of Neverland and the contentment of home and in Act III when Huffmire is flying in the air while mirroring McCloud's movements on the ground because it shows their impending separation.  The sets are really imaginative, especially the way that nature is incorporated into the nursery to emphasize the influence of the fairies who protect the children and the way that Hook's ship resembles the skeleton of a whale with its skull serving as the prow, and the puppets are a lot of fun.  The score by Edward Elgar is very lively and adventurous during the battles but I also loved the plaintive violin during the Pas de Deux.  This is an enchanting production but there are only two more performances so act quickly to get a ticket (go here) before you lose your chance to visit Neverland!

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

Last night my nephew and I went to see Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie at the Broadway and it is a hoot!  Canadian filmmakers Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol play fictionalized versions of themselves in this mockumentary based on the web series and, later, the television show Nirvanna the Band the Show (you don't need to be familiar with either because the movie definitely works on its own).  Matt and Jay are musicians who form Nirvanna the Band in 2008 and create a series of elaborate plans, always detailed on a white board, to get a gig playing at the Rivoli in Toronto.  When their latest plan to get publicity for their band by skydiving from the CN Tower into the SkyDome goes horribly wrong seventeen years later, Jay is exasperated when Matt comes up with yet another plan.  This one involves converting an RV into a time machine inspired by Back to the Future in order to travel back to 2008 for reasons but, when it actually works after Matt's last bottle of Orbitz is spilled in the flux capacitor, Jay takes steps to change the future by interacting with his younger self.  However, once they return to 2025, Jay regrets his actions so he convinces Matt to go to 2008 again to change things back. Complications ensue when they cannot find another bottle of the discontinued Orbitz and have to execute another plan involving the CN Tower.  The physical comedy is absolutely hilarious because it is filmed as a documentary with cameras following all of their stunts (the scenes at the CN Tower were filmed without permits and they used a GoPro positioned on a tour guide without his knowledge) and the reactions from the crowds they interact with are genuine (and so quintessentially Canadian).  It is also extremely amusing when they periodically break the fourth wall, especially when they talk about the potential copyright issues for all of the movies they reference.  This is one of the funniest comedies I've seen in a long time (I saw it with a big crowd and heard people laughing out loud the entire time) but it also has a surprisingly touching message about friendship.  Definitely seek this one out because you will have so much fun watching it!

Note:  I grew up about an hour south of Toronto and have returned several times since moving to the United States to see Blue Jays and Maple Leafs games so I enjoyed all of the inside jokes about the city.  I laughed out loud every time they referred to the baseball stadium as the SkyDome.  The name changed to the Rogers Centre in 2005 but the locals still call it the SkyDome!

Wuthering Heights

Last night I finally had the chance to see Wuthering Heights at the Broadway and, even though they may take away my English degree, I liked it.  The volatile Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes) returns to Wuthering Heights, his Gothic estate, with a young boy (Owen Cooper) he rescued off the streets.  His daughter Catherine (Charlotte Mellington) adopts him as her pet, names him Heathcliff, and the two become inseparable, much to the dismay of Catherine's paid companion Nelly (Vy Nguyen), the illegitimate daughter of a lord.  Cathy (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) develop intense but unrequited feelings for each other as the years pass but Mr. Earnshaw lets Wuthering Heights fall into disrepair through his drinking and gambling so she contemplates marrying Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), a wealthy textile merchant who lives in neighboring Thrushcross Grange, to escape her circumstances.  She encourages his attentions and accepts his proposal but confesses to Nelly (Hong Chau) that she loves Heathcliff and is having second thoughts.  However, Heathcliff leaves Wuthering Heights unaware that Cathy loves him so she reluctantly marries Linton.  Her life at Thrushcross Grange is luxurious but empty so when Heathcliff returns as a gentleman with a mysterious fortune she begins a passionate affair with him.  Cathy is overcome with guilt and ends the affair so Heathcliff marries Linton's ward Isabella (Alison Oliver) to make her jealous which leads to tragedy.  Emerald Fennell takes many liberties with the novel by Emily Bronte to emphasize the tragic love story between Cathy and Heathcliff but what this version retains, in my opinion, is the scathing criticism of the rigid class system with the character of Nelly.  Much like Farleigh in Saltburn, Nelly is not a member of the aristocracy as represented by the Earnshaws (or even the wealthy merchant class represented by the Lintons) but neither is she a servant like Heathcliff.  She has no agency but she considers herself above all of these characters and manipulates their self-indulgent and self-destructive behavior to emerge as a survivor.  In addition to this intriguing social commentary, I absolutely loved the bold visuals.  The juxtaposition between Wuthering Heights, which is dark and foreboding and dominated by the intrusion of nature, and Thrushcross Grange, which is unnaturally bright and colorful and full of artifice (even in the costumes), is very striking and symbolic.  I also enjoyed the gorgeous cinematography on the moors and the atmospheric score.  Robbie and Elordi have tremendous chemistry (although I was expecting their scenes to be a lot more provocative) and I liked that their characterizations are appropriately unsympathetic but I was much more intrigued by the performances from Clunes, Oliver, and Hau.  I definitely enjoyed this more when I viewed it as inspired by, rather than adapted from, the novel and I recommend it as such.

