The Judge

I have had the past two days off for fall break and, strangely, I haven't gone anywhere.  I mean I went to South Dakota when I had one day off, so this is unusual!  It's been really nice to relax but by Friday night I decided that I should  get dressed get out of the house and do something!  I went to see the movie The Judge and I absolutely loved it.  This movie got mixed reviews and I did think it was long and very slow at times but I like a good character study and the performances of Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall are brilliant.  Hank Palmer (Downey, Jr.) is a slick defense attorney in Chicago who returns to his small hometown in Indiana for his mother's funeral.  His father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Duvall), is extremely hostile to him and Hank abruptly leaves after a quarrel, vowing never to return.  While waiting for the plane to take off he receives a call from his brother (Vincent D'Onofrio) telling him that his father has been accused of murder.  Hank eventually defends his father during his murder trial, not only dealing with the possibility of his father's guilt, but also the unresolved hostility between a strict father and rebellious son, issues of betrayal between a brother who left and a brother who stayed to pick up the pieces, and an old girlfriend (Vera Farmiga) still carrying a torch.  Add to the mix a district attorney from Evansville  (Billy Bob Thorton) who requests the case for a chance to spar with the cocky Hank and you have a movie filled with too many sub-plots.  However, there is one tender scene between Downey, Jr. and Duvall that literally had me sobbing my eyes out and another one where they fight with such ferocity that I had to look away.  And the scene where Hank cries after the verdict is read?  Forget about it!  While I wish the movie focused more on the father-son relationship rather than the peripheral ones, I recommend that you see this movie for the performances!

Note:  The ending evoked a flood of tears.  Just when I had myself under control, the end credits featured a cover by Willie Nelson of Cold Play's "The Scientist" and the water works started again!  Sheesh!  I don't even particularly like Willie Nelson...

Catch Me If You Can at HCT

Last night I went to see the musical Catch Me If You Can at Hale Theatre.  I liked the movie but I am not a fan of the current trend on Broadway of turning popular movies into stage productions.  I rarely like the musical as much as the movie. However, to my surprise, I actually really enjoyed this adaptation. That is due, in no small measure, to the brilliance of the two lead actors.  Keith McKay Evans is charm personified as Frank Abagnale, Jr., a real-life con artist who impersonated a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer (he even passed the bar exam) and embezzled close to two million dollars.  Evans is equally adept at portraying the fast-talking confidence man as well as the vulnerable teenager who ran away from home.  He has a great voice and so much charisma that I couldn't take my eyes off him whenever he was on stage.  Kelly DeHaan is simply amazing as Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent obsessed with catching Abagnale.  With his horn-rimmed glasses, fedora, black suit, Brooklyn accent, and stoic demeanor, DeHaan's characterization is hilarious and I loved his facial expressions! His performance in the song "Don't Break the Rules" is definitely a crowd pleaser! The supporting cast is excellent and I especially enjoyed Eden Benson as Carol, an over-the-top southern belle.  I did feel that Bre Welch was slightly miscast as Brenda because her voice is too sweet and pretty to sing the blues (in the song "Fly, Fly Away"). The music and choreography is almost a pastiche of the variety shows on television in the 1960s (such as Laugh-In) but it works.  All of the big song and dance numbers are incredibly entertaining, especially "Live in Living Color," "Jet Set," and "Doctor's Orders."  The costumes, particularly for the female ensemble, are a lot of fun.  I loved the Pan Am stewardess uniforms!  The stage is quite innovative with three giant illuminated arrows in the floor, a motif that is echoed in many of the set pieces and props. I entered the theatre with very low expectations and I ended up having a great time!  I recommend this show for a really fun evening!  It runs through November 29 and tickets can be purchased here.

