Pumpkin Carving 2026

My nephew wanted to carve pumpkins a little bit earlier than usual this year so we did it last night (he arranged everything including dinner beforehand).  We had a lot of fun (it was the perfect thing to do on a cold, dark, and rainy evening) and I think they turned out great!  I used a stencil for my spider web but everyone else drew their designs freehand.  I especially love Marilyn's cat.

This is a fun Halloween tradition and I'm glad my nephew wanted to do it this year!

Pride and Prejudice at The Ruth

I spent a wonderful afternoon with both my sisters at The Ruth seeing Pride and Prejudice yesterday (we are big Jane Austen fans).  I really love this specific adaptation by Melissa Leilani Larson and I always try to see it whenever it is playing (this was my fifth production).  When Mr. Bingley (Braden Clement), a single man in possession of a fortune, lets Netherfield Hall, Mrs. Bennett (Anne Post Fife) immediately sets her sights on him as a possible husband for one of her five daughters.  Bingley falls in love with the beautiful Jane (Kylee Thurman) but her sister Elizabeth (Elena Belen Shill) takes an immediate dislike to his friend Mr. Darcy (James Carter) because he is so aloof and disdainful.  Elizabeth must overcome her prejudice and Mr. Darcy must overcome his pride for them to realize that they belong together.  The actress playing Mrs. Bennett is deaf and she signs all of her lines while her daughters translate for everyone in the scene and the audience.  I have to admit that when I first heard about this casting choice I thought it would be really distracting but including Fife really adds a deeper understanding of the family dynamic because her daughters translate for her in character.  This is especially true for Lydia (Sydney Claire Olson), because she translates in a bored monotone, and for Mary (Emma Lamm), because she becomes despondent when she translates her mother's praise for Elizabeth to Mr. Collins (Anthony Tibolla).  There are also lots of comedic interactions with Fife, such as when Elizabeth signs very aggressively to tell her mother that she refuses to marry Mr. Collins and when Mr. Bennett (Marshall Lamm) shakes the clacker that she uses to get attention back at her.  However, my favorite moment was when Darcy signs to Mrs. Bennett because this is yet another way for him to show his respect for Elizabeth and her family (everyone sitting near me said "awe" in unison at this moment).  I thoroughly enjoyed Fife's performance and it was very moving to see the audience use the sign for applause during her bows.  I also enjoyed Shill and Carter, because they have tremendous chemistry when they spar back and forth, as well as Tibolla and Lamm, because they made me laugh out loud multiple times (both are absolutely hilarious when they dance).  One of the aspects of this adaptation that really works for me is the inclusion of letters between the characters and I loved the way that this is portrayed in this production, especially the unsent letters between Jane and Bingley (it is so clever and so romantic).  The set is minimal but effective (I liked the way different areas of the theater are used as set pieces are brought to the stage), the regency costumes are gorgeous (especially all of the embellished fabrics), and the lighting design does a brilliant job of highlighting vignettes within scenes. Finally, I loved the orchestral arrangements of pop songs used in between scenes.  My favorites were "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye when Bingley leaves Netherfield and Jane leaves Longbourn, "Royals" by Lorde when Elizabeth visits Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Delayne Bluth Dayton), "Trouble" by Taylor Swift when Elizabeth learns that Darcy separated Bingley and Jane, and "Single Ladies" by Beyonce during the bows.  Both of my sisters and I loved this charming production (we agree that it is our favorite version of this show) and we highly recommend it!  Go here for tickets to one of the remaining performances in the Lindsay Legacy Theatre through November 7.

Note:  The Ruth's current production of The Addams Family is also my favorite version of that show (go here for tickets) so they are two for two!

Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at Hopebox Theatre

Last night I went to see Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at Hopebox Theatre. I don't particularly like this version of the classic fairy tale (Cinderella is a social reformer who rescues the prince from his advisors at court) but I thoroughly enjoyed what Hopebox did with it. The music is really beautiful and, because it is by Rogers and Hammerstein, it requires an impressive vocal range. This cast is definitely up for the challenge, especially Jennica Johnson as Ella and Brianna Skeen as Marie/ Fairy Godmother. I loved their performances of "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "Glass Slipper/ It's Possible," and "There Is Music In You" because they imbue these songs with so much emotion. Johnson also has a lot of chemistry with with John Derington, as Prince Topher, and their songs together, "Ten Minutes Ago," "Loneliness Of Evening," and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful," are incredibly romantic. Other highlights from the cast include Hillary McChesney as Madame, because she is channeling her inner Christine Baranski with her haughty demeanor and over the top line deliveries (she made me laugh out loud multiple times), Alexa Thomas as Charlotte, because her version of "Stepsister's Lament" is hilarious and she just about steals the show with her accordion playing in "When You're Driving Through The Moonlight," and Josh Rogers as Lord Pinkerton, because is is so overwrought (I loved his handkerchief). The choreography is a lot of fun for "The Prince Is Giving a Ball/ Now Is The Time" and "Ten Minutes Ago (Reprise)" and I was especially impressed with the number of synchronized couples twirling on such a small stage during the latter song. I was also impressed by the staging "Glass Slipper/ It's Possible" and "The Pursuit" because the transformations of the Fox and Raccoon into the Coachman (Kira Wootton) and the Footman (McKenna Mills), respectively, and back again are magical (even without the technical wizardry of professional theaters). Speaking of transformations, Marie's change into the Fairy Godmother and Cinderella's change into her ball gown are dazzling (a little girl in the audience squealed with delight). I really loved the set, which features backdrops of Cinderella's cottage, the prince's castle, and the town square created with rotating panels, because they look like the illustrations found in books of fairy tales. This fairy tale aesthetic is continued in the set pieces brought on stage, particularly the spectacular coach and white horses that take Cinderella to the ball. Finally, the costumes are gorgeous, especially the ball gowns (although most of the hems are starting to show some wear and tear), and the puppets are really cute (be sure to watch them). As with every production at the Hopebox Theatre, the proceeds will go to someone battling cancer in the community (go here to meet the recipient for this show, Alan Goodfellow) so you will have a delightful evening of entertainment and support a very good cause by buying a ticket (go here). It runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 30.

Other Mommy

I was on the fence about Other Mommy but, when my nephew expressed an interest, I thought it would be fun to see it with him.  We went to a Thursday preview last night and we had more fun discussing how bad it is on the drive home than we did watching it. Bela (Arabella Olivia Clark) is a seven-year-old girl who lives with her disinterested mom Ursula (Jessica Chastain) and her distracted dad Russ (Jay Duplass).  She seeks out the supernatural entity hiding in her closet, which she calls "Other Mommy" because it takes the form of her mother, whenever she is left alone.  Other Mommy repeatedly asks Bela to let her into her heart so she can protect her from her dysfunctional family but in reality she just wants to possess her body in order to be reincarnated.  The secrets that have been festering between Ursula and Russ, including the affair she is having with Frank (Arian Moayed), make Other Mommy more and more powerful which ultimately leads to a showdown between her and Bela.  I enjoyed the theme that children often internalize the tension between their parents and there are some interesting visuals that show what is happening from Bela's distorted perspective.  However, this theme is not developed very well and the conclusion is incredibly underwhelming because nothing has changed in the family dynamic (I've heard that it differs from the source material).  The jump scares in this movie have been hyped a lot in the marketing but I did not find it scary at all.  In fact, the only unsettling scene is the one used in the first trailer.  To be fair, the trailer did freak out the audience the first time I saw it but it no longer evokes the same sense of dread after multiple viewings.  The tone is all over the place and the performances are strangely inert (Chastain is weird rather than menacing and I wondered more than once why an actress of her caliber agreed to appear in this B-movie).  This is definitely something you can wait to see when it streams but only if you have nothing better to do.

