Beethoven's Ninth

The program for last night's Utah Symphony concert was curated by guest conductor and creative partner David Robertson to portray all aspects of the human experience from the depths of despair to the pinnacle of joy and it was absolutely spectacular!  The evening began with a piece of sacred choral music called Christus factus est by Anton Bruckner which was performed by the Utah Symphony Chorus unaccompanied.  It was both sorrowful and powerful and featured atmospheric lighting which allowed Robertson to simply appear at the podium without an introduction.  Next, the orchestra and chorus were immediately joined by soloists Celena Shafer (a Utah favorite), Deborah Nansteel, Chad Shelton, and Zachary Nelson for a semi-staged version of Act III from the opera Wozzeck by Alban Berg.  The theme of this opera is the impending doom felt by Berg at the end of the Great War and this act tells the story of a poor and abused soldier named Wozzeck who is driven mad with jealousy over his wife Marie's infidelity with a drum major.  After Wozzeck kills Marie he becomes obsessed with the blood and, in an attempt to wash it away, he wades into a pond and drowns while his child is playing with neighbor children.  There are two crescendos played by the brass and percussion after Wozzeck kills Marie that are incredibly dramatic and convey the enormity of what he has done.  They gave me goosebumps!  After the intermission came what is widely regarded as the greatest symphony ever written!  The orchestra was once again joined by the chorus and the soloists for Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven and I was completely swept up by the emotion of this celebration of the universal brotherhood of man.  I was captivated by the very first hushed note which soon erupts to create a first movement that is incredibly stirring and dynamic.  The second movement is lively and exuberant and the third movement brought me to tears, as it always does, because it is so hauntingly beautiful.  All of this is merely the prelude to the incredible fourth movement featuring the chorus and soloists singing the lyrics from the poem Ode to Joy by Friedrich Schiller to the accompaniment of the instantly recognizable main theme played by the orchestra.  This performance was absolutely amazing and, even though it is over an hour in length, it felt like it went by in an instant.  I cannot recommend this concert enough and I suggest you get a ticket to tonight's performance (go here) as soon as you can because there were very few empty seats at Abravanel Hall last night (with good reason).

Priscilla

I was so excited to be back at the Broadway last night to see Priscilla because I am a huge fan of Sofia Coppola and I have been anticipating it ever since Cailee Spaeny won the Volpi Cup at the Venice FIlm Festival for her performance.  It is a fascinating if melancholy coming of age story that initially left me a bit disappointed but, the more I think about it, the more I appreciate it.  Priscilla Beaulieu (Spaeny) is a shy and lonely teenager living in West Germany, where her father is stationed, when she is invited to a party and meets Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi), who is doing his military service.  She comforts him over the recent death of his mother and they bond over their shared homesickness for the U.S.  Despite the objections of her worried parents, she is soon spending all of her free time with him and grows despondent when he is discharged from the Army.  She eventually visits and then moves into Graceland where she is completely controlled, manipulated, isolated, and ignored by Elvis.  She becomes a wife and mother before she finally finds the courage to create a life for herself.  This reminded me, beat for beat, of Marie Antoinette and that is both a good thing and a bad thing.  The compelling story is similar in that a young and naive girl is thrust into a situation for which she is completely unprepared, is forced to mold herself into someone else's ideal, and is not allowed to have a voice while living in a rarefied environment of luxury.  The gorgeous production design is also similar in that it brilliantly immerses the audience into a different time and place while including anachronistic music to create a vibe (my favorite is the use of "Crimson and Clover").  Unfortunately, it also feels like an insubstantial bit of spectacle because the protagonist still feels like a mystery when all is said and done and this left me wanting to know more about who she really was.  However, upon reflection I think that is actually the point because Priscilla didn't really have an identity while she was with Elvis.  Spaeny gives an incredible performance, literally transforming from a child to a young woman right before our eyes.  She is able to communicate so many emotions with just a glance or one word of dialogue and it always appears that she has so much more to say.  Elordi is unbelievably appealing and charismatic as Elvis and it is easy to see how Priscilla could fall under his spell but he also vividly portrays a darker side to the king of rock and roll so it is understandable why she would leave.  I'm still thinking about this one but I would definitely recommend it.

