Christmas 2018

Yesterday my family celebrated Christmas together and it was one of the best holidays we've ever had!  It was a wonderful day and it began with opening presents.  I was given strict instructions to be at my parents' house at 8:00 am and, of course, when I got there we still had to wait for Sean and Tashena!

According to tradition we all take turns opening one present at a time, starting with the youngest (Sean) and working our way to the oldest (my Mom).  It is so much fun watching everyone open their presents, especially Sean and Tashena.

Tashena's big presents were some white Nike shoes to match the red ones that she got for her birthday (she needs shoes to match her home and away basketball uniforms), a backpack for all of her athletic gear, the nicest water bottle that I have ever seen, a hoodie, an electric blanket, and a bunch of smaller items.

Sean has lots of different gaming platforms and he got a bunch of new games for each of them.  He was so happy and he spent the rest of the day either downloading or playing games.

I got a new camera, AirPods, Seasons 1-3 of Mr. Robot on DVD (because I am a little bit obsessed with Rami Malek), the companion book and the soundtrack to Bohemian Rhapsody (because I am really obsessed with this movie), an initial necklace, and a new Kyle Korver jersey!

After opening presents, Marilyn and I went to see Mary Poppins Returns which was just delightful once again.  In the evening we had a wonderful dinner and then played another epic game of Shanghai rummy.  It was honestly the best day ever and I am so glad that I got to celebrate with my family!

Christmas Eve 2018

Yesterday was such a great day!  I slept in really late and then spent most of the morning wrapping presents (I usually don't leave it this late).  In the evening Marilyn and I took Sean to see Aquaman which I enjoyed even more than the first time!  Then, as per tradition, Sean and Tashena got to open one present.

They always get new Christmas jammies and we make them put them on and pose.

Then we all played Shanghai rummy.  Whenever we play this game it gets really out of hand and last night it was so crazy that someone threw a projectile at someone else during the first round!  It was actually so much fun!

Gingerbread Houses 2018

Saturday night we had our annual gingerbread house decorating party with Sean and Tashena.  It is such a fun tradition!  This year we got really fancy kits with that came with a lot of extras like colored frosting and fondant!  I had a lot of fun with the fondant!

Various stages of construction.

Tashena's house.

Sean's house.

Marilyn's house.

My house.

Our gingerbread village!

Elf The Musical at CPT

Yesterday I went to see a matinee of Elf The Musical at CPT and it was so much fun. This show tells the story of Buddy (Ben Heder), who has been raised as an elf at the North Pole after crawling into Santa's bag when he was a baby. After discovering that he is really a human instead of an elf, he decides to travel to New York City to find his Dad (Andrew Gemperline) and ends up giving Christmas cheer to his new family, his girlfriend Jovie (Niki Waite), and all of New York City. The singing and dancing in this show is fantastic and I especially liked the choreography in "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" as Buddy helps the tap dancing Macy's employees decorate the store for Santa and "A Christmas Song" as Buddy takes Jovie ice skating in front of Rockefeller Plaza (on a rink that was so realistic it actually looked like the actors were skating). Santa Claus (Randy Honaker) narrates the story as if he were reading a Christmas book to the audience and I liked the use of a giant book with projections illustrating different scenes. The costumes worn by the elves, including Buddy, at the North Pole are colorful and whimsical and Santa's suit is incredibly elaborate (in contrast, I found the costumes worn by the New Yorkers to be rather bland and sometimes ill-fitting). Heder is really charming in the lead role, giving Buddy an innocence that is really heartwarming. I also really liked Waite as Jovie because she gives her a bit of vulnerability.  It is an adorable show and you would have to be a cotton headed ninny muggins not to enjoy it.  Unfortunately, the run ended yesterday but you can go here for CPT's 2019 season which begins with Lend Me a Tenor.