The Incomer

Last night my nephew and I went to the Broadway to see The Incomer and we both loved this weird, funny, and heartwarming movie.  Siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O'Rourke) have spent their entire lives in isolation on a remote Scottish island being influenced by folktales about the mysterious finman (John Hannah) who demanded that their father sacrifice himself to the sea.  They defend their island fiercely against incomers from the mainland with odd rituals and, if need be, primitive weapons made of stone and bone.  Eventually, the Northeastern Scottish Council sends Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson), a meek and socially awkward land recovery agent, to the island to evict them.  They easily capture and restrain him but first Sandy and then Isla take a liking to him and soon they are sharing their folktales with each other (Daniel tells a folktale from the mainland about a hero named Frodo).  Hilarity ensues as Daniel tries to convince them to leave the island while Sandy and Isla try to get him to stay.  They ultimately discover that belonging comes from more than just a place.  My nephew and I are huge fans of quirky British humor and we were laughing out loud most of the time (as was the large crowd watching it with us).  I especially loved a sequence in which Isla and Sandy initiate Daniel with a "Way of the Gull" ritual (which is a long-standing tradition and not something they made up that morning).  Daniel is as lonely and as weird as the siblings and another amusing scene involves him using his phone, which the siblings have never seen before, to prove that he is a wizard.  In addition to the humor, this is also quite poignant because they find an unexpected kinship with each other and their interactions help them overcome their fears.  This is especially true when Isla realizes that the finman isn't real and that her upbringing and world view may have been skewed by her father's delusions.  The three actors give committed physical performances that are a lot of fun to watch and I loved their impersonations of birds (their bird costumes are fabulous).  Finally, the locations are spectacular (it was filmed in the Scottish Highlands) and the cinematography is beautiful, particularly a sequence on the edge of a cliff.  Some might find this tedious but if you have an offbeat sense of humor you will probably enjoy it as much as my nephew and I did.

Sense and Sensibility

I bought a ticket to last night's Screen Unseen very much hoping that it would be Sense and Sensibility and I was thrilled when it was revealed to be the title!  I really enjoyed this adaptation once I stopped comparing it to the 1995 movie.  The death of their father leaves the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones), Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles), and Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), in reduced circumstances so Mrs. Dashwood (Caitriona Balfe) accepts the offer of a cottage in Devonshire from Mrs. Jennings (Fiona Shaw), a distant relation, in order to escape the reluctant charity offered by John Dashwood (Tom Brooke) and his odious wife Fanny (Stacy Martin).  Eventually, the sensible and reserved Elinor falls in love with the equally taciturn Edward Ferrars (George MacKay) while the impetuous and passionate Marianne is swept up in a romance with the obvious cad John Willoughby (Frank Dillane).  They both experience heartbreak in London but, when Elinor and Marianne help each other balance reason and emotion, they ultimately find happiness.  Elinor finally reveals her feelings to Edward when he is free from his engagement to Lucy Steele (Ceara Coveney) and Marianne finds real love, rather than infatuation, with Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum).  I love that this version focuses more on the relationship between the two sisters than their relationships with their suitors but, having said that, I also think that it is incredibly romantic.  Both Edward and Brandon must earn the love of the sisters, Edward in an added scene in which he honors his obligation to Lucy when Elinor asks him to and Brandon in a restored scene (it was omitted from the 1995 movie) in which he confronts Willoughby for Marianne's honor, and both declare their love to the sisters in swoonworthy scenes.  The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous, with an emphasis on the natural environment (I especially loved the rugged moors, windswept beaches, and rain drenched trees) as well as interiors lit by the warm glow of candles, and the production design feels very organic.  The main cast is wonderful and I especially enjoyed Edgar-Jones, because her performance emphasizes how hard it is for Elinor to keep her emotions bottled inside, and Shaw, because she is an absolute hoot (she provides much of the comic relief in this more restrained version).  The supporting cast also have moments to shine, particularly Chloe Pirrie, as Lady Middleton (she is omitted from the 1995 movie), when she comments on the weather and Turlough Convery, as Sir John Middleton, when he provides game for the Dashwoods.  There are some anachronistic details that distract (I didn't mind the hairstyles as much as I minded the modern dancing) and I did start to feel the runtime but this is a worthy interpretation of the Jane Austen classic and I highly recommend it.

Note:  I love both the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and the 2005 version for different reasons.  I now feel the same way about the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and this new version.

Jekyll and Hyde at the Empress Theatre

The musical Jekyll and Hyde is one of the first shows I saw on Broadway (the OBC with Linda Eder as Lucy) so it will always be a favorite of mine. I was, therefore, absolutely thrilled when the Empress Theatre very graciously provided me with a ticket to their production last night. I loved everything about it! Dr. Henry Jekyll (Danny Keetch) is a passionate man of science who wants to cure his father, who is suffering from madness, with a chemical formula he developed to separate good from evil. When his request to test his formula is denied by the hypocritical Board of Governors at St. Jude's hospital, he takes matters into his own hands. His alter-ego Mr. Edward Hyde, a terrifying madman, is created when Jekyll experiments on himself and all of his inner demons are unleashed. The two women who love him, his fiancee Emma Carew (Angela Warnock) and a prostitute named Lucy Harris (Joy Babcock Austin), and his friend John Utterson (Tyler Rasmussen) are unaware of his secret as Jekyll tries to control the monster within. However, he is unsuccessful and Hyde eventually kills all of the members of the Board of Governors and becomes a danger to the rest of the citizens of London, to Lucy and Emma, and to himself. Warnock and Austin are outstanding and I especially loved their touching renditions of "Once Upon a Dream" and "Someone Like You," respectively. Their performance of "In His Eyes" is one of the many highlights of the show because their voices blend together so beautifully and they both also have tremendous chemistry with Keetch, particularly a romantic version of "Take Me As I Am" featuring Warnock and an incredibly passionate performance of "Dangerous Game" featuring Austin. Speaking of Keetch, I loved his voice (it is very well suited to the pop-rock score) and he absolutely blew me away with his powerful performance of "This is the Moment," my favorite song in the show, but then he took it to another level in "Alive!" I was also impressed by the distinct changes in his physicality and his voice for the two characters (his first transition to Hyde is spectacular) and the entire audience was riveted when he transitioned back and forth between Jekyll and Hyde in "Confrontation" (it gave me goosebumps). The ensemble is one of the strongest I've seen at this theatre and, while the singing and dancing throughout the entire show is phenomenal, they do an exceptional job embodying the class divide found in Victorian London. This is especially true in the song "Facade" as the aristocracy and the members of the dance hall underworld circle each other.  I enjoyed the patterns created in the choreography for the engagement party (I liked seeing Stride, played by Coulter Thomsen, chase Emma through the rows of dancing couples) and the boisterous cabaret number "Bring on the Men" is another highlight. The staging for "Murder, Murder!" is incredibly dynamic (this number sometimes drags for me) because the pacing, energy, use of newspapers as props, and use of the different areas of the stage make it very engaging. The stage and surrounding areas of the theatre mimic the cobblestone streets of nineteenth century London and the set, which is minimal but very effective, features a small six-sided platform for Jekyll's laboratory, St. Jude's Hospital, the Red Rat, and other locations with the addition of a few pieces. The color red in the lighting design is very dramatic and is used to great effect during "Confrontation" to denote the two different characters. Finally, the period costumes are gorgeous and may be my favorite at this theatre. I had a really fun night watching a show I love performed brilliantly by one of my favorite community theatres and I cannot recommend it enough! There are performances every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday through October 17 with a newly added performance on Monday, October 5. Go here for tickets.