The Holdovers

Yesterday I was able to see an early screening of The Holdovers at the Broadway and I absolutely loved it!  It is definitely one of my favorites this year!  An unpopular and curmudgeonly teacher at a prestigious New England prep school named Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is forced to remain at school over the Christmas break to supervise the students who are not able to go home, or the "holdovers," as punishment for failing the son of a prominent donor.  Several students and staff remain behind but, eventually, they all find somewhere to go except a depressed and acerbic 15-year-old named Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) and the head cook, Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), who is mourning the recent death of her son in Vietnam.  At first the three of them, who are each struggling with their own inner demons, clash with each other but, after a series of misadventures, they form an unlikely bond.  Angus helps Paul make peace with his past and Paul helps Angus see a future for himself while the two of them help Mary get through her first Christmas without her son.  I've heard many critics say that this is the type of movie they don't make any more and I definitely echo that opinion.  It is set in the early 1970s and it looks like it could have been made then with a grainy film aesthetic and amazing production design (I loved the retro studio logo at the beginning) but, more than that, it is a character-driven drama about flawed people that used to be much more prevalent in that decade.  I loved all three of the main characters, especially Mary because she took the job serving ungrateful and entitled students so that her son could get a good education only for him to end up going to Vietnam but then she sees beyond the privilege when she gets to know one of the students.  I wish that her character had been explored more fully but I really appreciate the care with which the mentor-student relationship is portrayed (particularly a scene where Paul explains why it is important to study history).  It is very heartwarming and affecting but there are lots of little moments that are quite funny (I laughed out loud multiple times).  Giamatti is brilliant as always and Randolph steals every scene she is in but I was very impressed with newcomer Sessa because he has a very striking screen presence and more than holds his own with the two more experienced actors.  This is a movie that I can see myself watching over and over again and I highly recommend it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in Concert

Yesterday I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on the big screen at Abravanel Hall as the Utah Symphony played the score by Alexandre Desplat, one of my favorite movie composers, live.  This was so much fun for me because I have seen all of the previous movies in the franchise in this format and I have loved experiencing them all in such an immersive way!  As with all of the other concerts, many members of the audience came in costume (I was representing House Ravensclaw) and cheered out loud when all of the characters made their first appearance on screen.  There was thunderous applause when Professor McGonagall protects Harry from Snape and then fights a duel with him (my favorite scene in the movie) and when Neville kills Nagini.  In this final installment Harry must face Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts and it has the darkest tone with the highest stakes in the franchise and the score reflects this with lots of powerful themes featuring the brass and timpani.  I especially love "Dragon Flight" as Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape from Gringotts on the back of the dragon guarding the vaults, "Panic Inside Hogwarts" when McGonagall fights the epic duel with Snape, "Statues" when the professors cast spells of protection over Hogwarts, "Broomsticks and Fire" as Harry, Ron, and Hermione escape from the Room of Requirement, "Courtyard Apocalypse" when Voldemort and his minions attack Hogwarts, and "Showdown" when Harry finally confronts Voldemort.  There are also some really beautiful and haunting themes played by the strings, such as "Severus and Lily" when Harry looks into the pensieve and learns from Snape's memories that he has been protecting him all these years and "The Resurrection Stone" when Harry asks James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus to be with him when he surrenders to Voldemort (this scene made me cry the first time I saw it because it is such an emotional moment).  I also really loved that a variation of "Hedwig's Theme," originally composed by John Williams, is used multiple times because it is so iconic and reminds us of everything Harry, Ron, and Hermione have been through during their years at Hogwarts!  I have loved every performance in Utah Symphony's Films in Concert series but the Harry Potter concerts have been my favorite because I love these movies so much!  If you have not attended one I highly recommend it (go here for the remaining concerts in the series).

Anatomy of a Fall

My nephew has made a lot of new friends in college but, apparently, he has missed going to movies with me (which I think is really sweet) so I arranged for us to see Anatomy of a Fall at the Broadway last night.  This was one of my most anticipated movies from the fall festivals (it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes) and both Sean and I found it to be incredibly thought-provoking.  When Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) falls to his death from the attic window of his isolated chalet in the mountains of France, an autopsy is unable to determine is it was an accident or murder.  His German wife Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) becomes the prime suspect because she was the only one home at the time.  She is eventually put on trial when an audio recording of an argument between her and her husband surfaces.  Her lawyer (Swann Arlaud) introduces evidence suggesting a suicide, even though she is very uncomfortable with this defense, but the aggressive public prosecutor (Antoine Reinartz) builds a case, based on a subjective interpretation of the audio recording, showing that the marriage was troubled and that their fights often escalated to violence.  Their young son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner), who is visually impaired and was out for a walk when his father fell to his death, struggles to make sense of the evidence he hears in court but he must ultimately decide who to believe before he testifies.  This is an incredibly tense courtroom drama made even more so by including a language barrier (Sandra is German and, therefore, not fluent in French so she often lapses into English when testifying) because this creates even more opportunities to misconstrue her meaning.  It is a cautionary tale about the ways in which private moments between two people can appear very differently to others when they become public and I was absolutely riveted!  In fact, Sean and I both came to different conclusions about Sandra's culpability (in my opinion her guilt or innocence almost doesn't matter) and I am still thinking about it!  Hüller gives a brilliant and highly nuanced performance (the Oscar buzz surrounding her is entirely warranted) but Machado-Graner is absolutely amazing because the camera is often on him during the courtroom scenes and his reactions inform the audience how to feel about the various revelations.  Finally, this movie features one of the best uses of a song (an instrumental version of "P.I.M.P" by 50 Cent no less) that I have ever seen because it has multiple meanings and becomes more and more important as the narrative progresses.  Believe the hype about this one!

