BlackBerry

I was really excited to see the movie BlackBerry because I had one of the earliest models back in the day and I thought it was the coolest thing ever (before I bought an iPhone).  I saw it with my nephew at the Broadway last night and we both enjoyed it.  Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) is a socially awkward tech genius who, along with his best friend Doug Fregin (Matt Johnson) and the nerdy employees of his company Research in Motion, has an idea for a revolutionary device that acts as both a phone and a computer.  However, he lacks the skills and connections to successfully market his invention so, against Doug's advice, he joins forces with an aggressive and unscrupulous businessman named Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton).  Mike's creativity and Jim's ruthlessness turn Research in Motion into a billion-dollar company but compromise and corruption eventually bring about its downfall.  This is a fascinating character study that is almost Shakespearean because both Mike and Jim foreshadow their fatal flaws of ambition and greed early on which lead to devastating, but entertaining, results.  I enjoyed the structure of the narrative because it follows the rise and fall of the company without much in between and there are clever scenes at the end that mirror earlier ones.  I found it to be both riveting and funny (although I am Canadian and I noticed that there were many times when I was the only one laughing at specific references, especially a scene where Jim is watching Hockey Night in Canada with Don Cherry).  I also liked the hand-held camera work because the documentary style is very effective at depicting a behind-the-scenes corporate environment.  Finally, Baruchel gives one of his best performances but Howerton is completely unhinged (in the best possible way).  I liked this even more than I was expecting to (my nephew ranks it as one his favorites this year) and I highly recommend it.

The Last Word

My May Book of the Month selection was The Last Word by Taylor Adams (the other options were The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer, Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul, The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane, and Paper Names by Susie Luo). I, once again, defaulted to the thriller and I am glad that I did because this is a good one! After suffering a personal tragedy, Emma Carpenter takes a job house-sitting on an isolated island along the Washington coast. Her only human contact is Deek, an old and enigmatic neighbor with whom she plays word games from afar using a whiteboard and a telescope. She spends most of her time reading and, after finishing a poorly written horror novel by H.G. Kane, she decides to leave a one star review. She is disconcerted when the author responds to her online with a threatening message but that soon turns to fear when disturbing incidents begin happening. Emma eventually discovers that all of Kane's novels involve stalking and murder from the POV of the murderer and she suspects that they are based on true events. Is Kane stalking her and will she be the subject of his next book? The narrative alternates between Emma's POV as she plays a cat-and-mouse game with an intruder who seems to have the upper hand and the manuscript of a novel describing the events as they happen and this device is incredibly effective at creating suspense because you are never entirely sure who is writing this manuscript! Speaking of which, there are so many twists and turns and, even though I thought I had a big one figured out early on, this definitely kept me guessing until the last page. Adams uses the isolated cabin trope very well with an atmosphere of unease and foreboding and there were multiple times when I was genuinely scared because the tension is unrelenting. I really enjoyed Emma as a character because she is sympathetic with a lot of unresolved grief and trauma, which is revealed little by little, but she is also very strong and clever with an arc that feels earned. This is an action-packed thriller but I also liked the thought-provoking commentary about art vs. criticism, especially with the anonymity of the internet. I honestly couldn't put this down (I read it in one day) and I highly recommend it!

Note:  This features a dog in peril and that could be triggering for some people.

Timpanogos Community Theater's The Sound of Music

Today is the first anniversary of my Mom's passing so my sisters and I decided to see a production of The Sound of Music with Timpanogos Community Theater last night. She suffered from dementia and during the last year of her life she loved the movie (she watched it every day and sometimes even watched it twice) so we thought it would be a great way to remember her. It was a bit emotional for me (I cried a few times just like I did when Marilyn and I saw a production at the Utah Shakespeare Festival last summer) but it was also so much fun to see it with both of my sisters because we would exchange knowing glances during particular scenes that my Mom loved. The production is delightful and we were really impressed with it! When a prospective nun named Maria (Maren Miller) is sent to be the governess to the seven children of Captain von Trapp (Nathaniel Brown), she brings music back to their household. Miller has a really beautiful voice and her version of "The Sound of Music" is incredibly stirring. I also really enjoyed her interactions with the von Trapp children, Liesl (Amalie Strongin), Friedrich (Benjamin Kland), Louisa (Summer Mitchell), Kurt (Lincoln Harper), Brigitta (Madison Hirschi), Marta (Chloe Hirschi), and Gretl (Story Harper), in "Do-Re-Mi" and "The Lonely Goatherd." I usually enjoy watching the young actress playing Gretl but in this production Lincoln Harper steals the show as Kurt! His facial expressions are hilarious! Strongin not only has a beautiful voice but she is also a great dancer and "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" with Trystyn Roberts as Rolf is a lot of fun. I especially liked the choreography in this number because Rolf tries to teach Liesl how to dance but she ends up doing her own steps. Other standouts in the cast are Charity Johansen as the Mother Abbess, because her rendition of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" just about blows the roof off of the theater, and Trevor Williams as Max Dettweiler, because his delivery is very flamboyant. There are some interesting variations in the staging of several numbers, including portraying the funeral of Captain von Trapp's first wife during "Preludium," having the Captain and the children upstage during "Maria" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" in order to foreshadow Maria's future, and having soldiers wearing Nazi armbands walking through the audience during "Edelweiss," but they are incredibly powerful. The sets are very elaborate for a community theatre production and I especially liked the arches in the Nonnberg Abbey set and the large staircase in the von Trapp Villa set. The costumes are what you would expect from this show but I did like the play clothes made out of Maria's drapes and I loved her wedding dress. My Mom would have loved this show! Tonight is the final performance but it is well worth seeking out (go here).