Digger

I have to admit that, while I felt compelled to see Digger, I wasn't really looking forward to it because I was put off by the desaturated color grading and the bombastic performances featured in the trailer.  I decided to see it last night with my nephew and I can definitely see why it has polarized critics and audiences but I think it is a masterpiece!  Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) is a wealthy, arrogant, and eccentric Texas oil tycoon whose company, Rockwell United, ignored reports of methane beneath an oil rig in Greenland and is now responsible for an explosion that dislodged an immense ice shelf  moving towards Europe.  Digger's head of environmental safety, Dr. Nirav Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), predicts thousands of deaths, millions of displaced people, and trillions of dollars worth of damage but he seems to be more concerned with the imminent death of his cat and, after consulting with U.S. President Compson (John Goodman), he decides to create an information firewall rather than take action.  When the inevitable happens, Digger deflects blame in a speech to the European Parliament by saying that consumers demand the oil he provides (in a monologue that will surely get Cruise a Best Actor nomination).  However, another even larger ice shelf breaks free and heads to Alaska and this requires a dramatic military response that leads to the downfall of both Digger and the president.  The first act has a strange artificiality with over the top satire and stylized cinematography, performances, and production design but a wild twist in the second act completely reframes everything that has come before and another twist at the end completely reframes everything once again.  People will either love or hate this choice but I loved it because, without giving away any spoilers, it emphasizes the power of art (satire in particular) as catharsis.  There are a lot of other themes to unpack, such as corporate greed, political corruption, manipulation of the media, environmental collapse, and societal hypocrisy, but Iñárritu seems to be saying that, since nothing will stop the consequences of these actions because they are already happening, we might as well laugh at the destruction.  Everything that put me off in the trailer ended up working for me after seeing the context and I found it to be really funny at times (but I was often the only one in the theater laughing) as well as incredibly thought-provoking (I'm still thinking about it).  Cruise gives his best performance since Magnolia (the dude can act when he's not jumping on and out of airplanes) and Ahmed is equally brilliant.  I also really enjoyed a monologue by Jesse Plemons (as a character I won't spoil) because I think it sums up the thesis of the movie briliantly.  This will definitely not be for everyone but I really dug it (pun intended).

Verity

I went through a Colleen Hoover phase a few years ago (it was a strange time) and, out of all the books I read, Verity was my favorite (relatively speaking) so I was excited to see the movie adaptation at an early access screening last night with my nephew.  Despite several flaws, I enjoyed it for what it is and I had a lot of fun watching it with a large crowd.  Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) is a best-selling author known for writing a series of novels from the villain's perspective.  After she has a car accident which leaves her in a catatonic state, her husband Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett) hires struggling author Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson) to ghostwrite the remaining books in the series.  Lowen moves into their secluded house on a lake in Vermont in order to read through Verity's outlines and notes and finds a manuscript that appears to be her autobiography.  As she reads Verity's disturbing account, she begins a relationship with Jeremy and suspects that Verity might be faking her condition.  This reminded me a lot of The Housemaid because, like that adaptation, it is an atmospheric psychological thriller with a sleek and stylish production design (I loved the house because it has a very Gothic vibe) and lots of twists and turns.  Also, like that adaptation, it features two strong performances (Hathaway and Hartnett) that highlight the blandness of the third one (Johnson).  This is especially true whenever Johnson reads the manuscript aloud (which, unfortunately, is a large part of the runtime) because her delivery is monotone and her expression is very disengaged (there is even a line in which Lowen says that it's hard to tell if she is having fun because she has "resting bored face" and it got the biggest laugh of the night).  I do think Johnson is a good actress when she has good material to elevate her performance but this is based on a book you can buy at the airport (iykyk).  Still, this is a pretty faithful adaptation (except for a bizarre change to the ending that makes absolutely no sense) so fans of the book are sure to love it.

Note:  The scenes where Verity appears on Hot Ones and Call Her Daddy are hilarious.

Primetime

Last night my nephew and I saw Primetime at the Broadway and, the more I think about it, the more I like it.  Broadcast journalist Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) hosts a reality show called To Catch a Predator, which grew from segments filmed for Dateline NBC, using hidden cameras to capture undercover sting operations conducted by the watchdog group Perverted Justice in which adult men are lured to a house to have sex with minors played by decoys before being confronted by Hansen.  He has grandiose ideas about serving the public good, even if the program is a bit sordid, and often treats his subordinates badly, especially his producer Andie Bender (Merritt Wever) and a decoy named Del Harvey (Phoebe Bridgers).  The show becomes wildly popular so the NBC Head of Programming Jeff Zucker (Himself) moves it to a prime time slot against ABC's Lost.  Hansen soon becomes preoccupied with improving ratings and hires an aspiring actor named Dan Plum (Skyler Gisondo) to portray a decoy but an indiscretion with a woman makes the stakes even higher for him.  He breaks with the usual protocol to actively pursue a high profile predator, assistant district attorney Bill Conradt (Alex Winter), with tragic consequences.  The focus of this movie is the intersection between justice and entertainment and it was very intriguing to see how each character abandons the pursuit of the greater good in favor of self-promotion, especially when Dan continues to participate despite his misgivings because he wants to earn a SAG card.  The visuals are incredibly stylized with distorted angles, extreme close-ups, high-contrast lighting, and lurid color grading (I found it very uncomfortable to watch at times) and it replicates the look of the original show with 16mm film.  Pattinson, who imitates Hansen's voice and mannerisms so accurately that it is uncanny, gives a fascinating and unsettling performance as a man so consumed by his own success that it becomes his downfall and I was particularly struck by the many scenes in which he practices his lines while looking in a mirror because you can see him unraveling right before your eyes. Wever and Gisondo are also outstanding and I loved some of the cameos for the child predators (I was shocked, in more ways than one, to see Jonathan Lipnicki).  This is definitely a movie that will generate interesting conversations and I highly recommend it.

Heart of the Beast

The second movie in my double feature last night was Heart of the Beast and I, along with almost everyone else in the theater, was reduced to tears by this touching story about the bond between a man and his dog.  James Belmont (Brad Pitt) is a retired special forces commander who is camping in the Alaskan wilderness with his combat dog Odin.  They both have injuries and PTSD from their past deployments (the scene in which Odin has a nightmare and then is comforted by Belmont is one of the most affecting in the movie) which are often shown in flashbacks.  Severe weather forces them to leave their campsite early by plane but Belmont suffers a heart attack mid-flight.  Odin is ejected out of the plane before Belmont crash lands in a lake.  They both survive and eventually find each other but they are injured and must travel on foot over 50 miles to find the nearest road.  Their journey is incredibly treacherous with many threats (my favorite scene is the one in which Odin stares down a grizzly) and they must rely on each other in order to survive.  This takes some time to get going but I liked seeing the relationship between Belmont and Odin established through their interactions and I also liked the brief scenes involving Watkins (J.K. Simmons), a fellow camper, because that provides opportunities for exposition without having to resort to voice over narration.  Pitt gives a great performance (one of his best) that is both physical and very poignant (bring some tissues if you are a dog lover) but he has a great scene partner in Uber (the German Shepherd who plays Odin along with three of his offspring, Seeka, Ryker, and Hondo, who act as stunt doubles) because he has the most expressive eyes and often steals the show.  The scenery is absolutely gorgeous (New Zealand, one of my favorite places, stands in for Alaska) and the action sequences are fraught with tension.  This is an entertaining survival story but the relationship between Belmont and Odin is what makes it so compelling.  It is a must-see for dog lovers!