The Nutcracker 2018

I am now officially on winter break and I am so happy to have a little bit of time off!  I celebrated the end of the longest week in recorded history by going to see Ballet West's The Nutcracker last night and it was wonderful!  This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions and, even though I have seen this ballet more times than I can count, I always look forward to every scene!  The party for Clara and Fritz is enchanting, the Nutcracker coming to life is magical, and the dance of the Snow Queen and her snowflakes is dazzling.  When Clara and her Nutcracker Prince travel to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, I love all of the divertissements devised for Clara's entertainment but my favorites are the Arabian dance because it is so exotic and the Russian dance for the sheer athleticism!  My favorite scene in the entire ballet is the Grand Pas de Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier because Tchaikovsky's music and William Christensen's choreography in this section are unbelievably romantic.  Emily Adams and Adrian Fry danced their roles beautifully and I thought they had a lot of chemistry.  The sets and costumes were completely redesigned last year and I really like the changes because the party scene incorporates rich jewel tones and the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy is more exotic.  I also really like all of the special effects, especially when the Christmas tree grows in size and the fireworks display during the finale.  I love all of the children in the cast because they are so exuberant, particularly Mother Buffoon's children.  I highly recommend this lovely production because it is sure to become a Christmas tradition (go here for tickets).

Aquaman

Last night I got to see a Thursday preview of Aquaman, the latest installment in the DCEU.  I have really been looking forward to this movie for the simple reason that it stars Jason Momoa and two and half hours of looking at Jason Momoa on a big screen is pretty much awesome!  The movie begins with the backstory of how Arthur Curry's father Tom (Temuera Morrison), a lighthouse keeper, finds Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), a queen from the lost civilization of Atlantis, washed up on shore.  They fall in love and have a son named Arthur who grows up to become the anti-hero (Momoa) that we met in The Justice League.  Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Atlantis, Arthur's half-brother King Orm (Patrick Wilson) is trying to unite the seven underwater kingdoms, either by an alliance or by force if necessary, to become Ocean Master so that he can wage war on land to punish humanity for polluting and militarizing the ocean.  King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren) has formed an alliance with Orm but his daughter Mera (Amber Heard) wants to avoid war.  She asks Arthur to take his rightful position as king by challenging Orm but he is ultimately unsuccessful.  Mera believes the only way Arthur can defeat Orm is by finding a lost trident wielded by an ancient king of Atlantis which will give him control of the sea.  They go on a quest to find it but Arthur must also contend with a pirate, known as Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who has been given Atlantean technology and blames Arthur for his father's death.  The movie concludes with an epic confrontation between Arthur and Orm for control of the ocean.  This movie has some flaws but it is quite the spectacle and I really enjoyed it (Did I mention that it stars Jason Momoa?).  It sometimes feels overlong and repetitive and there is some truly cringe-worthy dialogue but the world-building and visuals are amazing.  The underwater battles are incredibly dynamic with 360-degree camera work, fast-paced action sequences, psychedelic colors, and fantastical creatures (my favorites are the armored seahorses).  Arthur has a nice character arc as a reluctant hero who learns what it means to be a king and Momoa imbues him with a wisecracking charisma that is a lot of fun.  Again, there are flaws but I think this movie is awesome (Did I mention that it stars Jason Momoa?)

