Allegiant

Last night I saw an advance screening of Allegiant with a fun and rowdy crowd.  With Jeanine dead, Evelyn (Naomi Watts) has become the leader of Chicago and sets out to publicly try and execute all members of the Erudite faction who followed Jeanine.  Realizing that they have merely traded one totalitarian regime for another, Tris (Shailene Woodley), Four (Theo James), Caleb (Ansel Elgort), Christina (Zoe Kravitz), and Peter (Miles Teller) escape and scale the wall surrounding Chicago to find out what is on the other side.  What they find is a post-apocalyptic world scarred by the effects of a nuclear annihilation.  They are soon rescued by the Bureau of Genetic Welfare and its leader, David (Jeff Daniels), who tells Tris that the faction system has been an elaborate experiment and that they have been under surveillance for years.  David reveals that genetic engineering is what lead to the nuclear war and that the Bureau is seeking to return the genetic code to its former purity.  He further reveals that Tris is the only person who is genetically pure and he wants to replicate her DNA.  Meanwhile, in Chicago, Johanna (Octavia Spencer) forms a group called the Allegiant to oppose Evelyn and David encourages the development of this new faction system by sending the slimy, albeit entertaining, Peter to help Evelyn to destroy them.  Tris finally realizes that David has been manipulating her and returns to save the inhabitants of Chicago.  I am not a fan of dividing the original source material into two films because the first film inevitably feels like a long preview for the final one.  This tactic is especially tiresome in Allegiant because there is an incredible amount of exposition, most of which is extremely confusing (it has been a while since I've read the book), the characters are very static (and a bit boring) without any new development, and there are way too many scenes of Tris parading around in one white outfit after another and of Four brooding while breathing deeply through his nose.  It gets old very quickly.  Granted, the action sequences are exciting, especially when they scale the wall, and the special effects are pretty amazing, especially when they use the drones and the surveillance equipment.  However, these scenes are few and far between.  Even the final battle seems a bit anticlimactic and that fun and rowdy crowd was pretty subdued by the time the credits rolled.  As someone who has enjoyed this franchise, I am a bit disappointed and I hope Ascendant can provide a satisfactory resolution to the story.

Utah Opera's Aida

There is nothing quite like the experience of watching an opera.  In my opinion, a great opera combines everything I love about the performing arts: a dramatic and tragic love story, powerful and passionate vocal performances, a beautiful symphonic score, innovative staging, dazzling choreography, and elaborate costumes and sets.  Last night Utah Opera's production of Aida ticked every one of those boxes!  Aida, an Ethiopian princess captured as a slave by the Egyptians, is torn between her burning love for Radames, the general of the Egyptian army charged with defeating the Ethiopians, and loyalty to her father, the king, and her country.  The story is definitely full of enough pathos to satisfy even my romantic heart.  What could be more dramatic than choosing to die for love?  The performances are amazing!  Marc Heller (Radames), Jennifer Check (Aida), and Katharine Goeldner (Amneris) all sing their roles beautifully.  I particularly loved Check's rendition of the aria "O patria mia" where Aida laments the fact that she will never see her country again and Goeldner's rendition of "Ahime!...morir me sento," where Amneris curses the priests for condemning Radames, gave me goosebumps!  I had tears in my eyes when Check and Heller sang "Morir! Si pura e bella" as Radames and Aida die in each other's arms inside a tomb.  Verdi's score is absolutely spectacular and I particularly enjoyed the instantly recognizable fanfare played inside the Temple of Vulcan, which sent tingles up and down my spine! The staging is also quite spectacular, especially the pageantry involved in sending Radames off to war and I loved the choreography in that scene.  I also loved the staging of the Judgement scene, most of which takes place off stage.  Alice Bristow's costumes, in various shades of turquoise and gold, are exquisite.  The set, created by Tony Award-winner Michael Yeargan, is bold with Egyptian columns and monuments and I was particularly struck by the use of multiple levels.  To say that I enjoyed this production would be an understatement; in fact, I think it is one of Utah Opera's best!  I would highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to one of the remaining performances through March 20.  Bravo, Utah Opera!

Weekend at the Cabin

Marilyn and I just returned from our annual weekend getaway to the KOA in Fillmore.  We have stayed in one of the cabins on opening weekend for the past four years and we look forward to it for weeks.  It is a sure sign that spring is on its way (although, ironically, it snowed during the drive home).

I absolutely love this KOA and a lot of my friends ask me why I like to stay in a place that is in the middle of nowhere (it is about 150 miles south of Salt Lake) but it is precisely because it is in the middle of nowhere that I like it!  There is nothing that I have to do and I can relax completely.