Forgotten Island

The first movie in my double feature last night was Forgotten Island and I really enjoyed it.  Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano) are best friends in the Philippines who bond over the stories about the forgotten island of Nakali told by Jo's grandmother Lola (Dolly de Leon).  They have a series of adventures looking for a porthole to Nakali and commemorate each one with a charm on their matching friendship bracelets. Raissa will soon be leaving to attend Caltech and, when they spend their last night together reminiscing about their friendship, they find a sand dollar that creates the porthole.  Jo is sad about losing her best friend so she convinces Raissa to enter it but they wake up on the island without the sand dollar and without memories of the past twelve hours.  Hoping that retracing their steps from the previous night will lead them to the sand dollar, they join forces with magical creatures from Filipino mythology, including Raww (Dave Franco), a were-dog, Bungi (Manny Jacinto), a demon baby, Mermahn (Kevin McCann), a prince of the merfolk, Datu (Jo Koy), chief of the kapre, and Truffle Wuffle (Ronny Chieng), king of the duwende, to help them remember.  They also encounter Manang (Lea Salonga), a terrifying vampire, because she wants her wings back from Raissa who has no memory of stealing them.  Eventually, Raww leads them to Batiba (Jenny Slade), an agoraphobic demon who craves the experiences of others because she cannot have her own, and she offers to give them the sand dollar in exchange for their friendship bracelets but will they give up their memories of each other to return home?  I really loved the messages about friendship and making memories because no one is really gone as long as someone remembers them.  I also really loved the character arc for Manang because she ceases to be the villain once she recovers her memory from Batiba.  I saw an interview with Salonga in which she spoke about using the dementia suffered by her family members to inform her characterization and I found that to be incredibly moving because of my mom's dementia.  The use of folklore to tell the story is very significant because, even if I didn't understand specific allusions, I definitely understood the importance of remembering the stories passed down from generations.  Finally, the images are absolutely dazzling, even if the pace is a bit frenetic, with lots of references to different styles of animation.  This is a lot of fun and I hope that more people seek it out.

Resident Evil

I have never played the popular video game nor have I seen any of the other movies in this franchise but I am a big fan of Zach Cregger so I decided to see Resident Evil last night and I had a lot of fun with it.  Bryan (Austin Abrams) is a hapless medical courier who is given a last minute high priority package to deliver to Raccoon City General Hospital.  He argues with his pregnant girlfriend on the phone while driving on a snowy mountain road and hits a pedestrian (Andrea Miltnerova) as a result.  He attempts to take her to the hospital with the help of the county sheriff (Johnno Wilson) but chaos ensues in which he has a series of escalating misadventures involving mutants infected with a virus created by the Umbrella Corporation and released in a laboratory accident.  He eventually encounters several scientists with the Umbrella Corporation (Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry, and others) which culminates in a dramatic standoff at the hospital.  While this is quite gory with some highly effective jump scares, I would call it a dark comedy rather than a horror movie because there was more laughter than screams from my audience.  What makes it so amusing is that Bryan is completely incompetent and survives in spite of, rather than because of, his actions (there is a hilarious running gag in which he encounters a series of padlocks that he cannot open) and Abrams has brilliant comedic timing as he reacts to his circumstances.  This choice really captures the experience of playing the game (I also liked the meta commentary about playing video games).  Finally, the monsters are really cool and I was very impressed by the use of mostly practical effects (the main monster is performed by several professional dancers harnessed together who move in unison).  This is definitely my favorite movie adapted from a video game (you do not need to be familiar with the game to enjoy it) and I recommend it with the caveat that it contains a lot of profanity.

Mammoth vs. Avalanche

When SLC got an NHL team I was so excited because it meant that I could see my favorite team, the Colorado Avalanche, without having to travel to Denver.  I first saw them play the Mammoth during a preseason game two years ago and, even though I wanted the Avs to win at the beginning of the game, I was a Mammoth fan by the end of it!  I still love the Avs and I root for both teams except when they play each other.  Yesterday, they met in a preseason game at the newly renovated Delta Center (I was sitting in the new north end of the arena and the sightlines are much improved) and I had so much fun because Utah won and it has been a long time since I've seen that happen in person!  I really liked their improved forecheck because Utah was a lot more physical near the net and this aggressive style of play led to both of their goals, one from Jack McBain (with an assist from my favorite player Dylan Guenther) and one on the powerplay from Logan Cooley in the first period.  I was also really impressed with Karel Vejmelka in net because he stopped 25 shots for the shutout.  Both teams were a bit sloppy because there were a lot of penalties (Colorado went eight for nine on the penalty kill and Utah killed all four of their penalties).  Ultimately, I think Utah will only improve as the new forwards Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck (who I think are great additions to the team) develop more chemistry with their lines. As with all of the other Mammoth games I've seen, the atmosphere was absolutely insane (even for a preseason game) and I loved being a part of it!  The Mammoth got the 2-0 win to finish the preseason 2-1-1 (which is not too bad).  I can't wait for the 2026-2027 season to begin!

Note:  This game made me miss my dad because I kept trying to decide which team he would root for if he was there with me.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Eccles

I had so much fun seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Eccles last night.  Even though I have seen it twice (the two-part version in San Francisco and the national tour in Los Angeles) I was still beyond excited to see it again because it is absolutely magical (pun intended). Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter (Nick Dillenburg) now works for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his wife Ginny Potter (Abbi Hawk) writes for The Daily Prophet, Hermione Granger (Rachel Leslie) is the Minister of Magic, and her husband Ron Weasley (Matt Harrington) manages Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Their children Rose Granger-Weasley (Nadia Brown) and Albus Potter (Adam Grant Morrison) are on their way to Hogwarts for their first year when the story begins. Albus soon forms an unlikely friendship with Scorpius Malfoy (David Fine), the son of Harry's nemesis Draco (Ryan Hallahan), because they are both unpopular and bullied. Albus is bothered by his father's notoriety and feels that he is a disappointment while Scorpius is plagued by unfounded rumors that he is really the son of Lord Voldemort. Thinking that they have something to prove, they enlist the help of Delphi Diggory (Emily Schulheis) and steal a time-turner from the Ministry of Magic in order to go back in time to the Tri-Wizard Tournament to save Cedric Diggory (Josh Bates) from his fate.  This has unintended consequences and now Scorpius, Hermione, Ron, and Severus Snape (Larry Vando) must go back in time to change the future back. However, Delphi has her own reasons for wanting Cedric to return and compels Scorpius and Albus to use the time-turner once again to restore the alternate timeline which leads to an epic confrontation in Godric's Hollow. The story is really clever with lots of call-backs to the original series and I love the messages about friendship and father-son relationships. The performances are a lot of fun and I especially loved Fine (Scorpius is my favorite character), because he is even more overwrought than I have seen this character before, and Mackenzie Lesser-Roy as Moaning Myrtle, because she is hilarious and very acrobatic. Harry Potter fans will immediately recognize the sets and costumes, including the iconic robes, the Gothic arches with House Banners, the moving staircases, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch, and the Owlery. However, what makes this show a must-see are the amazing special effects when the characters use magic! Seeing the students run through Platform 9 3/4 made the audience gasp out loud and seeing them drink polyjuice potion brought spontaneous applause! I also loved the staging whenever the characters use the time-turner, when Harry and Draco duel each other, when Albus and Scorpius jump off the Hogwarts Express, when the Dementors attack Hermione and Ron, and when Harry is Transfigured. Even the choreography as the ensemble bring set pieces on and off the stage is impressive because it is so dynamic. I love this show so much and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) during the run which continues through October 11.