Mary Poppins Returns

I have been anticipating Mary Poppins Returns for what seems like forever (it stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, after all).  I had the chance to see it last night and not even a theater full of crying and disruptive children could dampen my enthusiasm for this wonderful movie!  I absolutely loved it!  It is twenty years after the events in Mary Poppins and Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) still lives on Cherry Tree Lane with his children John (Nathanael Saleh), Annabel (Pixie Davies), and Georgie (Joel Dawson).  He is assisted by his incompetent housekeeper (Julie Walters) and his activist sister Jane (Emily Mortimer).  However, tragedy has struck the household because Michael's wife has recently died and the family home is about to be repossessed by the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, now being run by William Wilkins (Colin Firth).  It's Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) to the rescue when she retrieves Georgie's kite and returns to Cherry Tree Lane.  She and Jack the Lamplighter (Miranda) take the children on adventures in the bathtub ("Can You Imagine That?"), in a Royal Doulton bowl ("A Cover is Not the Book"), in a Fix-It Shop ("Turning Turtle"), and in the London fog ("Trip a Little Light Fantastic") before helping the Banks family find their mother ("The Place Where Lost Things Go") and save their house ("Nowhere to Go But Up").  I had a huge smile on my face the whole time I was watching it because, while it is a new story, it is just as whimsical and charming as the original.  Blunt and Miranda (sigh) are absolutely delightful, the children are adorable, the songs are a lot of fun, the choreography is spectacular (especially in "Trip a Little Light Fantastic" which is my favorite number because it reminds me of all of those old fashioned Hollywood musicals), and the visuals are stunning!  It is a heartwarming story and I may or may not have been openly weeping when the children sing a reprise of "The Place Where Lost Things Go."  I loved all of the cameos including Meryl Streep as Mary's eccentric cousin Topsy, David Warner as the Admiral who lives next door and Jim Norton as his First Mate, Dick Van Dyke as the Chairman of the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, and Angela Lansbury as the Balloon Lady.  This movie is practically perfect in every way and I highly recommend it, especially if you are nostalgic for the original!

The Mule

Last night I crossed yet another movie off my list by seeing The Mule.  I was very intrigued by the trailer but I found the movie itself to be boring and very forgettable.  It is a character study of Earl Stone (Clint Eastwood), a 90 year old horticulturalist whose business has been ruined by the internet but not before it took him away from his family too many times.  He is trying to make amends with his ex-wife (Dianne Wiest), daughter (Allison Eastwood), and granddaughter (Taissa Farmiga) but they are not making it easy on him, for good reason. A random encounter leads to a job as a mule for a drug cartel which he thinks of as a one time thing to earn money for his granddaughter's wedding.  However, he keeps finding ways to use the money and continues, becoming more and more entrenched.  Despite the fact that Earl is a successful mule precisely because he is unpredictable, a cartel boss (Andy Garcia) assigns him a handler (Ignacio Serricchio) who puts pressure on him to conform to their instructions which, ironically, puts him on the radar of two DEA agents (Bradley Cooper and Michael Pena).  When his ex-wife gets sick, he decides to go AWOL from a drug run to reconcile with his family which gets both the drug cartel and the DEA after him.  There are quite a few problems with this movie, in my opinion.  I did not find Earl to be a very sympathetic character because he is a racist curmudgeon who just smiles when people call him out on his derogatory comments as if he can't be held accountable for anything because he is old.  It really bothered me.  Most of the other characters do not get a lot of development and, after leaving the theater, I struggled to remember their names.  Even great actors like Wiest, Pena, and Cooper can't do much with the material.  I found the portrayal of women to be very off-putting because every character is either a shrew or a sex object.  There are long sustained shots of women twerking and Earl has, not one but two, threesomes with prostitutes.  Ew!  Earl's reconciliation (undeserved, in my opinion) with his family happens very quickly and feels contrived so it doesn't have the emotional punch that this movie needs.  Finally, there are way too many scenes of Earl driving along the highway singing along to the radio and, after a while, I found them to be boring.  There is not a lot of tension in this movie and the final confrontation between Earl and the DEA feels inevitable and anticlimactic.  Meh.  Give this one a miss.

