Catch Me If You Can at CPT

I was really looking forward to Catch Me If You Can at CPT with my sisters last night because it is such a fun show. They had never seen it before and I think they enjoyed this production as much as I did! The show begins when Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Drew Dunshee) is arrested by FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Jeremy Botelho) at the Miami Airport. Then Frank breaks the fourth wall and begins telling the audience his story as if he were the emcee of a 1960s television variety show (complete with go-go dancers) in the big production number "Live in Living Color." When his parents, Frank Abagnale, Sr. (David Johnson) and Paula Abagnale (Mary Ann West), get divorced, sixteen year old Frank decides to run away to New York and he starts forging checks in order to get by (almost two million dollar's worth by the time he is caught). This gets the attention of the FBI, especially Hanratty who is relentless in his pursuit. Frank eventually impersonates a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer (even passing the bar exam) and he is always one step ahead of Hanratty until he falls in love with Brenda Strong (Emily Richman). Dunshee is incredibly charming and charismatic as the fast-talking confidence man, especially in the songs "Jet Set" and "Doctor's Orders," but he also brings a vulnerability to his portrayal of a teenager who is just looking for a home. Botelho is hilarious as the straight-laced FBI agent who has no life away from the job and his number, "Don't Break the Rules," was the biggest crowd-pleaser of the show! The interactions between them are both amusing, particularly the scene where Frank manages to elude Hanratty in a motel room, and poignant, most notably when Frank calls Hanratty on Christmas Eve and they both realize that they don't have anyone to talk to but each other. I also loved Richman's portrayal of Brenda because, in my opinion, the actress who plays her really needs to be able to sing the blues in the song "Fly, Fly Away" and she more than delivers! The choreography is very entertaining and I was beyond impressed with the female ensemble (they are all great dancers but they also have some quick costume changes in between numbers). The set looks like a colorful soundstage from a 1960s television show (such as Laugh-In or Hullabaloo) with various locations created by simple props moved on and off stage by the ensemble. The use of projections is also very creative (I loved the postcards from all of the places Frank visits). The period costumes are fantastic and, as previously mentioned, the sheer number for the female ensemble is quite impressive (my favorites are the Pan Am uniforms). I had a great time watching this high-energy show and, if you are in need of a fun night out, I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on the Mountain America Main Stage through August 19.

Note:  This was my 50th theatre production of the year!  So far, my favorites are Macbeth at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Twelve Angry Men at HCT, Life of Pi with Broadway at the Eccles, Little Women at HCT, and An American in Paris at the Ruth.  An honorable mention goes to Hadestown: Teen Edition at CPT (I was so impressed by the young actors in this production).

I Know What You Did Last Summer

I enjoyed the legacy sequels in the Halloween and Scream horror franchises so I decided to see I Know What You Did Last Summer yesterday.  Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one.  A group of friends, including Danica Richards (Madelyn Cline), Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders), Milo Griffin (Jonah Hauer-King), Teddy Spencer (Tyriq Withers), and Stevie Ward (Sarah Pidgeon), who recently left rehab, decide to take a drive to see the Fourth of July fireworks after celebrating the engagement of Danica and Teddy in Southport, North Carolina.  While goofing off in the middle of the road, they inadvertently cause an accident when a truck swerves into a guard rail to avoid hitting them.  They try to get the driver, Sam Cooper, out of the truck but it ultimately falls into the water below.  Ava wants to call the police but the rest of them are scared of the possible consequences so Teddy swears them all to secrecy and has his father Grant (Billy Campbell), a wealthy politician, cover up the accident.  The group reunites a year later to celebrate Danica's engagement to her new fiance Wyatt (Joshua Orpin) but they panic when she receives a card with the message, "I know what you did last summer."  After Wyatt is brutally killed by a fisherman with a hook, the group eventually learns of a similar massacre in Southport 30 years ago and they seek out survivors Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), now a psychology professor specializing in trauma, and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), the owner of a bar in Southport, to learn how to stop the fisherman before they become his next victims.  The dialogue is incredibly cringe-worthy and the acting is abysmal but I actually liked the story until a twist in the final fifteen minutes completely derails it (the motivation for what a certain character does makes absolutely no sense).  The kill sequences are surprisingly bland with very little tension or suspense and the tone is all over the place (it is not funny enough to be campy or scary enough to be a thriller).  I wasn't a huge fan of the original but I was still very disappointed by this and recommend giving it a miss.

