Halloween

Last night I checked off another item on my fall bucket list by seeing the new Halloween movie.  It is a direct sequel to the original 1978 Halloween movie and disregards all of the other sequels that have been made over the years (which is a good thing because I haven't seen any of them).  It has been 40 years since Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) survived an attack from Michael Myers (Nick Castle) on Halloween.  She suffers from PTSD and lives in a fortified compound where she has relentlessly prepared herself in case of another attack.  She has a troubled relationship with her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) who both think she should leave the past behind.  Myers, who has been incarcerated at Smith's Grove Sanitarium, escapes when he is being transferred to another institution and begins committing more grisly murders on Halloween, including Allyson's friend Vicky (Virginia Gardner) who is babysitting (in a nod to the original movie).  He is pursued by his psychiatrist Dr. Ranbir Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), who has become obsessed with him, and Frank Hawkins (Will Patton), an officer on the original case forty years ago.  However, Myers ends up at Laurie's compound in an epic final showdown as she tries to protect her daughter and granddaughter.  What I liked most about this movie is the character of Laurie Strode.  I think it is entirely believable that she would be suffering from PTSD and that she can't leave the past behind until she faces Myers again. I also liked the added element of having Laurie fight for her family.  While the killing spree is scary, I think the final confrontation between Laurie and Myers is incredibly suspenseful and terrifying, especially as she stalks him throughout her house.  Jamie Lee Curtis is fantastic in a role where the victim is as psychologically damaged as the killer.  Finally, for fans of the original movie, the same theme music (updated and remixed) is used throughout and the same instantly recognizable orange typography is used in the opening and final credits.  This is not necessarily the best horror movie I have ever seen (I think the original is a lot better) but it is pretty good and I definitely had a lot of fun seeing it at a late night screening with a rowdy crowd.

Thriller 2018

I have not been doing very well with my fall bucket list because I have only checked off two items!  Now that I am on fall break I'm sure that I can get a few more items checked off during the long weekend.  I started with ODT's production of Thriller last night.  This Halloween-themed dance extravaganza is one of my very favorite holiday traditions and I have been looking forward to it all month!  Even though I have seen most of the dances more times than I can count I really love the the old favorites including the undead cavorting in a graveyard to Michael Jackson’s iconic song “Thriller,” a breakdancing mummy and his maidens in “Curse of the Mummy,” a Pas de Deux gone horribly wrong in “Frankenstein & Frankenstein,” tap dancing skeletons in "Dem Bones," a trio of chainsaw wielding Jasons in "Jason Jam," scarecrows that are not what they seem in "Children of the Corn," a coven of witches seeking vengeance from beyond the grave in "Salem's Mass," demonic dolls in "Chucky-Rama," acrobatic vampires in "Lost Boys," and doomed Irish dancers in "River of Blood Dance."  I eagerly anticipate every dance, especially the opening number, "Salem's Mass," and "Lost Boys."  This year there were several new numbers performed by the dancers in Odyssey 2.  My favorite was a high-flying Harry Potter in "Dementor's Kiss."  Like last year, there were several numbers in between the dances performed by the artists from Aeris Aerial Arts.  They were all very cool but my favorite was "Full Moon" featuring seven aerialists performing on a giant spinning globe.  I didn't really like the comedy act of Giggle Girl because she was super annoying (where is Bubbles the Clown?) but I loved everything else and I had so much fun at this show!  It just wouldn't be Halloween without it!  This show runs at Kingsbury Hall and many other venues throughout Utah and Idaho until Oct. 30 (go here for tickets and information).

Note:  If you go to the show and see any of the undead roaming about, do not make eye contact!  Trust me on this!

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

I can think of nothing better for a Sunday afternoon than a film directed by Frank Capra starring Jimmy Stewart.  It was absolutely delightful to see Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on the big screen as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series yesterday.  Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is a young and idealistic man appointed to the U.S. Senate when the sitting Senator dies unexpectedly.  The senior Senator, Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), and a corrupt political boss, Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), think that because he is naive and inexperienced he will be easily manipulated.  However, Smith sponsors a bill for a boys camp in an area earmarked for a dam in an appropriations bill that is supported by Paine because it will greatly benefit Taylor.  Paine tries to discredit him but Smith stages a dramatic filibuster on the Senate floor until the truth comes out.  I just loved this film because, like most of Frank Capra's films, it emphasizes standing up for what you believe even if it costs you fame, money, and power.  I have always really liked Stewart as an actor but he is incredibly appealing in this role which is thought to be his best performance.  I loved the chemistry he has with Jean Arthur, who plays his cynical assistant Saunders.  I also really liked Raines in this role because he has such a character arc, going from a corrupt Senator to wanting to be the man Smith thinks he is.  Even though this film was made almost 80 years ago it still so relevant in our troubled times and it gave me a little bit of hope that there might be young and idealistic men and women still willing to fight for what is right.  I highly recommend seeing this film when it is screened again on Wednesday (go here for information and tickets).

