NYC!

Times Square in New York City

A few years ago I was able to take a theatre trip to London with Pioneer Theatre Company.  I saw an advertisement for the trip in a playbill and spontaneously signed up to go even though I didn't know a single person who was going and I had to take a week off from school in April.  It was the trip of a lifetime and I have always looked back on this experience with fondness because I got to see a revival of My Fair Lady with Anthony Andrews, a brilliant production of Stones in his Pockets, and an incredible performance of King Lear at the Old Vic with Timothy West (who was amazing) in the title role.  I also got to see The Lion King and Mamma Mia for the first time (I cried when the elephants walked by me in The Lion King).  I literally met my roommate for the first time at the airport but I had a blast running around London with her.

Last fall I saw a similar advertisement in a playbill, this time for a theatre trip to New York City with Hale Centre Theatre.  Once again, I didn't know a single person who was going (including my roommate) and I had to take a week off from school in May (which, in case you were wondering, is not a good time to be gone) but I spontaneously signed up and I am so glad that I did! I got to see seven musicals in five days (including Hamilton which absolutely blew my mind), I got to do some fun touristy things (like visit the Statue of Liberty and walk across the Brooklyn Bridge), and I met some of the most amazing people who love theatre as much as I do (my roommate and I talked until 2:00 in the morning every night!).  I will recap my adventures in the next few weeks but here are some details if you are thinking of visiting New York City.   Where to stay:  I loved the Belvedere Hotel in Midtown Manhattan because it was conveniently located near Broadway and Times Square.  What to do:  I had a 7-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard, which lets you ride the subway and all MTA buses, and a 7-day New York Pass, which gives you admission to most tourist attractions (and lets you jump to the head of the line at said attractions) as well as a two-day Hop-on Hop-off Bus Ride.  My tour also included four Broadway musicals but I got tickets to three more shows here and here.  Where to eat:  My favorite restaurant while I was in New York was Amarone.  I recommend the Eggplant Fritters!

Note:  Don't be afraid to do something that is outside your comfort zone.  Amazing things can happen when you say yes to opportunities that come your way.  I usually don't regret the things I do but I almost always regret the things I don't do.

Utah Opera's The Marriage of Figaro

Ever since I saw the movie Amadeus for the first time, I have wanted to see the opera The Marriage of Figaro and I finally got my wish last night when I attended Utah Opera's wonderful production.  After wanting to see it for so long (not to mention the fact that I have been eagerly anticipating it since the Utah Opera 2015-2016 season was announced last spring), I was a bit worried that Mozart's tale about a licentious nobleman and his scheming servants might not live up to my expectations.  It exceeded them in every way!  The opera is hilariously funny, with audience members frequently laughing out loud, but the music is so incredibly beautiful and displays a depth of emotion that is unexpected in a comedy.  To be sure it is a farce but, ultimately, it is a powerful story about love and reconciliation and I loved it!  The entire cast sang their roles beautifully and I especially enjoyed the more evocative arias such as "Grant, love, some comfort" and "Where are they, the beautiful moments" by the Countess (Nicole Heaston) and the passionate rendition of  "Countess, forgive me" by the Count (Craig Irvin), Countess, and company at the end of Act 4 brought tears to my eyes.  However, I also, rather surprisingly, enjoyed the physical comedy found in this opera (I think that comedic elements can be overdone but director Tara Faircloth found just the right balance). With Figaro (Seth Carico) and Susanna (Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez) plotting to get back at the Count, chaos ensued with some characters hiding, seemingly in plain sight, and others impersonating each other.  It was a lot of fun to watch.  Susan Memmott Allred's original costumes had a sort of Downton Abbey feel to them, which is understandable with a libretto about class divisions in society, and I thought they were all beautiful, especially Susanna's wedding dress which was so demure.  Even though this opera is over three hours long, it seemed to go by very quickly because it was so much fun to watch!  I absolutely loved The Marriage of Figaro and it was definitely worth the wait!  I recommend that you get a ticket (go here) to one of the performances through May 15 at Capitol Theatre.

