Here Comes Santa Claus

Last December Marilyn and I took Sean and Tashena to see Elf: The Musical at PTC.  They enjoyed it so much we decided to take them to another Christmas performance this year (a little culture never hurt anybody).  Every year the Utah Symphony performs Here Comes Santa Claus as part of its Family Series and we went to this concert yesterday afternoon.  It was only one hour long (the perfect length for children) and the orchestra played well-known Christmas songs such as "Joy to the World," "O Christmas Tree," "Here Comes Santa Claus," and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."  For the finale, a visitor from the North Pole came and conducted the orchestra (and the audience) in a sing-along featuring "Deck the Halls," Jingle Bells," and "Frosty the Snowman."  These concerts in the Family Series are a great way to introduce classical music to children (see the Halloween concert here) because they are a lot of fun and the music is accessible for all ages.  Tashena loved it and Sean did a really good job sitting through the whole thing (of course, we did a full pat-down before entering Abravanel Hall and confiscated several toys with lasers).  I loved every minute of it and so did Marilyn (she thinks that Associate Conductor Vladimir Kulenovic is adorable).  I am so glad that the Utah Symphony performs concerts that are geared for the whole family.  I derive a great deal of pleasure from the performing arts (as you know if you read my blog regularly) and it makes me very happy to give Sean and Tashena opportunities like this concert.  Afterwards, we went out to lunch and Sean told us that this was the best day ever!

Lights at Temple Square

Every year millions of lights are illuminated around the LDS Temple in downtown Salt Lake.  About that many people, from all over the world, come to visit the spectacular display beginning the day after Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve.  Marilyn and I were among the crowd last night.  Actually, it wasn't too crowded and, more importantly, it wasn't too cold (we are having a very mild winter so far).  It is quite a sight to see.

There are also free Christmas concerts every night on Temple Square.  I was able to see the Hunter High School Concert Choir and Madrigals perform last night and I thought they were amazing!  The Madrigals sang one of my very favorite Christmas songs, "Lo How a Rose 'Ere Blooming."  You can go here for more information about all of the events on Temple Square.

Peter and the Starcatcher at PTC

Two years ago the Utah Shakespeare Festival produced Peter and the Starcatcher.  That year I could only spend one day at the festival and, since I didn't know anything about that particular play, I didn't choose to see it.  Of course it turned out to be the most popular show of the season and I was a little bit sad that I hadn't seen it (especially since the theatre teacher at my school raved and raved about it).  As luck would have it, I got a second chance to see it last night at Pioneer Theatre and I absolutely loved it!  Much like Wicked does for The Wizard of Oz, Peter and the Starcatcher tells the backstory of Peter Pan.  We learn how a mistreated orphan boy gets magical powers and arrives in Neverland and how the inept pirate Black Stache becomes Peter's arch-nemesis Captain Hook.  It is a fantastical journey that is best enjoyed through the eyes of your inner child.  You must be willing to believe (there is a hilarious spoof of the classic "clap if you believe" speech to save Tinkerbell) that stars fall to the ground and give ordinary people magical powers (such as turning the male ensemble into dancing mermaids).  I believed every bit of it!  The entire cast is wonderful (almost everyone plays multiple roles) but I laughed and laughed at Leo Ash Evens as Black Stache.  To be sure, Black Stache is a great character (a poetic pirate looking for a hero to defeat so he can become a memorable villain) but Evens is especially flamboyant!  I loved watching his facial expressions, particularly in the scene where he loses his hand.  The set is very minimal.  The actors pantomime much of the action, with the addition of some fabulous sound effects, and many of the props are ordinary objects such as ladders, which become the masts of ships, as well as plungers and umbrellas, which become swords.  The actors are almost like children using their imaginations while playing with whatever is at hand and I thought it was highly effective.  I definitely recommend Peter and the Starcatcher for children and for adults who, like Peter, refuse to grow up!  It runs through Dec. 20 and tickets can be purchased here.

Note:  The theatre teacher at HHS is taking her students to see it this afternoon.  I wish I could go with them and see it again!

Happy Birthday Sean!

Sean's birthday was actually last Wednesday but we had the family celebration yesterday.  Sean gets so excited about everything so he couldn't wait to get the party started!  Dinner was chosen by the birthday boy and he picked hamburgers and fries (he always does).  Then we had an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins (a birthday tradition in our family).

Sean's cake had trick candles so every time he blew them out they would light up again!  He tried really hard to blow them out!

After cake, Sean opened his presents.  He got lots of clothes and superhero action figures (which he plays with for hours) from Grandma and Grandpa, Marilyn, and me.  As he opened presents, he seemed to get more and more distressed.  For weeks he has been telling us that he wanted a bike (with gears) for his birthday.  He thought it would be too expensive so he told all of us to go in together and get it as a "family gift."  Because he was opening presents from us, he thought he wasn't going to get a bike.  But his Mom and Dad came through!

When my brother-in-law brought it in, the look on Sean's face was absolutely priceless!  He went from disappointment to extreme joy in about ten seconds!

He immediately took it outside to try it out and practice "changing gears."  I asked him if he had a good birthday and he said he was so happy because he had lots of new toys to play with, new outfits to wear to school next week, and a new bike!  Happy Birthday Sean!  We sure do love you!

Note:  I am so glad that Sean still likes to play with superhero action figures!  I sometimes wish we could go back to the days when all Tashena wanted was Barbies!

Beethoven's Ninth

If you live in the Salt Lake City area, stop reading this post right now and go here to get tickets to tonight's Utah Symphony concert featuring Beethoven's Ninth Symphony!  If you are lucky enough to get tickets (there were very few empty seats in Abravanel Hall last night), you will hear what is widely regarded as the greatest symphony ever written and, even if you are not a big fan of classical music, you can't help but be swept up in the emotion.  This piece of music, about the universal brotherhood of man, is absolutely sublime and the Utah Symphony performed it beautifully.  The orchestra was, once again, joined by the Utah Symphony Chorus and some wonderful soloists, including the amazing Celena Shafer, Cynthia Hanna, Chad Shelton, and Michael Dean.  I absolutely love Symphony No. 9 and this was actually the first concert I selected when I created my season package.  I have been looking forward to it ever since.  I had goosebumps almost from the first note because I think the first movement is incredibly stirring and dramatic.  The second movement is lively and exuberant and the third movement brings tears to my eyes because it is so hauntingly beautiful.  All of this is merely a prelude to the incredible fourth movement featuring the chorus and soloists singing lyrics from the poem Ode to Joy by Friedrich Schiller to the accompaniment of the instantly recognizable main theme played by the orchestra. Words cannot express how amazing it was to hear this performed live with the acoustics in Abravanel Hall!  The symphony is more than an hour long but, like all wonderful things, it felt like it was over in an instant.  I get chills just thinking about it! It was a joyful noise, indeed!  If you are still reading this, stop now and get your tickets here.  You will thank me later!

Note:  If you do get tickets, go a little bit early because the traffic downtown at this time of year is really heavy.  However, this performance is worth the hassle!