Adele in Chicago

I absolutely love Adele!  I love her music but, more importantly, I love the fact that she is unapologetically herself and refuses to conform to anyone else's idea of what a pop star should be. When her album 21 was released, I was basically obsessed with the song "Rolling in the Deep" and I played it over and over.  When the song "Hello" was released, I was even more obsessed with it!  I downloaded 25 the first day it was available and listened to it on repeat for days.  Adele is not usually a touring artist but I really hoped that she would tour with 25.  I vowed that I would go to any city so that I could see her live!  When her tour was announced, I thought briefly about Denver (I've done that several times) but Chicago worked better for my schedule.  The tickets went on sale during one of my classes so I gave my students a big assignment to do on their own so I could get online.  It took forever and all three concerts in Chicago sold out in minutes.  Of course, I went to StubHub and was able to get two tickets for a lot more than Ticketmaster but such was my mania to see Adele!  It was worth every penny because it was an incredible concert and I'm still on a high from it.  She began with "Hello" on a platform in the middle of the floor and the crowd went absolutely crazy!  For "Hometown Glory," she walked up to her stage which was shaped like a diamond with two large screens in the back and a platform in the front.  She stood on the platform most of the time wearing a long black sparkly dress and her band, including a grand piano and strings, was behind her.  During "Hometown Glory" she had images of London on the screens and at the end she put up images of Chicago which got the crowd cheering once again!  Then she sang "One and Only" and pulled people on the stage for selfies with her!  One older man was so flustered to be on stage with her that he couldn't remember where he was from!  In between songs, she would tell stories and go off on funny tangents.  I thought she was hilarious!  She told the crowd that she had two upbeat songs, which she would sing next, and then after that we could all be miserable together!  The two upbeat songs were "Rumour Has It" and "Water Under the Bridge."  Next she sang "I Miss You," which is one of my favorites from 25.  Then she talked about being asked to write "Skyfall" and how excited she was to win an Oscar!  I loved the staging of it because she had very dramatic lighting.  She did an acoustic set for "A Million Years Ago," "Don't You Remember" (which had a new country-sounding arrangement because she is now obsessed with Alison Krauss), and "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)."  She talked about recording her first album 19 and how much she wanted to cover Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love."  She sang it with so much emotion!  Before singing "Sweetest Devotion," she talked about her son which was really endearing.  Then she walked back to the platform in the middle of the floor to sing "Chasing Pavements" and "Someone Like You."  She had scrims around the platform with images of her projected on them which was really cool!  She complained that the cameras got too close to her face and showed her "spots."  Did I mention that she was hilarious!  During this set, she thanked the crowd profusely for supporting her and waiting so long for her new album.  She said she had to live a little bit so she could have something to write about!  I love her!  For "Set Fire to the Rain" it looked like it was raining on the scrims then she disappeared into the floor!  For the encore, she sang "All I Ask" and talked about the sound issues she had at the Grammys.  After her performance she told her manager that she thought it went really well and he said, "Ummm..."  She had to get In-and-Out Burger to recover!  When she sang "When We Were Young," she had images of her childhood on the screen.  She was a sassy little girl!  She ended the concert with "Rolling in the Deep" which got the whole audience up dancing!  I loved that she began with "Hello" and ended with "Rolling in the Deep" which are my two favorite songs!  This is definitely one of my top five concerts of all time because, not only can she belt out a song (which I expected), but she is so funny and personable!  It was a great weekend in Chicago!

Weekend in Chicago

Last weekend Marilyn and I went to Chicago to see Adele at the United Center.  Chicago is one of my favorite cities and, even though we were only there for two days, we were able to see and do quite a bit.

Willis Tower (Sears Tower)

Chicago Skyline

Navy Pier

Navy Pier

Chicago River

Chicago River

One of the many skyscrapers in Chicago

Pumping Station (One of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871)

Cloud Gate in Millennium Park

Another view of the famous "bean"

Chicago Skyline and Lake Michigan

More views from Lake Shore Drive

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago Skyline at night

Trump Tower

Chicago River at night

Skyline at night

Summer Reading: The Girl Next Door

I was expecting a typical murder-mystery when I first picked up The Girl Next Door by Ruth Rendell. Instead, I got a psychological drama about a group of people trying to recapture their youth. The novel begins with the cold blooded murder of a young woman and her lover by her jealous husband.  The murderer discovers their affair when he sees them holding hands so he ruthlessly severs their hands, places them in a biscuit tin, and hides the tin in an underground tunnel where his son and his friends play during World War II. Sixty years later, the biscuit tin is discovered, and in a half-hearted attempt to solve the crime, the police gather the people who played in the tunnels as children to question them. I thought it was odd that the murderer is revealed in the first chapter but the novel is less about the murder than about the effect the murder has on those involved. In fact, the murder is only relevant in that it brings a group of people back together after a lifetime apart. Memories are stirred. Relationships are rekindled. Truths are uncovered. When the murder is solved, it is almost anticlimactic compared with the upheaval is has caused in the lives of the characters. There is an almost bewildering number of characters (including a bevy of brothers whom I could never keep straight) but several emerge from the field.  My favorite character is Rosemary, whose husband leaves her when he is reunited with the proverbial girl next door. She is completely undone by his betrayal but eventually creates an exciting life for herself and refuses to take him back when the affair runs its course. Even though this is a very unconventional murder-mystery, I enjoyed the character development and I particularly liked the fact that the characters, who are in their 60s and 70s, have complicated and interesting lives. Give it a read.

