Annie at the Empress Theatre

Last night I went to see Annie at the Empress Theatre and I really enjoyed this heartwarming production. The irrepressible Annie (Jordyn Bowser) lives at an orphanage run by the cruel and bitter Miss Hannigan (Shannon Pearson) during the Great Depression. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her as a baby when she is selected by Grace Farrell (Hollie Hoffman) to spend Christmas with her boss, the billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Sheldon Pearson). Annie asks Warbucks to help her find her parents and he offers a large reward to convince them to come forward. Meanwhile, Miss Hannigan devises a plan to have her brother Rooster (Kartik Sharma) and his girlfriend Lily St. Regis (Antonia Cartier) pose as Annie's parents to claim the reward. With the help of President Roosevelt (Han Ward) and the FBI, the plot is eventually exposed and Annie finds a permanent home with Daddy Warbucks. I really loved all of the young performers in this show (I always enjoy seeing children in community theatre productions because they are usually so enthusiastic and appear to be having a lot of fun). Bowser is a charismatic and appealing Annie and I loved her stirring renditions of "Maybe" and "Tomorrow" (as well as her fabulous dog wrangling skills). The orphans (Lavinia Roe, Penny Teitter, Archer Nash, Eva Teitter, Millie Robison, and Amelia Nash) are absolutely adorable (Penny Teitter is especially sassy as Molly with lots of hilarious poses) and it put a big smile on my face watching them singing and dancing their hearts out in "It's the Hard Knock Life" and "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile (Reprise)." The adults in the show also do a great job. Shannon Pearson is a hoot in "Little Girls" and she, Sharma, and Cartier give a hilarious rendition of "Easy Street," but my favorite performance was from Sheldon Pearson because he has a beautiful voice and his versions of "Something Was Missing" and "I Don't Need Anything But You" are very affecting (he also has a great rapport with Bowser). There is a large ensemble in this show and they are a lot of fun to watch in the big song and dance numbers (my favorite was "N.Y.C." because it is incredibly dynamic). The set is very minimal but I was especially impressed by the backdrop of the New York skyline. I also really liked the period costumes because there is a distinct differentiation between the lower and upper classes (muted colors vs. bright colors). You can't help but be charmed by this delightful show and I highly recommend it for families during this holiday season. It runs through November 21 and tickets may be purchased here but don't wait because the theatre was very full last night!

Note:  A huge thank you to the Empress Theatre for graciously providing me with a ticket to this show. I have loved every production this season!

Rocky

I saw Rocky at the drive-in with my parents when it was first released.  I was very young so they didn't think I would be able to stay awake for the whole movie but I was so invested in the story and determined to see who won the fight that I made it to the end!  Since I have very vivid memories of seeing this movie for the first time, I was thrilled when I learned that it was coming back to theaters for its 50th anniversary (what?).  I saw it yesterday with a rowdy crowd and I loved it!  I think it sets the standard for underdog sports movies (one of my favorite genres).  Robert "Rocky" Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a small-time club fighter from a working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia who also works as the muscle for a loan shark (my dad had to explain this to me the first time I saw it).  When the heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) suddenly needs an opponent for a title match, he decides to offer the opportunity to a local unknown fighter and he selects Rocky.  Apollo views the match as a publicity stunt but Rocky begins training seriously for what he views as a chance to prove that he is more than just a bum to his girlfriend Adrian (Talia Shire).  He loses the fight in a split-decision but wins a moral victory by becoming the first fighter to go all fifteen rounds with the champion.  I love that this is primarily a character study (the fight is only a small part of the runtime) in which tenacity, heart, and perseverance triumph over insurmountable odds and I love the vulnerable and authentic performance from Stallone.  There are so many iconic scenes, such as when Rocky goes ice skating with Adrian, when he drinks the raw eggs, when he visits the Spectrum the night before the fight, when he trains by punching slabs of frozen beef at the meat packing plant, when he gets back on his feet after being knocked out by Apollo in the fourteenth round, and, of course, the training montage which culminates in Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (this elicited loud cheers from the audience and I got goosebumps as soon as I heard the opening fanfare of "Gonna Fly Now").  My favorite scene when I watched it the first time was when an a capella group on a street corner sings "Take You Back" (for some reason this made a big impression on me) and my favorite scene yesterday was when Rocky's trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith) tells him to stay down after being knocked out (the crowd laughed out loud).  Seeing this on the big screen again was incredibly nostalgic and so much fun!  Now I am even more excited to see I Play Rocky later this month!

Mozart with Conrad Tao

I was so excited for last night's Utah Symphony concert because it featured a mostly Mozart program with audience favorite Conrad Tao as both conductor and soloist.  The orchestra began with Nuages by Canadian composer Linda Catlin Smith.  I was not familiar with this piece but I really liked it because it is very otherworldly and mysterious with different harmonies that overlap like the titular clouds passing each other across the sky.  Next came Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20.  I love all of Mozart's music but this piece is one of my favorites (it is rumored to be one of the composer's favorites as well).  The second movement, especially, is absolutely beautiful (it is featured in the end credits of the movie Amadeus which is what introduced me to Mozart) with a melody played by the solo piano that is so tender and romantic.  I also love the final movement because it is moody and tempestuous as the solo piano plays dissonant chords that alternate with themes played by the woodwinds.  It was so cool to watch Tao conduct the orchestra with one hand while playing with the other just like Mozart would have done back in the day!  He is incredibly expressive and energetic (he would leap off the bench at times and his fingers flew up and down the keyboard) but also controlled.  The crowd sitting around me, including lots of young people, was almost giddy in their appreciation for his performance (it was more befitting a rock star than a classical pianist) and he rewarded us with an encore featuring a cool arrangement of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."  After the intermission, the concert concluded with Mozart's Symphony No. 40.  I like this because, unlike much of Mozart's earlier work, it is dark, intense, and dramatic.  The first movement is especially restless with the famous theme played by the violins accompanied by the syncopated violas, the third movement is almost sinister with a minuet filled with tension created by cross-rhythms, and the final movement returns to the restless energy of the first but it is even more turbulent because of the battle between the lower strings and bassoons and the violins.  I thoroughly enjoyed this concert (it was one of my most anticipated concerts of the 2026-2027 season and it did not disappoint) and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) for tonight's performance of the same program.

