Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at CPT

I have a distinct memory of watching the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with my sisters at one of the PTA summer movies when I was in elementary school (do they still have this program at elementary schools?) so I thought it would be fun to see it performed by CenterPoint Theatre last night. It was just delightful! The Potts children, Jeremy (Preston Spencer) and Jemima (Kaylee Call), love playing with their favorite car, which happened to win the Grand Prix back in the day, at a junk yard. When it is sold for scrap metal they beg their father, an eccentric inventor named Caractacus Potts (Ryan Zaugg), to buy it instead. Caractacus raises the money through a series of inventions such as a candy making machine and a hair cutting machine. He restores the car and, renaming it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, takes the children and Truly Scrumptious (Alisa Woodbrey) to the seaside for a picnic where they discover that the car can float and fly. Two Vulgarian spies (Clark Bullen and Kannon Servoss) see this and want to steal it for the Baron and Baroness Bomburst (Mark Gurney and Jessica Love, respectively) who love toys. They kidnap Grandpa Potts (David Nielsen) so the family take Chitty to Vulgaria to rescue him and banish the Baron and Baroness. This production is not quite as polished as some of the others I have seen at CPT but the reason why I like community theatre is because it is so quirky. Everyone involved gave it their all and there were several highlights. Spencer and Call are adorable as the Potts children, especially in "Truly Scrumptious." I also really enjoyed the children's ensemble and "Teamwork" is definitely the best of the big song and dance numbers. Bullen and Servoss are hilarious as the Vulgarian spies and I loved watching their facial expressions and their physical comedy. The set pieces are a lot of fun, particularly the breakfast making machine, and it is really clever how they are able to make Chitty fly! However, the very best part of this show is Zaugg's performance as Caractacus because he has a lovely voice. The songs "You Too" and "Hushabye Mountain" are absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed this show and I recommend it, especially for children (go here for information and tickets).

Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2

I am now officially on spring break (such as it is) and I can think of no better way to begin the long weekend than by hearing Rachmaninoff performed by the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall.  The concert last night was an incredible experience and it took away all of the stresses of the preceding week (the end of the term is always difficult).  The orchestra began with a piece called Play by Andrew Norman.  The composer was there to introduce it and he called it a journey from chaos, where the instruments compete with each other rather jarringly, to peace in which the instruments cooperate with each other in harmony.  The percussion instruments control all of the other instruments and seem to turn them on and off at various times.  Norman also ascribed different moods and emotions to each instrument (my favorite was the "angry" clarinet) and has them make sounds in unusual and unexpected ways, such as having the horn players hit their mouthpieces and having the pianist strum the strings directly.  It was very unusual but I enjoyed it.  This piece required a high level of concentration and engagement to listen for all of the different emotions and moods so the next piece, Vocalise by Sergei Rachmaninoff, was a nice break.  It was lovely, with a beautiful theme performed by the strings, and I closed my eyes and let it envelope me.  After the intermission, the orchestra played Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, one of my favorite pieces, and they performed it brilliantly!  I love Rachmaninoff because he is so emotional and tempestuous and this piece is, at times, incredibly dramatic with themes that are repeated until they build to a swelling crescendo, and, at other times, it is poignant and filled with so much longing, especially the second movement with a theme played by the piano and then echoed throughout the orchestra.  Soloist Alexander Gavrylyuk, with fingers flying up and down the keyboard, interpreted this piece beautifully and was rewarded with a thundering ovation.  The Utah Symphony can always be counted on for a lovely evening!

Note:  A shortened version of this program will be performed tonight as part of a new series called Unwound.  You can dress casually, applaud whenever you want, participate in a variety of activities in the lobby, and purchase food and drinks before the concert.  Go here for more information and tickets.

