Mammoth vs. Blues

Last night I had a last minute opportunity to see the Utah Mammoth play the St. Louis Blues and I took it because it was the final game of the season.  I am really glad that I did because, even though they lost and even though Dylan Guenther wasn't in the line-up, I had a great time (at least until the last three minutes).  The Mammoth played a lot better than they have recently and had a lot of good chances (they ended the night with 23 shots) in a back-and-forth game that was really fun to watch.  Pavel Buchnevich put St. Louis on the board first with a goal at the 3:45 mark in the first period and then Michael Carcone evened it up at 16:55 with a pretty wrist shot.  The second period was very exciting because Lawson Crouse scored within 45 seconds when he backhanded the deflected puck from MacKenzie Weeger's missed shot in traffic.  The crowd was on their feet again when Brandon Tanev scored a goal less than a minute later (his first of the season) to make it 3-1 but St. Louis challenged it for goaltender interference and it was overturned.  That took the wind out of Utah's sails a little bit and Robert Thomas scored twice in a row to put St. Louis up 3-2.  In the final minute of the period Kailer Yamamoto put a wrist shot past Joel Hofer from the slot to tie the game at 3-3.  Karel Vejmelka (who allowed three goals on 18 shots) was replaced by Vitek Vanecek to start the third period and it was a defensive battle until the 2:57 mark when Logan Mailloux scored the go-ahead goal.  The Mammoth did everything they could to score but they didn't have enough time and eventually pulled Vanecek which resulted in an empty-netter from Thomas (giving him his first NHL hat trick).  The Blues ended up winning 5-3 but it was a better game for the Mammoth than the score suggests and I liked that they were more aggressive in the offensive zone.  I was sitting next to three Blues fans who were really obnoxious and I wanted to remind them that the Mammoth were going to the playoffs (they play the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round) while the Blues were done for the season but, thankfully, reason prevailed!  After the game, team awards were given to Michael Carcone, Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse, and Dylan Guenther and the whole team thanked the fans for supporting them this season.  I'm glad I rearranged my schedule for one last game (I probably won't get to a playoff game unless they make it to the second round).

Exit 8

Next up in my double feature last night was Exit 8, a Japanese psychological horror film based on the video game of the same name.  The central conceit becomes a bit tedious as it goes on but I found it very thought-provoking.  The Lost Man (Kazunari Ninomiya) is riding the subway on his way to work when his ex-girlfriend (Nana Komatsu) calls him to tell him that she is pregnant with his child and to ask him what she should do.  This news is very overwhelming to him and, as he tries to exit the subway station, he soon finds himself in an endlessly looping corridor underground.  He eventually learns that the way to reach Exit 8 is to turn back whenever he sees an anomaly in the corridor.  If he doesn't turn back when an anomaly appears, he returns to Exit 0 which resets his progress.  While on his seemingly interminable journey, he encounters The Walking Man (Yamato Kochi) and The Boy (Naru Asanuma), who are also trapped in the corridor for various reasons, but only one of them can help him reach Exit 8.  I found the allegory about what you should prioritize in life to be very powerful, if a bit on the nose, and I loved the juxtaposition between the life represented by The Walking Man versus the one represented by The Boy.  I also liked the exploration of how important it is to be present in the moment (symbolized by the anomalies).  As I previously mentioned, seeing the exact same location, a sterile white tiled hallway, for most of the runtime is sometimes mind-numbing (which is the point) but the unsettling sound design and some of the more elaborate anomalies (especially an homage to The Shining) definitely kept my attention.  Finally, the use of Maurice Ravel's Bolero during both the opening and end credits is absolutely brilliant because it features a single repeating melody that builds in intensity.  I liked this (it was fun to see it with a big crowd late at night) and would recommend it.

Hamlet

I love Shakespeare's play Hamlet (it was my favorite piece to teach my British literature students) so I have been eagerly anticipating Aneil Karia's bold new version featuring a contemporary South Asian perspective for what seems like forever.  I finally had a chance to see it last night as part of a double feature and to say that I loved it would be an understatement!  When Hamlet (Riz Ahmed), the scion of a wealthy South Asian family in London, learns that his father (Avijit Dutt), the CEO of a real estate holding company called Elsinore, has died after a long illness, he is overcome with grief.  He is also devastated to hear that his mother Gertrude (Sheeba Chaddha) is planning to marry his uncle Claudius (Art Malik).  He goes to a club and, while in a drug-induced haze, he sees the ghost of his father who tells him that Claudius is responsible for his death and that Hamlet must avenge him. He is not sure if this vision really happened so he begins investigating Claudius and discovers corruption at Elsinore.  Claudius and his business associate Polonius (Timothy Spall) have been tearing down affordable housing in favor of luxury high-rises and have been evicting tenants who have nowhere to go.  When Hamlet finally decides to take action, he sets in motion a tragedy that affects both his friends and family.  I am usually a purist but there are some changes to the text, which retains Shakespeare's language, that I found incredibly intriguing.  I loved the choice to focus entirely on Hamlet's POV with the camera following him to an almost claustrophobic degree because the audience really sees his isolation and downward spiral.  I loved that Laertes (Joe Alwyn) and Ophelia (Morfydd Clark) replace Horatio as a character and act as Hamlet's confidants because it makes his actions even more devastating. I loved that Polonius is given a more menacing characterization because it makes his death more provacative.  I loved that the play-within-a-play is reimagined as an elaborate dance at the traditional Indian wedding of Gertrude and Claudius because it is both entertaining and shocking.  I loved that Hamlet delivers his famous soliloquy while speeding recklessly on the the wrong side of the road because it is a more explicit portrayal of his suicidal state of mind.  Finally, I loved that the disgruntled former tenants act as a stand-in for Fortinbras's army because taking on an evil corporation is a brilliant way to give a modern update to the overthrow of a kingdom.  Ahmed gives an emotional performance that I found absolutely captivating and I also enjoyed Clark's more restrained take on Ophelia, especially the mad scene.  This might not appeal to everyone but it blew me away and I highly recommend it!