Lady Gaga in Las Vegas

I love Lady Gaga and, even though I was able to see her Jazz & Piano show a few years ago, I have always wanted to see her in concert performing her own music.  I didn't think I would ever have an opportunity because she mostly does big stadium tours so I was beyond excited when she announced an arena tour in support of her latest album MAYHEM (which, in my opinion, is her best album since The Fame).  I was able to get a ticket to the opening show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last night and took a fun road trip to cross another item off my bucket list!  The concert was absolutely amazing and I am still on a high from it!  Every performance was very theatrical (the stage was even configured as an opulent opera house) with elaborate costumes, lighting, visuals, and choreography for each song.  The show was structured into four acts and a finale during which Lady Gaga periodically confronted a character called the Mistress of Mayhem (she is the personification of the inner chaos created by her trauma and fame as revealed in the opening manifesto, "The Art of Personal Chaos").  Act 1, Of Velvet and Vice, began with Lady Gaga inside a towering red Tudor gown singing an operatic version of "Bloody Mary" after which the skirt opened to reveal a steel cage filled with her backup dancers.  She emerged to perform "Abracadabra," with shortened versions of "Judas," "Aura," and "Scheiße" as an outro, and "Garden of Eden” with her on guitar.  This set concluded with "Poker Face" as Lady Gaga and the Mistress of Mayhem played a game of chess with dancers as pieces on a chessboard of lights on the runway jutting into the audience.  During Act II, And She Fell Into a Gothic Dream, Lady Gaga cavorted in a burial ground while performing dramatic renditions of "Perfect Celebrity" and "Disease" with skeletons all around her.  She then climbed out for "Paparazzi" (so symbolic) with an iridescent veil trailing her down the runway and then "LoveGame."  This set ended with atmospheric versions of "Alejandro" and "The Beast."  Act III, The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name, featured Lady Gaga dressed in a long black frock coat covered in black satin roses and a large headdress singing "Killah," "Zombieboy,"  and "LoveDrug" with a giant skull on stage and concluded with a burlesque performance of "Just Dance" with "Applause" as an intro.  Act IV, Every Chessboard Has Two Queens, included "Shadow of a Man," "Kill for Love," "Summerboy," and a very powerful performance of "Born This Way."  The Mistress of Mayhem pursued her during "Million Reasons" (also very symbolic) and then rowed her in a gondola down the runway for a solo version of "Shallow" (my favorite moment in the show because it was so cool).  She stayed on the secondary stage at the end of the runway to perform a solo version of "Die With a Smile" on piano and then gave a heartfelt thanks to her fans for supporting her throughout her career before going out into the crowd for "Vanish Into You."  For the Finale, Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart, Lady Gaga had her backup dancers perform surgery on her heart (her costume had a bloody incision that was stapled together) while she sang "Bad Romance" and this was followed by a recorded speech called "Monsters Never Die" which signified her victory over the Mistress of Mayhem.  For the encore, Lady Gaga sang "How Bad Do U Want Me," which is my favorite song from MAYHEM, starting from backstage.  I loved both the storytelling and the theatricality of this show and I was beyond impressed by Lady Gaga's incredible vocals (she is the ultimate performer).  I also liked her selection of songs because she sang almost everything from MAYHEM but also included the hits and a few deeper cuts that haven't been performed in a long time.  This is one of the best concerts I've seen and I am so glad that I was able to go!