Singin' in the Rain at Hopebox Theatre

I had the best time seeing Singin' in the Rain at Hopebox Theatre last night because the show is a favorite of mine and they did a great job with it! Don Lockwood (Braden Charles Hull) and Lina Lamont (Caitlin Olsen) are popular silent film stars in the 1920s.  They are working on their latest collaboration but, when Monumental Pictures is forced to transition to "talkies," Lina's obnoxious voice and terrible acting threaten to ruin the picture. Don's best friend Cosmo Brown (Garrett Stephenson)  suggests that they dub Lina's voice with that of Kathy Seldon (Jordyn Tracy), an aspiring actress with whom Don has fallen in love. Complications ensue when Lina finds out and wants Kathy to keep singing for her. I love this show so much because it features so many big song and dance numbers (you know I love to see tapping) and the choreography in this production is so much fun. The female ensemble really shines in "All I Do Is Dream of You," "Beautiful Girls," and "Broadway Melody" and I also enjoyed "You Were Meant for Me" because it features some fun effects and Hull and Tracy have a lot of romantic chemistry in this number, "Good Morning" because Hull, Tracy, and Stephenson perform it with so much energy, and "Make 'Em Laugh" because Stephenson steals the show with his physicality and comedic timing. However, the highlight of the show is the iconic number "Singin' in the Rain" because, not only does Hull tap dance beautifully around a lamp post, he does it in the rain! I am so impressed that a small community theatre actually made it rain on stage because it was very impressive (it rained once again when the cast came out in raincoats for the bows). All of the leads have beautiful voices but shoutouts go to Matty Boyd for his lovely rendition of "Beautiful Girls" and Olsen who is an absolute hoot in "What's Wrong With Me?" (she is also really funny in the scene where Lina struggles to use a microphone). The set is also noteworthy because the stage is configured as a large Art Deco Theatre with panels that open to become a screen (the movie footage from The Dueling Cavalier is hilarious, especially when the sound is out of sync with the images) and various set pieces are brought on and off by the ensemble to become other locations (my favorite was the large cake hiding Kathy). The 1920s costumes include some gorgeous flapper dresses and headdresses as well as some dapper suits and sweater vests. Finally, the mission of the Hopebox Theatre is to provide support for someone in the community battling cancer and Heidi Green is the recipient for this production (go here to learn more about her). I had a smile on my face during the entire show and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 14.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die

Late last night I went to see Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die and it is absolutely bonkers!  An unnamed man (Sam Rockwell) from a dystopian future arrives in the present day and takes all of the patrons of a popular Los Angeles diner hostage.  He is looking for a specific combination of people to help him save the fate of humanity but tells them that, since this is his 117th attempt, he is not very optimistic about their chances for survival.  He eventually coerces Bob (Daniel Barnett), Marie (Georgia Goodman), Scott (Asim Chaudhry), and the couple Mark (Michael Pena) and Janet (Zazie Beetz) to join him and then Susan (Juno Temple) and Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson) volunteer for reasons.  He explains that people in the future have become obsessed with virtual reality to the exclusion of their own reality and, as a result, the natural resources in the real world have run out causing a catastrophic number of deaths.  The only hope for the future is to find the nine-year-old boy responsible for creating the AI that is about to take over the world and install a safety protocol into the program (he doesn't want to destroy the program because he believes that AI is inevitable). However, there are forces working against him and mayhem ensues. I enjoyed the surreal tone and the satirical humor made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion but there is also a powerful message about the dangers of technology that really resonated with me, especially the scene showing students enslaved to their phones.  I also enjoyed Rockwell's performance because he commits fully to the insanity.  His physicality is almost manic and it is fun to watch, particularly when he is trying to convince the customers at the diner that the world is about to end.  I sometimes found the pacing to be a bit off because the action is periodically interrupted by flashbacks to the backstories of some of the characters and, while these are interesting and inform what is happening, the transitions back to the present are jarring.  I also think the third act is unwieldy and goes on far too long (the drawn out explanations of several twists become very tedious).  This was a mixed bag for me but it is entertaining and I recommend it to those who appreciate a bold, if not always effective, swing for the fences.