Mammoth vs. Hurricanes

My friend Angela has recently become a hockey fan so I was really excited to see the Mammoth take on the Carolina Hurricanes with her yesterday afternoon!  The atmosphere in the Delta Center was electric because the Mammoth clinched a payoff berth for the first time in franchise history during their last game against the Predators.  Unfortunately, the Hurricanes deflated the energy of the crowd early in the first period with a power play goal by Andrei Svechnikov after Mikhail Sergachev took a holding penalty.  Jordan Staal had a pretty wrist shot from the slot to put Carolina up 2-0 (it was his 20th goal of the season) and soon after it looked like Clayton Keller had scored for Utah but the goal was called back for being offside.  The Mammoth couldn't seem to get anything going in the offensive zone against a tough Carolina defense and were often forced to dump and chase the puck (I hate it when teams do this).  They played much better in the second period with a few good chances (they ended the game with 27 shots against a team who have held their opponents to the fewest shots in the NHL) and some great saves from Karel Vejmelka (he ended the game with 26), although they couldn't capitalize on a slashing penalty called on Shayne Ghostisbehere (they ended the game 1-5 on the power play).  Utah started the third period with a lot of energy and Dylan Guenther, my favorite player on the team, hit a beautiful one-timer from a tough angle to score on the power play.  The crowd went crazy and I have to admit that my cheering was quite enthusiastic because I had never seen him score in person before (I think he knew I was there and scored just for me)!  This goal gave the Mammoth some momentum, which was really fun to watch, but a late goal by Sebastian Aho and an empty-net goal by Sean Walker gave the Hurricanes the 4-1 victory (and snapped Utah's five game winning streak).  The outcome was a bit disappointing but at least I got to see Guenther get his 40th goal of the season (he now ranks among the top ten scorers in the league).  I really like him as a player (he is also very easy on the eyes) and I have seen a lot of development from him this season so I am happy that he reached this milestone.  There are a few regular season games left and then it will be so much fun to see this team in the playoffs!

Note: I was quoted in The Salt Lake Tribune about my frustrations with the Jazz this year (go here).

The Phantom of the Opera at the Eccles

The very first show I saw on Broadway was The Phantom of the Opera with my sister Kristine when we were on a girls trip to NYC in 1998 so it was especially appropriate that I got to see the Broadway touring production at the Eccles last night with her! We had such a great time because the show is amazing! A misunderstood genius with a facial deformity, known as the Phantom (Isaiah Bailey), lives in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House. His muse is a chorus girl named Christine Daae (Jordan Lee Gibert) who is both drawn to him and his music but also frightened of him. He haunts the opera house in order to get the managers, Monsieur Firmin (William Thomas Evans) and Monsieur Andre (Carrington Vilmont), to feature her over the soprano Carlotta (Midori Marsh). The Phantom's love turns into a dangerous obsession when Christine becomes involved with Raoul de Chagny (Daniel Lopez), a patron of the opera, and he ultimately forces her to choose between them (I always want her to stay with the Phantom). I love the music in this show and, no matter how many times I see it, I always get goosebumps during my favorite songs! This cast is phenomenal and their performances of "Think of Me," "The Phantom of the Opera," "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," and "The Point of No Return" are some of the best I have ever seen!  One of my favorite moments came when Lopez sings "All I Ask of You." I loved his voice but, more than that, I loved his characterization because his body language is almost mechanical, especially when he drops to one knee matter-of-factly to declare his love, and that is such a great contrast to the passionate Phantom. Speaking of the Phantom, Bailey is incredible and his version of "The Music of the Night" is worth the price of the ticket alone because it is both emotional and restrained (he has such vocal control). I don't think anyone in the Eccles Theatre drew breath during the entire song because it is so powerful! This production features the original staging with a few tweaks, including different, but no less spectacular, chandelier drops. I was really happy when I realized this because, as much as I tried to convince myself that I loved the new staging during the last national tour, I definitely prefer the earlier version. I was most excited to see the return of the set and choreography for "Masquerade" (my favorite number in the show) because the grand staircase reveal is so dramatic and I am always blown away by the stylized dance sequence with the whole company in unison on the stairs! I loved every minute of this iconic musical and I am so glad that I got to experience it with my sister (again). It runs at the Eccles Theatre through April 26 (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it even if you have seen it before.