Ballet West's Jekyll and Hyde

Last night I went to Ballet West's amazing production of Jekyll and Hyde and I loved everything about it.  Robert Louis Stevenson (Jake Preece), who is ill and in a drug-fueled haze, has a dream about a respected man who secretly wrestles with his inner demons and this brings the character of Dr. Jekyll (Dominic Ballard) to life.  Jekyll attempts to treat a patient's mental illness with one of his potions in an insane asylum but it is a failure so, when he returns with Stevenson to his laboratory, he experiments on himself.  Stevenson glimpses the character Mr. Hyde (Adrian Fry), who represents the evil inside Jekyll, in the shadows waiting to be revealed.  Jekyll attends a party at the home of Sir Danvers Carew (Jeffrey Rogers), the father of his fiancee Nellie (Amy Potter), but he is distracted and joins the men at a tavern where he meets the prostitute Rowena (Nicole Fanney).  When he becomes aggressive with Rowena, he realizes that his potion has been successful and flees to his laboratory where Hyde finally emerges.  He ventures out on the streets of London, with violent results, and has interactions with both Nellie and Rowena before an epic confrontation with Jekyll for control.  Hyde is victorious but he is finally repressed when Stevenson succumbs to his illness.  The integration of Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, into the narrative is absolutely brilliant because his hallucinogenic interactions with the characters he created mirror their conflict with each other.  The staging is incredibly innovative and I really loved the use of reflective black surfaces and strips of LED lights that are raised and lowered for effect and turn from white to red to indicate the presence of Hyde.  I also loved the dynamic choreography because the emotions are conveyed by movement rather than by text and it is captivating, especially the frenetic sequences inside the insane asylum, the passionate Pas de Deux between Hyde and Nellie followed by a more restrained and lyrical one between Jekyll and Nellie, and the dramatic confrontation between Jekyll and Hyde in which they push and pull against each other.  I enjoyed having the focus on the men in the company and it was really impressive to see Preece, Ballard, and Fry so perfectly in synch as their movements mirror each other.  I always enjoy seeing Fry because he is amazing but I was really blown away by Ballard's expressive performance because I felt his every emotion.  The Victorian costumes are beautiful (I loved seeing the tails of the frock coats twirling) and the subtle integration of red in the scenes with Hyde is very effective as are the masks used during the transitions between Jekyll and Hyde.  Finally, the music is powerful and I particularly loved hearing a portion of Prelude Op. 28 No. 15 by Frederic Chopin (it is a favorite of mine because it is so melancholy) during the final scene.  This is now my favorite Ballet West production and I highly encourage getting a ticket to one of the four remaining performances (go here).

Your Monster

A screening of Your Monster was the most fun I had at Sundance this year so I was really excited to see it again with my nephew at the Broadway last night.  I was afraid that I might have hyped it up too much (like I did for My Old Ass) but he told me that it was awesome as we walked out!  Aspiring actress Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera) moves back into her childhood home after her boyfriend Jacob Sullivan (Edmund Donovan) breaks up with her during her cancer treatment.  She wallows in self-pity until the monster (Tommy Dewey) she banished to her closet as a young girl suddenly reappears.  She tries to repress her anger and jealousy when Jacob gives the part he wrote for her in his new Broadway musical to another actress and then pursues an affair with her but the monster helps Laura to find her voice (and revenge) again.  This is a hilarious mash-up of a romantic comedy and a horror movie (with a little bit of musical theatre thrown in) and there were multiple times when I laughed out loud (the ending is absolutely bonkers in the best possible way).  I also really enjoyed the theme of female empowerment and the use of an actual monster to represent the inner rage that Laura feels is a clever twist.  Barrera is incredibly charming with great comedic timing as well as tremendous chemistry with Dewey and it was nice to see her show off her musical theatre background again with her lively performance of the songs and choreography.  The prosthetics for the monster are fantastic and I loved Laura's theatre kid aesthetic!  This is really delightful and I recommend seeing it for Halloween!

Note:  It would be a great double feature with Lisa Frankenstein.

Pumpkin Carving 2024

Last night we had our annual pumpkin carving party and it was a lot of fun!  I keep waiting for the day when Sean says he doesn't want to continue with these holiday traditions but I'm so happy that he wanted to carve pumpkins this year.  We all went a bit old school with our designs but my favorite one was Sean's "Pumpkin Pie."