Nyad

I went to see Nyad at the Broadway last night and I really liked it (I am a sucker for inspirational sports movies).  On her 60th birthday, former long distance open water swimmer Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) feels that she is standing on the sidelines of life as a sports commentator and decides that she wants to revisit the dream of swimming from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida that she abandoned after one ill-fated attempt at age 28.  She enlists her best friend Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) to be her coach, assembles a team, including a navigator named John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans), and begins training for a swim that is so dangerous many believe it cannot be done.  She faces challenges from Gulf Stream currents, storms, hypothermia, dehydration, sharks, and jellyfish as well as her own inner demons (shown as flashbacks to the father who pushed her to succeed and to the coach who abused her) and push back from her team for taking them for granted but, after four failed attempts, she perseveres and makes it to Key West on September 2, 2013 after swimming 110 miles in 53 hours.  This is the first narrative feature from award-winning documentarians Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (I really loved Meru) and I think this compelling true story about triumphing in the face of overwhelming odds in an extreme sport is a perfect fit for them.  Even though I knew the outcome I was on the edge of my seat from the suspense created by their use of immersive cinematography showing all of the dangers in the water and the integration of actual footage from the swim and the news coverage of it is very well done.  I really loved the message that it is never too late to pursue a dream and the portrayal of a strong female friendship is very refreshing to see.  I also enjoyed the tremendous (and vanity-free) performance from Bening as the sometimes unsympathetic Nyad and the incredibly moving one from Foster as her biggest supporter.  The score by Alexandre Desplat is outstanding but I particularly enjoyed all of the music that Nyad uses to keep a rhythm to her strokes, especially "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel and "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young.  This is a stand up and cheer movie about an incredible feat of epic determination and I highly recommend it.

Jazz vs. Kings

My friend Angela renewed her Utah Jazz ticket package and, just like last season, she very graciously allowed me to select several games to attend with her.  The first game I picked, against the Toronto Raptors (for reasons), is not until January but, when Angela let me know that the ticket for the game last night was available, I jumped at the chance to go!  The arena is once again known as the Delta Center (which is really funny to me because I still called it the Delta Center for years after the name changed) so there was a big celebration out on the plaza before the game and it was so much fun to be there.  The atmosphere inside was just as electric because it was the first game of the season and we have several new players with a lot of promise on the roster.  The Jazz played the Sacramento Kings and they let them take an early lead in the first few minutes of the first quarter.  Despite 24 points from Jordan Clarkson, 19 from Lauri Markkanen, 15 from John Collins and some exciting back-to-back layups from Talen Horton-Tucker and Walker Kessler, the Kings never relinquished that early lead for the rest of the game and even led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter.  It was a bit frustrating because the Jazz couldn't seem to stop Sacramento's offense, especially their three-point shots, while their own offense struggled to find a rhythm (I think they are still learning how to play together as a team).  By the fourth quarter, the Kings were basically having their way with the Jazz and they ended up winning 130-114.  Despite the loss I was really excited by what I saw from our rookie Keyonte George (I like him a lot).  He ended up playing 19 minutes and finished with eight points (including an exciting dunk that got the crowd cheering), two rebounds, and two assists.  I am looking forward to watching his progress this season!  It was also a lot of fun to spend time with Angela and I'm so glad I got to go to the game with her even with the final outcome.

Note:  The Jazz won every game I attended for the past two seasons.  It looks like my streak is now over.

The Rocky Horror Show at PTC

I have been waiting for PTC's production of The Rocky Horror Show with great ANTICI.....say it.....PATION. I was able to see it last night and I had so much fun! This cult classic is a campy spoof of science fiction B-movies complete with an usher named Magenta (Ginger Bess) who introduces the story. While driving home on a rainy night, a young and naive couple named Brad (Alex Walton) and Janet (Alanna Saunders) get a flat tire and end up at the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Jeremiah James), a cross dressing mad scientist from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy Transylvania, who is having a wild party with his entourage, including Riff Raff (Hernando Umana) and Columbia (Micki Martinez), to unveil his latest creation Rocky (Michael Dalke), a beautiful and muscular man designed to give pleasure. Hi-jinks (and a floor show) ensue! The Narrator last night (the role rotates between three different Utah personalities) was the popular former news anchor Randall Carlisle and he got some of the biggest laughs of the evening, especially with his references to BYU. The rest of the main cast is also outstanding with great voices and excellent comedic timing! James is perfect as Frank with all of his over-the-top facial expressions and I loved his flamboyant rendition of "Sweet Transvestite" and his surprisingly poignant version of "I'm Going Home." Walton provides a lot of the comedy as the nerdy Brad and I laughed out loud during "Damn It, Janet" and "Once in a While." The same could be said of Saunders as the prudish Janet because the physical comedy as she loses her sexual inhibitions during her performance of "Touch-A Touch Me" is a highlight of the show. The choreography is so much fun, particularly the iconic number "Time Warp" and the dazzling "Floor Show." I also loved how Frank's seduction of both Janet and Brad is staged and the ending of the song "Space Ship" provides a lot of laughs. The costumes, including corsets, garters, fishnet stockings, and high heels, are fabulously outrageous and the hair and makeup are very glam while the stage features a spooky castle backdrop (I loved all of the freestanding candelabras) with lots of quirky laboratory set pieces. A live band is also located on stage and they sound fabulous! Of course, what makes a live performance of The Rocky Horror Show so much fun is all of the audience participation! Even though it had been quite a while since I'd seen it, I remembered the words to the songs, when to use all of the props (prop kits are available to purchase for $5.00 online and in the lobby before the show), and most of the talk backs! I always think it is so funny to yell "asshole" and "slut" every time the names Brad and Janet, respectively, are mentioned. To be sure, this show provides a fun and raucous night out but, more than anything, it has a powerful message about acceptance that is needed now more than ever and I highly recommend it! It runs at PTC through October 31 with several matinees and late night performances (go here for tickets).