The Favourite

I have a really long list of movies to see in the next little while (it might help if I didn't keep going to see Bohemian Rhapsody over and over) but I crossed one of them off yesterday by seeing The Favourite.  In 18th century England, Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) suffers from gout and is more concerned with playing with her rabbits (which represent all of the children she has lost) than in governing the country which is it war.  Anne's closest confidante, and secret lover, is Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz).  Anne is completely under the control of Sarah, who essentially rules the country through her influence and advocates for more taxes to support the war.  Abigail Hill (Emma Stone), a cousin of Sarah's whose family has lost their place in society, applies to Sarah for a job at court and is employed as a scullery maid.  Abigail impresses Anne when she creates an herbal remedy for her gout and is promoted.  She cultivates an alliance with the opposition in government, Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult), who encourages her promotion because he wants her to influence Anne to end the war.  She eventually begins to insinuate herself into Anne’s favor which causes open warfare between Abigail and Sarah.  Much like Yorgos Lanthimos' other films, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, this is a scathing and satirical commentary on social norms and, while it is much more accessible than the other two, it is filled with the absurd (racing ducks, throwing pomegranates at a naked man, and breakdancing at a ball).  His movies always make me laugh but feel vaguely uncomfortable!  However, it is just so much fun watching the machinations of both Sarah and Abigail as they compete for power and I never really knew which one I wanted to prevail.  Weisz and Stone give amazing performances but Colman is simply brilliant as the capricious and petulant, yet ultimately sympathetic, Queen who plays both women off of each other for her own gain.  The use of a fish-eye lens, long tracking shots, and the low-angle perspectives all serve to keep the action slightly off-kilter and the use of low lighting emphasizes the intrigue.  The overdecorated interiors and elaborate black and white costumes are a superb backdrop for this biting comedy of manners.  It isn't for everyone but I loved it!

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

I went to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse last night and, not only did I love it, but I had so much fun in a packed theater of rowdy and appreciative fans who laughed and cheered throughout!  It is absolutely fantastic and manages to create a story, about a character that we have seen so many times, that is fresh and original!  Miles Morales (Shemeik Moore) is bitten by a radioactive spider and, after waking up with superpowers which disrupt his life completely, he returns to the alley where he was bitten.  He finds a secret lab with a supercollider created by Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) to access parallel universes in order to bring back alternate versions of his wife and son who died during an altercation with Spider-Man (Chris Pine).  Spider-Man appears in order to disable the collider but, after he is wounded when he falls into it, he asks Miles to destroy it.  This also allows several incarnations of Spider-Man from parallel universes to appear including a down-and-out Peter B. Parker/ Spider-Man (Jake Johnson),  spunky Gwen Stacy/ Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), the cartoon Peter Porker/ Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), a monochromatic Spider-Noir (Nicolas Cage), and Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) a young Japanese girl who pilots a biomechanical spider.  After Spider-Man dies, they help Miles discover his powers and find the motivation to fight Kingpin as well as other familiar villains.  It is so clever and funny but it has quite a few surprisingly poignant moments, as well, and I love the message that anyone can be a hero.  The characters are a lot of fun and are very well-developed.  The animation is absolutely dazzling, unlike anything I have ever seen before, because it looks like you stepped inside of a comic book.  Each Spider-Man character has his (or her) own comic book style (I really liked Peni because she looked like an anime character).  The music is also fantastic, featuring the hip-hop music that Miles listens to, and I especially like "What's Up Danger" by Blackway and Black Caviar.  This movie is so much fun and I highly recommend seeing it on the biggest screen possible!

Note:  There is a cameo with Stan Lee and a post-credits scene.  Both are really great!