Utah Opera's Romeo and Juliet

I was really excited when Utah Opera announced their 2018-2019 season because it includes two operas that I haven't seen before as well as two classics, including Romeo and Juliet which I had the opportunity to see last night.  This opera tells the well-known Shakespearean tale of how Romeo and Juliet fall in love despite the centuries old feud that has divided their families and how they are ultimately destroyed by that hate but with the addition of Charles-Francois Gounod's glorious music.  I really loved the music!  It is wild and exuberant during the masked ball where Romeo and Juliet meet, it is incredibly romantic during the scenes outside Juliet's balcony (especially the harp), it is thrilling during the fight scene between Tybalt and Mercutio, and it is plaintive and heartbreaking during the scene in the tomb.  Anya Matanovic, as Juliet, and Joshua Dennis, as Romeo, sing their roles brilliantly, especially during their arias and duets at the balcony and in the tomb.  I was also very impressed with Adam Lau as Friar Lawrence and Christopher Oglesby as Tybalt and the chorus sings beautifully during the Prologue and the fight scene.  I loved the costumes which feature sumptuous fabrics in rich jewel tones and the sets are very effective at portraying fair Verona.  I enjoyed this production so much more than I expected to because Romeo and Juliet is one of my least favorite Shakespeare plays.  I highly recommend it for the amazing music and performances.  It runs at Capitol Theatre through October 21 (tickets may be purchased here).

Note:  Yesterday I also bought tickets to see the Colorado Avalanche.  When you think about it hockey and opera are not that different because they both appeal to a small group of crazed aficionados who mostly go in for the violence.  Ha ha!

First Man

Last night I had the chance to see a Thursday preview of First Man, one of my most anticipated films this fall.  This is the very human story of Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) and his journey from a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base to be the first man to walk on the moon with the Apollo 11 mission.  This journey includes the death of his daughter from a brain tumor, applying to the NASA Gemini program as a way to distract himself from the pain of that loss, dealing with a malfunction during the Gemini 8 mission, the death of colleagues and friends, the waning public support for space exploration, becoming emotionally distant from his children and wife Janet (Claire Foy), and, finally, the incredibly dangerous mission to the moon.  I don't know that I have ever fully appreciated what these astronauts went through to go to space and I think director Damien Chazelle does an excellent job of putting us right in the middle of the action with Armstrong.  We get to experience the claustrophobia of being in a tiny space capsule, the jarring vibrations of lifting off, and the disorientation of being in space.  It is intense and there were moments when I felt like I was on an amusement park ride.  Some of the scenes are incredibly suspenseful, especially when Armstrong has to manually land the lunar module before running out of fuel.  I also really liked the juxtaposition of life at NASA with Armstrong's home life and I think the helplessness and isolation faced by Janet is portrayed very well  There is a particularly poignant scene where she is trying to discipline her sons while Armstrong is trying to regain control of a spacecraft.  Both Gosling and Foy give understated yet powerful performances and the closeup shots of their faces show more of what they are feeling than the dialogue does.  I think this is a brilliant film and I am now in awe of what Armstrong and the other astronauts accomplished!  Go see it in IMAX!

Wait Until Dark at HCT

The movie Wait Until Dark, starring Audrey Hepburn as a blind woman trapped in her apartment with a killer, is incredibly suspenseful so I've been very intrigued about HCT's production (the movie is originally based on a stage play) and I had the opportunity to see it last night. Sam Hendrix (Jacob Theo Squire) is unknowingly given a doll containing heroin and there are three criminals who are trying to get it back: Mike Talman (Lonzo Liggins), Sgt. Carlino (Zac Zumbrunnen), and Harry Roat (Benjamin J. Henderson). They arrange for Sam to go out of town and stage an elaborate plot in order to get his blind wife, Susy (Riley Branning), to trust them and allow them to search the apartment for the doll.  She, with the help of a neighbor girl named Gloria (Bridget Maxwell), eventually figures out that she is being conned and uses the dark to confront Roat in an epic showdown! The first act is full of a lot of complicated exposition and, I have to admit, that it did get a bit tedious trying to keep everything straight.  But the second act really gets going with a lot of edge-of-your-seat action, greatly enhanced by the lighting and sound design. I actually jumped about a foot during one particularly intense scene and I was not alone (the woman behind me screamed). The set design is quite innovative. I liked the use of the stairwell beyond the door to the apartment and the large windows in the kitchen area to convey the action taking place outside and I liked the fact that I could see everything in the apartment (which is not always the case in the Jewel Box Theatre). Branning is very convincing as a blind woman and the rest of the cast is solid but Maxwell absolutely steals the show as Gloria! She is a hoot and I loved watching all of her funny facial expressions! This is the perfect show to see during the month of Halloween (it runs through November 17).