Note: I represented House Ravenclaw in full regalia because I am a total nerd!

American Doctor

I watched the documentary American Doctor as part of my double feature at the Broadway last night and, even though it is extremely difficult to sit through at times, I think it is very important that everyone watch it.  It follows Dr. Mark Perlmutter, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, three American doctors with diverse backgrounds, as they travel to Gaza both before and after the 2025 ceasefire to provide medical aid to the civilian casualties of the genocide.  It includes compelling footage of them treating patients, mostly children, in challenging conditions and with very few resources at the Nassar Hospital in Khan Younis only to have the hospital targeted by an Israeli strike (the images of the strike as it happens are absolutely devastating).  The most poignant moment comes when a child they just fought hard to save is killed by the bombing.  We also see their interactions with the media upon their return to the United States, in which the veracity of their accounts is challenged by the pro-Israeli news outlets, and their advocacy in favor of ending military aid to Israel (at one point Sidhwa calls their efforts futile after visiting with a number of senators).  There were several moments that particularly caught my attention.  The first is when the director Poh Si Teng tells Perlmutter that she will probably pixelate some of the more disturbing images and he vehemently opposes this because he feels that people need to see what is happening in order to believe it.  Another is when Perlmutter, who is Jewish, says that you can love Israel without supporting the current regime and you can be Jewish without being a Zionist.  The next is when Sidhwa wonders aloud if he paid for the mortar round that injured his patient with his tax dollars (this was especially upsetting to me).  The last is when the epilogue states that over 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed during the conflict simply for trying to render aid.  This is an incredibly powerful reminder of what is still going on in the region and I highly recommend it.

If I Go Will They Miss Me

Last night I had another double feature at the Broadway (these are becoming a regular occurrence on Tuesdays) starting with If I Go Will They Miss Me.  This is an incredibly lyrical examination of the sometimes fraught relationship between fathers and sons and I really enjoyed it.  Anthony "Little Ant" (Bodhi Dell) lives in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in Watts, California, which is in the flight path of LAX so he has an obsession with flying as a result.  His father Anthony "Big Ant" (J. Alphonse Nicholson) has been in and out of prison most of his life so the only information he has about him comes from the embellished stories that his mother Lozita (Danielle Brooks) tells him.  When Big Ant returns home from his most recent incarceration, he struggles to reconnect with his son.  Little Ant is studying Greek mythology in school so he rationalizes his father's absences by thinking of him as Odysseus trying to return to Ithaca.  He also views himself as Pegasus because of his love of flying which makes his father Poseidon.  Big Ant is uneasy with his son's hero worship because he doesn't really know how to be a good father.  It is only when Little Ant sees his father for who he is that Big Ant is able to work to repair the relationship.  This uses magical realism to tell the story and it is filled with beautiful images.  In addition to the scenes evoking Greek mythology, there are many shots of the airplanes flying overhead (which represent adventure to Little Ant and the desire to escape to Big Ant) as well as shots of the current inhabitants of Nickerson Gardens to ground the fantastical narrative in reality.  Both Nicholson and Brooks give highly nuanced and powerful performances as flawed parents who are trying to break the cycle of generational trauma (their scenes together crackle with electricity) but I was most impressed with newcomer Dell because I found his sensitive performance to be very compelling (I had tears in my eyes several times).  I also liked a monologue by Myles Bullock, as Big Ant's best friend from childhood, in which he tells Big Ant to be the hero his son believes him to be.  This is a slow burn with a resolution that might be too ambiguous for some but I highly recommend it.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I love the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame and, even though I have seen it many times by now, I always look forward to a new production, especially one that has received rave reviews like the one currently playing at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse. I got to see it last night and it is now among my favorite productions at this theatre! Quasimodo (Jake Haywood) is a physically deformed orphan being raised in isolation in the bell tower of Notre Dame by his hypocritical guardian, Archdeacon Claude Frollo (Blaine Hickman). Desperate to see the outside world, Quasimodo defies Frollo and attends the Feast of Fools where he is attacked by the crowd before he is rescued by the gypsy Esmeralda (Olivia Lusk-Garibay). Frollo, Quasimodo, and Phoebus de Martin (Nicholas Balaich), the Captain of the Cathedral Guard, are all captivated by Esmeralda but Frollo becomes obsessed by his lust for her which eventually leads to a dramatic confrontation in the bell tower. I enjoyed everything about this show starting with the four amazing leads. My favorite song is "God Help the Outcasts" and Lusk-Garibay sings it beautifully with so much pathos. Hickman's version of "Hellfire" is incredibly powerful and dramatic (I also loved the staging). Haywood has an innocent childlike wonder in "Out There" and "Top of the World" but his version of "Heaven's Light" brought tears to my eyes and his palpable anger in "Made of Stone" gave me goosebumps. Balaich shows a bit of vulnerability in the middle of his spirited performance of "Rest and Recreation" and he is impossibly romantic during "Someday" with Lusk-Garibay. I was also very impressed by the sheer size of the ensemble and I loved all of the intricate patterns they create in the choreography for "Olim" (this also gave me goosebumps), "The Bells of Notre Dame," "Topsy Turvy," "The Tavern Song," "Esmeralda," "The Court of Miracles," and "Kyrie Eleison." I also loved the clever staging for some key moments, including having Esmeralda dance tantalizingly out of reach during the aforementioned "Hellfire," the use of a moving staircase when Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda from the pyre, and some ingenious choreography when Quasimodo stops the guard from advancing on the cathedral and when he finally confronts Frollo. The set is incredibly immersive with bricks of stone and a large illuminated rose window (which changes color to reflect the mood) dominating the main stage. Quasimodo's bell tower, complete with ringing bells and a trapdoor, and Frollo's chamber are on platforms located on either side of the stage with moving staircases that connect them (I loved the attention to detail because Gothic arches are used in all of the designs). Finally, the colorful costumes worn by the gypsies add to the spectacle but my favorites were the ones worn by the gargoyles because they are the most elaborate I've seen. I am always nervous when I walk into a theatre with high expectations (there has been a lot of hype for this show) but they were more than met and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). There are only three more performances left and tickets are going fast but I guarantee that it is well worth the effort!

