The Play That Goes Wrong at PTC

Last night I went to see the madcap comedy The Play That Goes Wrong at Pioneer Theatre and I don't remember when I have laughed so much!  The titular play is Susie H. K. Brideswell's The Murder at Haversham Manor and it is being performed by the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society.  The cast consists of Maxwell Benjamin Chesterwitz (Jordan Sobel) as Cecil Haversham/ Arthur the Gardener, Chris Daniels (William Connell) as Inspector Carter, Jonathan Harris (Brandon Contreras) as Charles Haversham, Robert John Parry III (Greg Balla) as Thomas Colleymoore, Dennis Timbertop (Eric Santagata) as Perkins the Butler, and Sandra Wilkinson (Ruth Pferdehirt) as Florence Colleymoore.  It is directed by Chris Daniels with Set Design, Costume Design, and Hair Design by Chris Daniels.  The Fight Choreographer is Chris Daniels, the Stage Manger is Annie Macdonald (Kirsten Wyatt) and the Sound and Lighting Technician is Trevor Santos (Archelaus Crisanto).  Literally everything that can go wrong does go wrong with this play including a set that is slowly falling apart, misplaced and malfunctioning props, a sound designer who keeps playing Duran Duran instead of the real sound cues, a missing dog, an actor playing a dead body who can't stay still, an actor who can't remember his lines, and a leading lady who is injured and must be replaced by her unprepared understudy.  The script is absolutely hilarious but it is also extremely clever with references that theatre people will definitely enjoy (be sure to read the playbill for The Murder at Haversham Manor within the playbill for The Play That Goes Wrong).  The entire cast is outstanding with brilliant comedic timing.  The physical comedy will make you laugh out loud!  My favorite scenes involved a drawn out fight between Sandra and her understudy for the chance to play Florence, when Thomas and Cecil break their swords and have to finish their duel with their arms, and when Perkins must finish the show handcuffed to a chaise lounge because the prop keys have been lost.  The set is fantastic because it falls apart so spectacularly, especially the study!  I don't think I stopped laughing through the entire show (I was even laughing before it started because the technical crew was searching the audience frantically for the missing dog).  This is a production that everyone will enjoy and I highly recommend it for a fun night out!  It runs at PTC through December 21 (go here for tickets).

Note:  This play makes references to Duran Duran and Hamlet so it was basically written for me!

Dark Waters

There are so many movies that I want to see right now (luckily winter break is coming soon) but I was able to cross one of them off my list by seeing Dark Waters last night.  This movie, based on a true story, is extremely unsettling.  Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) has just been made partner in a prestigious law firm known for defending powerful corporations, including DuPont, when a farmer from a small town in West Virginia named Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp) comes to his office wanting to file a lawsuit against DuPont.  Since his grandmother recommended him to Tennant, Bilott decides to visit his farm and investigate.  Tennant claims that all of his cows have died mysteriously because they drank from a river that is being polluted by DuPont.  After conducting exhaustive research he discovers that DuPont knowingly dumped PFOA, a man-made chemical used in Teflon that can't be processed by the body, into the water supply and he convinces Tom Terp (Tim Robbins), the managing partner of his firm, to file a claim against DuPont.  Thus begins a 20 year legal battle in which DuPont and its CEO Phil Donnelly (Victor Garber) use their considerable resources against the lone crusader Bilott who, despite damage to his reputation, his marriage, and even his health, refuses to give up until justice is served.  It is a scathing indictment against corporate greed and it will probably make you angry and then make you nervous.  The story kept me riveted as Bilott uncovers the truth piece by piece, although there are some pacing issues, and I was particularly invested in the scenes involving the people involved in the class-action suit.  Ruffalo gives an incredibly passionate performance and Robbins has a moment that made me want to stand up and cheer.  The rest of the cast is also solid, although Anne Hathaway, as Bilott's wife Sarah, isn't asked to do much beyond lamenting the fact that her husband is never around.  This is an incredibly powerful story about what happens when corporations go unchecked that should probably be seen by everyone and I highly recommend it (and I recommend that you get rid of all of your Teflon pans).