The Children Act

Yesterday I went to see The Children Act which is based on a novel of the same name by Ian McEwan.  I have not read the novel but as McEwan is one of my favorite writers I knew that this fim would be thought-provoking.  It opens with Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson), a judge in the High Court of Justice in England and Wales, ruling on a case involving conjoined twins.  The hospital is petitioning the court to separate the twins without the consent of the parents.  If they are not separated, both of them will most likely die but, if they are, one of the twins will definitely die.  Even though the case is an emotional one, she states that she must follow the letter of the law without prejudice or passion and rules in favor of the hospital.  Her husband Jack (Stanley Tucci) accuses her of becoming just as dispassionate in their marriage and contemplates having an affair.  She is clearly distraught at this news and, when she hears her next case involving a seventeen-year-old boy (Fionn Whitehead) with leukemia who is refusing treatment on religious grounds, she becomes emotionally involved.  Her decision impacts her life just as much as it impacts the boy's and Thompson gives an incredibly powerful performance.  There is an amazing scene where Fiona is playing a piano recital and all of the emotion that she has been trying to suppress is suddenly revealed on her face.  Whitehead also gives a sensitive portrayal of a young man caught between his parents' beliefs and the law.  It is a compelling character study but I felt that the resolution was a bit rushed and it fell a little flat.  I found it to be rather unfulfilling after all of the emotional investment.  However, I would recommend this film for Thompson's performance and for the provacative discussion of morality and law.

 Note:  This film reminds me a bit of The Wife in that a strong central performance overcomes any shortcomings it may have!

Venom

Last night I thought I was going to see a fun new entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Not so much because Venom is merely "in association with" Marvel and, frankly, it is a disaster.  Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is an investigative reporter assigned to interview Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), the CEO of a bioengineering company called the Life Foundation, but this interview goes badly and Brock is fired.  He also loses his fiancee Anne (Michelle Williams) because he uses confidential information from her email to confront Drake (her law firm represents Drake).  It turns out that Drake, fearing the inevitable destruction of the Earth, has sent a rocket into space to look for other inhabitable worlds and has found symbiotic lifeforms.  When the rocket crash lands in Malaysia, one of the symbiotes escapes and the rest are brought to the Life Foundation where Drake tries, unsuccessfully, to achieve symbiosis with various test subjects.  Dr. Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate), a scientist working with Drake who has second thoughts about the ethics of testing subjects against their will, contacts the down-and-out Brock to offer him evidence of what has been going on.  With her help, Brock breaks into the Life Foundation and accidentally achieves symbiosis with one of the lifeforms named Venom.  Drake attempts to get Venom, now working in tandem with Brock, back until the other symbiote, named Riot, travels from Malaysia and achieves symbiosis with him.  This leads to an epic confrontation between Brock/Venom and Drake/Riot.  The script is a convoluted mess, jumping from scene to scene without much cohesion, and it is filled with dialogue that is meant to be witty banter between Brock and Venom but, for some reason, it just didn't work for me.  Maybe it is the tone because many of these quips and one-liners happen during scenes of intense mayhem and destruction (I think Upgrade does a better job in achieving a tonal balance because it doesn’t take itself seriously).  I also found the character of Brock to be very inconsistent because, initially, he is a hard-hitting and intelligent journalist so the slapstick between him and Venom comes out of nowhere.  I really like both Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams but, in my opinion, they give unusually bad performances.  Hardy is so weirdly frenetic that watching him was exhausting and Williams is clearly just phoning it in.  There are some really cool action sequences, especially a motorcycle chase through the streets of San Francisco and a fight between Venom and an entire SWAT team in the lobby of a building, but that is not enough to keep this from being a big disappointment.  I recommend giving it a miss.

Note:  I had thought of skipping this movie and seeing A Star Is Born again.  Clearly I made the wrong choice.