Note:  It is always disconcerting for me to see the stage version because it differs significantly from the movie (which I am very familiar with).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

I have been looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for what seems like forever so I was really excited to see it last night at a Thursday preview in a packed theater.  It is a thrilling and emotional send-off for our team of misfits and I loved it!  The Guardians have established their HQ on Knowhere but Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is still mourning the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldana).  They are soon attacked by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a being created by Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) the High Priestess of the Sovereign, who tries to capture Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) to bring him to the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).  Rocket is seriously injured in the ensuing fight but the Guardians are not able to revive him for reasons.  They eventually learn that Theel (Nico Santos), one of the High Evolutionary's scientists, holds the key to healing Rocket so Quill, Nebula (Karen Gillan), Drax (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) set off to find him.  Unbeknownst to Quill, Nebula recruits a variant of Gamora, who is now working as a Ravager, to help them (the interactions between a broken-hearted Quill and this version of Gamora provides much comic relief).  It takes all of the Guardians, and their individual strengths, working together to confront the High Evolutionary.  All of the Guardians have very compelling character arcs, which are continued from the first two movies in the trilogy, but Rocket's is particularly affecting and I cried multiple times (there are several scenes that might be very difficult for people who are triggered by animal cruelty to watch).  I loved the dynamic between the characters, especially a running gag between Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Cosmo (Maria Bakalova) and the bickering between Mantis and Drax, and I found the resolutions between them to be very poignant and satisfying.  The visual effects are incredible (much better than some recent entries in the MCU, in my opinion) and, as always, the needle drops are fantastic.  My favorites are an acoustic version of "Creep" by Radiohead, "We Care a Lot" by Faith No More (this got my toes tapping), and "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" by The Beastie Boys.  This is everything that I wanted and more from the conclusion to my favorite trilogy in the MCU and I am sure that fans are going to love it!  I can't wait to see it again!

Note:  There is a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene that might set up a possible future for some of the characters.

Showing Up

I am a big fan of Kelly Reichardt's brooding and contemplative character studies so I ended up back at the Broadway last night for her latest, Showing Up, and I have been thinking about it ever since.  Lizzy (Michelle Williams) is a Portland-based sculptor who is preparing for the first small showing of her work during one chaotic week.  In addition to creating several new pieces, she must continue working her day job at the Oregon College of Art and Craft as an administrative assistant for her mother Jean (Maryann Plunkett).  She is feuding with her landlord and friend Jo (Hong Chau), who is also preparing for her own much bigger shows, and is worried that her eccentric father Bill (Judd Hirsch) is being taken advantage of by his perpetual house guests and that her mentally ill brother Sean (John Magaro) is having a manic episode.  She is frustrated because, even though her colleague Eric (Andre Benjamin) is extremely helpful, she has no control over the firing of her pieces.  Finally, her work is disrupted by a wounded pigeon (which serves as a metaphor for Lizzy's creative life in an incredibly exhilarating scene) that she is roped into caring for.  Ultimately, it is this chaos that inspires her work and I really enjoyed the theme that great art sometimes requires a struggle.  This, like all of Reichardt's movies, is a very slow burn but it is full of multiple layers (that I am still trying to unwrap) and it is surprisingly funny.  Williams gives an incredibly restrained and subtle performance (which I prefer to the overwrought one she gives in The Fabelmans) and Chau steals every scene she is in as the foil to Williams' character.  I liked this quite a bit!