An Evening in Spain

Last night I decided to take a little trip to Spain.  Well, I did take a little trip downtown to Abravanel Hall to hear the Utah Symphony perform music inspired by Spain and it was pretty spectacular!  The orchestra began with Espana by Emmanuel Chabrier which was written after the composer was first introduced to flamenco dancing.  It is very lively and exuberant.  Next, the orchestra played Nights in the Gardens of Spain by Manuel de Falla with soloist Ingrid Fliter on piano.  The composer took inspiration for this piece from the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.  I found it to be very moody and atmospheric at the beginning and then it becomes more passionate and stirring as it progresses.  I really enjoyed it.  After the intermission, the orchestra played a selection from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet.  Carmen is the first opera that I fell in love with as a teenager (Utah Opera performed a portion of it at my school and I was captivated) and I have since seen it countless times.  The music is incredibly dramatic and my favorite selections are "The Toreador Song" and the "Habanera."  I have to admit that when the orchestra was playing the "Habanera," I couldn't help but picture the scene in Bohemian Rhapsody when Queen is pitching their idea for a new album to an EMI executive while Freddie plays a recording of it.  I even did the same fist pump that Freddie does during a particularly dramatic point in the aria!  I think the lady sitting behind me thought I was crazy!  I absolutely loved hearing it!  Next, the orchestra played Capriccio espagnol by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.  Even though Rimsky-Korsakov is one of my favorite composers, I had never heard this piece before.  I really liked it, especially the theme played by a solo clarinet during the first variation.  Finally, the orchestra played the piece that I had come specifically to hear: Bolero by Maurice Ravel.  When I was a child my Dad had a recording of various classical pieces played by a Moog synthesizer.  I loved the whole thing but Bolero was my favorite piece because the synthesizer mimicked all of the instruments, including the applause at the end!  There is a continual rhythm played by a snare drum throughout the whole piece.  Then the melody begins slowly and softly with a theme played by a solo flute and then that same theme, with variations, is repeated by all of the different instruments in the orchestra for fourteen minutes, gaining in speed and intensity until a final thundering crescendo at the end.  It is absolutely epic and I love it! I may or may not have been pumping my fist again by the end (the poor lady behind me!).  It was quite the evening and I recommend that you visit Spain, too, when this program is repeated again tonight (go here for tickets).

Note:  The guest conductor was Jun Markl who is a favorite with Utah Symphony audiences, including me!

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir

Last summer Kristin Chenoweth was going to perform a concert with the Utah Symphony at the Deer Valley Music Festival.  I bought a ticket immediately but, sadly, she had to cancel because of an injury (Sutton Foster replaced her so it was still an amazing concert).  I was a little bit disappointed because I really wanted to see her so, when it was announced that she would be the special guest for this year's Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir concert, I was so excited!  This might be my favorite one yet because Kristin Chenoweth is absolutely adorable!  The Choir, Orchestra on Temple Square, Bells on Temple Square, and the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble began with "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" which was just lovely.  Chenoweth appeared from the audience (after interacting with some lucky audience members) and sang "We Need a Little Christmas" while flirting with Mack Wilberg!  She said her goal was to make him blush and he certainly did!  The highlight of the concert for me came next when she sang a beautiful arrangement of "O Holy Night" which is my very favorite Christmas song!  It gave me goosebumps (and a few tears).  Then the Choir sang "For Unto Us a Child Is Born" from Handel's Messiah which is always very stirring.  Next, Chenoweth sang an almost bluesy rendition of "Mary, Did You Know?" and a rousing rendition of "Come On, Ring Those Bells."  The Orchestra played selections from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, which is a favorite!  Chenoweth then sang "The Christmas Waltz" and pulled a member of the Choir to dance with her (did I mention that she is adorable?).  The audience joined in on a fun arrangement of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and Chenoweth appeared with the Choir wearing one of their costumes.  Then she appeared with the Bells on Temple Square in one of their costumes carrying a bell that was bigger than her for "Carol of the Bells," another favorite of mine.  She then narrated "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, sang "Angels Among Us," "What Child Is This?," and concluded with "Angels from the Realms of Glory."  I loved this concert so much and I am so grateful and happy that I got to go again this year!

Note:  I have seen Renee Fleming, Sissel, Natalie Cole, Sutton Foster, and, now, Kristin Chenoweth perform with the Tabernacle Choir during their annual Christmas concert.  Chenoweth is my favorite guest...so far!