Emma at West Valley Arts

Last night I went with both of my sisters to see Emma at the West Valley Performing Arts Center. What could be better than spending Valentine's Day with the ultimate matchmaker? After Emma Woodhouse (Morgan Fenner) successfully matches her former governess Miss Taylor (April Fossen) with Mr. Weston (Alvaro Cortez), she decides to make a match for Harriet Smith (Sofia Paredes-Kenrick) next. Despite Harriet's budding relationship with the farmer Robert Martin (TJ Horton), Emma encourages her to pursue the vicar Mr. Elton (Garrett Rushforth) instead. When this plot fails, she selects Frank Churchill (Seth Johnson) as Harriet's next suitor but Mr. Weston is trying to match him with her even though he is more interested in Jane Fairfax (Emily Henwood). Finally, Harriet chooses Mr. Knightley (Clayton Barney) but this makes Emma realize that she has been in love with him all along! Chaos ensues until Mrs. Weston plays matchmaker! This is a very loose adaptation of Jane Austen's novel because there are changes to the narrative that give Emma a powerful pretext for her meddling, Harriet some agency independent of Emma, and Knightley a well-deserved comeuppance for his superiority (many of these scenes received spontaneous applause from the crowd). This adaptation also features a more contemporary sensibility and I particularly loved the use of music from the Bridgerton soundtrack because pop songs, such as "Material Girl" as Emma dresses Harriet for the ball and "Love Story" when Emma and Knightley realize their feelings for each other, are instantly recognizable but the orchestrations are still appropriate for the Regency period. Almost none of the original dialogue from the source material is retained in favor of more modern language. In fact, I think William Shakespeare is quoted (by Mr. Elton) more than Jane Austen (although the most romantic line is still included but it is said by Emma rather than Knightley). I am generally a purist when it comes to adaptations of classic literature but I think this particular version makes Austen's novel more accessible to audiences who may not be familiar with the text, especially when Emma breaks the fourth wall to give the audience her commentary on the goings-on. I also think this adaptation is absolutely hilarious because it is more like a farce than a romantic comedy and this is emphasized by the over the top performances. I loved Fenner in the title role because she has so much chemistry with Barney when they continually bicker and roughhouse (I laughed so hard when they started flicking tea at each other) and with Paredes-Kenrick when she tries to instruct Harriet (the repeated use of biscuits as a reward provide many other laugh out loud moments). I also loved Rushforth's physicality in his interactions with Emma and Mrs. Elton (Bryn Campbell) and Brooklyn Pulver Kohler's facial expressions as Miss Bates. The set, which features panels around the stage that are flipped by the cast to become different locations, as well as the period costumes, which are embellished by different pieces to change the look, are simple but effective. Finally, I was really impressed with the lighting design because it is so striking, especially the red lights that are used whenever Emma mentions her rival Jane Fairfax (my sister Kristine thought that there should have been a similar effect for whenever Knightley mentions Frank Churchill). I had so much fun seeing this show with both of my sisters (we are all big fans of Jane Austen) and I don't think we stopped laughing all night (even my sister Marilyn who is very reserved). This is perfect for date night or a girl's night out and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets). There are performances on Fridays and Saturdays through February 28.

Note: Local Jane Austen fans can also see Sense and Sensibility at Parker Theatre through March 7 (go here for tickets).

Clue at the Eccles

By now I have seen Clue many times (my favorite version was at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and my least favorite was at HCT) so I was really interested in how the staging for the Broadway touring production would compare. I went to the matinee yesterday and it was so much fun! Six guests using aliases arrive at an isolated manor on a dark and stormy night, including the blustering Colonel Mustard (Nate Curlott), the flustered Mrs. Peacock (Madeline Raube), the womanizing Professor Plum (Kyle Yampiro), the dramatic Mrs. White (Sarah Mackenzie Baron), the accident-prone Mr. Green (TJ Lamando), and the glamorous Miss Scarlet (Camille Capers), at the invitation of the mysterious Mr. Boddy (Joseph Dalfonso). It is soon revealed that he has been blackmailing each of them and, after providing them with weapons, he offers to return the evidence he has against them if they kill his butler Wadsworth (Adam Brett). However, Mr. Boddy, the Cook (AT Sanders), a Motorist (Kebron Woodfin), a Cop (Kebron Woodfin), Yvette the Maid (Zoie Tannous), and a Singing Telegram Girl (AT Sanders) are murdered instead and mayhem ensues as the guests try to determine the killer, the weapon, and the location of each murder. The set is one of the best I've seen for this show and includes a mahogany paneled main entry with backdrops for a hallway and dining room that come down from the rafters and doors that open from the wings and rotate on stage to reveal the lounge, the study, the library, the kitchen, the conservatory, and the billiards room. The elaborate choreography as the characters move from room to room while the set is reconfigured is both extremely clever and hilarious to watch, especially when the characters dance as they separate into pairs to search the entire manor. The lighting and sound cues also add to the hi-jinks. The dialogue is incredibly witty and delivered at lightning speed (the joke about the Republican party got lots of laughs and applause), the sight gags are amusing (my favorite was the use of the board game as a map to the manor), and the physical comedy is the highlight of the show (everyone in the cast has brilliant comedic timing). Mr. Green is my favorite character because he is always so hilariously overwrought and I loved Lamando's physicality as he is trapped under two different bodies and a chandelier but Brett steals the show as Mr. Boddy because he is completely over the top in the scene where he reenacts all of the murders (his imitations of all of the other characters are so spot-on that the audience was hooting with laughter). I probably didn’t need to see this again but I really enjoyed it. I recommend attending one of the two remaining performances (go here for tickets) if you are in need of a laugh.