I love this Halloween tradition!

Conclave

Last night I joined a large crowd at the Broadway to see Conclave and I found it riveting!  After the pope dies of a heart attack, Thomas Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), as dean of the College of Cardinals, is tasked with overseeing the conclave to elect the next pontiff.  He is surprised by the unexpected appearance of Vincent Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz), who was created a cardinal in secret because of how dangerous his ministry is in Afghanistan, but he soon completes preparations and the cardinals are sequestered.  No candidate has a majority after the first ballot but several leaders emerge, including Aldo Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), a progressive who wants to continue the liberal policies of the late pope, Geoffredo Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), a traditionalist who wants to return the church to the days before Vatican II, Joseph Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow), an ambitious and power-hungry cardinal, and Joshua Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), a charismatic cardinal who would be the first Black pope.  Amidst all of the pageantry, ceremony, and ancient traditions, there are also hushed whispers and sinister machinations behind closed doors.  Lawrence is plagued by doubt so, even though the cardinals are not supposed to allow the outside world to influence their decision, he secretly consults with his assistant Monsignor Raymond O'Malley (Brian F. O'Byrne) and with Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini), one of the nuns in charge of the cardinals' temporal needs, and finds damaging information on each of the candidates.  His decision about whether to use this information is complicated by the fact that he has become a leading candidate himself.  I was absolutely fascinated by the focus on all of the arcane procedures involved in electing a new pope but I was also on the edge of my seat from all of the twists and turns in this tense thriller.  There are a lot of powerful themes explored and, even though some might find the resolution controversial, I think it is very hopeful and inspiring.  I loved the stunning visuals, particularly the juxtaposition between the white marble of the Vatican architecture and the iconic red robes worn by the cardinals, the production design, including the elaborate re-creation of the Sistine Chapel, and the bombastic score.  I was impressed by the entire cast but Fiennes gives one of the best performances of his considerable career in a captivating and complex role.  I loved this and think it is one of the best movies I've seen this year.

The Mousetrap at OPPA

Last night I went to On Pitch Performing Arts to see Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap and I can't think of a better play to see in October! Mollie Ralston (Rachel Pullan) and her husband Giles (Tyler Probasco) have converted their large estate, Monkswell Manor, into a guesthouse and are nervously awaiting their first paying customers during a severe snowstorm. News of a grisly murder with ties to a neighboring village reaches the manor just as the guests, including Christopher Wren (Peter Davis), Mrs. Boyle (Wendy Ottmanns), Major Metcalf (Ken Hadlock), and Miss Casewell (Megan Chase), arrive one by one. An unexpected guest, Mr. Paravacini (Joey Engh), arrives rather suspiciously a few hours later after his car is overturned in a snowdrift and Detective Sergeant Trotter (Donovan Crane) skis his way to the snowbound manor to investigate a clue about the aforementioned murder. When one of the guests, who has a mysterious connection to the murder victim, is found dead it seems that everyone has a secret and it is up to Sergeant Trotter to solve the crime before another murder occurs. Information about each character's backstory is revealed very slowly and strict attention must be paid in order to discover the solution. I loved watching a young boy sitting across the stage from me because his eyes would light up whenever he made an important connection (I think he even figured out the big twist before it happened). Some of the acting is a little bit stilted but I really enjoyed Davis as the eccentric Wren because he has a nervous energy that is palpable and Engh as Paravacini because he is so flamboyant (I loved his ruffled shirt, cravat, and fur coat) and his facial expressions are hilarious (I found myself watching him even when the attention was on someone else because he is always in character and his reactions and bits of business are so over the top). The elaborate set, along with the one for Next to Normal, is one of my favorites at OPPA and I particularly loved the large picture window through which you can see falling snow (and through which Sergeant Trotter makes his entrance), the wood paneling and wallpaper, the Victorian-era furniture, the many doors, and the staircase. I also liked the attention to detail with all of the props, especially the old-fashioned radio and telephone. The pacing was sometimes sluggish but it was opening night so it will probably tighten up. My only other criticism is that the cast didn't give the traditional admonition to keep the ending a secret from future audiences at the end of the show! Nevertheless, I did thoroughly enjoy this murder mystery and I recommend it for a fun night out this spooky season. It runs Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through November 16 (go here for tickets).