Hello, Dolly! at HCT

Last night I saw the most charming and delightful production of Hello, Dolly! that I have ever seen! I loved everything about this show at HCT and I had a giant smile on my face from beginning to end! At the turn of the century, the irascible Horace Vandergelder (Brian Neal Clark) wants to get married again so that he will have someone to do all of the chores at his Hay & Feed store in Yonkers, New York. His niece Ermengarde (Rachel Bigler) wants to marry an artist named Ambrose Kemper (Dale Hoopes) but her uncle objects because he doesn't have a steady income. His clerk Cornelius Hackl (Landon Horton) is longing for an adventure in New York City so he convinces his fellow clerk Barnaby Tucker (Justin Gibbs) to come along with him and they vow not to return to Yonkers until they have both kissed a girl. They soon meet Irene Molloy (Shae Robins), who owns a millinery shop in NYC but wants a rich husband to take her away because she hates hats, and her assistant Minnie Fay (Amanda Baugh). A recently widowed matchmaker named Dolly Levi (Mack) is hired to find a wife for Vandergelder but she decides that she wants to marry himself. She just needs to convince him! She eventually arranges for all of the couples to meet for a memorable evening at the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant in NYC and merriment ensues! The choreography in this show is incredible and the big song and dance numbers, including "I Put My Hand In," "Put on Your Sunday Clothes," "Dancing," "Before the Parade Passes By," "Waiters' Gallop," and "Hello, Dolly," are exuberant and dynamic and feature a large and incredibly talented ensemble. I really enjoyed the staging of these numbers, particularly "I Put My Hand In," because Dolly appears in the audience handing out her matchmaking cards to audience members (a cute girl sitting next to me got one of the cards and she held it tightly in her hands during the whole show), and "Elegance," because Cornelius, Barnaby, Irene, and Minnie travel all through the audience to get to the Harmonia Gardens because they boys can't afford to hire a cab. Mack oozes charm and charisma as Dolly and, while she has a wonderful voice, I loved all of her interactions with Clark because it is so much fun to watch all of her hilarious facial expressions as she bamboozles him! The rest of the main cast is also fantastic with Horton (I loved his voice) and Gibbs (he is an amazing dancer) as standouts. I was impressed by the set before I even reached my seat because the stage is stenciled with a pink, red, and black pattern with pink and white miniature Victorian houses with working lights around the perimeter of the stage to represent Yonkers and larger pink and white buildings in the wings, which are moved around the stage during the show, to represent NYC. The wings are also decorated with thousands of pink, white, and red flowers with bouquets of flowers and chandeliers hanging from the rafters. Elaborate set pieces, such Vandergelder's Hay & Feed, the millinery shop, and Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, come up from the pit, down from the rafters, and in from the wings, but I loved the train and cutouts of a marching band that cross the stage during "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" and "Before the Parade Passes By," respectively. Finally, the period costumes are gorgeous! Every dress features textured, embellished, embroidered, or bedazzled fabrics and every suit features patterned waistcoats, cravats, and hats. This show is so much fun (I found pink, red, and white confetti in my car when I got home) and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) before the parade passes you by!

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

The next movie in my double feature at the Broadway yesterday was Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.  Like most everyone my age, I read this classic book by Judy Blume when I was a pre-teen and I absolutely loved this funny and heartwarming adaptation.  Eleven-year-old Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) moves with her mother Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and father Herb (Benny Safdie) from New York City, and her grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates), to the suburbs of New Jersey.  Because her parents belong to different faiths Margaret has been raised without religion but she turns to God as she navigates the travails of making new friends, dealing with peer pressure, experiencing her first crush, and trying to understand her changing body.  This movie portrays the awkwardness of early adolescence in an incredibly empathetic way and I related to both Margaret and to Laura Danker (Isol Young), a girl in her class who has developed before everyone else.  There are so many poignant moments, especially when Margaret discovers that Nancy Wheeler (Elle Graham), the friend she has been trying to impress, might not be worth the effort and when she realizes that she has been judging Laura for her early development in the same way that others have been judging her for her lack of development, but I also laughed out loud multiple times, such as when Margaret and her friends do exercises to increase their busts and when they attend a socially awkward party with the boys in their class.  I also really enjoyed both Barbara's and Sylvia's character arcs as they cope with changes in their lives as well (the scene where Barbara says she just doesn't want to be part of the PTA any more made me want to cheer).  Fortson gives an incredibly compelling and honest portrayal of a teen girl and all of her complexities but I also loved McAdams and Bates!  This is an absolutely delightful movie that I recommend to everyone, not just teen girls!

Polite Society

I had a really fun double feature at the Broadway yesterday beginning with Polite Society.  I missed it at Sundance this year so I was excited to have a chance to see it now that it is in wide release.  Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), a Pakistani teen living in London, is a martial arts enthusiast who aspires to be a stuntwoman and her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya) wants to be an artist but has recently dropped out of art school and is at loose ends.  Their traditional father Rafe (Jeff Mirza) and social-climbing mother Fatima (Shobu Kapoor) disapprove of their career goals and would rather have them make advantageous marriages.  When Lena gets engaged to Salim (Akshay Khanna) after a whirlwind courtship encouraged by his mother Raheela (Nimra Bucha), Ria believes that it is a big mistake for her to abandon her art.  She enlists her two best friends Clara (Seraphina Beh) and Alba (Ella Bruccoleri) in escalating plots to stop the wedding and hilarity ensues.  This movie is an absolute hoot because it is such a fun mash-up of different genres including action, comedy, and social commentary (with a Bollywood-like musical number thrown in for good measure).  I loved all of the stylized action sequences, including a running gag where Ria attempts a reverse spinning kick multiple times, and a hilarious scene where Ria and her friends execute an elaborate plan to find incriminating evidence against Salim had me, and everyone else in my audience, laughing out loud.  I enjoyed the relationship between Ria and Lena because they are so supportive of each other as they push against the traditional roles and expectations their immigrant parents have of them.  The plot does descend into the absurd at times but it doesn't matter because the tone is so lighthearted and infectious.  Kansara is really endearing in the role and is equally adept with the both the action and the comedy but Bucha steals every scene she is in as an over the top villain with a maniacal grin on her face.  I had a blast with this and I highly recommend it!