A Star Is Born

It seems like I've been anticipating A Star Is Born for such a long time and I finally had the opportunity to see a Thursday preview last night.  Wow!  Bradley Cooper plays Jackson Maine, an alcoholic and drug-addicted rock star who clearly has many inner demons.  Strung out after a gig, he has his driver find a bar where he can continue getting wasted but, instead, he finds Ally (Lady Gaga), a young singer/songwriter who is so insecure about her looks that she pretends to perform in drag.  He is captivated by her and, after she sings him one of her original songs, he pulls her on stage to perform it with him.  She eventually joins him on tour and gets noticed by a record producer who offers her a contract.  Conflict arises as Ally becomes successful and Jack's addictions become more severe.  I saw the Barbra Streisand/Kris Kristofferson version so long ago that, while I knew the basic premise of the story, I didn't remember many of the details so I was completely blown away by my emotional response to the tragic love story.  Bradley Cooper is hit or miss with me but his performance is incredible and so affecting, especially in a scene where Jackson breaks down and apologizes to Ally.  I've always respected Lady Gaga as a gifted musician despite her rather outlandish stage persona and she, as expected, gives a tour de force performance while on stage but she is also very believable in the role of a singer who doubts herself.  The chemistry between Cooper and Gaga is palpable and I really cared about their relationship.  I also really enjoyed seeing Anthony Ramos as Ally's friend Ramon.  Cooper wrote many of the songs with Lukas Nelson, the lead singer of Promise of the Real (the band appears in the movie as Jackson's band), and he sings and plays the guitar live on screen as well which really impressed me!  I was also impressed by Cooper's direction (it is his directorial debut) because he gives such an intimate portrait of two flawed characters.  I loved this movie!  It is definitely one of my favorite movies of the year and I highly recommend it!

Note:  I have seen Promise of the Real in concert and I really like their sound so I loved the music (I downloaded the album before the credits finished).

Ragtime at CPT

Last night my Mom and I went to see my niece Tashena perform in the ensemble in Ragtime at CenterPoint Legacy Theatre. Of course I thought she was amazing! I really like this musical and seeing Tashena perform made it even more memorable. Ragtime tells the story of America at the turn of the 20th Century. Mother (Annie Ferrin) is the matriarch of an upper-class family living in the suburb of New Rochelle. Everything changes when Father (Dan Frederickson) leaves on a voyage to the North Pole forcing her to make decisions for the first time in her life. Tateh (Shelby Ferrin) is an Eastern European Jew who brings his daughter to America for a better life. Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (Timothy Drisdom) is a Harlem piano player looking for justice after the death of his fiance Sarah (Olivia Lusk).  Their stories converge along with those of the most notable figures of the day: the illusionist Harry Houdini (Nick Morris), a showgirl named Evelyn Nesbitt (Janessa Zech) who gets caught up in the Crime of the Century, the African-American leader Booker T. Washington (Everett Spencer), the financier J.P. Morgan (Rob Severinson), the inventor of the Model-T Henry Ford (Brett Sloan), and the anarchist Emma Goldman (Katelyn Johnson). Through it all ragtime music is used as a metaphor for the changes taking place in American life before World War I and it is a compelling story filled with wonderful songs. My favorite songs in this show have always been "Sarah Brown Eyes" and "Back to Before" and they were performed beautifully last night but "Till We Reach That Day" was especially beautiful and very affecting. I also really loved "Gettin' Ready Rag" because the choreography is spectacular and my niece can really dance!  It was so much fun for my Mom and I to watch her in that number! This is a big and complicated show so I really appreciated the understated sets, which mimicked industrial iron girders, as they could be configured and reconfigured very quickly. I was especially struck by the iron gate which held the immigrants back as they entered America from Ellis Island in "A Shtetl in Amereke" because it is very dramatic.  The entire cast is outstanding but Drisdom as Coalhouse and Ferrin as Mother are particularly strong. I highly recommend this show (and not just because my niece is in it) which runs until Oct. 27.  You can purchase tickets here (if you want to see my niece, she is in the T H S cast).

Fall Camping Trip

Since I had Friday off as compensation for parent teacher conferences earlier in the week, I decided to take a trip down south to my very favorite KOA.  This little camping trip was very much needed and it was so relaxing!

I always love coming to the Fillmore KOA because it is far enough from home so I feel like I've gone somewhere and close enough to get there in less than two hours.  The facility is outstanding and the people who run it are some of the nicest people you will ever meet!

I stayed in this cabin Friday and Saturday nights.  It was in a very secluded area and I really enjoyed the solitude.

I spent most of my time sitting on the porch of the cabin reading.  Having time to read without distractions is pretty much my idea of heaven!  I loved listening to the breeze blow through the trees!  In the evening I settled into my cabin and watched movies!

On Saturday night I built a fire and sat next to it until it got really dark.  It was so relaxing!

This little camping trip was exactly what I needed!

Note:  This trip was the first item to be crossed off my fall bucket list!

