Aladdin at the Eccles

When I went to New York on a theatre trip a few years ago, my roommate went to see Aladdin on a night that I saw a different show.  When we both got back to the hotel she raved and raved about it so, of course, I immediately wanted to see it.  It seems like I have been waiting forever but I finally had the chance to see this entertaining show last night!  It definitely did not disappoint!  In fact, I think I giggled throughout the whole run time and I may or may not have sung along to "Prince Ali" which is my favorite song from the movie.  The stage musical basically tells the same story as the movie with all of the amazing songs you remember (and a few new ones thrown in for good measure).  Aladdin (Clinton Greenspan) is a street urchin in the city of Agrabah where he ekes out a living as a pickpocket with his friends Babkak (Zach Bencal), Omar (Ben Chavez), and Kassim (Colt Prattes).  While in the marketplace he meets Princess Jasmine (Kaenaonalani Kekoa), who has run away from the palace because her father the Sultan (Jerald Vincent) wants her to marry a prince, and he falls in love with her.  Jafar (Jonathan Weir), the Grand Vizier, wants the throne for himself and learns that there is a magic lamp hidden in the Cave of Wonders that could help him but only a diamond in the rough can enter.  He enlists Aladdin's help but his plan backfires when Aladdin releases the Genie (Major Attaway) from the lamp and is given three wishes.  Wanting to impress Jasmine, Aladdin wishes to be a prince but he soon realizes that he must be himself if he wants to win the princess.  I really loved all of the colorful and sparkly costumes, the dazzling choreography, especially in "Arabian Nights," "Friend Like Me," "Prince Ali," and "High Adventure," and the incredible sets, particularly the Palace and the Cave of Wonders!  The special effects are so much fun and the magic carpet ride in "A Whole New World" is everything I hoped it would be!  Both Greenspan and Kekoa have wonderful voices but Attaway steals the show with all of his hilarious pop culture references.  It is a glitzy production worthy of Disney that is just so much fun to watch from start to finish and I highly recommend it, especially for children!  It runs at the Eccles Theatre through May 12 (tickets my be purchased here).

Matilda at HCT

Two years ago I had the opportunity to see the Broadway touring production of Matilda and, unfortunately, I didn't like it very much. I found it to be really dark and sinister and, frankly, I wondered why it was marketed as a show for children. When HCT announced their 2019 season, I was not especially thrilled that this show was part of the lineup but I went to see it last night. HCT's production turned me into a fan because I absolutely loved what they did with it! Matilda Wormwood (Lucy White) is a precocious five year old with a penchant for reading and telling stories and, sometimes, being just a little bit naughty. She is ignored by her mother (Amelia Rose Moore), an amateur Latin ballroom dancer, and father (Ryan Simmons), an unscrupulous used car salesman, and is terrorized by Miss Agatha Trunchbull (Aaron Ford), the tyrannical headmistress of her school and the former Olympic champion in hammer throwing. With the help of a sympathetic teacher named Miss Honey (Bre Welch) and a little bit of magic, Matilda triumphs over the neglectful adults in her life! What I loved about this production is that the tone is much more lighthearted than the Broadway original and the adults are portrayed more like over-the-top caricatures rather than villains, especially Miss Trunchbull. Even the sets and costumes have a lighter color palette and I especially loved all of the colorful balloons used throughout. One of the things I really enjoyed about the Broadway production was the use of typography and the HCT version incorporates this through very clever projections. The library and the school yard sets, which come down from the ceiling, are fantastic. The big song and dance numbers, particularly "School Song" performed in a chain-link cage in the school yard, "Loud" performed by Matilda's mother and her Latin ballroom dance partner Rudolpho (Jeremy Egan), "Smell of Rebellion" performed by the children during a physical education class, and "Revolting Children" performed by the children in the classroom, are a lot of fun and feature innovative choreography. My favorite number was "When I Grow Up" which featured the children on swings that seemed to be held aloft by bouquets of balloons. This song is so poignant and it brought a tear to my eye. White is absolutely enchanting in the lead role and all of the children are incredible performers but, in my opinion, Bridget Maxwell steals the show as Lavender! Welch has a beautiful voice but I sometimes think that she is miscast. However, she is perfect in the role of Miss Honey and gives one of the best performances I have seen from her. The scenes with White (who is her niece) are so tender. I was very pleasantly surprised by my reaction to this show and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets and information).  It runs on HCT's main stage through June 15.

Note:  Don't forget about the lovely production of Steel Magnolias which is currently being performed in HCT's Jewel Box Theatre through June 1.

Easter Eggs

It has been quite a while since we have colored Easter eggs but Sean was really looking forward to doing it this year (he called me twice because I was three minutes late).  It was actually a lot of fun!

After coloring eggs we tried to have a BBQ but it rained almost all day!  Eventually my brother in law went outside and cooked the hamburgers and hotdogs and we ate everything inside.  It still tasted delicious!  In the evening we played Shanghai rummy which was really fun, as always!  I hope you had a lovely Easter filled with family and traditions!

Prom 2019

Last night Tashena went to her last high school dance!  I can't believe that she will be graduating from high school in just a few weeks!

I have really enjoyed taking pictures of all her high school dances and I think she has always chosen such beautiful dresses.

Homecoming 2016

Winter Ball 2016

Prom 2017

Homecoming 2017

Winter Ball 2017

Prom 2018

Winter Ball 2018

Penguins

Is there anything cuter than a waddling penguin?  I submit that there is not so I have been eagerly anticipating Disneynature's newest documentary, Penguins, for quite some time.  I was able to see it last night and I absolutely loved it!  This time the focus is on a goofy Adelie penguin named Steve.  He couldn't be more endearing or entertaining as he travels with the rest of the males in his colony from the open ocean to a breeding ground in Antarctica during the spring thaw to build a nest, find a mate, and raise a family for the first time.  Steve has a penchant for getting lost which causes him to mistakenly join a group of Emperor penguins and attract the unwanted amorous attentions of an elephant seal!  He also must contend with the harsh Antarctic environment, the necessity of constantly feeding and supervising his chicks, and predators such as killer whales and leopard seals.  Steve's story is both humorous and compelling.  As with many Disneynature documentaries, it is very anthropomorphic with hilarious narration from Ed Helms and I especially enjoyed the commentary when Steve is courting his mate Adeline.  Antarctica is one of the most inhospitable places on Earth but it has a stark beauty (I want to go there someday) that is heroically captured by a team of filmmakers over a period of three years and the cinematography is simply stunning, particularly the underwater sequences.  Definitely stay though the credits to see how the filmmakers are able to get some of the more spectacular shots (and for more amusing narration depicting Steve as an actor trying to hit his marks).  I also really enjoyed the classic rock needle drops including Patti LaBelle's "Stir It Up" as Steve struts across the ice, REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling" when he courts Adeline, Average White Band's "Work to Do" as he makes a 100 mile trek to get food for his chicks, and Whitesnakes's "Here I Go Again" when he returns to the open ocean in the winter.  I highly recommend this enchanting documentary, especially if you love penguins as much as I do!

Note:  If you see Penguins during its opening week (April 17-23), Disneynature will make a donation to the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) to help protect penguins around the world.