Utah Opera's Madame Butterfly

I fell in love with opera when I was a teenager so, after I graduated from college and started making decent money, I decided to get season tickets to Utah Opera.  I had them for years.  During that time I refined my taste a bit.  I don't particularly care for operas sung in English;  I prefer Italian or German (and occasionally French).  I'm not a big fan of modern libretti (Cold Sassy Tree just about did me in); I like the classics.  Finally, while there are a few exceptions (The Marriage of Figaro), I would rather see a tragic opera over a comedic one.  Now I pick and choose which ones I want to see and Puccini's Madame Butterfly ticks all of the boxes for me.  I had the opportunity to see Utah Opera's production last night and it was simply amazing, giving me chills and moving me to tears.  Yunah Lee gave a passionate performance as Cio-Cio-San (Butterfly), a woman who gives up everything to be with an American naval officer stationed in Japan.  The love duet she sings with Pinkerton (Eric Fennell) after their wedding was so beautiful I was almost overcome.  The aria she sang while waiting for Pinkerton to return to her ("One beautiful day") was so affecting that it gave me chills (and the audience burst into spontaneous applause).  The final scene with Pinkerton was so powerful I know I won't soon forget it.  I literally had tears in my eyes!  Fennell was excellent as Pinkerton, a character I wanted to hate for his cavalier attitude towards his marriage to Butterfly.  However, he redeemed himself a bit in the final scene.  Another powerful performance was that of Gregory Pearson (a Utah Opera favorite) as the bonze, Butterfly's uncle.  The scene where he renounces Butterfly also gave me chills.  The set was a beautiful traditional house with moving shoji screens on a hill overlooking the ocean.  The costumes, especially all of the kimonos, were incredibly opulent.  I did find the end of Act 2 Scene 1 to be a bit tedious because nothing happened on stage for quite a while as Butterfly waited all night for Pinkerton (that is rather the point) but it was worth sitting through to get to the stunning conclusion!  It was a magical evening of music and I highly recommend getting a ticket to this outstanding production.  Remaining performances are Oct. 15, 17, and 19.  Go here for tickets.

Heber Valley Railroad Pumpkin Patch

Last night Marilyn and I took Sean and Tashena on a train ride to a pumpkin patch and we had so much fun!

The Heber Valley Railroad was established in 1899 and operated freight and passenger service between the cities of Heber and Provo as part of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.  Now the railroad operates themed excursions (we've done quite a few of them).   Right now they are offering the Pumpkin Festival which includes a 45 minute train ride with entertainment and pumpkin cookies, a haunted train car, and a visit to a pumpkin patch.  Go here for more information and tickets.

I thought the train ride was very relaxing and the kids loved it (even Tashena).  The scenery was absolutely gorgeous with all of the fall foliage.

When the train returned to the depot we all picked a pumpkin.  After the train ride we had dinner at Chick's, which is a hole in the wall cafe in Heber.  My brother-in-law introduced us to Chick's when we were camping at Palisades State Park a few years ago and we are now big fans.  We got laughing so hard that it was a little bit embarrassing!  Such a fun night!  I am really glad that I get to spend so much time with Sean and Tashena!

Note:  Go here for more fall activities for the kids.

Thriller 2014

I really love Halloween and one of my favorite Halloween traditions is to see Odyssey Dance Theatre's production of Thriller.  I've been going for years and it just wouldn't be Halloween without it!  Last night was opening night at Kingsbury Hall in SLC (the show is also touring all over Utah this month) and I was happy to see all of my old favorites, as well as a few new surprises.  The dance extravaganza features the undead cavorting in a graveyard, break-dancing mummies,  a pas de deux gone horribly wrong between Frankenstein and his bride, tap dancing skeletons, a trio of Jasons jamming with assorted weaponry, scarecrows who are not what they seem, condemned witches who come back from the dead for revenge (my favorite number), frolicking Chucky dolls, acrobatic vampires, and gunned down Irish dancers.  All of the dancers in the company are amazing and this show is definitely a crowd-pleaser, especially "Jason Jam."  I had a great time, as always, and I highly recommend seeing Thriller for a fun night out.  It runs until Nov. 1 at Kingsbury Hall.  Go here for tickets and information about the various touring locations and dates.

Note:  If you should happen to see any of the undead wandering about, do not make eye contact with them!  Trust me on this!