The Lobster

No other film that I saw at Sundance this year generated more conversations than The Lobster.  Most people that I talked to didn't quite know what to make of it and that is probably how I would sum up my feelings about it as well.  I knew that I definitely wanted to see it again and I had the opportunity Thursday night.  Hmmm.  In a dystopian future everyone must have a mate and anyone who is single must report to a hotel to find one within 45 days or be turned into an animal of their choice. A recently divorced man, David (Colin Farrell), reports to the hotel and attempts to find a mate, preferably someone who shares his defining characteristic which is shortsightedness.  There are many rules and rituals involved in finding a mate (I especially enjoyed the fact that everyone is required to dress exactly alike). Periodically the guests at the hotel are sent into the woods to capture loners who are hiding.  They can receive an extra day to find a mate for every loner that they catch.  Eventually David decides to escape into the woods and join the loners where, ironically, there are even more rules to follow.  They are punished if they attempt to form attachments with other loners.  Of course, David finds his soulmate (Rachel Weisz), who shares his defining characteristic, but they are soon discovered and punished.  There are many funny moments in this film, such as the propaganda plays put on by the hotel staff advocating the benefits of being a couple and the electronic music played by the loners to encourage people to dance alone.  However, underneath all of the humor lies a scathing indictment of social norms.  It is weird and sometimes disturbing but it is entertaining and I recommend it with that in mind.

Note:  Even after seeing it a second time I'm still not sure about the ending...

Shakespeare Festival 2016

I had only been home from my road trip with Sean less than 24 hours when I was back on the road to spend a couple of days at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.  I was really looking forward to seeing the new Engelstad Theatre and it is quite impressive.  The stage itself is very reminiscent of the Adams Theatre but the facility is state-of-the-art with restrooms, concessions, and a covered foyer.  I think it is amazing.  My very first play in the new theatre was Tuesday night and I couldn't have picked a better one!  I have been waiting for three years to see Henry V having seen Henry IV Part One in 2014 and Henry IV Part Two in 2015 all with the same actor, Sam Ashdown, in the lead role.  I was so excited to see the play where Henry earns his crown and it was amazing! After succeeding to the throne of England, Henry (Ashdown) learns that, under Salic law, he is the rightful heir to the throne of France and, knowing that a foreign conquest will solidify his popularity with the people, he begins war with France.  Weakened by sickness and outnumbered five to one, Henry rallies his troops for battle with the famous St. Crispin's Day speech (which gave me goosebumps) and, despite overwhelming odds, achieves a decisive victory.  He wins the throne of France and the hand of Katherine and thus begins the reign of one of England's greatest kings.  There were moments in this play that took my breath away, particularly the aforementioned St. Crispin's Day speech and when Henry hangs one of his friends from his wild days, and the performances were incredible, especially Ashdown (who has done an amazing job with the role of Prince Hal and King Henry) and Eddie Lopez as the Dauphin of France (so cocky).  I loved the giant wax seal with Henry's monogram in the middle of the stage as a representation of Henry's reign and I loved the large banners representing the English and French flags.  So dramatic!  The battle of Agincourt was staged very well and I especially loved the archers in the balcony.  This production was excellent and I highly recommend it!  Wednesday afternoon I saw Mary Poppins and it was a lot of fun!  It tells the well-known story of how a practically perfect nanny saves the Banks family.  The two leads, Elizabeth Broadhurst as Mary Poppins and Eddie Lopez as Bert, were outstanding.  The big productions numbers, "Jolly Holiday," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "Let's Go Fly a Kite," and "Step in Time," had very innovative choreography and colorful costumes and I especially liked the kites flying through the audience.  There were lots of children in the audience who were mesmerized by Mary Poppins flying through the audience (although the little girl next to me said that she was glad that it was over at intermission) so it is definitely one I would recommend for kids.  My last play on Wednesday evening was The Three Musketeers and I loved it!  D'Artagnan (Luigi Sottile) wishes to become one of King Louis' famous musketeers and joins Athos (J. Todd Adams), Porthos (Todd Denning) and Aramis (Tasso Feldman) on an adventure to save the Queen's honor from the unscrupulous Cardinal Richelieu (Peter Lohnes).  All for one and one for all!  This show was a lot of fun because of all of the sword fighting (even in the aisles) and I loved Ben Livingston's performance as the silly King Louis XIII.  This is another show that kids will enjoy.  Even though I was only at the festival for two days, I certainly enjoyed myself (and had my fair share of tarts).  Go here for more information.