This was our cabin for the weekend.  Dave and Corinne (who own this KOA) upgraded us to a bigger cabin!  One of the reasons we love coming to this KOA is because Dave and Corinne are such wonderful people!  They waited up for us to check-in late Friday night and asked about our family!

We had such a great time doing absolutely nothing!  We spent some time sitting out on the porch reading but it was still pretty cold.  We ended up inside quite a bit and we watched movies, ate treats, and laughed!  I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time!

In the evening we sat around the fire talking and laughing for hours!  It is my very favorite part of camping!  I loved this little getaway and I was really sad to come home to my busy and, sometimes, stressful life.  I can't wait to come back in a few weeks!

Dinner at Caffe Molise

If I had to pick a favorite cuisine, it would most definitely be Italian so Caffe Molise is obviously one of my very favorite restaurants downtown!  It features a menu full of traditional dishes from Northern Italy and has an extensive wine list from that region, as well.   Caffe Molise has a simple and casual decor featuring the work of local artists or you can opt for the patio during warmer months.  I like to eat here before seeing productions at Capitol Theatre but it is equally appropriate for a casual dinner after work.

I like just about everything on the menu but I highly recommend the lasagne ($15.95).   It features layers of pasta, Italian sausage, seasoned beef, ricotta, Asiago, and marinara.  It is delicious!

Definitely save some room for dessert (if you can!).  I became a fan of Tiramisu on a trip to Italy several years ago and Caffe Molise has an excellent version but I usually opt for the Dark Chocolate Cake ($6.95).  It is quite possibly the most decadent chocolate cake I have ever had!  It is dense and chocolaty, with just a hint of cinnamon!

Caffe Molise is located in the heart of downtown SLC at 55 West 100 South (near the Salt Lake Convention Center).  It is open Monday - Thursday: 10:30 am - 9:00 pm, Friday - Saturday: 10:30 am - 10:00 pm, and Sunday: 10:30 am - 9:00 pm.  Most entrees are reasonably priced under $30.00.

A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder

Last night I had the opportunity to see the Broadway touring company production of A Gentleman's Guide To Love & Murder at Kingsbury Hall and I loved it.  I have wanted to see it for so long and it was definitely worth the wait!  It is absolutely hilarious and I was laughing out loud all night.  After his mother dies, Monty Navarro (Kevin Massey) learns that she was part of the illustrious D'Ysquith family and was disinherited for marrying his father.  He is really Montague D'Ysquith Navarro and is in line to inherit the earldom (there are only eight family members ahead of him).  When his vain and heartless girlfriend Sibella (Lesley McKinnell) decides to marry the rich and handsome Lionel Hallward, Monty decides to kill all eight family members ahead of him in the succession in order to become the earl and win her back.  Standing in his way are the Reverend Lord Ezekial D'Ysquith (who has an unfortunate fall from a cathedral tower), Asquith D'Ysquith, Jr. (who has a bizarre ice skating accident), Henry D'Ysquith (who is stung by his precious bees), Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith (who is presumed dead in deepest darkest Africa), Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith (who is decapitated while lifting weights), Lady Salome D'Ysquith Pumphrey (who is killed by prop gun with real bullets during her debut in Hedda Gabbler), Lord Asquith D'Ysquith, Sr. (who is driven to a heart attack), and, finally, Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, the Earl of Highhurst (who is poisoned).  The entire D'Ysquith family is played by John Rapson and I can't decide who I liked more:  the outragrously flamboyant Henry who thinks everything is "Better with a Man" or the over-the-top Lady Hyacinth who just wants to do some good!  So funny!  Along the way, Monty falls in love with Phoebe D'Ysquith (Adrienne Eller) and marries her to make Sibella jealous.  Eventually, Monty becomes the Earl of Highhurst but is soon after arrested for the murder of Lord Adalbert, the only D'Ysquith death for which he is not actually responsible!  The charges are dismissed when Phoebe and Sibella each give proof that the other one committed the murder ("That Horrible Woman").  However, Monty might not live happily ever after because Chauncey, the next in line to the earldom, is lurking.  I can't say enough about this production!  Massey, McKinnell (who is the understudy), and Eller have incredible voices and Rapson could not be funnier.  The set is also a lot of fun!  There is an elaborate stage, reminiscent of an old music hall, with projections on a giant screen behind it.  The projections are particularly clever in all of the death scenes, especially when Ezekial falls to his death.  I certainly enjoyed this delightful comedy and I highly recommend that you see it during its SLC run (through March 6).  Go here to purchase tickets.

Note:  Broadway in Utah has changed its name to Broadway at the Eccles in celebration of the 2016-2017 season in the new state-of-the-art Eccles Theatre, which will be complete in the fall.  The shows were announced last night and I couldn't be more excited!  I have already renewed my season tickets and I am particularly looking forward to Kinky Boots.  Go here for more information about the shows and how to purchase tickets.