Captain America: Civil War

Last night I saw an early screening of Captain America: Civil War.  It is undoubtedly the best Avengers movie yet!  I absolutely loved it and, if I hadn't had to wake up at 5:00 this morning, I would have bought a ticket to the next screening to see it again!  Collateral damage seems to be the theme of the moment and this movie is a thought-provoking and intelligent exploration of it and the abuse of power, however well-meaning it might be.  Captain America (Chris Evans), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and War Machine (Don Cheadle) are on a mission in Lagos, Nigeria when Scarlet Witch inadvertently causes a tremendous amount of collateral damage.  In response, the UN wants to ratify the Sokovia Accords which will limit the power of the Avengers and this causes dissension between team members, particularly Captain America and Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.).  Battle lines (literally!) are further drawn when surveillance footage shows that Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is responsible for the bombing of the UN building.  Captain America believes that Barnes is innocent which leads to an epic confrontation between those loyal to him and those loyal to Iron Man, including Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Hawkeye (Jeremey Renner), and Vision (Paul Bettany) as well as the introductions of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland).  The action sequences are fantastic and I loved the interaction between the superheroes as they fight each other ("Are we still friends?" "That depends how hard you punch me.").  I also loved the opening action sequence, particularly Black Widow who is absolutely kick-ass (I have heard rumors that she will soon get a stand-alone movie!).  This incarnation of Spider-Man is now my favorite!  I laughed out loud at just about everything he says, especially the reference to The Empire Strikes Back!  In fact, all of the characters seemed interesting and engaging, much more so than in The Avengers: Age of Ultron where I often felt as if some of characters were more involved in their own story lines.  Finally, the narrative is surprisingly emotional because Captain America and Iron Man both feel strongly that they each are each doing the right thing.  There is a particularly affecting scene where they seem to lament the loss of their friendship.  I, along with the rowdy crowd at my screening, loved this movie.  I cannot imagine anyone not liking it and I highly recommend that you see it in IMAX 3D as soon as possible!

A New PR

Tashena had another track meet yesterday!  Usually I really love watching her compete but it was unbelievably cold.  Even though I was freezing I was still so proud of her!  She took first place in the long jump and second place in shot put!  In the discus, which is her best event, she threw 132.1 feet!  Yes!  You read that correctly!  She threw 132.1 feet which is her best distance ever.  She shattered the high school record and one of the coaches told my brother-in-law that Tashena would place in the top 40 in the nation on the college level with that distance!  Of course our family has always believed that she is incredibly talented but it is an amazing feeling to hear all of the other coaches, parents, and students cheering for her by name!  I always tease her about watching her compete at the Olympics but I may need to start saving my money for a trip to Tokyo in 2020!

Purple Rain

As with David Bowie several months ago, I was inexplicably saddened by the news of Prince's death.  I say inexplicably because, clearly, I do not know either of these musicians personally (although Marilyn and I saw David Bowie walking through the streets of London when we were there in 2010) which makes my grief seem somewhat excessive.  However, I believe that music is incredibly evocative.  Just one note can take me back to a particular time and place so when artists who are synonymous with my adolescence die it is like losing a piece of myself.  Whenever I hear a song from the Purple Rain soundtrack I instantly become the 16 year old girl who snuck into the movie with her friends (because it was rated R and they wouldn't let us buy tickets without our parents) during the summer of 1984.  That was a magical summer and seeing Purple Rain with my friends was very memorable and so much fun (we felt like such rebels).  When I heard that select AMC Theaters would be showing Purple Rain as a tribute to Prince this week, I knew that I had to get a ticket.  I saw it last night (I didn't have to sneak in this time) and it was awesome!  The theater was packed without a single seat available (on a Tuesday night!) and the crowd was rowdy, singing and cheering throughout the whole movie.  That it has the thinnest of plots (a tormented singer must deal with his inner demons in order to find love and success) and a terrible lead actress matters not.  Prince is the ultimate showman and this movie is at its best when he is on stage at the real-life Minneapolis club First Avenue.  My attention was riveted on his every move, especially during "Let's Go Crazy," "The Beautiful Ones," and, of course, "Purple Rain."  I was surprised at how tame "Darling Nikki" seemed to me now because it was pretty scandalous back in 1984!  Seeing Purple Rain on the big screen made me mourn Prince all over again because, in reality, I am really mourning the loss of the 16 year old girl who loved this movie so much!

Note:  When I heard that Prince had died, I was with my officers and the majority of them didn't know who he was.  I played snippets from my extensive collection and the only song they vaguely recognized was "Kiss."  What?