Superman

Superman has always been my favorite comic book character so James Gunn's new reboot was my most anticipated movie of the summer.  I had the chance to see it at a Thursday preview with my nephew and sister last night and, while it is a bit messy, I absolutely loved it!  Clark Kent/ Superman (David Corenswet) acts without the authority of the U.S. government to stop the invasion of Jarhanpur by Borovia, a neighboring country and U.S. ally, in order to save lives but many, including Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), his girlfriend and colleague at the Daily Planet, question his motives.  Tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who is jealous of Superman's notoriety, uses this incident and a previously unheard message from his Kryptonian parents to turn public opinion against Superman and he takes steps to destroy him in a perceived attempt to keep people safe.  I think the narrative is really bloated because it includes Luthor's allies Ultraman (also played by David Corenswet) and Angela Spica/ The Engineer (Maria Gabriela de Faria), the Justice Gang members Michael Holt/ Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner/ Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Kendra Saunders/ Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and eventually Rex Mason/ Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) who help Superman save the people of Jarhanpur, as well as Clark Kent's Daily Planet colleagues Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), Perry White (Wendell Pierce), Steve Lombard (Beck Bennett), and Cat Grant (Mikaela Hoover) who work to discredit Luthor.  I also think the story is very convoluted with lots of plot holes, especially Luthor's use of nanotechnology and pocket dimensions.  However, it hardly matters because this movie is incredibly entertaining with all of the fun and goofy non-stop action Gunn is known for (I especially enjoyed the battle against a kaiju).  In my opinion, the characterization for Superman is very true to the comic books.  I love that he is kind and strives to do what is right to protect the innocent (at one point he saves a squirrel), even when it is difficult, and I think his old-fashioned naivete is very refreshing.  I also love his character arc as an outsider who ultimately finds his strength in his humanity (the juxtaposition between the scenes with his Kryptonian parents and his Earth parents at the Fortress of Solitude is very powerful).  Corenswet (especially), Brosnahan, and Hoult are absolutely fantastic and I think Gisondo is the perfect Jimmy Olson but Gathegi steals every scene he is in as Mister Terrific (I hope to see more of him in future DCU projects) and Superman's dog Krypto is adorable.  As much as I love the direction Zack Snyder took the character, I think this is a great reset for the DCU and I am excited for what is to come!

Note:  There is a mid-credits scene and an end-credits scene.

Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale at St. Mary's Church

One of my favorite activities in the summer is to see the Utah Symphony at St. Mary's Church in Park City as part of the Deer Valley Music Festival so I was really excited for The Soldier's Tale by Igor Stravinsky last night.  I love St. Mary's Church as a venue because it is beautiful (I love the views of the mountains from the windows) but it is also very intimate so the concerts usually feature smaller groups of musicians and chamber pieces.  Last night's concert featured a clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, violin, double bass, and percussion which is a unique grouping of instruments selected by Stravinsky to represent the treble and bass in each instrument family.  The program began with Catch and Release by Esa-Pekka Salonen.  The guest conductor Yaniv Dinur, who was incredibly charming, explained that the contemporary Finnish composer Salonen is a great admirer of Stravinsky and purposely selected the same instruments so that Catch and Release could be played as a companion piece to The Soldier's Tale.  I really enjoyed all of the different textures within this piece (it reminded me of Middle Eastern music) and I especially liked how the ending went from extremely loud to just the vibrations from the strings because it was very dramatic.  After the intermission, the concert continued with The Soldier's Tale narrated by Kevin Nakatani (he recently performed in Utah Opera's production of Madame Butterfly).  A soldier on leave trades his old violin to the Devil in return for a book that tells the future.  He uses this to become rich but he soon realizes that his wealth means nothing and he longs for everything he had before.  He makes another deal with the Devil and regains his violin which wins him the hand of a Princess but this also has unforeseen consequences.  Nakatani has a deep and sonorous voice and I really enjoyed listening to him.  I also enjoyed how the specific instruments illustrate what is happening in the story.  I especially loved the theme played by the violin and clarinet together when the soldier first plays his violin, the fanfare played by the trumpet and trombone when the soldier visits the King, as well as the violin and percussion as the Princess dances.  The juxtaposition between these two pieces made for a very powerful concert and I loved it!  Go here for information and tickets for all of the remaining concerts in the Deer Valley Music Festival.

Note:  Construction in Parley's Canyon added over an hour to my drive home.  That was super fun!