The Wizard of Oz at HCT

Last night I saw The Wizard of Oz, which is quite possibly the biggest and most ambitious show ever produced by Hale Theatre! It is an awesome spectacle, using all of the bells and whistles afforded by the new stage! This version of the L. Frank Baum book is very much informed by the 1939 film of the same name and tells the familiar story of how Dorothy Gale (Lexi Walker) lands, literally, in the fantastical world of Oz and how the Scarecrow (Jordan Dahl), the Tin Man (Preston Taylor), and the Cowardly Lion (Dustin Bolt) help her get to the Wizard (B.J. Whimpey), hoping that he can get her back to Kansas, while avoiding the Wicked Witch of the West (Carolyn Hartvigsen), who wants her sister's ruby slippers back. I have to be honest and say that I have seen a few productions of the stage musical and I vastly prefer the movie but I thought this was a lot of fun. Lexi Walker gives an incredible performance and her rendition of "Over the Rainbow" will definitely give you goosebumps. Dahl, Taylor, and Bolt are amazing dancers and they each have a moment to shine in "If I Only Had A Brain," "If I Only Had A Heart," and "If I Only Had A Nerve," respectively. I was especially impressed with Dahl's acrobatics. The costumes are spectacular and the sheer number of them created for this show is mind-boggling! I particularly loved Glinda's (Eden Benson) glittering gown and the Wicked Witch's cape of raven feathers. The special effects are dazzling, especially the tornado and the scenes with the Wizard! The Wicked Witch (and her monkeys) fly all around the stage, beautiful aerialists represent the snow in the poppy field, and Glinda's floating bubble is epic. My only complaint is that the pacing seems a bit off because some scenes went on for much too long, especially in Act II. However, it is very early in the run and I am sure things will tighten up. This would be a perfect holiday show for families (go here for tickets) and I recommend it.

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at PTC

Since I am a huge fan of Jane Austen in general and of Pride and Prejudice in particular, I have been anticipating PTC's current production for months!  Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley takes the beloved characters we know so well and places them in a delightful drawing room comedy that is perfect for the holidays!  Mr. and Mrs. Darcy (Greg Balla and Emily Nash, respectively) invite the entire Bennet family to Pemberley for Christmas.  Mr. and Mrs. Bingley (Logan James Hall and Rachel Clausen, respectively) are expecting a baby imminently, Mrs. Wickham (Jessica Naimy) is lonely and unhappy in her marriage to Mr. Wickham, and Mary Bennet (Elizabeth Ramos) is lamenting the fact that she has been abandoned and forgotten by her sisters at Longbourn.  Mr. Darcy reveals that, since Lady Catherine de Bourgh has recently died, he has invited the new heir to Rosings, Arthur de Bourgh (Jamen Nanthakumar), to Pemberley for Christmas.  He takes an immediately liking to Mary (he likes to read as much as she does) but Mrs. Wickham flirts outrageously with him leading to a misunderstanding involving love letters.  When this is resolved, Catherine de Bourgh's daughter, Anne (Savannah Moffat), arrives declaring herself to be engaged to her cousin.  Can the former Bennet sisters get Mary and Arthur back together?  I thoroughly enjoyed this charming production!  What I liked most is that the characterizations from the novel are completely maintained.  I know these characters intimately and they are immediately recognizable.  My favorite scenes are those when Arthur asks Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley for advice on courting a Bennet sister (since they are such experts).  Mr. Darcy suggests writing a letter declaring his feelings and Mr. Bingley suggests that he simply ask Mary if she likes him.  So clever!  The entire cast is outstanding but Nanthakumar and Ramos are hilarious to watch as Arthur and Mary try awkwardly to declare their love to each other.  Balla and Hall are also really fun together as Darcy and Bingley contemplate their status as happily married men.  The set, filled with beautiful Regency furniture and a Christmas tree which is the source of much amusement, and the costumes, in rich and sumptuous fabrics, do much to evoke 19th century England.  Sometimes the action is quite slow but the witty banter is hilarious!  If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice, this play is sure to delight you.  It runs through Dec. 15 (tickets may be purchased here).