Note: I still prefer the production at the Utah Shakespeare Festival but this is a close second!

Dumbed Down at Plan-B Theatre

During my last few years teaching at Hunter High School I was lucky enough to have Darryl Stamp in the classroom across the hall from mine. He was an exceptional teacher and a wonderful colleague (he talked me down from the roof on more than one occasion). We retired at about the same time and, while I channeled my energies into a rigorous schedule of reading and napping, Darryl used his experiences at Hunter and other schools to write the play Dumbed Down which is currently having its world premiere with the Plan-B Theatre Company. I had the opportunity to see this play last night with my friend Angela, another former colleague in the English department at Hunter, and we both could definitely relate to the material (we were often the only ones in the audience laughing out loud). Kevin Simon (Danor Gerald) is an English teacher in a tough urban high school who is about to retire. Even though he must deal with endless interruptions from the office and counseling center and students who fall asleep, are on their phones, and request the hall pass multiple times, his lessons are engaging and he is able to get the students thinking about the material because he makes it relevant to them, especially Malcolm Thomas (Jacob Barnes) and Craig Wilson (Alex Smith). Isaiah Rogers (Chad Brown), one of Mr. Simon's former students, doesn't see the point of school because he has been labeled as learning disabled (despite an encyclopedic knowledge of movies) and is always in trouble (as a Black male he often makes his current English teacher feel unsafe and is therefore punished for minor infractions which usually involves picking up trash after school). Mr. Simon eventually retires but finds it difficult to stay away so he takes a job teaching in the prison system where he encounters both Isaiah and Craig who are happy for the opportunity to learn from him again. This is the most realistic portrayal of the teaching profession that I have seen on stage or film and I was particularly struck by a scene where Mr. Simon is praised for being engaging but is also reminded to work harder to prepare the students for an upcoming standardized test during his evaluation by the administrator (Jacob Barnes). This perfectly represents how education as an institution fails so many students by refusing to see them as individuals. I also loved a powerful monologue in which Mr. Simon compares teaching to Tylenol because it is time-released. This is an incredible reminder of the impact that one good teacher can have on the future lives of their students if given the proper support. I loved Gerald's performance because he absolutely nails all of the highs (it is thrilling when a student makes a connection) and lows (it is absolutely exhausting to find ways to facilitate those connections) of teaching. I also loved Brown's performance because he reminded me of so many of my students. Finally, I found it ironic that the minimal set works for both a school and a prison because I often referred to Hunter High as a prison because it is so sterile! This is authentic, thought-provoking, and surprisingly funny, especially if you are an educator or former educator, and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs at the Studio Theatre at the Rose on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 1.

Note:  The line that got the biggest laugh from both me and Angela was when Mr. Simon referred to teaching high school as teen daycare because that was a signature line from Mr. Stamp!

Crime 101

Yesterday my nephew and I were able to catch a matinee of Crime 101 and we both really liked it.  Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) is a jewel thief who uses inside information to plan heists along Highway 101 that involve stealing from couriers without the use of violence.  Det. Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) suspects that all of these robberies are the work of one man but no one, including his exasperated partner Det. Tillman (Corey Hawkins), agrees with him.  When Mike refuses to do a job, his fence Money (Nick Nolte) gives it to an incredibly unstable and violent biker named Ormon (Barry Keoghan) and, when the job goes wrong, Mike is angry about the casualties.  He decides to do one final job on his own after beginning a romantic relationship with Maya (Monica Barbaro) and enlists the help of Sharon Combs (Halle Berry), a disgruntled insurance broker, to get information about one of her wealthy clients (Tate Donovan).  Money doesn't want to miss out on Mike's job so he has Ormon follow him to steal back what he steals.  Complications ensue when all of these characters become involved with the execution of the heist.  This is an incredibly stylish neo-noir crime thriller but it is also much more character-driven than I was expecting.  I especially enjoyed the arcs for Mike, Lou, and Sharon because all three of them are easy to root for despite their questionable behavior (the resolution is perfect).  I loved the requisite car chases with the equally requisite synth score as well as the dynamic camera angles and use of reflections (I've seen a lot of comparisons to Michael Mann's Heat but, in my opinion, this is not a negative).  Finally, the entire cast is great (Hemsworth is very well suited to his role and Keoghan adds another little freak to his collection) but Berry steals the show with her tough, yet vulnerable, performance as a woman who is fed up with broken promises.  This is highly entertaining and I definitely recommend it.