Return of the Jedi

I was 14 years old when Return of the Jedi was first released in theaters.  As a huge fan (understatement) of the first two movies in the trilogy, I had been anticipating this one for what seems like forever (it was the first movie for which I remember feeling great anticipation) and I have a very distinct memory of seeing it opening weekend with my family because I loved it so much!  It is now back in theaters for a limited engagement in honor of its 40th Anniversary (what?) and I had so much fun seeing it last night with a boisterous late night crowd (I may or may not have started the cheering when the opening crawl, accompanied by the instantly recognizable fanfare by John Williams, appeared on the screen).  In this final installment of the original trilogy, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 rescue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hut before joining once again with the Rebel Alliance to stop the Emperor from rebuilding the Death Star.  There is an epic battle on Endor and a thrilling final confrontation between Luke and Darth Vader!  I eagerly awaited all of my favorite moments, including when Princess Leia defeats Jabba the Hut, when Luke reunites with Yoda on Dagobah, when the Ewoks use guerrilla warfare to defeat the stormtroopers, when Han Solo tells Leia that he loves her, when Darth Vader rescues Luke from the Emperor, and when Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda appear as force ghosts at the celebration, and I had to stop myself from saying all of my favorite lines out loud ("I'm a Jedi, like my father before me.").  I freely admit that I have a lot of nostalgia for the original trilogy and this is definitely not without flaws but I think I loved it as much last night as I did when I saw it for the first time!  I highly recommend seeing it while it is in theaters again, especially if you are a Star Wars fan!

Note:  I own a Blu-ray copy of every Star Wars movie and I also subscribe to Disney+ so I can watch them any time I want.  However, there is just something about seeing them on the big screen!

The Pirates of Penzance at Parker Theatre

I am a big fan of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operetta The Pirates of Penzance so I was really excited to see a production at the Parker Theatre (one of my new favorites) last night. It was so much fun! Frederic (Alan Smith) has reached his 21st birthday and decides to leave the band of pirates to whom he has been mistakenly apprenticed. Soon after, he meets Major-General Stanley (Owen Richardson, Jr.) and his daughters, falls in love with the youngest daughter Mabel (Karllen Johnson), and enlists the Sergeant of Police (Connor Evans) and his constables to arrest the pirates. Chaos ensues when the Pirate King (Tyler Oliphant) and Ruth (Natalie Killpack-Daniel), Frederic's former nursemaid, tell him that he was born during a leap year and, since he has only had five birthdays, he must continue to serve his apprenticeship. I was really impressed with the main cast because they all have beautiful voices! Smith is incredibly engaging with brilliant comedic timing, especially in his interactions with Ruth in "Oh! false one, you have deceiv'd me" when he learns that she is not as beautiful as she has claimed to be and with the Pirate King in "When you had left the pirate fold" when he learns that he must join the pirates once again. Oliphant also has great comedic timing and I loved his melodramatic version of "Oh, better far to live and die." Johnson gives one of the best performances of "Poor wand'ring one" that I've seen and she has tremendous chemistry with Smith in "Stay, Fred'ric, stay," "Ah, leave me not to pine," and "Oh, here is love, and here is truth." Richardson is absolutely hilarious in "I am the very model of a modern Major-General," especially when he marches and clicks his heals together, and I laughed out loud during "I'm telling a terrible story" when he admits that he is not really an orphan. However, Evans steals the show with his exaggerated movements and facial expressions (watch his eyes) during "When a felon's not engaged in his employment." The ensemble, including pirates (Danny Eggers, James Carter, Daniel Pittam, and Matty Boyd), daughters (Alicia Fairbanks, Alice Maphey, Elizabeth Myers, Natalie Sandberg, and Katherine Tietjen), and constables (Doug Hendriksen, Arza Joseph Marsh, Ryan Withers, and Logan B. Stacey), are also outstanding because each of them have distinct personalities which make them fun to watch (especially the daughters when they rebuff the advances of the pirates and the costables when they try to hide in the graveyard).  The costumes are great, particularly the colorful dresses worn by the daughters, the epaulets and medals worn by the Major-General, and the spats worn by the constables. The set is quite simple but effective and consists of a ship, the seaside, and a graveyard, and I loved the use of the Union Jack on the proscenium arch.  Hurrah for this delightful production because I enjoyed everything about it!  It runs through May 13 and tickets may be purchased here.