Fall Bucket List

Fall is my very favorite season and I am determined to enjoy it to the fullest this year!  Here is a list of things I want to do during the month of October!

• Go on a fall camping trip.  I can already cross this off my list because I am currently sitting on the porch of my KOA cabin.
• Go on a fall drive.  Go here for five of my favorite fall drives near SLC.
• Make a fruit cobbler in a dutch oven.  I haven't done this for a really long time and I'm thinking that it needs to happen this year.
• Go to a corn maze.  Sean might think he's too cool to go with me this year.
• Carve a Jack-O-Lantern.  Marilyn and I do this with Sean and Tashena every year except the year we procrastinated buying pumpkins until the day of Halloween and then couldn't find them anywhere.
• Watch the movie Young Frankenstein with donuts and apple cider.  This has been a tradition ever since I moved out on my own and I look forward to it every year.
• Watch a horror movie in the theater.  I'm thinking of seeing the new Halloween movie.
• Eat a caramel apple.  This was the number one thing I wanted to do after I got my braces off!
• Eat chili in a pumpkin bread bowl. My Mom has made chili on Halloween since I was a little girl.  It is one of my favorite traditions.
• Attend ODT's Thriller.  I have been attending this Halloween dance extravaganza for the past 20 years.  It just wouldn't be Halloween without it!
• Make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  We'll see if this actually happens!

There you have it!  I'm so excited for all of it!  Do you have any fall traditions?

Waitress at the Eccles

A few years ago my friend Esther and I went on a quick theatre trip to NYC.  I chose to see the revival of She Loves Me and Esther picked Waitress.  I wasn't really that keen on seeing Waitress but I am so glad that Esther picked it because I ended up loving it!  The original Broadway cast, especially Jessie Meuller, was outstanding and the song "She Used To Be Mine" brought me to tears!  Needless to say I was really excited for the chance to see it again at the Eccles Theatre last night and I loved it just as much as the Broadway production.  It tells the story of how Jenna (Desi Oakley, in her final performance in the role) uses baking to cope with her dead-end job as a waitress in a diner and her unhappy marriage to an abusive husband (Nick Bailey).  When she learns that she is pregnant, and then begins an affair with her gynecologist (Bryan Fenkart), she expresses her hopes, dreams, fears, and frustrations through the names of the pies she bakes each morning for the diner: Deep Shit Blueberry Pie, Berry the Bullshit Pie, A Little Wild Wild Berry Pie, In the Dark Chocolate Pie, etc.  Whenever she is overwhelmed everything freezes and she tells the audience the ingredients for her latest pie, always beginning with "Sugar, Butter, Flour."  In the end, the ingredient she needs is courage!  The songs, written by Sara Bareilles, are fabulous and I especially like "What's Inside," "Opening Up," and "It Only Takes a Taste" because, while they are about baking, they are also metaphors for life!  So clever!  My favorite song is, of course, "She Used To Be Mine" and Oakley performed it with so much passion that I had tears once again!  While I did cry, I also laughed and laughed in many parts of the show, particularly "Never Ever Getting Rid of Me" and "Bad Idea" because the choreography is absolutely hilarious!   It is also really fun to see the live band playing in the diner and to watch the cast actually make the pies on stage!  I really enjoyed watching this show again and I highly recommend it!  Waitress runs at the Eccles Theatre until Sunday and tickets may be purchased here.

Rebel Without a Cause

I have never seen Rebel Without a Cause, the ultimate movie about teenage angst, so I was really excited when I found out that it was part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series this year.  I had the chance to see it yesterday and I'm glad I can finally cross this classic off my list.  This movie is about three teenagers who are alienated from their families and are getting into trouble as a reaction to their discontent.  Jim Stark (James Dean) lives in a home with an overbearing mother (Ann Doran) who emasculates his father (Jim Backus).  Jim is embarrassed by his father and gets into fights to prove that he is not a chicken.  Judy (Natalie Wood) hangs out with the wrong crowd in order to get her father's (William Hopper) attention.  John "Plato" Crawford (Sal Mineo) longs for a connection with someone because he has an absent father and a disinterested mother.  After Jim participates in a drag race that results in the death of a gang member, the rest of the gang goes after him because they think he has ratted them out to the police.  Jim, Judy, and Plato hide out in an abandoned mansion (which was also used in Sunset Boulevard) until the gang finds them leading to an epic showdown at the Observatory.  I understand that this movie was groundbreaking in its portrayal of adolescent unhappiness but, to me, it seems extremely melodramatic.  There was even a moment early on when Jim tells his parents that they are tearing him apart when I laughed because it reminded me of the same line in the movie The Room.  Everyone ridicules Tommy Wiseau for his delivery of that line but I didn't see a difference between his delivery and Dean's.  However, I did enjoy Dean's performance in this movie much more than his performance in Giant because I found him to be incredibly appealing.  My favorite scene was the field trip to the Observatory because the presentation about the destruction of the Earth profoundly foreshadows the characters' feelings of hopelessness (it also reminded me of the Observatory scenes in La La Land).  I'm glad I had the chance to see it on the big screen!