Noises Off at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts

Last night I had so much fun at SCERA's hilarious production of Noises Off (one of my favorite plays). Lloyd Dallas (Gregory Rampton) is a frazzled director trying to conduct a dress rehearsal along with his sleep deprived stage manager Tim Allgood (Kaden Renz) and his put-upon assistant stage manager Poppy Norton-Taylor (Kristin Young). The cast, including Dotty Otley (Dixie Mann), Garry Lejeune (Carson Davies), Brooke Ashton (Chloe Barrus), Freddie Fellows (Seven Harrison), Belinda Blair (Shannon Follette), and Selsdon Mowbray (Dane Allred), struggle with words, doors, boxes, bags, and sardines. Several months later, chaos erupts backstage at a matinee performance over relationship drama between two love triangles: Lloyd, Poppy, and Brooke and Dotty, Garry, and Freddie. By the end of the run, the performance completely disintegrates and the cast must get through it any way they can. The highlight of this show is the physical comedy and the cast executes it with split-second timing and precision while making it look effortless. I especially loved the frenetic energy of the second act because, once the play-within-a-play starts on stage (which we can see through a large window), we only hear the dialogue from that show while the actors are at each other's throats backstage in complete silence. I laughed out loud at an extended sequence involving an ax, one in which everyone tries to keep a bottle of whiskey from Selsdon, and another one in which Tim tries, unsuccessfully, to buy flowers for Lloyd to give to Brooke. It is absolute mayhem! I also laughed out loud every time Brooke loses a contact lens, Freddie has a bloody nose, Dotty forgets the sardines, and Garry is forced to improvise. As I mentioned, everyone in the ensemble cast is outstanding but my favorite performances are from Barrus, because Brooke (my favorite character) is hyper-focused on delivering her lines without regard to the other actors and she nails this with blank facial expressions and overly rigid poses, and Davies, because his dithering is highly amusing and his fall down the stairs is absolutely spectacular. Finally, I loved the set because it is as twee as a 1980s sitcom with lots fun little details. If you are looking for a fun night out this is definitely the show for you! I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to one of the performances on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 10.

Elgar's Cello Concerto & Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5

I always love attending the opening concert for Utah Symphony's Masterworks series because the orchestra plays "The Star-Spangled Banner."  I think it is very moving to hear it performed in Abravanel Hall, more so than in any other setting, and last night was no exception.  After the anthem, the concert began with Medea's Dance of Vengeance by Samuel Barber and it is very dark and ominous (it is based on the myth of Medea and Jason and focuses on how she killed her children in a jealous rage to punish their father for abandoning her) but also very lush.  I especially liked the eerie xylophone solo at the beginning, the mournful themes played by the strings and brass, and the relentless repetition of a theme by the piano with frenzied rhythms played by the percussion that build in intensity until the dramatic conclusion.  Next, the orchestra was joined by soloist Zlatomir Fung for Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto.  This piece was written in the aftermath of World War I by an aging composer as a poignant farewell to the pre-war world he once knew and, as Principal Guest Conductor Delyana Lazarova told the audience, it is his most personal work.  The piece begins with a slow and solemn solo by the cello and these themes are repeated several times throughout, sometimes in fiery bursts of virtuosity (I loved watching Fung's nimble finger work) and sometimes in heartbreaking elegiac passages, with the rest of the orchestra acting as a sparse accompaniment.  The final movement returns to the themes of the first and ends on a defiant note to signal that, although we may never return to our earlier triumphs, we can persevere.  I loved this piece as well as Fung's brilliant performance which resulted in a well-deserved standing ovation (and an encore featuring the "Prayer" movement of Ernest Bloch's From Jewish Life).  After the intermission, the concert concluded with Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5.  This was written at the height of World War II as a tribute to the triumph of the human spirit (and was first performed in Moscow after news of a great victory against the Germans on the Vistula River).  I loved all of the soaring melodies played by the flute, bassoon, and clarinet in the first movement, the use of the trumpets and brass to evoke the machinery of war in the second movement, and the energetic conclusion featuring the strings, piano, harp, and percussion.  This concert was an absolutely thrilling way to begin the 2026-2027 season and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) for tonight's performance of the same program.

The Addams Family at The Ruth

I joke that The Addams Family is practically a requirement this time of year so I went to a production at The Ruth last night and it is by far the best version of this show I've seen!  The Addams family is not like other families because they are all obsessed with the macabre and rely on their dead ancestors to hep them through life.  Things start to go wrong when Wednesday (Beatriz Melo) falls in love with a normal Midwestern boy named Lucas Beineke (Ben Hansen) and decides to introduce his uptight parents, Mal (Josh Tenney) and Alice (Brandalee Bluth Streeter), to her family, including Gomez (Benjamin J. Henderson), Morticia (Ashley Gardner Carlson), Pugsley (Caleb Gordon), Uncle Fester (Joseph Paul Branca), Grandma (Annadee Morgan), and Lurch (Thomas Wood).  She arranges a dinner and begs her family for one normal night.  Of course, chaos ensues when a mishap involving a poisonous potion occurs so it is up to Uncle Fester, with the help of the ancestors, to convince everyone that love is the answer.  I loved everyone in the cast but I will highlight my three favorite performances (which happen to be by three of my favorite local actors).  Melo is one of the best Wednesdays I've seen because she has a beautiful voice but she also has a lot of sass so her renditions of "Pulled" and "Crazier Than You" are incredibly compelling and are the highlights of the show.  Carlson is literally the perfect Morticia because she looks very sultry in her long black dress and she has a flawless deadpan delivery.  She is also an amazing dancer and is very entertaining to watch in "Just Around the Corner" and "Tango de Amor."  Branca is so much fun as Fester (I love him in every role I've seen him play) because you can't take your eyes off him as he gleefully runs around the stage delivering one clever ad-lib after another (the line about coming out of the closet made me laugh out loud).  His rendition of "The Moon and Me" is hilarious, especially when he flies!  The ancestors (Bronwell Merrill, Emily West, McKenna Lorane Wright, Mandy Taylor, Garrett Manning, Brock Sorenson, Dallin Curtis, and Mason Lance) are used more in this production than any other I've seen and they have some really fun choreography, particularly the Pas de Quatre by the men in "Trapped" and an impressive kick-line in a pinwheel formation in "Just Around the Corner." I also loved the costumes for the ancestors (my favorite is a downed pilot with an unopened parachute).  The stage, which has been reconfigured to create two runways that extend into the audience, is absolutely spectacular and allows for some fun staging opportunities (definitely keep your eye on Thing).  The sets are all practical (my favorite is the crypt) but there are also several ingenious videos shown at various times.  Even if you have seen this show before, this version is not to be missed because it will blow you away!  It runs at the Smith Grand Theater through October 31 and tickets may be purchased here.

Note:  This was my third show in three days!  I enjoyed all of them.

