See How They Run at CPT

I played Miss Skillon in See How They Run when I was in high school so I always love seeing a performance of this hilarious play. I went to a production at CPT last night with my sisters and it was so much fun and incredibly nostalgic. The action takes place in the vicarage of a village called Merton-cum-Middlewick during World War II. Clive (Dylan Padilla), an American soldier stationed in England, visits his old friend Penelope (Jordan Clark) who is now married to the Rev. Lionel Toop (Scott Butler). Ida (Jenni Cooper), her cockney maid who loves American movies, is flustered by his arrival but Miss Skillon (Holly Reid), a meddling spinster who is in love with Rev. Toop, is convinced that Penelope is having an affair with him.  Penelope suggests that Clive wear the Rev. Toop's second best suit and clerical collar so that they can dodge army regulations and see a play together.  Mayhem ensues when Miss Skillon sees something that she shouldn't and imbibes too much cooking sherry, when Penelope's sedate uncle the Bishop of Lax (Randon Jensen) arrives unexpectedly, when the mild-mannered Rev. Arthur Humphries  (David Johnson) arrives early for the service on Sunday, and when an escaped German POW (Blake London) knocks Rev. Toop out in order to steal his clothes. The action is incredibly fast-paced and you almost can't catch your breath in between fits of laughter at the absurd goings-on! At one point, there are five men in clerical garb chasing each other through the garden and into the house and it is so funny when they jump over a prostrate Miss Skillon but it is even funnier when they continue to jump over her even when she is no longer there (I was always afraid that they wouldn't jump in time when I was the one laying on the floor). There are also some amusing scenes involving several characters who hide in a cupboard, including an inebriated Miss Skillon (these were my favorite scenes to play because I always tried to come up with funny poses to get the other actors to break character), multiple cases of mistaken identity, a misplaced uniform, and a bumbling inspector (Zar Hayes) who accidentally apprehends the German POW. The entire cast is outstanding and they do a great job with all of the madcap physical comedy.  Butler, Jensen, and Reid are especially fun to watch as their characters become more and more exasperated, outraged, and outrageous, respectively. I loved the elaborate set, especially the doors leading out to the garden with views of the church and the aforementioned cupboard, as well as the period costumes.  Seeing this show brought back so many wonderful memories (I am surprised by how many of Miss Skillon's lines I remembered) and I loved every minute! I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to a performance on the Mountain America Main Stage through February 26.

Send Help

Last night my nephew and I were able to see an early access screening of Send Help and I thought it was a lot of fun.  After Bradley Preston (Dylan O'Brien) takes over as CEO from his father, he gives the promotion meant for the socially awkward Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) to his less qualified fraternity brother Donovan (Xavier Samuel).  He treats her in a very demeaning and sexist way but takes her on an important trip to Thailand because he knows that she will do all of the work.  When their plane crashes in the middle of the ocean, they are the only survivors and are stranded on a seemingly deserted island.  Linda uses her superior survival skills to care for an injured Bradley and find food, water, and shelter but, when he becomes angry about the reversal in their roles and criticizes her for not finding a way off the island, she leaves him to fend for himself.  He suffers from exposure, hunger, and dehydration before he eventually apologizes for his behavior, both on the island and in the office, but this makes him even more determined to take control.  Who will survive?  This definitely features some gory horror elements, especially a scene involving a wild boar, but I loved all of the dark humor as two completely unhinged characters keep shifting the power dynamic between them.  I found it very riveting and I eagerly anticipated every increasingly sadistic thing that Bradley and Linda do to each other.  I couldn't wait to see who would ultimately survive (and I kept going back and forth about who I wanted to survive because of all the surprising twists and turns).  Both McAdams and O'Brien are fantastic because they fully commit to the madness but also have moments of vulnerability that give their characters added dimension and they have great chemistry.  I thoroughly enjoyed this wildly entertaining mix of the horror, comedy, and psychological thriller genres and recommend it to fans of Sam Raimi.

Mercy

Last night my nephew and I went to see Mercy and, while it is not a good movie, it is definitely not as bad as I thought it would be based on the reviews.  In a dystopian future where Los Angeles is overridden with violent crime, LAPD Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) is instrumental in creating the Mercy Capital Court where AI is used as judge, jury, and executioner for the worst offenders.  However, he is soon *ahem* at the mercy of his own creation when he is accused of killing his wife Nicole (Annabelle Wallis) and put on trial by AI Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson).  He is restrained and given 90 minutes to prove his innocence below a 92% guilt probability threshold or he will be executed on the spot.  He has access to the Ministry Cloud, which includes surveillance footage from all over the city and the social media accounts of every citizen, in order to prove his innocence.  He also has the opportunity to communicate with anyone able to provide evidence, including his daughter Britt (Kylie Rogers), his AA sponsor Rob Nelson (Chris Sullivan), and his partner Jacqueline "Jaq" Diallo (Kali Reis).  Will he be able to solve the mystery of his wife's death before time runs out?  I initially wanted to see this because it seemed like a cautionary tale about the dangers of giving AI too much power, which it is to a certain extent, but then this message becomes muddled in the third act and it really weakens the narrative.  Both Pratt and Ferguson give incredibly bland performances because they are both stuck in a static location and all we see are close-ups of their faces for most of the runtime (Pratt can be good but, in my opinion, his best performances involve physical comedy so this is beyond his abilities).  Having said that, I did enjoy the use of the screenlife genre in the storytelling (I am a fan of Missing, Profile, and Searching) because this footage adds immediacy and tension, especially the clock counting down in real time.  I found the mystery to be compelling, even though the investigation is extremely convenient in order to happen during the time limit imposed by the narrative, and I was fully engaged until the action becomes a bit unwieldy in the final moments.  I didn't hate this but it probably should have gone straight to streaming.