Note:  One of my fondest memories from participating in high school theatre is when a bunch of us climbed up to the catwalk and performed "Time Warp" at a late night rehearsal.  It was so fun to perform it again last night at the end of the show.

The Birds

I am a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock (my rankings change all of the time but he is definitely one of my top three favorite directors) so I was really excited to see The Birds, which is back in theaters in honor of its 60th anniversary, last night.  I have seen this movie many times but it was a very different experience seeing it on the big screen!  Socialite Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets a man named Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store as he attempts to buy two lovebirds for his eleven-year-old sister Cathy (Veronica Cartwright).  On impulse, she decides to buy the birds and take them to him at his family home in the small Northern California town of Bodega Bay where she meets his former girlfriend Annie (Suzanne Pleshette) and his disapproving mother Lydia (Jessica Tandy).  As the relationship between Melanie and Mitch develops, the town is inexplicably and viciously attacked by a variety of birds.  What is so brilliant about this movie is the almost casual introduction of the romance between Melanie and Mitch with subtle foreshadowing of the horror to come.  Then, when the birds finally begin attacking, the tension is almost unbearable.  I was especially unnerved by the suspense as Melanie waits for Cathy outside of the schoolhouse while birds ominously gather on the playground and when Mitch, Melanie, Lydia, and Cathy anxiously wait inside their house for an attack they know is coming.  The practical effects, involving both real and mechanical birds, really hold up because they are quite disturbing, particularly the attack on the school children as they are running away, the attack on Melanie as she is trapped in a phone booth, and the attack on Melanie in the attic.  The sound design is absolutely brilliant because the sound of the birds attacking is terrifying but the use of silence is even more effective at creating an atmosphere of dread.  Finally, the ending is so bleak (my audience sat in stunned silence even after the lights came back on) but it is the perfect way to emphasize the fact that we are all powerless against the forces of nature.  This is one of Hitchcock's best movies, in my opinion, and I'm so glad I got to see it on the big screen (especially during the month of October).

Pumpkin Carving 2023

Since Tashena is living in Washington and Sean is in college living in a dorm, Marilyn and I thought that we probably wouldn't be doing some of our holiday traditions this year.  Then Marilyn got a text from Sean asking when we would be carving pumpkins!  We had our annual pumpkin carving party last night while he was home for dinner (my family gets together every Sunday for dinner) and it was a lot of fun!

I am quite proud of my pumpkin this year because it actually turned out like the pattern!

I have a picture like this from every year since he was a little boy!  We'll see if he wants to do gingerbread houses for Christmas!

Ballet West's Dracula

Two years ago I had the opportunity to see Ballet West's amazing production of Dracula and it immediately became one of my favorites.  I was, therefore, really excited when I found out that it would open the 2023-2024 season and I loved seeing it again last night.  In Act I Dracula (Tyler Gum) emerges very dramatically from a tomb in the crypt of his castle and summons all of his brides who dance at his command.  I really loved the choreography in this scene because the brides, who wear ethereal white dresses, are controlled by Dracula with just a glance or gesture and he works them up into a frenzy as they leap (and sometimes fly) across the stage.  Renfield (Vinicius Lima), Dracula's minion, brings a young woman named Flora (Amy Potter) to the castle in a horse-drawn carriage (the horses are portrayed by dancers Kai Casperson and Phillipp Mergener and their costumes are very macabre).  The brides help Dracula to beguile her and the two of them dance a gorgeous Pas de Deux before he transforms her.  In Act II an innkeeper (Jake Preece) and his wife (Emily Adams) are celebrating the birthday of their daughter Svetlana (Katlyn Addison) with a group of peasants who perform various dances based on the folklore of the area.  The costumes worn by the peasants are very vibrant and colorful and I loved the patterns the women make with ribbons and the ones the men make with staffs in these dances.  Svetlana is in love with a peasant named Frederick (Hadriel Diniz) and, when they become betrothed, they dance another beautiful Pas de Deux.  They also perform a series of solos and I loved it when the choreography has Svetlana spinning on her heels.  Dracula hears of Svetlana's beauty so he sends Flora into the village to capture her and bring her to his castle.  In Act III Flora flies back and forth across the stage directing the other brides to prepare Dracula's bedchamber.  When Svetlana arrives Dracula attempts to beguile her in a stunning Pas de Deux where she appears to glide across the stage (I think Addison is a beautiful dancer and her grace and elegance are really on display in this role) but Frederick and her father interrupt him when they suddenly appear at the castle to rescue her.  A battle, featuring lots of special effects, ensues.  The performances are outstanding and the choreography is exciting but I also loved the atmospheric music by Franz Liszt (after the Utah Symphony concert the previous evening I immediately recognized the use of the Dies irae from the Requiem Mass), the beautiful costumes (including all of those I mentioned previously as well as a cape worn by Dracula which, when unfurled, looks like a bat's wings), and the striking sets (especially the dark and gloomy crypt in the castle).  This production is absolutely perfect for Halloween and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).