John Proctor is the Villain at PTC

When I learned that John Proctor is the Villain would open the 2026-2027 season at PTC, I could hardly contain my excitement! It instantly became my most anticipated show this fall and I was so happy to see it last night. Beth (Skye Alyssa Friedman), Nell (Rocky Anicette), Ivy (Adri Cumming), Raelynn (Alex Humphreys), Mason (Gage Martinez), and Lee (Carson Stewart) are high school students in a small rural town in Georgia. Their English teacher, Mr. Smith (Colby Strong), assigns them The Crucible, Arthur Miller's classic play set during the Salem witch trials, and also volunteers to be the advisor for a new feminist club organized by Beth. As the year progresses, their friend Shelby (Allison Dorsey) returns to school after a mysterious absence which fuels gossip about where she has been, Beth is drawn into the #MeToo movement in the media, Raelynn wants to break up with her boyfriend Lee after he cheats on her with Shelby, and Ivy's father is accused of sexual harassment which causes a scandal in the small town. Life seems to be imitating art as they study The Crucible and, during one particularly heated class discussion, Shelby disagrees with Mr. Smith's view that John Proctor is a hero for choosing death over a lie and asserts that he is actually the villain because he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with the teenager Abigail Williams. She then makes an allegation against Mr. Smith which divides the group because he is their favorite teacher. Shelby and Raelynn, the only one who believes her, eventually present their final project on The Crucible which imagines a conversation between Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams (and includes an interpretive dance) during which the characters break free from John Proctor prompting several to break free from Mr. Smith. I found this to be fascinating because Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a lens with which to view the McCarthy era in the 1950s and now it is being used as a lens with which to view the #MeToo era today. It is just so clever in the way it explores the abuse of power, the blaming of victims, and the silencing of young women from multiple perspectives. Despite its powerful themes, it is also quite funny and the audience laughed out loud multiple times (I laughed especially hard when Mr. Smith assigns parts from The Crucible for the students to read aloud and has to keep reminding Mason that it is his turn because I could definitely relate). I loved the use of pop songs by female artists, especially Beyonce, Lorde, and Taylor Swift (I also laughed out loud at a discussion of "Dear John" and a very well-timed quote from "We Are Never Getting Back Together") and the final scene involving the aforementioned interpretive dance to Lorde's "Green Light" had the audience cheering (the energy in the crowd was palpable). The scenes are very quick (I don't know how some of them changed costumes so fast) and take place a single location, a classroom with desks and chairs that are reconfigured by the actors, but so much happens in these scenes and the dialogue is razor sharp. Finally, everyone in the ensemble cast is fantastic but I was particularly struck by Friedman because her character's worldview is challenged the most and she portrays this uncertainty extremely well (she is also responsible for the most dramatic moment in the show in my opinion). I loved this on so many levels and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) but act quickly because, even though the run has been extended to October 3, there is limited availability due to the small size of the theater.

Note:  This production had to be moved to the Courage Theater on the campus of Westminster University because of a flood. I got both my undergraduate and graduate degrees there and I was even an adjunct instructor in the education department for many years so returning to campus brought back many wonderful memories.

The Cycle of Love

Yesterday I went to a matinee of The Cycle of Love at the Broadway (along with all of the other old retired people in the Salt Lake valley) and it is the most life affirming documentary I have seen in a long while.  P.K. Mahanandia is born in a small village as an "Untouchable" in the restrictive caste system in India and, when he is a child, he is told by an astrologer that the woman he marries will come from a land far away, will be a Taurus, will be musical, and will own a jungle.  At age twenty he moves to Delhi to escape the limitations of his caste and becomes a street artist who draws portraits for tourists.  One of these tourists is Lotta von Schedvin and, when he learns that she is from Sweden, is a Taurus, plays the piano, and lives in the middle of a forest, he believes that they are destined for each other.  They spend several weeks together and she also comes to believe in the prophecy (in one my favorite scenes) but she must return to Sweden for school.  They correspond by letter but P.K. eventually decides that he needs to go to Sweden to be with her.  He sells everything he owns, buys a second-hand bicycle, and begins the arduous 6,000 mile journey across Asia and Europe without any knowledge of the geography.  He faces numerous obstacles and starts doubting that he is good enough to be with Lotta but he comes to rely on the kindness of the strangers who not only help him on his physical journey but also help him on a journey of discovery in which he realizes his worth (this will restore your faith in humanity).  In addition to interviews with P.K. and Lotta in the present day, this features reenactments, with Chirag Benedict Lobo as the young P.K. and Mina Dale as the young Lotta, that are so realistic, with a 1970s aesthetic and the grainy look of the film used in that era, that you wonder if it is actual footage.  These reenactments also include ordinary people who tell their real stories to Lobo as a clever way to portray those who P.K. encountered on the journey.  I loved this so much and I highly encourage everyone to seek it out.

Dear Evan Hansen at CPT

I was especially excited for Dear Evan Hansen at CPT last night because my sister was seeing it for the first time. I love this show so much and I was afraid that I had over-hyped it but she really enjoyed this production (she even had a tear in her eye). Evan Hansen (Josh Call) suffers from anxiety and feels insignificant and alone but his busy single mother, Heidi (Casey Matern), doesn't know how to help him. Jared (Andrew Walker), his only friend, is nice to him so his mom will pay his car insurance and he is too scared to talk to his crush Zoe (Anna Kocherhans). His therapist encourages him to write letters to himself to build his self-confidence but Connor (Ryan Munsey), a deeply troubled young man, intercepts one from the printer because it mentions his sister Zoe. When Connor takes his own life, his devastated parents, Cynthia (Natalie Haddock) and Larry (Thad Weiland), find the letter and, assuming that it is a suicide note left for Evan, they reach out to him. Evan pretends that they were friends in order to comfort Connor's parents and soon he asks Jared to create a history of emails between them to prove the lie. Larry and Zoe struggle to reconcile Evan's version of Connor with the difficult son and brother they knew and Zoe tells Evan that the only nice thing Connor ever said to her was in his suicide note which Evan wrote. Alana (Kenzie Buckway), another lonely girl at school, wants Evan to do more to keep Connor's memory alive so they create The Connor Project and Evan gives a heartfelt speech about loneliness at a memorial assembly that goes viral. He begins a relationship with Zoe and spends all of his time with her family to the exclusion of Jared, Alana, and Heidi.  Eventually the deception spirals out of control and, when the truth is finally revealed, Heidi helps him see that he has never been alone. The casting of this show is exceptional because everyone is very well suited to their role. Munsey is the first actor that I've seen who actually looks the part of a troubled teen and Buckway has the vibe of someone who could be overlooked in a crowd (I was particularly struck by how similar Alana is to both Evan and Connor as a result) but I was most impressed by Call because he is so convincing as a high school student that I was surprised to learn that he is not a teenager.  Call's performance is absolutely brilliant because he has a beautiful voice with an incredible range but he also nails the emotion in the songs "Waving Through a Window," "For Forever," "You Will Be Found," and "Words Fail" (this is especially powerful and it reduced me to tears). He also portrays Evan's social anxiety very well with a rapid-fire delivery and lots of idiosyncratic tics. Kocherhans also has a beautiful voice and I loved her version of "Requiem" and "Only Us" (her voice blends so well with Call's). I also really liked Matern because her anger is palpable in "Good for You" but she is so heart-wrenching in "So Big/ So Small." I really loved some of the choices in the staging, especially when the students circle around Evan during "Waving Through a Window" while looking at their phones and the inclusion of Connor on stage during "Requiem" (it seemed to me that Connor is a lot more involved in this production). This show has an important message about how technology connects people but leaves them feeling even more isolated so the use of social media in an important element. I loved the way that it is integrated into this production! The set features large movable panels which also surround the proscenium and they include three-dimensional geometric forms which give the projections a cracked screen effect. In my opinion, this is an incredibly powerful symbol of how broken teens can become in their online interactions. This absolutely rivals the national tours I have seen and I cannot recommend it enough, especially to teens who might be feeling alone (there were lots of teens in the audience who were very moved by the show). It runs on the Mountain America Main Stage through October 15 (go here for tickets).