Meet Me In St. Louis

Yesterday I saw Meet Me in St. Louis, the final movie in the TCM Big Screen Classics series for this year (see below for next year's selections).  Believe it or not, I had never seen this movie (on the big screen or otherwise) so I was really excited for this opportunity.  This movie is a series of vignettes about the Smith family, including Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames), his wife Anna (Mary Astor), their children Lon, Jr. (Henry H. Daniels), Rose (Lucille Bremer), Esther (Judy Garland), Agnes (Joan Carroll), and Tootie (Margaret O'Brien), Grandpa (Harry Davenport), and their maid Katie (Marjorie Main), in the year leading up to the World's Fair of 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri.  In the summer, Rose and Esther are plotting romances with Warren Sheffield (Robert Sully) and John Truitt (Tom Drake), respectively.  In the fall, Agnes and Tootie are involved in a Halloween prank gone wrong.  In the winter, the family learns that Alonzo has been transferred to New York City.  They celebrate their final Christmas in St. Louis at an elegant ball on Christmas Eve and, afterwards, Esther must soothe a distraught Tootie.  In the spring, the family makes a visit to the World's Fair and they marvel at the fact that St. Louis is their home.  This movie is absolutely charming and features some well known songs such as "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."  Garland gives a marvelous performance as Esther but, in my opinion, Margaret O' Brien absolutely steals the show as the irrepressible Tootie.  I loved her sassy performance in the song "Under the Bamboo Tree," her Halloween prank on a grouchy neighbor, and her poignant response to the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."  I really enjoyed all of the period costumes and the fantastic Smith family home, especially all of the gas lamps.  I loved this appealing and nostalgic look at a time gone by and I would highly recommend checking it out on the big screen (go here for information and tickets).

Note:  I have really enjoyed all of the movies in the series this year (I was able to see all of them except for The Wizard of Oz because it was screened during the Sundance Film Festival).  The selections for next year were recently announced and include An American in Paris, Love Story, The Color Purple, King Kong, A League of Their Own, Airplane!, Annie, The Blues Brothers, Ghost, Babe, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Psycho, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Fiddler on the Roof.  Are you excited to see any of these movies on the big screen?  I am looking forward to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which is one of my favorite movies!

Holiday Inn at CPT

Last night I went to see Christian Johnston, one of my former students, in a lead role in the musical Holiday Inn at CPT. I was very impressed with his performance and I thoroughly enjoyed the show!  Jim Hardy (Rich Adams), Lila Dixon (Allison Hogge), and Ted Hanover (Johnston) are a song and dance trio who play the occasional engagement in New York City.  Jim is in love with Lila and, when he proposes one night, she accepts him.  However, when she finds out that he has purchased a large farm in Connecticut and intends to leave show business, she decides to break the engagement and continue the act with Ted as a duo.  When Jim moves to the farm, he discovers that it is incredibly run down and that he owes the back taxes but he soon meets the former owner, Linda (Lindsea Garside), and Louise (Brittany Bullen), a fix-it-lady, and they begin renovating.  When Jim learns that Linda was once a performer in New York, he decides to turn the large farmhouse into a hotel and performance venue that is only open on holidays.  He writes a show for Linda and his former back-up dancers to perform on New Year's Eve.  When Lila decides to leave the act, a drunken Ted comes to visit Jim and stumbles into the number with Linda. When Ted sobers up, he is determined to find out who he danced with to make her his new partner but Jim has fallen in love with Linda and doesn't want to lose her to show business so he contrives to keep them apart. Chaos ensues! This is an old-fashioned musical filled with wonderful songs by Irving Berlin and fabulous tap dancing! I really loved the big song and dance numbers performed at the inn to commemorate the various holidays including "Happy Holidays," "Let's Start the New Year Right," "Cheek to Cheek," "Easter Parade," "Let's Say It With Firecrackers," and "Song of Freedom."  Johnston, Garside, and the male and female ensemble are terrific dancers and the holiday themed costumes and decorations are a lot of fun!  I also really enjoyed the popular songs "Blue Skies" and "White Christmas."  This is the kind of musical that will definitely put a smile on your face and give you a good dose of holiday cheer.  It runs at CPT through December 21 (go here for tickets).