Note:  I decided not to subscribe this season because I wanted to be able to choose performances based on casting.  I really enjoy seeing Katlyn Addison, my favorite dancer in the company, in a main role.

Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2

Last night's Utah Symphony concert was a fun way to celebrate the spooky season with Halloween-themed pieces on the program and moody lighting on the stage.  The orchestra began with Danse macabre by Camille Saint-Saens which is based on a legend where Death plays the fiddle on Halloween as skeletons dance on their graves.  I really enjoyed the theme played by a solo violin and the use of the xylophone to depict the rattling of skeleton bones.  Next came Totentanz ("Dance of the Dead") by Franz Liszt with Utah favorite Joyce Yang as soloist.  This is an incredibly fiery piece that features the Dies irae theme about death and judgment from the Requiem Mass and a number of variations.  I loved the percussive opening from the piano followed by dramatic variations from the brass and the woodwinds.  I also loved the swelling themes by the strings punctuated by short piano interludes that varied in volume and intensity and it was fun to see Yang's fingers literally flying up and down the keyboard (she also leaned back and wiped her brow theatrically after a particularly challenging run).  She received a thunderous standing ovation and, in return, favored the audience with an encore.  After the intermission, the orchestra performed Symphony No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff.  I absolutely love Rachmaninoff because I think his music is so emotional (something he has in common with many of the Russian composers I love) and this particular piece is incredibly lush!  I especially loved the instantly recognizable fanfare (also inspired by the Dies irae which fascinated Rachmaninoff all throughout his life) played by the horns at the beginning of the second movement and then repeated throughout.  The third movement includes some of Rachmaninoff's most beautiful music with themes and variations played by the violins, with an interlude by the clarinet, that are unbelievably romantic.  I also loved the percussion, especially the timpani and crash cymbals, at the beginning of the exuberant final movement as well as the recapitulation of the major themes.  It was a brilliant performance!  This same program will repeated again tonight and I recommend it for some seasonal fun (there are also Halloween activities, photo ops, and concessions in the lobby before the performance).  Go here for tickets.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Last night I had the chance to see an early screening of Killers of the Flower Moon in a packed theater at the Broadway.  It is a masterpiece and I know I will be thinking about it for a long time to come because it is so intense and unsettling.  The Osage Nation becomes unbelievably wealthy when oil is discovered on their land in Oklahoma in the 1920s but it also brings trouble as the white men in the nearby towns lie, cheat, manipulate, steal, and eventually, murder, to gain control of the money.  One such man is William King Hale (Robert De Niro), a wealthy cattle rancher who has evil intentions but presents himself in the guise of a benefactor to the Osage.  When his nephew Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns home from the Great War and begins working for him, Hale suggests that he woo and marry an Osage woman named Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone) in order to gain control of her headshares from the oil profits.  After the wedding, Hale and Burkhart begin plotting to kill members of Mollie's family one by one so that their headshares will be transferred to Mollie but these murders eventually get the attention of Tom White (Jesse Plemons), an agent of the new Bureau of Investigation.  Much has been made of the long runtime (three and a half hours) but I feel like it is earned because it is an incredibly compelling story that is equal parts epic Western, lurid crime drama, tragic love story, and scathing commentary on greed and corruption and my attention never wavered.  Frequent Scorsese collaborators De Niro and DiCaprio are outstanding (some of the best work of their careers) but Gladstone is absolutely captivating in a restrained performance in which she portrays every emotion imaginable (sometimes with just a glance).  One specific scene near the end of the movie where Gladstone's character silently accuses DiCaprio's character with just her eyes is devastating and left me reeling.  The supporting cast is also great and I was particularly impressed by Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, and Tatanka Means who all make the most of limited screen time.  All of the technical elements, from cinematography to production design to editing, are brilliant and I also really loved the score by Robbie Robertson because it really adds to the tension.  This is one of Scorsese's best movies and, while it won't be for everyone because of the dark themes and melancholy tone, I highly recommend it.