Oslo at PTC

I made several different plans to see Oslo, the Tony Award winning play opening the 2018-2019 season at PTC, but they all fell through for one reason or another.  I finally had the chance to see it last night with my friend (we both have rush passes) and I thought it was absolutely brilliant.  I wish that I had time to see it again.  It tells the behind-the-scenes story of how the Oslo Accords, the first ever agreement between Israel and the PLO in 1993, came to be.  Terje Rod-Larsen (Jeff Talbott), the Executive Director of the Fafo Institute, and his wife Mona Juul (Kate Middleton), an official in the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, witness a riot while traveling through the Gaza Strip in Israel.  Terje is forever changed by the incident and, believing that the current model of negotiation will never work, decides to get low-level representatives from the PLO, Ahmed Qurie (Demosthenes Chrysan) and Hassan Asfour (Thamer Jendoubi), and Israel, Yair Hirschfeld (Neal Benari) and Ron Pundak (Max Woertendyke), to meet in secret in Oslo.  He believes that if they get to know each other as men they will learn to trust each other and this provides a bit of comic relief.  The story details the back and forth between the two groups as they work towards peace and it does involve lots of dialogue rather than action.  As a former world geography teacher I pay close attention to world events, especially in the Middle East, so it was really easy for me to follow what was happening but my friend found it very compelling, as well.  The pacing kept me engaged (although I thought it was over before the second intermission) and the actors give outstanding performances.  I also really liked the staging, which is minimal to allow for quick transformations.  I highly recommend this production which runs through next week (tickets may be purchased here).

Ode to Joy

If you were not at Abravanel Hall last night you definitely missed out on a magnificent performance!  The orchestra began with a new piece by Andrew Norman, Composer-in-Association with the Utah Symphony, called Suspend.  The composer was there to introduce the piece which was commissioned by pianist Emanuel Ax.  He explained that he wanted the piece to represent the freedom that comes from solitude and that theme really resonated with me because I crave solitude.  Soloist Jason Hardink began by softly playing notes, seemingly at random, and then continued in an almost improvisational manner.  Different sections of the orchestra gradually joined in as the piece escaped from the pianist's mind to become a composition.  The piece ended as it began with the just the pianist, alone once again, playing a few random notes.  I was fascinated by the percussion section because they used bows on different percussion instruments instead of mallets (I'm sure there is a proper term for this) and the effect was quite otherworldly.  I really loved it.  After the intermission the orchestra was joined by the Utah Symphony Chorus, the Choirs of the University of Utah, and soloists Joelle Harvey, Kirsten Chavez, Issachah Savage, and Patrick Carfizzi for Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Ode to Joy."  This piece is simply amazing and it was performed brilliantly!  I loved the timpani in the first movement, the jaunty theme played by the woodwinds in the second movement, and the beautiful melody played by the strings in the third movement.  Then the stirring and life-affirming fourth movement just blew me away.  The instantly recognizable theme began softly with the cellos and then it was repeated, in turn, by different sections of the orchestra and, finally, by the soloists and the choirs.  I was absolutely overcome!  During the thunderous standing ovation the little old lady next to me turned and said, "I don't think you have really lived if you haven't heard that played live!"  I agree wholeheartedly and suggest you get a ticket (go here) to hear it when it is performed again tonight!