A Broadway Christmas with Ashley Brown

Last night I braved the downtown traffic to see an absolutely delightful Christmas concert with the Utah Symphony, the choristers of the Madeleine School Choir, and Broadway star Ashley Brown.  I really love hearing Christmas music performed live so I have been looking forward to this concert for a long time and it definitely filled me with Christmas cheer (after the hassle of getting to Abravanel Hall).  The orchestra was under the baton of guest conductor and amusing master of ceremonies, Michael Krajewski, and they began with a festive version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and then "Christmas Day," a lovely arrangement of several traditional carols by Gustav Holst.  The choristers of the Madeleine School Choir sang "All Is Well" by Michael W. Smith and their voices were beautiful!  Ashley Brown, who originated the role of Mary Poppins on Broadway, joined the orchestra for "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and "Winter Wonderland."  The choristers then performed a medley of Hanukkah songs, including "The Dreidel Song" which I sang when I was in choir!  Brown returned to the stage for a dramatic rendition of "I Wonder as I Wander."  To close the first half of the concert she performed my very favorite Christmas song!  It isn't officially Christmas until I hear "O Holy Night" performed live and Brown basically blew the roof off Abravanel Hall with her version!  I loved it!  After the intermission, the orchestra played a rock and roll version of "The Skater's Waltz" which was a lot of fun.  Brown sang an interesting arrangement of "Jingle Bells" and then Krajewski dramatically demonstrated the proper technique for playing the whip and joined the orchestra for "Sleigh Ride."  The audience gave him a standing ovation with repeated calls for an encore!  It was hilarious!  Next, Brown and the choristers performed a medley featuring "Ding Dong Merrily On High," "Silent Night," "Angels We Have Heard On High," and "Joy to the World."  She concluded the concert with what she called a medley of Christmas songs that people love to hate because they are played on the radio so often.  This included "All I Want For Christmas Is You," "Happy X-mas (War Is Over)," and "Feliz Navidad."  I loved this concert and I recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance of the same program (go here) but give yourself plenty of time to drive in the crazy holiday traffic!

A Christmas Story at the Eccles

I love the movie A Christmas Story so much!  I actually remember seeing it in the theater when it was first released and since then I have probably seen it at least 812 times.  My sister and I like to watch it continuously on Christmas Eve in our separate houses and quote all of the lines to each other over social media ("It...it was...soap poisoning").  Because I love the movie so much, I was a little bit wary when I heard that the musical version was coming to the Eccles Theatre.  I am not a fan of turning popular movies into musicals but, even though the songs are incredibly contrived, I found the show last night to be really delightful.  Ralphie (Ian Shaw) desperately wants an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time for Christmas but his Mother (Briana Gantsweg), the Old Man (Christopher Swan), his teacher Miss Shields (Lauren Kent), and even Santa Claus (Daniel Mark Smith) himself tell him that he'll shoot his eye out!  All of the fun scenes from the movie are brought to life on the stage including when Randy (John Mahanna) eats like a piggy, when Schwartz (Seth Black Diamond) triple dog dares Flick (Jay Hendrix) to stick his tongue to the flag pole, when the Old Man wins a major award, when Ralphie says the F-dash-dash-dash word while helping his father change a tire, when Ralphie gets into a fight with Scut Farkus (Ty Huffman), when Ralphie gets a certain bunny costume from Aunt Clara, and when the Bumpus Hounds (played by Hoss and Stella) eat the turkey forcing the Parkers to eat Christmas dinner at the Chop Suey Palace!  While I didn't find the songs to be particularly memorable, I did really enjoy the staging and the young cast is extremely talented.  I especially enjoyed the choreography for "Ralphie to the Rescue!" and the fabulous tap dancing in "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out."  Shaw gives an earnest and heartfelt performance as Ralphie and Mahanna (the understudy) is absolutely hilarious as Randy but, in my opinion, the actors who steal the show are Hoss and Stella when they chase the Old Man around and when they break in to eat the turkey (they got the loudest applause).  This is not the best musical I have ever seen but I certainly had a lot of fun watching it and got a big dose of Christmas cheer!  It runs at the Eccles Theatre through Dec. 8 (go here for tickets).

Festival of Trees 2019

Last night I was a hostess at the Festival of Trees for the eleventh year in a row.  Various individuals and organizations decorate and then donate trees, usually to commemorate someone who has been ill or died.  These trees are put up for auction and then displayed for the public to view for the duration of the festival.  All of the proceeds go directly to Primary Children's Hospital so it is a really good cause.  In addition to the trees, there are centerpieces, wreaths, and gingerbread houses on display as well as lots of treats for purchase so it is a fun night out as well as a good cause.  After my shift is over, I like to walk around and look at all of the trees.  Here are some of my favorites.

The festival will continue at the Mountain America Expo Center through Saturday.  Go here for information and tickets.