Sisu

I went to see the historical action movie Sisu yesterday because I thought the premise sounded very intriguing and I found it to be strangely satisfying (I don't know what that says about me!).  At the end of World War II the German army is retreating from Finland but they are leaving destruction in their wake by burning villages, hanging men, and taking women captive.  Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila), an old and grizzled prospector who has clearly suffered during the war, travels to the remote wilderness and, while panning for gold in a stream, discovers a large deposit.  He fills his bags with as many gold nuggets as he can carry and sets out to find the nearest town but he soon encounters a German patrol led by a ruthless commander named Bruno (Aksel Hennie) and his subordinate Wolf (Jack Doolan).  Because he knows that the war will soon be over, Bruno decides to disregard his orders and engage with Korpi in order to take his gold.  However, unbeknownst to him, Korpi is a skilled veteran who is determined to defend himself against all odds (the title refers to strength of will and determination in the face of adversity).  Carnage ensues!  This is unbelievably violent and brutal (a horse is literally blown to bits by a landmine and that is one of the tamer images) and some of the action sequences strain credulity but it is exciting and entertaining to see some thoroughly nasty Nazis get their due (the final showdown between Korpi and Bruno is awesome).  I also particularly enjoyed a subplot where Korpi helps the women who have been brutalized escape and get retribution.  The images on the screen show a desolate landscape ravaged by war but there is a stark beauty to the cinematography and the haunting score adds to that vibe.  Tommila gives a riveting performance despite the fact that there is almost no dialogue (he speaks for the first time in the final scene) because his physicality establishes the character brilliantly.  This is highly entertaining and I recommend it to those who can stomach the gore!

Ravel, Rachmaninoff & Strauss

Last night's Utah Symphony concert featured three amazing composers (this season has been so great) and I thoroughly enjoyed every piece on the program.  The orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor Kevin John Edusei, began with La valse by Maurice Ravel.  This has been described as a tribute to the waltz and depicts the rise and fall of the musical genre with allusions to post-World War I Europe.  I pictured 19th century couples whirling around an opulent ballroom in an Imperial court.  The orchestration is incredibly lush and I especially loved a variation played by the brass and timpani culminating in the crash of cymbals and another one featuring two harps.  Next came Isle of the Dead, a piece by Sergei Rachmaninoff inspired by a monochromatic reproduction of a painting by Swiss artist Arnold Bocklin, and, of course, I absolutely loved it!  It is a very atmospheric and foreboding depiction of a small boat carrying a figure shrouded in white as it approaches a desolate island in the middle of dark waters.  The music is somber and otherworldly and I enjoyed the sound of oars rowing in the water evoked by the strings, timpani and harp.  After the intermission, the orchestra performed Duet Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon by Richard Strauss with Principal Clarinet Tad Calcara and Principal Bassoon Lori Wike as soloists.  This was absolutely delightful because it is believed to be about a dancing princess, represented by the clarinet, who becomes alarmed when a bear, represented by the bassoon, begins imitating her until he wins her over and they dance together which turns the bear into a prince.  The themes played by the two soloists (Calcara and Wike give amazing performances) together are so fun and playful and I also enjoyed the themes played by soloists in each string section.  The concert concluded with the Suite from the opera Der Rosenkavier by Richard Strauss.  This opera is about a love triangle between a nobleman named Octavian who falls in love with a young girl named Sophie while carrying on an affair with the wife of a Field Marshall and features several beautiful waltzes which represent the elegance of a bygone era.  My favorite sequence in the Suite, when Octavian presents a silver rose to Sophie, features a delicate theme played by flutes, violins, harps, and the celesta.  It was a lovely evening of music and I definitely recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance of the same program (go here).

Note:  I was checking hockey scores surreptitiously during every break in the performance.  My Colorado Avalanche are driving me crazy right now!