The Scarlet Pimpernel at HCT

I have seen two of HCT's three productions of The Scarlet Pimpernel and they are among my very favorite shows at Hale or anywhere else! I think I squealed out loud when I learned that they were mounting a new production this season and I have been eagerly anticipating it for months to see what they could do in their new space. I was not disappointed because it is even bigger and better than ever! I have always loved the novel by Baroness Orczy (one of my students is reading it and we discuss it every day) and the music by Frank Wildhorn adds a dazzling romance to the thrilling story.  Percy Blakeney (Daniel Beck) has disguised himself as the Scarlet Pimpernel and has recruited a band of followers in order to save the people of Paris from the sinister Chauvelin (Dallyn Vail Bayles) and his guillotine during the French Revolution. He keeps his identity a secret from his wife Marguerite St. Just (Erin Royall Carlson), a Parisian actress, because he believes that she is helping Chauvelin, her former lover.  He is also keeping his identity secret from the Prince of Wales (Jeffrey Whitlock) by pretending to be a foppish nincompoop. However, he must make his most daring rescue when Marguerite and her brother Armand (Nathan Kremin) are arrested. What I loved most about Hale's former productions was the carousel during Marguerite's performance of "Storybook" at the Comedie Francaise. With a bigger stage and more toys at his disposal, set designer Kacey Udy outdid himself with the carousel in this show because it is amazing. I heard an audible gasp from the audience as it rose from below the stage. The 23-foot guillotine is another impressive set piece. I also really liked Percy's study and the rose garden. The costumes are absolutely gorgeous throughout the entire show but my favorites were those worn by the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel during "The Creation of Man."  They take "frou frou" to new levels. I really enjoyed the choreography, especially the intricate "Ouilles Gavotte" where Marguerite questions the men to try to learn the identity of the Pimpernel. The three leads are outstanding and it is incredibly powerful when the three of them sing "The Riddle." Beck, especially, does a good job at portraying Percy's strength as the Pimpernel, his vulnerability as a man who loves but can't trust his wife, and his silliness as a man trying to hide his identity. He is so funny in his interactions with Chauvelin and I laughed out loud every time he mispronounced his name! I cannot recommend this show enough (go here for more information) but you better hurry because most shows are sold out making tickets even more elusive than the Pimpernel!

The Predator

The first time I saw Predator my parents were out for the evening and I was watching it in the basement family room with my two younger sisters.  We were so scared!  We thought there was an alien in our house so we barricaded ourselves downstairs until my parents got home.  To this day it remains one of the most frightening movies I've ever seen!  I've not seen any of the other movies in the franchise but my Dad has and he loves them.  When he heard about The Predator he asked me to take him to see it.  We've been planning this outing for at least a month and finally got to go last night.  The filmmakers took one of the scariest movies ever and turned it into an action/adventure thriller.  This is not necessarily a bad thing because my Dad and I had so much fun watching it (which was not what I was expecting at all).  Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook), a covert operative, and all of his team are on a hostage retrieval mission when an alien ship crash lands.  His entire team is killed but McKenna is able to stun the predator and takes its helmet and armor as proof of what happened before the army comes in and takes charge.  Before he is captured and found incompetent, he mails the alien technology home where his son Rory (Jacob Tremblay) finds it and activates it.  Soon another alien ship comes to Earth to retrieve the stolen technology.  Hunting both predators are an evolutionary biologist (Olivia Munn), McKenna and a group of ragtag government prisoners (who contribute much comic relief), and some government agents.  Of course there is an epic showdown and the possibility of another sequel.  The story is a bit of a convoluted mess but it hardly matters.  I found Holbrook to be an appealing action hero and I really enjoyed the action sequences which were thrilling rather than scary.  The best sequences were when the entire team was hunting one of the predators in the woods (it reminded me of the first movie).  I thought the prisoners recruited by McKenna were funny (for the most part) but I eventually found the constant profanity and crude humor to be tiresome after a while.  It is entertaining and I had a lot of fun watching it with my Dad who called it an awesome B-movie.

The Wife

I have been eagerly anticipating the release of The Wife since I saw the trailer a few weeks ago and I had the opportunity to see it yesterday afternoon.  I found it to be very compelling.  Joseph Castleman (Jonathan Pryce) has just been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.  He and his wife Joan (Glenn Close) travel to Stockholm for the award ceremony where he is showered with adulation while she holds his coat, hands him his reading glasses, reminds him to take his pills, and overlooks his flirting with a beautiful photographer.  As the events surrounding the presentation ceremony transpire over a few days, Joan begins to reflect on her role of supporting wife with flashbacks to her days as an aspiring writer at Smith College and conversations with Castelman's would-be biographer (Christian Slater).  Glenn Close gives an absolutely brilliant performance, one of the best of her career.  Joan is quietly self-contained until thirty years of being taken for granted become unbearable during Castleman's acceptance speech.  This scene is amazing because it is like watching a gathering storm and, when she lets loose, it is a category 5 hurricane.  She shares some positively explosive scenes with Pryce and it is heartbreaking when she realizes how much she loves him.  I did feel that the flashback scenes to the characters' younger selves (Annie Starke and Harry Lloyd) are poorly executed and completely unnecessary as they take away the momentum of the story being told in Stockholm.  Also, the narrative is a very slow exploration of the disintegration of a tumultuous marriage without a lot of action so it might not be for everyone.  However, Close elevates this fairly ordinary movie into something extraordinary and I highly recommend it for her performance.

Note:  In many ways this film reminds me of 45 Years.