Howard Jones at the Eccles Theater

I love Howard Jones and I have seen him in concert more times than I can count.  When I heard that he was coming back to SLC I decided that I probably didn't need to see him yet again.  Then my friend Cyndi mentioned that she had an extra ticket to the concert and asked me if I wanted to go.  Of course I said yes!  The show was last night and it was so much fun!  This time he performed at the Eccles Theater, which is a great venue for a concert, and he was joined by Nick Beggs and Robin Boult for an acoustic set.  He started things off with "Pearl in the Shell" and then proceeded to play all of the hits, including "No One is to Blame," "Like to Get to Know You Well," "You Know I Love You, Don't You," "Don't Always Look at the Rain," "Everlasting Love," "Things Can Only Get Better," "Life in One Day," "Hide and Seek," and "What Is Love?"  It was amazing to hear stripped down versions of these instantly recognizable songs and my favorite was a really bluesy rendition of "Don't Always Look at the Rain."  He also played a few Beatles covers, including "Oh, Darling," "Come Together," and "Twist and Shout" which were fabulous.  For the encore, he played a new song from his forthcoming album called "Hero in Your Eyes," which I really liked, and he ended the evening with "New Song," which is the song that turned me into a Howard Jones fan all those years ago!  In between songs he told lots of stories (he mentioned that we probably knew all of his stories because he's been to SLC so many times!).  He said that watching Bohemian Rhapsody made him really nostalgic for Live Aid before he sang "Hide and Seek" (which is the song he sang at Live Aid) for us and that made me love him even more.  I loved every minute of this concert because it brought back so many memories of my youth and I am so glad Cyndi asked me along!

Note:  I went with Cyndi the last time I saw Howard Jones at Red Butte Garden.  I decree that we must always see Howard Jones in concert together from now on!

The Kid

Ever since I saw the remake of The Magnificent Seven I have been a fan of Western films.  As such I was very intrigued by the premise of The Kid (I am also a huge fan of Ethan Hawke who I think is very underrated as an actor) so I went to see it yesterday.  A young boy named Rio (Jake Schur) kills his father in self-defense after the latter beats his mother to death.  He and his sister Sara (Leila George) go on the run through the Southwest but he is tormented by what he has done.  They encounter the legendary Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan) and his gang just before he is captured by Sheriff Pat Garrett (Hawke).  Rio and Sara decide to travel with Garrett as he takes Billy to justice in Santa Fe.  Both Garrett and Billy sense what Rio has done and they each have occasion to tell him about the first man they killed.  Each murder was committed under similar circumstances but each man chose to take a different path, one becoming a man of justice and the other an outlaw.  When Sara is kidnapped by her uncle (Chris Pratt) in retribution for his brother's murder, Rio must decide whether to enlist Garrett's help to bring him to justice or to join Billy the Kid and seek vengeance.  I found the story of a boy who must decide what kind of man he wants to become to be very compelling and both Hawke and DeHaan (who is hit or miss with me) give very strong performances.  It was also quite interesting to see Pratt play a villain and he was more than up for the challenge.  The action sequences are fantastic and the final shoot-out is one of the best I've seen.  I also really enjoyed the sepia toned cinematography with beautiful wide shots of the Southwest.  Because this movie was released opposite Captain Marvel it is very much under the radar but, if you are a fan of the genre, it is definitely worth seeking out.

La Cage aux Folles at PTC

Several years ago PTC created a series featuring rarely performed musicals in concert format.  The actors use scripts and there are minimal costumes, sets, and props to let the music take center stage.  They began with The Rocky Horror Show (which was so popular that PTC presented it two years in a row) and continued with Chess and In the Heights.  I am a huge fan of this concept and I was excited to learn that this year's show was La Cage aux Folles because I've never seen it before.  I saw it last night and it was so much fun!  Georges (James Patterson) is an impresario of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring performers in drag and Albin (Jamison Stern) is his partner and star attraction.  Chaos ensues when Georges's son Jean-Michel (Patrick Ryan Castle) announces that he is engaged to Anne (Barbara Camara), the daughter of a conservative politician (former Utah senator Jim Dabakis) who wants to meet his family.  This show is full of laughs and big song and dance numbers (this has the most extensive choreography I've seen in PTC's concert versions) but it is also very heartwarming because it is, ultimately, about the importance of family.  The entire cast is very strong but Patterson has an incredible voice, especially in "Song in the Sand," and Brandon Contreras steals every scene he is in as Albin's "maid."   Stern is also fantastic, especially when he performs as the drag queen Za Za with the Cagelles.  I thought the scene where Georges tries to teach Albin how to be more masculine was the funniest thing I had ever seen until Senator Jim Dabakis appeared in drag at the end of the show.  That alone was worth the price of admission!  I enjoyed this show so much and I can't wait to see what the concert production will be next year.

Note:  One of the characters in this show is named Phaedra!  I can't think of a better name for a drag queen!