Once at HCTO

The first time I saw the musical Once I didn't know anything about it but I ended up loving it so much because it is a beautiful and moving story about the impact that one person can have on your life.  I even downloaded the music during intermission!  I was absolutely thrilled (and a little bit surprised but more about that later) when I found out that it was part of the 2023 season at HCTO.  I saw their production last night and it is grand!  A Guy (Will Ingram) is busking on a Dublin street when a Girl (Rachel Ryan Nicholes) strikes up a conversation with him because she likes his music.  He reluctantly tells her that he wants to give up on music because all of his songs are about a girl who left him to move to New York.  The Girl encourages him to play more of his music for her and eventually helps him to record a demo.  He begins to have feelings for her and tells her that he may have written the songs for another girl but now he is singing them for her.  She knows that she needs to reconcile with her estranged husband for the sake of her daughter and that he needs to go to New York and play his music for his former girlfriend so, even though she loves him, she tearfully convinces him to go.  The Broadway touring production that I saw was set in a Dublin bar (you could even go up on stage and buy a drink during intermission) with very minimal props representing the other locations so I was very intrigued to see how HCTO would stage their version.  It is quite different, with the main stage configured as a Dublin street with the music store, repair shop, bar, and other locations in the wings, but it is very effective and I liked it.  All of the secondary characters (Caleb Collier, Makenzie Belnap, Shaunna Thompson, Clark Woolstenhulme, David Kocherhans, Nathan Holley, Jordan Briggs, Caleb McCleary, Nathan Bowser, and Angelica Salazar) play a variety of instruments live on stage and it is really clever how they are integrated into the action.  Both productions that I've seen (Broadway touring and PTC) had a lot of profanity and I wondered how HCTO would address that.  I am happy that they really toned it down (and it didn't detract from the narrative at all) because now I feel like I can recommend it to anyone (and I wholeheartedly do!).  The music is really beautiful and the way the cast performed my favorite songs, "Falling Slowly," "If You Want Me," and "Gold," gave me goosebumps!  Both Ingram and Nicholes are outstanding in the lead roles because they also play guitar and piano, respectively, as well as sing and they have a lot of chemistry (Ingram reminded me a lot of Jack Raynor).  I really loved this production and I suggest you get tickets as soon as possible (go here) before every show sells out because I'm sure they will!

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant

Guy Ritchie is hit or miss with me because, while I like many of his movies, there are a few that I really hate.  Last night I went to see his latest, The Covenant, and it is definitely in the former category because I really enjoyed it!  During the war in Afghanistan, many locals are recruited as interpreters with the promise of visas for them and their families.  Ahmed (Dar Salim) also wants revenge against the Taliban for killing his son and agrees to work with Sgt. John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal).  Kinley's platoon is ambushed while searching for explosive devices and he and Ahmed are the only survivors.  They spend several days eluding the Taliban, who have placed a significant bounty on their heads, but Kinley is eventually shot.  Through an incredible act of will, Ahmed carries Kinley over treacherous terrain for several days to save his life and get him back to his base.  Once Kinley is back home in the U.S. he learns that Ahmed and his family have gone into hiding so, feeling incredibly guilty about a situation for which he feels responsible, he tries to get help from the government but encounters bureaucracy and endless red tape.  He eventually decides that he must return to Afghanistan, at great personal risk, to find Ahmed himself.  Gyllenhaal provides the intensity that he is known for in the portrayal of a soldier who feels a debt of honor that must be repaid but there are also some moments of vulnerability, especially in a powerful scene where he confronts his former commanding officer, that I found very moving.  However, Salim's quietly devastating performance is absolutely riveting!  He is able to express so many emotions with very little dialogue, such as the extreme exertion required to transport Kinley through the mountains, the fear of discovery when he encounters the Taliban, and the relief he feels when Kinley finds him.  Gyllenhaal and Salim have tremendous chemistry together and I was particularly impressed by a scene featuring just their profiles across from each other because they are able to communicate their relationship brilliantly.  The action sequences are extremely well done and Ritchie's signature style puts the audience in the middle of the firefight with the soldiers, most notably in the tension filled climactic battle (I could hardly breathe).  This is a thoroughly entertaining action thriller (with a bit of commentary about the military’s failure to protect the citizens of Afghanistan who collaborated with them tacked on for good measure) and I highly recommend it.