White Boy Rick

I was on the fence about seeing White Boy Rick but I didn't have any plans last night so I decided to check it out.  I ended up liking this cautionary tale based on a true story much more than I thought I would.  As a fifteen year old, Rick Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt) can see that his life is going nowhere.  He lives in an economically depressed Detroit in the 1980s with a gun running father (Matthew McConaughey) who has big plans for opening a video store which never come to fruition and a sister (Bel Powley) who is a junkie.  He has dropped out of school and runs with one of the many black gangs who rule the city where he acquires the nickname "White Boy Rick."  Two FBI agents (Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rory Cochrane) blackmail him into becoming an informant by threatening to arrest his father for selling guns that were involved in a crime.  They have Rick do controlled buys of crack cocaine to build cases against the dealers.  He eventually sends the members of his former gang to prison and gets shot in the stomach for his trouble.  When his girlfriend has a baby and his sister almost overdoses, he decides that selling crack for himself will be the best way to help his family.  This leads to his arrest, a betrayal by the FBI, and a mandatory life sentence at the age of 17.  The brilliant performances are what makes this movie better than I expected.  Merritt, in his first ever role, is incredibly sympathetic as a teenager bereft of hope and he gives Rick a certain vulnerability along with the swagger.  McConaughey is charismatic (and a little bit sleazy) as a father who means well but can't do anything to improve his family's situation.  Powley is riveting as a strung out junkie and the scene where she is found in a flophouse is absolutely visceral.  I also really enjoyed the 1980s verisimilitude, especially the scenes at the roller rink.  My problem with this movie is that it is sometimes really unfocused and confusing with a lot of vignettes that don't add up to a cohesive whole.  I was left with a lot of unanswered questions which prompted an online search for information that should have been included.  I'm glad that I saw it, though, and I recommend it for the touching family drama and the great performances.

Note:  It goes without saying that a movie like this is full of violence and profanity, although I didn't find it to be gratuitous.

Bernstein on Broadway

Last night, in honor of Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday, the Utah Symphony performed a concert featuring the music of Bernstein with guest conductor Teddy Abrams and Broadway star Morgan James.  Bernstein's music is so evocative and exuberant and James has such a powerful voice that she seemed capable of blowing the roof off Abravanel Hall so, as you can imagine, this concert was absolutely wonderful.  The orchestra began with the Overture to West Side Story and then James gave a lovely performance of "Tonight" from the same show.  She continued with several selections from On the Town including "I Can Cook Too," "Some Other Time," and "Ain't Got No Tears Left" while the orchestra played "Times Square 1944" which was a lot of fun.  Then she sang "A Simple Song" from Bernstein's Mass which I really loved.  After the intermission, the orchestra played the Overture to Bernstein's operetta Candide (the orchestra will play this in its entirety in November).  James, then, sang several songs from Peter Pan, a piece I was unfamiliar with, including "Dream with Me" and "My House" which were lovely.  The concert concluded with a rousing rendition of "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide which brought the audience to its feet!  For the encore, she performed an incredible version of "Somewhere" from West Side Story.  I enjoyed this performance so much!  My favorite moment was when James sang "Some Other Time" because it was so plaintive and nostalgic.  If you are a fan of Leonard Bernstein I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to this concert which will be performed again tonight!

A Simple Favor

Last night I went to a Thursday preview of A Simple Favor and I thoroughly enjoyed this dark comedy.  Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) is a single mom living in a Connecticut suburb.  She is extremely lonely and tries to be the perfect mom (complete with a vlog giving parenting tips, recipes, and crafts for other moms) to mask her pain.  When her son wants a play date with another boy at his school, she meets Emily Nelson (Blake Lively), a wealthy, glamorous, and enigmatic woman with a high profile job in the city.  They bond over secrets and martinis but Stephanie thinks that their friendship is genuine while Emily sees it as a way to get free child care.  When Emily does not pick up her son from a play date, Stephanie begins looking for her missing friend and uncovers more than she bargained for.  She also begins a relationship with Emily's husband Sean (Henry Golding) which further complicates matters.  What makes this movie so much fun to watch is that you never know who is duping whom until the final resolution.  All three of these characters have secrets, which are revealed little by little, and the plot twists are completely twisted!  I loved both Lively and Kendrick in their roles (these characters must have been so much fun to play) and the dialogue during their martini-fueled afternoons is a definite highlight.  Rupert Friend is absolutely hilarious as Dennis Nylon, the designer Emily works for, and Jean Smart is fabulous as Emily's alcoholic mother.  This movie is so stylish with incredible sets, production design, and costumes (especially all of Lively's tailored suits).  I had so much fun watching this wildly entertaining movie and I highly recommend it!