Up in Concert

I am a big fan of the movie Up so I was really excited to see it on the big screen last night while the Utah Symphony performed the Academy Award-winning score by Michael Giacchino live.  I loved this concert because the music made me laugh and cry during all of my favorite scenes!  Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner) is a curmudgeonly widower who is filled with regret that he didn't fulfill the promise he made to his wife Ellie to take her on an adventure to Paradise Falls in South America before she died.  When he is on the verge of being evicted, he decides to keep his promise and attaches thousands of helium balloons to his house in order to fly it to South America.  However, he discovers midair that a Wilderness Explorer named Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai) is on his porch attempting to earn his final merit badge for helping the elderly.  A storm blows them off course so Carl reluctantly enlists Russell's help to tow the house across a mesa to get it to Paradise Falls.  Along the way they encounter a large flightless bird that Russell names Kevin, a dog named Dug with a collar that allows it to talk, and the adventurer Charles Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer) who is not the hero Carl remembers from childhood.  Chaos ensues until Carl eventually learns that friendship is the true adventure.  I think the music really adds to the emotional impact of the story.  The theme "Married Life" during the opening montage showing Carl and Ellie's life together is absolutely brilliant because it uses changes in tempo and intensity with a solo trumpet, then a solo violin and harp, then the brass, and then just the piano to convey the mood without any dialogue (it always makes me cry) and then this same theme is repeated throughout the rest of the movie with different variations to show that everything is motivated by Carl's memories of Ellie.  The variation used in "Stuff We Did" as Carl looks through Ellie's scrapbook and realizes that their life together was adventure enough is especially poignant because the piano is so haunting.  I also love the more joyful and triumphant iteration used in "Carl Goes Up" when the piano is joined by the strings, woodwinds, and brass because it shows Carl's thrill at finally fulfilling his promise and the daring one in "Escape From Muntz Mountain" because the addition of percussion to the strings, piano, and brass emphasizes the excitement of the chase.  Because it is so immersive to have the orchestra playing live while watching the movie, I noticed every time I heard the theme repeated and I was really struck by how well each variation fit the action on the screen.  It is one of the best scores for not only a Disney-Pixar movie but for any movie and I highly recommend getting a ticket to one of the two remaining performances this weekend (go here).

Ten Brave Seconds at PTC

Last night I went to see the world premiere of the new musical Ten Brave Seconds at PTC. It is always thrilling to be among the first to see a brand new show (I was also able to see the world premieres of Cagney and Shucked at PTC) but I didn't love it as much as I expected to given all of the rave reviews it has been receiving. The narrative depicts one day in the life of a suburban teen named Mike (Carson Stewart) as he comes out to his father Carl (Will Blum), his sister Becky (Heidi Farber), his best friend Gabby (Jessica Money), and his new friend Tim (Luke Kolbe Mannikus). He turns to his sympathetic history teacher Mr. G (John Cariani) to help him deal with his grief over the recent death of his mother Sally (Amber Iman) and to navigate the complicated responses from his friends and family to his sudden announcement. I think this show is garnering so much praise because it has an important message about daring to live authentically and I really love that the emphasis is not necessarily on being brave enough to tell people who you are but rather being brave enough to have the difficult conversations moving forward. In fact, the moment when Mike tells his father that he is gay is almost anticlimactic and that is an incredibly interesting, but effective, choice because it subverts the traditional coming out trope. The reactions from Mike's family and friends feel very honest and authentic, especially Carl's because parents do not always have all of the answers and Gabby's because it is heartbreaking when a relationship is revealed to be one-sided. I liked the recurring motif of counting from one to ten (this really resonated with me because I suffer from anxiety and use this as a coping mechanism) and the use of an astronaut as a metaphor for isolation (although I wish that this had been emphasized more). I also liked how the main set, which features the outline of a house made from intersecting metal beams, and the costumes, particularly a large purple hoodie worn and then eventually discarded by Mike, highlight the fact that you cannot hide who you really are. The performances are excellent all around but the standout for me was Money because she has an energy that is very compelling. However, the songs are not very memorable because, in my opinion, they are merely long monologues set to music without a hook to keep the audience's attention. I struggled to remember any of the songs once I left the theater. The choreography and staging are also surprisingly bland because most of the big musical numbers involve the ensemble walking back and forth across the stage and end with the main characters downstage in a line under spotlights (I get that this is meant to represent the disconnect than many feel in high school but it is not very interesting to watch, especially when it happens multiple times). One of the biggest turning points in the show happens with Carl, Mike, and Becky sitting at a table listening to a song played through a phone but, despite a beautiful performance from Iman, it did not make much of an impression because it is so static. I do think this is worth seeing for the powerful message (go here for tickets) but I found it a bit underwhelming. It runs at PTC through February 14.

Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

It was an all Russian program at last night's Utah Symphony concert and I loved every minute!  When I was very young I lived on a farm in southern Ontario next door to an elderly couple who had emigrated from Russia to Canada.  I loved them dearly.  My parents always told me not to bother them but I think they enjoyed it when I followed them around their farm.  They taught me several phrases in Russian and served me tea from an exquisite samovar that had pride of place in their living room and pryanik (a type of Russian cookie).  I think this early influence is why I have always been fascinated by Russia (I've been there twice), especially Russian history, literature, and music.  I usually try to get a ticket to any Utah Symphony concert featuring a Russian composer and, luckily, there are several this season (the woman who took my order over the phone joked that she was sensing a theme with my selections).  The orchestra began with the Polonaise from The Golden Slippers by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  This little known opera features the traditional Polish dance at a Christmas celebration for the tsaritsa in Act III and the music is very festive and energetic.  I loved all of the lush melodies played by the strings and the triumphant fanfares played by the brass as I imagined a grand and stately group promenading through an opulent St. Petersburg ballroom in my mind.  Next, the orchestra was joined by Sir Stephen Hough, who is a very popular soloist with Utah Symphony audiences, for Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff.  This is one of my favorite pieces and I love all of the Variations because they are sometimes fiery and passionate, sometimes grand and stirring, and sometimes wild and tempestuous.  If I had to pick a favorite it would be the 18th because it is incredibly beautiful and almost unbearably romantic (it is featured in many movies, including Somewhere in Time).  Hough played it with so much emotion (I loved watching his fingers fly up and down the keyboard) and I was practically swooning by the time the swelling strings joined the melody.  The near-capacity crowd leapt to their feet in thunderous applause after the performance and Hough gave a lovely encore featuring his own virtuosic arrangement of "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins.  After the intermission, the concert concluded with Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovitch.  The first movement is bold with militaristic marches played by the brass and the second is very stirring (I loved the opening theme played by the cellos and basses).  However, my favorite was the third movement because it is very affecting, particularly a theme played by the harp and flute.  At the premiere, this movement provided a way for the public to express their grief over Stalin's purges and it brought tears to my eyes, as well.  The final movement becomes celebratory once again and I loved the epic conclusion by the timpani!  This was an incredible evening of music and, if this program appeals to you, get tickets (go here) for tonight's concert sooner rather than later because, as I mentioned, there were very few empty seats in Abravanel Hall last night (for good reason).

Fiddler on the Roof at The Ruth

I don't think there is a better way to spend an evening than sitting in the audience eagerly anticipating every song in a favorite classic musical!  I had the opportunity to do that last night with The Ruth's wonderful production of Fiddler on the Roof and it made me so happy.  I have seen this well-known story of how a poor Jewish dairyman named Tevye (Ben Henderson) and his wife Golde (Claire Kenney) cling to their traditions in the small village of Anatevka in Tsarist Russia until their daughters, Tzeitel (Susannah Castelton), Hodel (Sydney Dameron), and Chava (Maria Stephens), push against them when it is time to find a match many times but this production features a few new touches to keep it feeling fresh without abandoning the *ahem* traditions that audiences love to see.  This is especially true of the choreography because there are definitely recognizable elements from the original choreography by Jerome Robbins but Ben Roeling adds his own touch.  I loved all of the subtle changes in the patterns formed by the different groups in "Tradition," when the villagers and soldiers integrate their separate dances into one joyful celebration in "To Life," and the exuberant leaps and spins after the bottle dance in "The Wedding Dance."  I also loved the ballet sequence performed by Stephens in "Chavaleh (Little Bird)."  There are many nuances in the performances that made me laugh, especially when Timothy Quesenberry (as Motel) has several spontaneous outbursts during "Miracle of Miracles" and then when Bronson Dameron (as Perchik) mimics him in "Now I Have Everything," and that made me cry, such as when Henderson can't hide his emotions before turning his back on Chava and when a sobbing Stephens tries to hold on to Tevye's cart as he walks away (this gave me goosebumps).  I was also struck by the highly charged interaction between Parley Lambert (as Fyedka) and Stephens after the soldiers disrupt the wedding and by Kenney lying prostrate on the ground after learning about Chava.  The set is one of the most striking I've seen for this show and features wooden slats that allow the dramatic lighting to spill through with balconies on either side of the stage accessed by staircases and ladders.  These balconies allow for some distinctive staging choices and I loved seeing groups above Tevye and his family during "Sabbath Prayer," Perchik looking down on Hodel during "Sunrise, Sunset," Hodel looking up at Perchik on one balcony and her family on the other in "Far From the Home I Love," and the Constable (Jacob Garrison) and soldiers looking down on the villagers as they leave Anatevka.  This is such a special show to me because I have so many memories of watching the movie at my Grandma Anderson's house, seeing various productions over the years, and even performing the role of Fruma-Sarah and this version made me feel so nostalgic!  It will definitely put a smile on your face so get a ticket (go here) before they are gone!  It runs in the Smith Grand Theater through March 21.