When I'm Dead

My October Book of the Month selection was When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey (the other options were Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, Wellness by Nathan Hill, The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young, The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis, and The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwonk). It should come as a surprise to no one that I picked the thriller but this one ended up being good not great. Axel Winthorp, a homicide detective, and his wife Rowan, a medical examiner, are frequently called away to investigate murder scenes in the crime-ridden town of Black Harbor, Wisconsin (Morrissey takes great pains to remind the reader that Black Harbor is extremely violent every other page). This means that their teenage daughter Chloe, who has undergone a radical change in personality in recent months which her parents have largely ignored, is often left to her own devices and she bemoans this fact by saying that they will only pay attention to her when she's dead. Axel and Rowan are inevitably called away from Chloe's performance in the school musical to investigate the death of a young girl who appears to have been strangled and they are dismayed to discover that it is the body of Chloe's best friend, Madison Caldwell. After they finish processing the scene, they discover that Chloe never made it home and, when they cannot reach her, they realize that she is missing. They initially suspect that Chloe's disappearance and Madison's murder are connected but, in the course of their investigation, they learn that Madison and another girl named Sari Simons were bullying Chloe and spreading rumors about an inappropriate relationship between her and the theatre teacher which may or may not be true. When Sari becomes the next victim, they are forced to question how well they know their daughter as well as confront the possibility that she might be involved in these murders. This is a dark and atmospheric police procedural told from the perspectives of Rowan, who believes that her daughter's disappearance is retribution for a past transgression, Axel, who is tormented by the fact that he may have failed to protect his daughter from a predatory teacher, and Libby, a teenager who lives next door to the Winthorps and has a strange obsession with Chloe. It is very suspenseful with lots of possible suspects, twists and turns, and red herrings which definitely kept me guessing. However, the psychological examination of the main characters, which rehashes the same events over and over again, and the endless descriptions of the poverty, despair, and crime found in Black Harbor slow down the pace after a strong beginning (but that didn't stop me from reading well into the night to find out what happens). Also, there are quite a few elements that seemed very unrealistic to me, particularly having a detective be involved in his own daughter's case and the lack of urgency in the police department's efforts to find her. While I didn't love this, I did enjoy it (it is especially appropriate for October) and found the resolution to be very intriguing so I would recommend it.

Note: This is the third installment in The Black Harbor series but I definitely think it works as a stand-alone because I haven't read the first two and there weren't any references that I didn't understand.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

Last night my sister Marilyn and I relived one of the best concert experiences we have ever had by watching Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and, while nothing can compare to the exhilaration of actually being in the audience for this concert, the movie comes really close!  We both loved it!  What I enjoyed most about this is the dynamic camera work and editing because you really get a feel for the entire experience with lots of wide shots of the entire stage, the crowd, and the visuals on the screens along with all of the details that might have been missed (especially if you were sitting in the upper levels of the stadium like Marilyn and I were) with close up shots of Taylor and her dancers.  I loved seeing all of her facial expressions and gestures because they definitely enhance the storytelling found in each song.  I particularly loved seeing "willow," as Taylor cavorts in a circle with her coven of dancers wearing green velvet cloaks and carrying glowing orbs, because it is such a theatrical performance and it was cool to have so many different angles to see the overall effect.  I liked seeing "tolerate it" up close because the performance, which features two people in a dysfunctional relationship having dinner, is so intimate and being able to see facial expressions really adds to the vibe of the song.  I was also happy to get to see "the last great american dynasty" up close because I didn't realize that one of the dancers is portraying Rebekah Harkness and that Taylor doesn't come forward until the change in POV.  I was really struck by the emotion on Taylor's face during "marjorie" (she and I both have a grandma named Marjorie who is no longer living) and seeing her give Bianka Bryant the hat in "22" up close also made me emotional because it was such a sweet moment.  The production values are fantastic because the music seems like it has been enhanced (it sounded good live at Empower Field but it sounded great in Dolby surround sound) and the titles for each era are a lot of fun (especially for reputation).  I think Denver Night 2 won for its surprise songs ("Back to December" was a major highlight of the concert for me) but I liked the fact that she featured one from her first album, "Our Song," and one from her latest album, "You're On Your Own, Kid," as surprise songs for the movie.  I was a little bit sad when I heard that "'tis the damn season" was cut (it is one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs) and really surprised that she cut "cardigan" (especially since she included "betty" and "august" from the teenage love triangle) but I didn't miss them, or any of the other songs that were cut, while I was watching.  Since we saw this at a late screening on a Sunday night, it wasn't very full so we missed out on having lots of loud and rowdy fans sing and dance but we wore our concert hoodies and sang at the top of our lungs (even Marilyn who is normally very reserved).  It was so much fun!  I highly recommend this because, if you didn't have the opportunity to see this concert in person, this is the next best thing and, if you did, it will bring back so many memories!