A Beautiful Noise at the Eccles

Last night I went to the Broadway touring production of A Beautiful Noise at the Eccles Theatre and, even though I am only a casual fan of Neil Diamond, I really loved it! This is a jukebox musical based on the life and music of Neil Diamond and it uses the framing device of having the present day Neil (Robert Westenberg), who has retired from performing, attend a therapy session at the behest of his wife. He struggles to talk about himself so his doctor (Lisa Renee Pitts) brings out her second-hand copy of The Complete Lyrics of Neil Diamond and has him react to some of his lyrics in order to get him to open up ("A Beautiful Noise"). His songs prompt him to relive key moments from his life as the younger Neil (Nick Fradiani) performs them, including his work as a songwriter for other artists ("I'm a Believer"), his early days as a performer ("Solitary Man" and "Cracklin' Rosie"), his battle with depression ("Song Sung Blue"), his guilt over an affair ("Cherry, Cherry" and "September Morn'"), the end of his first marriage ("Love on the Rocks"), the pressure for him to continue writing hits ("Hello" and "Sweet Caroline"), his life on the road ("Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show"), the price of fame on his relationships ("Play Me" and "Forever in Blue Jeans"), and the end of his second marriage ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers"). He is forced to reconcile the trauma of a lonely childhood as the son of immigrants ("Brooklyn Roads," "America," and "Shilo") and accept that his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease has ended his career ("I am...I  Said") before he is able to express gratitude for his extraordinary life ("Holly Holy"). I really enjoyed the structure because, just like with The Four Seasons in Jersey Boys, Diamond's music was informed by what was happening in his life at the time (both musicals were produced by Bob Gaudio) so it is very effective in driving the narrative forward. The music is amazing and elicited a lot of audience participation, particularly during "Sweet Caroline."  I love the songs "Love on the Rocks" and "Holly Holy" but I was surprised by how many other songs I remembered and I had to try really hard not to sing along. The staging is very clever because the ensemble performs as a group called The Noise who appear as background singers and dancers for the young Neil and as the noise inside the present day Neil's head. The way that both of the Neils interact with each other is very powerful, especially during a highly emotional performance of "I Am... I Said," and so is the interaction between Jaye (Tiffany Tatreau) and Marcia (Mary Page Nance) during "Forever in Blue Jeans" because it is as if the first wife is warning the second one about what will eventually happen. Fradiani is amazing in the lead role because, even though he sounds so much like Neil Diamond that it is almost uncanny, he is still able to differentiate his performance enough that it is not merely a rote impersonation. He has tremendous charisma as a performer and you cannot take your eyes off him during the big production numbers in Act II (the sequins may also have something to do with it) but I think his simple acoustic version of "Solitary Man" with just him on the guitar is even more compelling. This is a thoroughly entertaining show and a must-see for fans of Neil Diamond! There are five more performances at the Eccles Theatre (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it.

Forever Plaid at The Ruth

Last night I went to see Forever Plaid at The Ruth and it is both heartwarming and incredibly entertaining.  On February 9, 1961, Smudge (Chase Petersen), Jinx (Andrew Walker), Sparky (Isaac Moss), and Frankie (Carter McEwan), the members of a four-part harmony group called Forever Plaid, are killed on their way to their very first paying gig at the Airport Hilton cocktail lounge.  However, they are given the opportunity to come back and perform the show they never got to do in life.  Their setlist is incredibly nostalgic (the older gentleman sitting next to me knew the words to every single song) and includes "Three Coins in the Fountain," "Gotta Be This or That," "Moments to Remember," "Crazy 'Bout Ya Baby," "No, Not Much," "Perfidia," "Cry," "Catch a Falling Star," "Heart and Soul," "Scotland the Brave," "Shangri-La," "Rags to Riches," and "Love is a Many Splendored Thing."  My favorite numbers were "Sixteen Tons" which is hilarious and "Lady of Spain" because they recreate all of the famous acts from the Ed Sullivan Show in three minutes (I laughed out loud when one of them pretends to be a seal balancing a ball on his nose).  I also really loved a medley of songs highlighting what they are able to perform at your private function (they even handed out business cards to members of the audience).  The four of them harmonize beautifully and their vocal performance is definitely the highlight of the show but, in between the musical numbers, there is a lot of funny banter about meeting in their high school's audio-visual club, practicing in the back room of a plumbing supply store, and dealing with their individual idiosyncrasies (the show is interrupted by a nose bleed at one point). The elaborate, and often amusing, choreography is a lot of fun to watch and I especially loved the use of plungers in "Crazy 'Bout Ya Baby" and Sparky's flamboyant kicks in "Perfidia."  The minimal set is dominated by light panels, in a checkerboard pattern on the floor and in circles of different sizes on the backdrop, which change color throughout the show (I loved the plaid pattern on the floor during "Scotland the Brave").  There is also a large platform for the piano (played by Anne Puzey) and bass (played by Mathieu Foley) as well as smaller ones used for solo performances.  The costumes include white dinner jackets during Act I and then they are ceremonially awarded the plaid tuxedos that they were to have worn during their original concert in Act II.  This is a feel-good show that is sure to put a smile on your face and I recommend getting a ticket (go here) to one of the performances in the Lindsay Legacy Theatre through March 28.

Note:  Forever Plaid was the first show I saw at the brand new Hale Theatre.