A Private Life

I was really exited to see Jodie Foster in a role that is almost entirely in French (she swears in English) so I went to see A Private Life at the Broadway last night.  Her performance is even more captivating than I was expecting.  Dr. Lillian Steiner (Foster) is an American psychiatrist living in Paris.  When Paula (Virginie Efira), one of her long-term patients, commits suicide, her husband Simon (Mathieu Amalric) and daughter Valerie (Luana Bajrami) hold Lillian responsible because she used pills that Lillian prescribed to kill herself.  However, when Lillian discovers that the prescription was altered, she suspects that Paula was murdered by one of them and enlists her ex-husband Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil) to help her find the truth.  At first I found the narrative to be incredibly messy, with subplots involving a disgruntled former patient (Noem Morgensztern), a son (Vincent Lacoste) with whom she has a distant relationship, and a hypnotist (Sophie Guillemin) who reveals the possibility of childhood trauma and a past life that informs the present, but there is a moment when everything comes together and what I thought was just a murder mystery becomes a psychological character study about a woman in the midst of a breakdown.  Even though some of the ideas are underdeveloped and the tone is a bit inconsistent (some of the humor is very jarring), it is definitely a lot more complex and thought-provoking than some might suggest.  What everyone can agree on is that Foster is outstanding (her French is flawless) and gives a highly nuanced performance in which she is cold and detached but slowly becomes more and more vulnerable as Lillian investigates a suspicious death and her own psyche.  The rest of the cast is great as well, especially Auteuil who has a surprisingly sexy and playful chemistry with Foster.  I also loved the stylish interiors (especially all of the spiral staircases) and the rainy autumnal exteriors around Paris.  This is the kind of movie that really appeals to me (but might not appeal to others) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sundance Film Festival 2026

I wasn't very interested in the lineup but, since this was the final year that Utah would be hosting the Sundance Film Festival, I knew that I had to attend at least one screening to bid farewell to something that has been a part of my life for well over a decade.  I ended up seeing The Weight last night at the Rose Wagner with my nephew and I think it is incredibly appropriate that I ended with a film starring Ethan Hawke because I have seen so many of his films at Sundance over the years!  Both my nephew and I liked it because it feels like an old school Western but it is set in the Pacific Northwest during the Great Depression.  Samuel Murphy (Hawke) is a widower arrested for fighting and sent to a convict labor camp run by Clancy (Russell Crowe).  He is separated from his young daughter Penny (Avy Berry) and he is desperate to get back to her before she becomes a ward of the state and eligible for adoption.  Clancy is impressed by Murphy's ingenuity and offers him an early release if he smuggles gold from a mine run by his associate Taggert (Alec Newman) and transports it through a dangerous forest to a safe location before the federal government can confiscate it.  Murphy agrees and sets off with three other convicts, Rankin (Austin Amelio), Singh (Avi Nash), and Olson (Lucas Lynggaad Tonnesen), two armed guards from the mine, Amis (Sam Hazeldine) and Big (Jeffrey Lee Hallman), and Anna (Julia Jones), an indigenous woman on the run who joins them, on a perilous journey with higher stakes than he imagines.  It is incredibly tense (at one point everyone in the theater gasped out loud) because they face dangers from nature, from a miner (Cameron Brady) who happens upon them and suspects what they are doing, and shifting dynamics within the group.  It does sometimes get bogged down in between the action sequences but they are great, especially one on a suspension bridge and one during a thunder storm.  Hawke gives a riveting performance that hearkens back to classic Westerns as a rugged and resourceful loner on a mission and the locations are gorgeous.  It was really fun to experience this with a Sundance crowd and I will really miss the festival.

I have so many to choose from but here are some of my favorite memories from the festival:

Whenever I saw a screening at the Rose Wagner, I always tried to sit in the same seat and at one screening I got chatting with a volunteer about my preference.  During the next screening, I noticed that this seat had a reserved sign on it.  The volunteer had put the sign on "my" seat so that I would be sure to get it!

I saw Hereditary at the old Tower Theater which is incredibly atmospheric (and probably haunted) and therefore a great place to see a horror film.  I jumped out of my seat and screamed out loud during an especially tense scene and so did everyone sitting around me.  It is one of the most memorable movie viewing experiences I have had!