Note:  I even bought the commemorative popcorn bucket and cup!  I almost never buy stuff like this because I abhor clutter but I simply cannot resist the siren song of Taylor Swift merchandise!

U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas

When I found out that U2 was doing a residency at a cool new billion dollar venue in Las Vegas I had a really stern talk with myself about how much money I had already spent on concerts this year and maybe, since I have already seen them seven times, I could skip this one.  That went over about as well as you might expect!  I ignored responsible Phaedra and immediately registered for the Verified Fan Presale and, when I was selected, I took it as a sign that I needed to see this show!  Amazing doesn't even begin to describe what I experienced last night!  The Sphere, as the name implies, is a giant sphere-shaped structure with both interior and exterior LED screens (the largest of their kind) and seating areas that cover two-thirds of the interior with an area that can be configured as a stage in the remainder.  U2 has a small square stage with a circular platform that is meant to mimic a turntable (Bono would frequently spin around on the circle).  This particular concert showcases the album Achtung Baby and U2 performed it in its entirety with a side one set and a side two set.  It was great to hear the hits from this album, including "Zoo Station" (which opened the show), "The Fly," "Even Better Than the Real Thing," "Mysterious Ways," "One" (sigh), and "Until the End of the World," but I also really enjoyed hearing the deeper tracks that I've never heard performed live before, such as "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," "Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World," "So Cruel" (my favorite of the show because Bono's vocal performance was so passionate)," "Acrobat," "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)," and "Love Is Blindness."  Each of these songs has an incredibly immersive visual display on the state-of-the-art LED screens.  My favorite visuals were for "The Fly" because they feature rows and rows of random numbers and letters that keep climbing up the screens and, when they reach the top, they actually collapse on each other and it looked like they were three-dimensional and coming towards the audience (it is hard to explain but it was pretty much the coolest thing ever).  Not only are the images three-dimensional but they also surround the audience!  Sometimes the images would include a live feed of the band and, because I was sitting in the cheaper seats at the top of arena (my one concession to responsible Phaedra), they were eye-level as if I was watching Bono from the front row (sigh).  In between the two Achtung Baby sets, the band performed a more stripped down acoustic set featuring "All I Want Is You," "Desire," "Angel of Harlem," and an incredibly emotional rendition of "Love Rescue Me" which Bono and The Edge sang as a duet (goosebumps).  For the encore, they performed their new song about Las Vegas, "Atomic City," as well as "Elevation," "Vertigo," "Where the Streets Have No Name," "With or Without You" (which included amazing visuals featuring different animals), and "Beautiful Day." Bono is one of the most charismatic performers that I've ever seen and he was in fine form last night!  He struggled a bit with some of the higher notes but he was so engaging it didn't even matter (at least not to me or anyone around me).  This concert reminded me of how much I love him and, between his performance and all of the high-tech gadgetry, I felt like I was in sensory overload all night (in the best possible way).  It is definitely something I will never forget and I am so glad that irresponsible Phaedra won the argument!

The Music Man at HCTO

I had so much fun at HCTO last night because I saw their wonderful production of The Music Man (it is a sentimental favorite of mine).  I think I had a huge smile on my face from beginning to end!  This show tells the well-known story of a traveling salesman who comes to swindle the residents of River City by selling band instruments but falls in love with a librarian instead.  It features an amazing cast led by Bronson Dameron, who is incredibly charming and charismatic as Harold Hill, and Brittany Sanders, who has a beautiful voice as the uptight yet vulnerable Marion Paroo.  Dameron's renditions of "Ya Got Trouble," "Seventy-Six Trombones," and "Gary, Indiana" are so much fun and I had to try really hard not to sing along (I mostly succeeded) while Sanders had me swooning during "Goodnight My Someone," "My White Night," and "Till There Was You."  Other standouts from the cast are Shawn Lynn as the befuddled Mayor Shinn ("Not one poop out of you madame"), Bonnie Wilson Whitlock as my favorite character Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn (I could not stop laughing during her hilarious performance as a Grecian Urn), and Thomas Wood, Jason Baldwin, Ryan Withers, and Davis Underwood as the feuding members of the school board who form a barber shop quartet ("Sincere," "Goodnight Ladies," "It's You," and "Lida Rose" are highlights of the show).  Ella Bleu Bradford as Zaneeta Shinn, Mayor Shinn's oldest girl, and Evan Naef as Tommy Djilas, a boy with reform school written all over him, are amazing dancers who lead a terrific ensemble in the big production numbers, particularly in "Seventy-Six Trombones," "Marion the Librarian," "The Wells Fargo Wagon," and "Shipoopi."  I am always so impressed with how HCTO is able to stage these big numbers with energetic choreography in such a small space!  I wondered if "Marian the Librarian," my favorite number in the show, would be as dynamic as it has been in other productions I've seen but I loved the clever way the choreography incorporates a desk, a card catalog (so fun), a book cart, benches, and books.  I also loved the staging of "Rock Island" with all of the suitcases.  The set, which features the lattice porch of the Paroo house, a wisteria draped gazebo, and a wooden footbridge, is beautiful and the period costumes, especially Marian's dress for the social, are some of the best I've seen at HCTO (and the bar was already set pretty high with this theatre).  This is a delightful production that everyone is sure to love as much as I did and I highly recommend it!  It runs at HCTO through November 18 and tickets may be purchased here.