21 Bridges

I was planning to see the movie 21 Bridges over the Thanksgiving break but I ran out of time!  I decided to see it last night and what I thought would be an entertaining police procedural was actually an intense psychological thriller that I really enjoyed.  In a drug deal gone wrong, Ray Jackson (Taylor Kitsch) and Michael Trujillo (Stephan James) kill eight police officers from the 85th Precinct.  Captain  McKenna (J.K. Simmons) of the 85th specifically requests that Detective Andre Davis (Chadwick Boseman) be in charge of the manhunt for the cop killers.  Davis is haunted by the death of his father, a police officer killed in the line of duty, and has a reputation for shooting first and asking questions later, especially when cop killers are involved.  He decides to lock down the island of Manhattan and an epic pursuit ensues with the clock ticking.  He is assigned to work with Frankie Burns (Sienna Miller), a narcotics agent whom he doesn't trust, and he is dogged at every turn by FBI agents Butchco (Obi Abili) and Dugan (Andy Truschinski).  As the manhunt escalates, Davis becomes suspicious and must ultimately protect one of the killers to uncover a vast conspiracy.  The narrative is incredibly predictable (I guessed the details of the conspiracy very early on) with some boilerplate dialogue but what makes this movie compelling is Boseman's performance as a troubled cop who ultimately finds redemption,  His character arc is fascinating to watch as he goes from a man out for blood to the only voice of reason in an increasingly emotional conflict.  Boseman imbues Davis with an intelligence that I really appreciated.  James also gives a great performance as a man involved in circumstances beyond his control who wrestles with the consequences of his actions rather than just being a stereotypical villain.  I really enjoyed the action sequences, particularly the opening shoot-out, a car chase through the meatpacking district, a foot chase culminating in a subway car, and an epic stand-off.  These scenes are gritty and feature fast-cutting to add to the intensity.  This movie reminded me of the kind of crime-dramas that we used to see back in the day and it was much better than I thought it would be.  I recommend it to fans of the genre.

When Harry Met Sally

I didn't see When Harry Met Sally when it was first released in theaters because I am not a big fan of romantic comedies.  I have since seen it several times because I had a friend who absolutely loved it and was appalled that I hadn't seen it before.  She forced invited me to watch it with her and, of course, I thought it was absolutely charming.  I was really excited that it was included in the TCM Big Screen Classics series this year and I've been looking forward to seeing it in the theater for months.  Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) and Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) drive cross-country from college to New York City together and immediately dislike each other.  Over the next twelve years they have several chance encounters and they eventually become friends, become attracted to each other, break up, and then fall in love.  There are so many things that I love about this movie!  I love Carrie Fisher as Sally's best friend Marie and Bruno Kirby as Harry's best friend Jess.  I love it when they end up together after Sally sets Marie up with Harry and Harry sets Jess up with Sally.  I love it when they toast Harry and Sally at their wedding, saying that they got together because they didn't find either of them attractive!  I love it when Harry and Jess do the wave several times at the Giants game when they are talking about Harry's divorce.  I love the scene with Sally at the restaurant (you know the one I mean) and a customer (played by director Rob Reiner's mother) says, "I'll have what she's having!"  I love it when Harry and Sally discuss Casablanca on the phone while watching it separately in bed.  I love that every time Harry is shown reading a book, he turns to the last page.  I love when Harry and Sally sing a karaoke version of "Surrey With the Fringe on Top."  I love when Harry tells Sally that she looks good in skirts and then she is wearing one in the next scene.  I love all of the interviews with the older couples about when they first met.  I love all of the music by Harry Connick, Jr., especially his version of "It Had to Be You."  Watching this movie was just delightful and I was really impressed with how timeless it is.  I highly recommend seeing this on the big screen (go here for information and tickets).

Fifteen

Sean turns fifteen tomorrow but we had our family celebration of his birthday yesterday!  The birthday boy chose to stay at home for dinner and he picked burgers and french fries which tasted delicious!  Afterwards we had the traditional ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins.  We all laughed because he had the exact same cake last year!

He was pretty spoiled for his birthday!

Tashena gave him a gift card to Amazon (she flew back to school in Washington after his party and I already miss her).  Sean was so thrilled he almost gave her a hug...almost!

Marilyn gave him a video game and a book series.

Grandma and Grandpa gave him Motion Controllers for his PlayStation.  I don't know what they do (it has something to do with what he wants for Christmas) but Sean was absolutely thrilled to get them!

I got him this video game.  He was very specific when told me that he wanted Assassin's Creed Odyssey (the Gold Edition) and he told me that there was only one left on Amazon so I had to get it quickly!  When I told him that I would get it, he got mad because he wanted to be surprised!  He cracks me up!