When I was teaching, I was able to take my students to the free screenings offered by the Sundance Institute.  One year I had a group who really enjoyed reading Hamlet so I was beyond excited when we were able to see Ophelia.  They loved the film and all of their discussions on the bus ride home comparing it to the play made my teacher heart want to burst!

I am a big fan of the musical Hamilton so I had a fangirl moment when Daveed Diggs, who originated the role of Lafayette/ Thomas Jefferson, showed up for the Q&A after the screening for Blindspotting. I may or may not have screamed when he came to the stage.

I loved being able to talk to people who also have a passion for film while standing in line and I eventually became friends with several people who came to the festival year after year.  I always looked forward to seeing them and I am so glad that I got to connect with a few of them last night!

My favorite films seen at Sundance are Manchester by the Sea, A Ghost Story, Nine Days, Past Lives, and Sorry, Baby.

Sense and Sensibility at Parker Theatre

Last night I spent a delightful evening in Regency England with Parker Theatre's original adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. The death of their father leaves Elinor and Marianne Dashwood (Jasmine Hohl and Isabelle Purdie, respectively) in reduced circumstances so they have no other option but to seek advantageous marriages. The sensible and reserved Elinor silently pines for Edward Ferrars (Truman Schipper), who is expected to marry well by his mother, while the passionate Marianne is swept up, literally, in a romance with the dashing John Willoughby (Spencer Hohl), who needs a wealthy wife after he is cut off by his family for his indiscretions. Both sisters ultimately find happiness when they balance reason with emotion. Elinor finally reveals her feelings to Edward when he is free to propose and Marianne finds the value in real love, rather than impetuous infatuation, with Colonel Brandon (Jordan Palmer). I didn't especially like the adaptation I saw at the Utah Shakespeare Festival several years ago because it made too many changes to the source material but, even though this version also takes a few liberties, I think it remains true to the spirit of the novel and I really enjoyed it. I especially loved the addition of several scenes that show the juxtaposition between Colonel Brandon and Willoughby more fully. I was impressed with the entire cast but the standout for me was Hohl because her Elinor has a very dramatic transformation and the scene where she finally reveals her heartbreak over Edward's engagement to Lucy Steele (Maryn Tueller) is incredibly charged and gave me goosebumps. A lot of the performances are informed by the characterizations in 1995 movie and I laughed out loud at Brian Douros as the overly exuberant Sir John Middleton, Rowena Greenwood as the busybody Mrs. Jennings, Nick Mathews as the disdainful Mr. Palmer, Daniel Summerstay as the clueless John Dashwood (the way the servants continually ignore him is a funny running bit), and Josh Augenstein as the obnoxious Robert Ferrars (his dancing at the ball is absolutely hilarious). I love the way this show is staged with large moving panels that are configured and reconfigured to become various locations and set pieces that are brought on and off stage very efficiently by the ensemble who are costumed as servants. The projections are atmospheric and immersive but they are very muted and I wish that they had been more vibrant. Finally, the period costumes are beautiful (I love the Regency silhouette) with lots of opulent and embellished fabrics (my favorite costume was a gown worn by Elinor with with a row of embroidered flowers down the front of the skirt). Jane Austen is always a good idea so I highly recommend getting a ticket to this show (go here). It runs on Fridays and Saturdays through March 7.

H is for Hawk

Yesterday I went to a matinee of H is for Hawk, an adaptation of the best-selling memoir of the same name by Helen Macdonald, and I found it to be incredibly moving.  Macdonald (Claire Foy) is a fellow at Cambridge University who is grief-stricken over the sudden death of her beloved father Alistair (Brendan Gleeson).  She is assaulted by memories of her father, especially their bird watching excursions together, so she decides to get an Eurasian goshawk, a particularly aggressive bird of prey, in order to keep these memories alive.  She subsumes her grief into bonding with and training the bird she names Mabel which causes her to abandon her research and teaching responsibilities and avoid her worried family and friends.  However, it is when she observes Mabel hunting that she begins to understand the necessity of life and death in nature which leads to acceptance and healing.  This is a very powerful portrayal of grief and I was particularly struck by how the memories of her father would randomly overwhelm Helen when she least expected them because that is my own experience with grief over the death of my father.  Her interactions with Alistair, shown through flashbacks, are so poignant that I had tears in my eyes on more than one occasion (Gleeson gives a lovely performance).  I also loved the strangely compelling interactions between Helen and Mabel (I wonder how long some of these sequences took to film and how much training Foy received because they appear so authentic) and the beautiful cinematography as Mabel flies through the sky hunting for prey.  Foy gives an amazing performance, in my opinion, because, even though it is incredibly restrained, you understand everything that Helen is feeling just by her body language and facial expressions.  This is a very slow and introspective movie so it might not be for everyone but its themes resonated very deeply with me and I loved it.