Bye Bye Birdie at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I have very fond memories of watching a VHS copy of the musical Bye Bye Birdie at my Grandma Anderson's house when I was young but I had never seen the stage version before. I had the opportunity at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse last night and it is definitely one of the best productions I have seen there!  Songwriter Albert Peterson (Tyler O'Bagy) is upset when his biggest client, Conrad Birdie (Boyad Hollingshead), is drafted into the Army because he is heavily in debt. His secretary and on-again off-again love interest, Rosie Alvarez (Natalie Peterson), comes up with a publicity stunt to have Birdie record a song called "One Last Kiss" and sing it to a fan on The Ed Sullivan Show before he leaves for the Army. Rosie hopes that this plan will allow Albert to make enough money to quit show business, become an English teacher, defy his disapproving mother Mae (Meredith Carlson), and finally marry her. Kim MacAfee (Aurora Nelson), the President of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club in Sweet Apple, Ohio, is selected and chaos ensues when Birdie disrupts life in Sweet Apple by driving the teen girls crazy, irritating Kim's father Harry (Steve Peterson), and coming between Kim and her steady boyfriend, Hugo Peabody (JC Wansgard), and when Mae comes to Sweet Apple to separate Albert from Rosie! I loved the young enthusiastic ensemble cast, one of the strongest I've seen at this theatre, because they perform the choreography really well, especially in the big numbers "Telephone Hour," "A Healthy, Normal, American Boy," "Honestly Sincere," and "A Lot of Livin' To Do." O'Bagy is adorably dorky and his version of "Put On a Happy Face" is really fun because it is so awkward, Hollingshead is channeling Elvis Presley with all of his moves (and his slicked back pompadour) in "Honestly Sincere" and "One Last Kiss," Nelson has a beautiful voice and she is sweet and earnest with her renditions of "How Lovely to Be a Woman" and "One Boy" and a bit rebellious in "What Did I Ever See In Him" and "A Lot of Livin' To Do," Steve Peterson is hilariously overwrought in "Kids," and Natalie Peterson absolutely shines in a dynamic performance of "Spanish Rose."  However, Carlson steals the show in a completely over the top performance and I laughed out loud when she flirts with Conrad and when she rolls around on the ground (in her fur coat!) to stop Albert from marrying Rosie! This show is set in the 50s so the costumes, with all of the pedal pushers, skirts, cardigan sweaters, scarfs, jeans, leather jackets, and letterman jackets, are so much fun and I loved the over-sized "I Heart Conrad Birdie" badges. The small space is used very effectively with Kim's bedroom and the Ice House located on platforms on either side of the stage and a train station (with actual train tracks!) located up stage with set pieces brought on for the MacAfee house and Maude's Roadside Retreat. My favorite set piece was a series of boxes lit with colored lights used in "Telephone Hour" because it reminded me of this same scene in the movie.  I had so much fun watching this show because there were so many young people in the audience, presumably to see their friends in the cast, and the energy was electric! This, along with The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Addams Family, is one of my favorites at this theatre and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).

Beau Is Afraid

I am a huge fan of Ari Aster's previous films, Hereditary and Midsommar, so I was already planning to see Beau Is Afraid but, when my nephew expressed a strong interest in it as well, I got tickets for both of us to see it last night at the Broadway.  This might not be the best movie to see with your 18-year-old nephew but it certainly gave us plenty to talk about on the drive home!  Beau Wasserman (Joaquin Phoenix) is a middle aged man who is in an almost constant state of anxiety.  He goes on an epic (literally) journey to get home so that his recently deceased mother, Mona Wasserman (Patti LuPone), can be buried in a timely manner according to Jewish custom.  Once he arrives home, however, he must confront his mother over the years of psychological abuse that she inflicted on him and then ultimately be judged, by her and the audience, for his response.  The reviews have been very divisive for this surrealistic black comedy and, although I really loved the allusions to Odysseus in the second act and to Oedipus in the third, I did sometimes find the pacing to be incredibly tedious (it has a three-hour runtime and, in my opinion, it could have achieved the same end in two).  It is extremely thought-provoking (which is something I will always appreciate in a movie) and my nephew and I had very different interpretations of certain scenes (I am sure that Aster intended it thus).  As previously mentioned, we had a very spirited discussion afterwards and he actually changed my mind about something with a vigorous defense of his thesis!  I also really enjoyed the world-building because one is never really sure if what is happening is real or a product of Beau's imagination and the images on the screen reflect this, whether it is the urban hellscape of Beau's daily life, the despair under the facade of suburban domesticity found with his surrogate family, the gorgeous stop-motion animation depicting his journey, or the spacious modern architecture (which actually represents a claustrophobic nightmare for Beau) of Mona's estate.  Finally, both Phoenix and LuPone give brilliant and riveting performances which kept me invested in the chaos (several in the audience left the theater before the end).  Needless to say, this will not be for everyone (especially if you are not a fan of Aster's previous work) but I liked it for the most part (as did my nephew) and I definitely respect Aster's ambitious swing for the fences!

Company at the Empress

While I am very familiar with the music (the songs "Being Alive" and "The Ladies Who Lunch" are staples for vocalists who perform with the Utah Symphony), I have never actually seen a production of Company before!  I was so happy to finally be able to do so last night at the Empress Theater (it has been on my list for so long).  Robert (David Nichols) is facing his 35th birthday and the prospect of living the rest of his life alone when he reflects on the relationships of his friends, including Susan (Sara Murphy) and Peter (Nate Kemp), Sarah (Merilee Adams) and Harry (Michael Ricks), Jenny (Jessica Benson) and David (Matthew Davids), Amy (Alyssa Powers) and Paige (Jenn George), and Joanne (Fawna Jones) and Larry (Jim Dale), and the relationships he has with three of his girlfriends, April (Cassie Hurt-McLarty), Kathy (Emily Jameson), and Marta (Brandwynn Michelle).  Every relationship has problems but he ultimately realizes that life is better lived with someone else rather than alone.  I really appreciated being able to hear all of the brilliant songs that I've loved for so long in the context of the story and I found them to be even more meaningful.  I particularly enjoyed Powers' rendition of "Getting Married Today" because the panic she feels at the thought of having to commit to someone else is palpable, Jones' version of "The Ladies Who Lunch" because her delivery is intense without being overpowering, and Nichols' interpretation of "Being Alive" because the turning point when his arguments against a relationship suddenly become the desire for one is so powerful.  I also liked the staging of "The Little Things You Do Together," "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "Side By Side By Side," and "What Would We Do Without You?" because the choreography is really dynamic and fun.  The set is very simple but effective with modern furniture that is moved and reconfigured into the various apartments of the characters and the use of large screens with images of New York City do much to add context (smaller screens that show text messages between characters are highly amusing).  I sometimes found the pacing to be a little slow but I'm sure this was a deliberate decision to create a more reflective mood and it didn't detract from my enjoyment.  I loved this production and I am so happy that I finally had the opportunity to cross this show off my list!  Unfortunately the run ended last night but the rest of the season looks really good (go here for tickets and information).