His Mom and Dad got him a sofa for his room (he has the coolest teen hangout room ever) but they also got him his own Megatub that he doesn't have to share with anyone else at a movie!  Sean won't let anyone eat popcorn from the shared Megatub until the movie starts so this is really just a gift for all of us!  I can't believe that he is fifteen!  I sure do love him and I hope he had a great birthday!

Messiah Sing-In 2019

Attending a Utah Symphony performance of Handel's Messiah was once a really lovely tradition for me over the Thanksgiving break but for the past several years I have been out of town and not able to go.  I was really happy to revive the tradition last night!  I found my copy of the score and practiced my hallelujahs so I was ready to sing along with the audience during the choral sections!  The orchestra was joined by soloists Grace Kahl, Quinn Middleman, Addison Marlor, and Brandon Bell (Resident Artists with the Utah Opera) and the Westminster College Choir.  The Messiah is not only the perfect way to ring in the holiday season but it is also so much fun to sing!  It reminded me of when I was a member of the Westminster College Choir!  My favorite sections to sing are "For Unto us a Child is Born," "Glory to God in the Highest," and "Hallelujah!"  I fear that my hallelujahs may have been a bit too boisterous!  The orchestra performed this majestic piece beautifully and I especially loved the timpani in "Hallelujah!" because it was so stirring.  All of the soloists were fantastic but I was particularly impressed with Bell's rendition of "The trumpet shall sound" because it gave me goosebumps (the trumpet solo was also incredible)!  I thoroughly enjoyed this concert because listening to Christmas music performed live is my favorite part of the holiday season and I would definitely recommend getting a ticket to tonight's performance (go here for tickets).

Note:  Now that the holiday season is upon us it is always a good idea to allow plenty of time when driving and parking downtown.

Seussical at HCT

It is no secret that I do not like the musical Seussical.  In fact, when I saw the Broadway touring production a few years ago I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen and, if I hadn't been with a friend who drove, I would have left at intermission.  I wasn't very happy when HCT announced this show as part of the 2019 season because I vowed to never see it again.  The only reason I decided to see it last night is because I really loved what Dave Tinney, the director, was able to do with Matilda and Cinderella, two other shows that are not my favorite.  He turned the dark and dreary Matilda into something fun and whimsical and he made me giggle out loud at the magic of Cinderella so I had high hopes for his version of Seussical.  Jojo (Parker Burnham) is a young and imaginative boy who sometimes gets in trouble for the thinks that he thinks so the Cat in the Hat (Ryan Simmons), acting as a Master of Ceremonies, takes him on an adventure where he meets Horton the Elephant (Travis Anderson), Gertrude McFuzz (Kelly Coombs), the Amayzing Mayzie (Bailee Morris) and her Bird Girls (Kennedy Johnson, April Kerr, and Tianna Maxwell), the Sour Kangaroo (Mack) and the Wickersham Brothers (Abrin Tinney, Jason Buonforte, Ben Butters, Sam Cooper, Patch Wendel, and Josh Lee), the Mayor of Who-ville (Cameron Garner) and his wife (Morgan Western), and General Genghis Khan Schmitz (Zac Zumbrunnen).  Jojo ultimately learns that anything is possible and that he can go anywhere he wants just by thinking his thinks.  I don't think I will ever really like this show because the story is nonsensical, convoluted, and loses focus in the second half but I was really impressed with what Tinney was able to do with it.  The staging and choreography are incredibly imaginative and visually spectacular, particularly the aerialists (Jessica Bird, Olivia Lee, Jessica Kehl, and Jane Jackson) in "It's Possible" and "Alone in the Universe" because there was always something to draw my eye everywhere I looked (I loved the fish).  I also really enjoyed the Wickersham Brothers in "Monkey Around," the circus performers in "Circus McGurkus," and the cadets in "A Message From the Front."  The costumes are bold, colorful, and fun and I especially loved the fanciful feathered costumes worn by Mayzie, Gertrude, and the Bird Girls and I thought it was really clever that the Wickersham Brothers were dressed like an adolescent street gang.  The puppets used by the Whos are absolutely ingenious and I really enjoyed them in "Here on Who."  The sets come straight out of a Dr. Seuss book and are incredibly whimsical.  The entire cast is very strong but I was most impressed with Coombs as Gertrude because she is so endearing and Anderson as Horton because he is quite sympathetic.  Simmons is absolutely hilarious as the Cat in the Hat, particularly when he spontaneously interacts with the audience (I loved the Les Miserables reference).  I didn't love this show but I enjoyed it and I definitely recommend it for families this holiday season (the children in my audience were riveted).  It runs on the HCT Main Stage until January 18 (go here for tickets).