Note:  Just wait until you see the finale!  It is pretty spectacular!

The Royal Hotel

Last night I went to the Broadway to see The Royal Hotel because I found the trailer very intriguing.  It is a compelling examination of toxic masculinity and the unequal power dynamic between the sexes that had me squirming the whole time.  Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are two young "Canadian" women backpacking through Australia and, when they run out of money, they seek employment through a work-travel program and end up at a pub called the Royal Hotel in a remote mining town in the Outback.  The men who frequent the pub are often belligerent, offensive, and sexually inappropriate but the owner, a curmudgeonly drunk named Billy (an unrecognizable Hugo Weaving), expects the girls to put up with it to keep the customers happy.  Hanna finds one of them, a miner named Dolly (Daniel Henshall), to be especially menacing and wants to leave immediately but Liv thinks it is all harmless fun and befriends two of the patrons, Matty (Toby Wallace) and Teeth (James Frecheville).  However, Hanna becomes more and more disturbed by the situation because Billy refuses to pay them, there is no cell service, and the only way to leave is a bus that comes once a week.  When events spiral out of control, she must take matters into her own hands.  The tension builds and builds until it is almost unbearable (I was so stressed out watching this) and what makes the situation so terrifying is that it is not necessarily the sociopaths that they should fear but the ones who seem to be "nice guys."  I was really struck by the shot composition and the lighting design because they effectively emphasize both the claustrophobia of the pub and the isolation of the area that surrounds it.  One scene in particular, where Hanna sees a shadow underneath her bedroom door, perfectly captures her terror. Both actresses give riveting performances but I was especially impressed with Garner because everything is viewed from her perspective and her escalating dread is palpable.  Even though the dramatic climax is a bit rushed and not really earned after the subtle build-up that precedes it, I would definitely recommend this.

Utah Opera's La Boheme

I love the opera La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini (I actually flew to San Francisco just to see it performed by one of the best opera companies in the world and it was incredible) so I was really excited to see Utah Opera's production last night!  Marcello (James Westman), a painter, and Rodolfo (Christopher Oglesby), a poet, are penniless and live a hand-to-mouth existence with their friends Colline (William Guanbo Su), a philosopher, and Schaunard (Tshilidzi Ndou), a musician, in a Parisian garret.  When the others leave to celebrate Christmas Eve at Cafe Momus in the Latin Quarter, Rodolfo receives a visit from their neighbor Mimi (Laura Wilde) who is looking for a light for her candle.  She faints from breathlessness because she is suffering from consumption and Rodolfo catches her in his arms.  They fall madly in love and decide to join the others in their revelry at Cafe Momus.  Marcello sees Musetta (Marina Costa-Jackson), his former lover, in the cafe with her new suitor, a rich old man named Alcindor (Danny Belcher), and is jealous but refuses to look at her.  She tries desperately to get his attention by flirting with every man in the restaurant and they eventually leave together while Alcindor is left with the bill!  After a few months, Marcello is jealous of Musetta's flirtation with other men and Rodolfo feels guilty for being too poor to care for Mimi adequately so the couples separate (one acrimoniously and one amicably).  Later Musetta brings a dying Mimi to the garret because she is desperate to see Rodolfo.  Marcello, Musetta, and their friends go for the doctor but Mimi ultimately dies and Rodolfo collapses in despair while calling her name.  The story is unbelievably romantic but also tragic and this is what makes it so compelling and the music is breathtaking!  I loved everyone in the cast (it is one of the best I've seen from this company) and they all sing their roles beautifully!  I had tears in my eyes after "O soave fanciulla" at the end of Act I because Ogelsby and Wilde have amazing voices and tremendous chemistry together as they visibly fall in love and I laughed out loud during "Quando m'en vo," ("Musetta's Waltz") during Act II because it is staged so well and Costa-Jackson has hilarious facial expressions and an over-the-top physicality.  Ndou and Su are also outstanding as the other bohemians and I was very moved by Su's rendition of "Vecchia zimarra" in Act IV.  The costumes are fantastic and I especially loved Musetta's red dress and feather boa because it really pops against the muted tones of the other costumes.  I was really impressed by the clever transformations, from a humble garret apartment to the boisterous Cafe Momus to a dreary gated checkpoint into the city, that happen with the addition of a few elements to the multi-level set.  I loved this production and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) for one of the three remaining performances.

Note:  If you have never been to an opera before I think this is a good one to start with because it is very accessible (the musical RENT is based on it).