Chevalier

Yesterday I finally had the opportunity to see Chevalier, one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and I absolutely loved it!  It tells the true story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), the son of a slave and a plantation owner who rose and fell from prominence in 18th century France.  He is brought to Paris as a child by his father to encourage his musical abilities but also as a way for his father to abandon him with the admonition that he must be better than everyone else in order to survive.  He emerges as a champion fencer and brilliant violinist and composer who attracts the patronage of Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton).  He begins writing an opera in pursuit of an appointment as the next conductor of the Paris Opera.  However, a slight to established opera star Marie-Madeleine Guimard (Minnie Driver) and an affair with his leading lady Marie-Josephine de Montalembert (Samara Weaving) cause the aristocracy to turn against him and Marie Antoinette to renounce him.  He realizes that things must change and begins to support the call for revolution espoused by his friend the Duke of Orleans (Alex Fitzalan) at great personal cost.  This is, essentially, a fairly conventional biopic but the story is both compelling and incredibly moving, especially the final act, and I found myself wanting to know more about Joseph Bologne and his music (much of which was lost and is only now being rediscovered).  Harrison gives a passionate performance which highlights both Bologne's confidence (the opening sequence when he challenges Mozart to a violin-off is worth the price of admission alone) and vulnerability (in the scene where he sees his mother for the first time in years he expresses more emotion with just a look than most actors do with pages of dialogue).  Boynton and Weaving are also outstanding.  The costumes and sets are gorgeous (I am a sucker for period dramas) and the music is sublime.  I love it whenever a forgotten historical figure is highlighted so I highly recommend this!

Sibelius' Symphony No. 5

Last night's Utah Symphony was so much fun because, not only did the program feature Sibelius (one of my favorite composers), but I was able to meet up with my friend Angela and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  When I was on a tour of Scandinavia several years ago I kept seeing statues of a man all around Helsinki so I decided to ask our bus driver who it was (we had bonded over a Finnish hockey player named Teemu Selanne who played briefly for the Colorado Avalanche).  He said it was Jean Sibelius and, when I didn't recognize the name, he was shocked and appalled that I didn't know about Finland's national treasure so he played Finlandia for me.  I absolutely loved it and, when the Utah Symphony programmed it the following season, I made sure to get a ticket and I always try to see it every time it is performed.  The orchestra began with this piece last night and I found it just as stirring as the first time I heard it!  This piece was composed to rouse Finnish patriotism against Russian control and it features epic themes by the brass, woodwinds, and timpani and ends as a hymn of triumph.  Next the orchestra was joined by Emmanuel Pahud for the U.S. premiere of a flute concerto called Lux Stellarum by Erkki-Sven Tüür (the front man of one of Estonia's most popular rock bands).  This piece is incredibly cool because it is meant to evoke the expansive nature of space.  The flute represents falling stars and the rest of the orchestra represents the explosion of faraway galaxies.  I really enjoyed themes played by the brass, because they reminded me of whispers, and the themes played by the piano, because they sounded like wind.  The use of lots of different percussion instruments (my favorites were the gong and chimes) sounded to me like the ripples of energy through space.  The themes by the solo flute are incredibly ethereal and I loved watching Pahud play because he moved his body with the music almost as if he was dancing with his flute!  He received a boisterous standing ovation which is really impressive because Utah Symphony audiences sometimes have a tepid response to more modern pieces!  After the intermission, the concert concluded with Symphony No. 5 by Sibelius.  This piece was commissioned by the Finnish government in 1915 to commemorate the composer's fiftieth birthday and it is incredibly majestic.  I loved the themes played by the horns and echoed by the woodwinds during the first movement because it is meant to depict a sunrise and also the so-called "swan's song" in the final movement played first by the horns and then the trumpets because it mimics the sound of sixteen swans taking flight at once.  The six chords separated by silence that end the piece are incredibly dramatic!  This was another wonderful concert in a season full of brilliant performances and I highly recommend getting a ticket for tonight's concert featuring the same program (go here for tickets).