White Christmas

Since White Christmas is one of my Mom's all-time favorite movies I have seen it countless times (I've even seen the Broadway touring production of the stage musical) but never on the big screen.  This Christmas classic is part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series so I had the chance to see it as it was meant to be seen yesterday and it made me so happy!  After collaborating on a Christmas show while fighting in World War II, Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) continue collaborating after the war and become big stars.  Soon they meet Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy (Vera-Ellen) Haynes after seeing their act.  Wallace and Davis eventually follow the sisters to Vermont where they are booked for the holidays at the Columbia Inn and discover that their former General, Tom Waverly (Dean Jagger), owns the inn and is in financial difficulties due to lack of snow.  Bob has the idea of staging their show on Christmas Eve to bring people to the inn and Phil has the idea of getting Bob and Betty together.  I love all of the big production numbers as Wallace and Davis rehearse their show but I wait through the whole movie for the reunion of the 151st Division for General Waverly and the title song complete with snow falling in the background.  It is a movie filled with so much nostalgia and I definitely recommend seeing it on the big screen!  You have another chance to see it on Wednesday (go here for tickets).

Note:  I got to see all of the movies in the TCM Big Screen Classics series this year and I enjoyed all of them!  The 2019 movies have been announced and I am so excited: The Wizard of Oz, My Fair Lady, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ben Hur, True Grit, Steel Magnolias, Field of Dreams, Glory, Hello, Dolly!, Lawrence of Arabia, The Shawshank Redemption, Alien, The Godfather Part II, and When Harry Met Sally.  Are you looking forward to any of these classic movies?

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos 3 & 4

If you were in attendance at Abravanel Hall last night you definitely got your money's worth because it was an epic night of music featuring Bach, Boulez, Sibelius, and Grieg!  The orchestra began with Bach's Brandenburg Concertos 3 & 4 which were simply beautiful.  I always picture these being performed during a ball in a Jane Austen novel.  Like he did with the first two concertos, Maestro Thierry Fischer chose to perform a more modern piece by Pierre Boulez in between them.  Memoriale featured a solo flute, strings, and horns and I thought it was quite ethereal.  The juxtaposition between the pieces was very striking.  The orchestra was divided into three groups who each performed one of the pieces with a dramatic spotlight.  I really enjoyed the effect.  The main event, for me any way, came after the intermission when the orchestra played Concerto for Violin and Orchestra by Jean Sibelius.  I was first introduced to Sibelius when I attended a performance featuring his music on a trip to Finland and I have been a huge fan ever since.  Like the country of Finland itself, I find Sibelius' music to have an austere beauty.  The Violin Concerto is moody and atmospheric with just a little bit of melancholy so, of course, I absolutely love it!  Soloist Baiba Skride gave a beautiful and emotional interpretation which drew me in from the first note.  The orchestra concluded with selections from Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg.  My favorites are Morning Mood (instantly recognizable from Looney Tunes cartoons) and In The Hall of the Mountain King which is quite dramatic.  I thoroughly enjoyed this dynamic concert and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