Runner

Last night I also saw Runner and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.  Hank Malone (Alan Ritchson) is a former Navy SEAL who is also a recovering alcoholic dealing with the trauma of losing his daughter to leukemia.  He works as a courier transporting both legal and illegal items for paying clients in Brisbane, Australia.  His latest assignment is to deliver a donor organ, needed by a critically ill seven-year-old girl, and its messenger Ben Bishop (Owen Wilson) to a hospital an hour away before it loses viability.  Mayhem ensues when they are pursued by Damian Zadivar (Rodrigo Santoro), the leader of a brutal Colombian drug cartel, who may or may not want to sell it on the black market.  The story is simple but it features some fun and thrilling action set pieces and, even though it seems like they have been edited to get a PG-13 rating, they are still plenty violent for an Angel Studios release.  I especially loved an extended sequence featuring hand to hand combat between Hank and Damian in a hospital corridor that culminates over the gurney of the little girl waiting for the transplant.  It is absolutely relentless (Leila George, who plays the mother of the little girl, even gets in on the action).  Ritchson seems to be the next big action star in the same vein as Jason Statham and he gives an intense physical performance that is fun to watch.  He also adds some humanity to the character with quite a few poignant moments with Wilson who also acts as an obnoxious entertaining foil to his straight man (I laughed out loud at a running bit between them involving an exotic parrot that Hank was unable to deliver).  Santoro is a great villain (although I am not sure why he inexplicably speaks Portuguese throughout) because, even though he is ruthless, he is not entirely unsympathetic because he has a compelling motivation for what he does.  This is something you would usually see on a streaming platform rather than the big screen but it is so much better than I expected.  I recommend it to fans of action thrillers.

Practical Magic 2

Last night I went to see Practical Magic 2 and, much like The Devil Wears Prada 2, it features a lot of nostalgia (including midnight margaritas) but it doesn't quite capture the *ahem* magic of the original.  After her second husband dies as a result of the Owens Curse, Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) casts a spell to make her daughters Antonia (Maisie Williams) and Kylie (Joey King) forget that they are witches and then vows never to use magic again.  Years later, Kylie tells her boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Mariduena) that she loves him and the next day he is hit by a car and falls into a coma.  Gillian (Nicole Kidman) urges her sister to reveal the truth but all of Sally's secrets cause a rift between mother and daughter.  Kylie finds a powerful spellbook belonging to Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Franny (Stockard Channing) which contains an incantation to break the curse but the pertinent pages are fused together.  Determined to get answers, she travels to England, the birthplace of her ancestor Maria Owens, but she finds another descendant (Solly McLeod) who wants to steal her magic.  Sally must embrace her magic once again, with the help of local witchcraft expert Ian Wright (Lee Pace), in order to save Kylie and break the curse.  I found the story to be very convoluted and bloated with too many secondary characters.  However, it is a lot of fun to watch the straight-laced Sally and the free-spirited Gillian bicker back and forth again (there is a hilarious running bit involving all of Gillian's luggage) and Bullock and Kidman are fantastic with tremendous chemistry.  My biggest complaint is that the straight-laced Antonia and the free-spirited Kylie should have been given the same opportunity to interact in order to continue the theme of sisterhood but Williams has very little screen time.  I also wanted to see more of Wiest and Channing but Jet and Franny are basically replaced by Ian to prioritize a romantic relationship in a movie supposedly about female empowerment.  Still, die-hard fans of the first movie are sure to love it and I enjoyed it enough as a casual fan to recommend it.

To Kill a Mockingbird at Parker Theatre

Last night I went to a powerful production of To Kill a Mockingbird at Parker Theatre (it is the more traditional version rather than Aaron Sorkin's reinterpretation for Broadway). I love the book by Harper Lee and the movie starring Gregory Peck but there is just something so moving about seeing it performed live on stage and I was definitely very moved. Jem (Lincoln Oliphant) and Scout (Lizzie Kintz) are impressed when their father Atticus Finch (Brinton Wilkins) shoots a mad dog terrorizing their street in Maycomb, Alabama, but they learn what true heroism is when he defends a Black man named Tom Robinson (Kiirt Banks) against a false accusation of rape even though he knows he will lose because it is the right thing to do. They also learn not judge people until they have seen things from their perspective through their interactions with the irascible Mrs. Dubose (Kathryn Atwood) and the reclusive Boo Radley (James Duncan). The themes of prejudice, of all kinds, and having the moral courage to stand up to it are especially important right now and I loved the choice to have Atticus deliver his closing argument facing the audience as if we were the jury because it is a message that we all need to hear. Wilkins is brilliant in this scene because his delivery becomes more and more dramatic and I had goosebumps by the end of it. I also loved his interactions with the children because he has such a tender rapport with them (I had tears in my eyes during his final scene with Kintz). The three young actors, including Oliver Miramontes as Dill, do a wonderful job portraying loss of innocence and I was particularly struck by Oliphant's reaction to the verdict because it is almost visceral. I also loved Kintz's guileless delivery in the scene at the jail because it makes her interaction with Dave Bruce, as Mr. Cunningham, so emotional and, therefore, very effective. Banks is absolutely devastating in the courtroom scenes because, even though he is stoic, his fear is palpable and it made me so angry to see him mistreated and to see him become a victim of injustice (every time I see this I always hope that the verdict will somehow be different). The set is simple but effective with porches for the Finch house and the Radley house opposite each other and a raised platform up stage that is used to represent Mrs. Dubose's porch and other scenes in Maycomb. This platform then becomes the gallery and other set pieces for the courtroom are placed in the middle of the stage. I loved the attention to detail, especially the working porch and street lights, the tire swing, and the spittoon in the courthouse. The costumes are muted but do an excellent job of establishing the time period as well as the status of each character. I loved everything about this production and it should definitely not be missed! Tickets may be purchased here for performances on Fridays and Saturdays through October 17.

The Uprising

Last night my nephew and I went to see The Uprising in a packed theater.  We were both really excited for this movie and we both liked it.  After the Black Death decimates the population, England is in need of revenue and the council who rules for the weak and ineffective 14-year-old King Richard II (Woody Norman), including Sir Robert Hales (Tom Hollander) and the Archbishop of Canterbury (Stephen Dillane), decides to increase taxes for the peasants. A Ploughman (Andrew Garfield), who is barely surviving after the death of his wife and children, objects to the new tax and kills the soldier who tries to arrest him for resisting.  Soon his entire village stands with him and this inspires revolts across the country.  He reluctantly joins with John Ball (Jamie Bell), an outspoken priest, and Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), a soldier who fought with the late king, to lead a march on London to petition the king about their grievances.  However, the king's council advises him not to meet with them and the peasants sack London in response.  The king, who suffers from nightmares about mobs and demons, eventually meets with the peasants and the Ploughman persuades him to grant charters of self-determination and he also gives his tacit approval for them to bring the council to justice themselves.  When the peasants meet the king to receive the charters, they are betrayed by him and his new advisor William Walworth (Jonny Lee Miller) but this leads to unexpected consequences when a small band survives the ambush.  I found the true story of the Peasants' Revolt to be both compelling and incredibly moving, especially in light of the fact that history seems to be repeating itself with corrupt leaders who are out of touch with the suffering of the people, and I actually really liked the ending (although it has been very divisive). Garfield does a great job as a simple man who unexpectedly sparks a revolution that he doesn't know how to control and I was especially impressed by his quiet anguish.  All of the supporting performances are also very strong but I was really struck by Katherine Waterston as Joan of Kent, particularly her silent response to her son's treachery.  I do have criticisms about the pacing because the conflict is set in motion with breakneck speed without much exposition and I didn't always know what was happening because the editing is often disjointed.  Also, Paul Greengrass is known for his immersive hand-held camera work and, while it is effective in the battle sequences, it is very distracting in the quieter moments (some scenes even look out of focus).  I loved the story even if I didn't always love the way it is told so I would recommend it.