An Evening with Sutton Foster at the Eccles

Last night I went to see Sutton Foster at the Eccles Theatre with my friend Wendy.  This concert commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Eccles so it is only appropriate that I was there with Wendy because we met at Beautiful, the first Broadway touring production at the theatre, and we have been sitting next to each other at every Broadway show ever since (as well as at concerts featuring Jeremy Jordan and Leslie Odom, Jr. because we are theatre girlies).  Foster began the show with the jazz standard "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer and then continued with "The Nearness of You" also by Carmichael and Ned Washington.  During "Love Somebody, Yes I Do," instead of the usual lyrics in the final refrain ("but I won't tell who"), she sang "and his name is Hugh" which got a huge laugh from the audience.  She then talked about the major changes in her life and how the spirit of her mother comforted her by telling her that everything will be all right.  She dedicated a mashup of "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley and the Wailers and "Feelin' Groovy" by Simon & Garfunkle to her.  She spoke about how her daughter Emily has introduced her to all kinds of new music before singing the viral song "It's Raining Tacos" (she reminded us that she is a two-time Tony winner after this hilarious performance).  She also dedicated both the humorous "Undecided" and the tender "Goodnight My Someone" from The Music Man to her daughter.  She was joined by local performers Naomi Sharette as Young Fiona and Alexa Shaheen as Teen Fiona for "I Know It's Today" from Shrek The Musical (she objected to being called the Old Fiona) and by the seniors in the MTP program at the University of Utah for "On My Way" from Violet and the title song from Anything Goes complete with the iconic tap choreography from the Broadway show (you know how I love to see tap dancing and this was exhilarating!). These students performed a lovely interpretation of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" arranged by Foster's music director Michael Rafter while she changed her tap shoes and then she joined them once again for an epic rendition of "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" from Anything Goes (this was amazing!).  She performed a mashup featuring "If I Were a Bell" from Guys and Dolls and the title song from Singin' in the Rain (I've heard her sing this before) and then a beautiful rendition of "Up on the Roof."  She dedicated a mashup of "Love is All Around" (which was used as the theme song for The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and "Top of the World" (made famous by The Carpenters) to her dad and then concluded with "Never Alone."  For an encore she performed "Till There Was You" from The Music Man.  As I mentioned, I've seen her perform in concert before and she is always so charming and personable.  I loved her interactions with the crowd and with the students on stage (the crowd reacted with thunderous applause every time she yelled "Go Utes" because I guess there is an important football game this weekend).  This was a delightful concert and I am so glad that I have been able to see so many wonderful shows at the Eccles during the past ten years!

Fjord

I was already interested in seeing Fjord because I am a big fan of both Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve but, after it won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year, it became one of my most anticipated movies this fall.  I went to see it last night at the Broadway and to say that it is thought-provoking would be an understatement.  Mihai and Lisbet Gheorghiu (Stan and Reinsve, respectively) are a devout evangelical Christian couple who move their family from Romania to Lisbet's remote coastal hometown in Norway to be closer to her parents for help with their five children.  Their conservative parenting style immediately catches the attention of a progressive counselor (Lisa Loven Kongsli) at their children's school, so when she sees bruises on their oldest daughter Elia (Vanessa Ceban), she reports them to the Child Welfare Services for abuse which also triggers a criminal investigation.  All five children are eventually removed from their parents' custody when Mihai admits to occasionally spanking them.  Soon the Gheorghius are involved in an intense custody battle, but when their neighbor Mia Halberg (Lisa Carlehed) steps in to defend them, they are given temporary custody pending the outcome of the criminal trial.  However, when Mia refuses to represent Mihai in the criminal trial, the Gheorghius decide to flee to Denmark to avoid losing their children forever.  I was really intrigued by the fact that there are no easy answers and that much of what happens with the children is open to interpretation.  Elia may have gotten the bruises from roughhousing with her brother Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu) or from wrestling in her P.E. class, the language barrier may have led to miscommunication during Elia's interview with Child Welfare, or Elia may have lied in her interview to get back at her parents for interfering in a new friendship with their neighbor Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen).  I was also very struck by all of the moral dilemmas raised by the narrative, especially whether you should protect the rights of someone you disagree with (I was often uncomfortable because, while I disagree with some of the Gheorghius' beliefs, I found the prosecution of them to be overzealous).  The symbolism is incredibly powerful, especially with the setting because the fjords represent isolation and the resulting avalanches show the crushing weight of judgement.  Finally, both Stan and Reinsve give highly restrained and nuanced performances in which anger and frustration are internalized.  This choice does make the characters seem cold and remote (mimicking the setting) but it is absolutely devastating to watch.  The audience is challenged to have sympathy for characters they may disagree with and, for that reason, I highly recommend it.