The Lower Lights 2018

I really love listening to Christmas music performed live so I take any opportunity I can to do so.  One of my very favorite Christmas traditions is going to the Lower Lights Christmas concert which I did last night.  It was just wonderful.  The Lower Lights are a supergroup made up of over 30 insanely talented musicians and vocalists (many of whom are famous in their own rights) who come together to perform a series of Christmas concerts each year.  They have a folksy bluegrass sound and have recorded some unique and innovative arrangements of hymns and Christmas music.  Last night they performed all of their usual numbers but my very favorites were a sultry and bluesy version of "Still, Still, Still," an instrumental version of "What Child Is This?" featuring a guitar, steel guitar, mandolin, bass, and banjo, one of the most beautiful arrangements of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" with just a piano and steel guitar, and a rousing rendition of "Once in Royal David's City" that got everyone on their feet.  They also performed quite a few of their gospel songs including "Old Time Religion," "Down to the River to Pray," "Go Tell It On the Mountain," and "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder."  It took a while for the audience to get warmed up but these gospel songs got Kingsbury Hall jumping!  They ended their set with "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" which was a lot of fun.  For the encore they performed "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," which is a crowd favorite (people were calling out for it as soon as they came back on stage), and a rocking version of "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful."  They ended the evening, as they often do, with a beautiful a capella version of "Silent Night" with a heartfelt message for the holidays.  This gets me every time!  This concert was a really great way to kick off the holiday season and it made me so happy to hear this music live.  There are two more concerts and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Finding Neverland at the Eccles

A couple of years ago, while on a theatre trip to New York, I was able to see Finding Neverland and I loved it so much!  I loved it just as much after seeing it again last night!  It is a beautiful and heartwarming story of how J.M. Barrie (Jeff Sullivan) comes to write the play Peter Pan after Sylvia Llewellyn Davies (Ruby Gibbs) and her four sons help him find his imagination again.  The music is absolutely wonderful (I listen to the Original Broadway Cast Recording all of the time) and every song is staged brilliantly.  I love how Barrie goes to Kensington Gardens for inspiration in "My Imagination," how he and the Llewellyn Davies brothers become pirates in "Believe," how he turns a dull dinner party into an adventure in "We Own the Night," how the people in his life try to get Barrie to act more sensibly in "Circus of Your Mind,"  how Barrie's alter ego, Captain Hook, encourages him to act boldly in "Live By the Hook," how Barrie's acting troupe reacts to his new play in "The World Is Upside Down," how Barrie and Sylvia play with their shadows in "What You Mean to Me," how Barrie's acting troupe rediscover their inner children in "Play," how the Llewellyn Davies brothers use their imagination in "We're All Made of Stars," how Barrie tries to comfort Peter when he realizes that he will have to grow up in "When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground," and how Barrie brings the play Peter Pan to Sylvia when she is too ill to attend the premiere in "Neverland" (Reprise).  I think the penultimate scene with Sylvia is one of the most magical bits of stagecraft that I have ever seen and I cried once again.  I really enjoyed Sullivan's performance, but I missed the Scottish accent, and his chemistry with Gibbs, who has a beautiful voice, is palpable.  The acting troupe is completely over the top, and a bit cliched, but they are a lot of fun.  The young actors playing the Llewellyn Davies brothers (they rotate from night to night) are delightful and elicited many cheers from the audience.  It is all so enchanting and the message that you should never take life too seriously really resonates with me.  If you can discover your own inner child I think you will really enjoy this musical which runs at the Eccles Theatre through Sunday, Dec. 9 (go here for tickets).

Korver For Three!

Last night was Kyle Korver's first home game as a member of the Jazz and I can't remember when I have been more excited for a Jazz game!  It was so much fun to see him out on the court making three pointers!  The Jazz played the San Antonio Spurs and it was a fantastic game.  They took a 3-2 lead with a three pointer from Donovan Mitchell in the first few minutes of the game and they never once relinquished that lead!  Korver came in during the last three minutes of the first quarter and the arena went crazy!  In less than a minute he made a 25-foot three point jumper and the crowd went crazy once again!  He hit a few more three pointers during the game and ended up with 15 points.  It brought back so many happy memories of watching him play and I pretty much lost my voice cheering for him.  Korver wasn't the only one who played well!  Ten different players combined for 20 three pointers (a franchise record) and the Jazz basically had their way with the Spurs to win 139-105.  I am so glad that Korver is back in SLC and I anticipate going to a few more games this season (this could be a bad thing)!

Note:  I wore my old Korver jersey and I got quite a bit of attention (every time he scored the man behind me would pat me on the back).  I think I might need to get a new one!