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).