RENT at the Eccles

I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a RENThead but I absolutely love the musical RENT and I have seen it many times (when PTC produced it several years ago I saw it three times during the run).  Last night I went with my sister Kristine to see the 20th Anniversary Tour at the Eccles Theatre and it was one of the best productions of this show that I have seen!  This musical is a modern version of Puccini's La Boheme, which is one of my favorite operas, and it tells the story of one year in the life of Mark Cohen (Logan Marks), an aspiring filmmaker, and Roger Davis (Joshua Bess), a musician, and a group of their friends as they try to stay true to their art, find love, struggle to pay their rent, and deal with the devastation of HIV/ AIDS.  The story about living every day to the fullest is incredibly powerful and the music is fabulous.  I judge every production by the actor playing Roger (I listen to the Original Broadway Cast recording over and over because I love Adam Pascal, who originated the role) and I really liked Bess.  His characterization of Roger was very different from what I've seen before but I liked it and his voice was amazing.  As soon as he started singing "One Song Glory," I was enthralled by his performance.  I also loved his version of "Your Eyes" and, while Deri'andra Tucker was not the strongest Mimi I've ever seen, their version of "Without You" brought tears to my eyes.  The rest of the cast was also incredibly strong and I especially enjoyed Lyndie Moe, as Maureen, and Lencia Kebede, as Joanne, when they sang "Take Me or Leave Me" and Devinre Adams, as Tom, when he sang the reprise of "I'll Cover You."  Javon King, as Angel, absolutely stole the show with his rendition of "Today 4 U" and I really loved his dancing (in high heels).  I'm so glad that I got to see this fabulous production.  RENT runs at the Eccles Theatre through Sunday and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets) with the proviso that it has very mature content (some people left at intermission).

Note:  I have my students read at the beginning of every class period.  One day a student asked me how long we were going to read and I answered by singing "Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes" from "Seasons of Love."  Most of the students looked at me as if I had lost my mind (a common occurrence) but the theatre kids all recognized it!

Summer Reading: Bring Me Back

The next selection on my summer reading list, Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris, is very suspenseful but it didn't quite grab me as much as the previous selections did. Twelve years ago Finn and his girlfriend Layla are driving home from a holiday in France. They stop at a gas station so Finn can use the restroom and when he returns to the car Layla is gone and is never heard from again. The two of them have a very dysfunctional relationship and there is more to the story of Layla's disappearance than Finn is willing to disclose to the police. Just when he is finally ready to move on with Layla's sister Ellen, he begins seeing signs that she may still be alive. Now Finn must confront his past with Layla if he is to have a future with Ellen. This novel has a very interesting premise and I enjoyed the exploration of guilt and its manifestations. As I mentioned, it is highly suspenseful and I kept reading well into the early morning hours because I wanted to unravel the mystery but I guessed the big plot twist before it was revealed and I thought it was incredibly far-fetched. However, my biggest problem with this novel is that Finn is such an unsympathetic narrator and, unfortunately, he is the most developed character. Layla, Ellen, Henry (Finn's business partner), and Ruby (his ex-girlfriend) are basically peripheral characters who only exist to show the extent of Finn's psychological distress. This is not necessarily a bad plot device but I didn't really like Finn as a character. He is controlling, manipulative, and makes very questionable decisions. I didn't understand why either Layla or Ellen would ever want to be in a relationship with him let alone the motivation for their actions later on. I understand the mood Paris is trying to create with her characterization of Finn and the theme that actions have consequences but by the end of the novel I didn't really care about what happened to him. I didn't hate this novel but it wasn't as satisfying as the previous ones on my list.

Note:  Have you read Bring Me Back?  What did you think?

Utah Symphony at the Waterfall

Last night I was able to go to another outdoor concert, this time with the Utah Symphony at the Waterfall Amphitheatre at Thanksgiving Point.  I always try to attend this concert every year (go here and here) because it is such a lovely venue.  I brought a picnic and a blanket and spent a wonderful evening listening to music under the stars.  The program featured many film scores by John Williams including the Superman March from Superman, "The Devil's Dance" from The Witches of Eastwick (I loved the chimes in this piece), "The Flight To Neverland" from Hook, the Theme from Schindler's List (the solo violin was performed by Concertmaster Madeleine Adkins and it was so beautiful), "Harry's Wondrous World" from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and the Suite from Star Wars (I loved "The Imperial March").  The concert concluded, as it often does in the summer, with the 1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  Conductor Conner Gray Covington joked that while Tchaikovsky actually wrote the piece to commemorate the defense of Napoleon's invasion of Russia, for some reason it has become a symbol of American patriotism!  He also joked that every major American symphony orchestra plays it at least once during the summer and I had to laugh because it seems like I hear it every summer!  The orchestra performed it brilliantly and I especially loved the real live cannons provided by the Cannoneers of the Wasatch.  It was pretty spectacular!  For the encore, the orchestra played "Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa and that was immediately followed by an awesome fireworks display above the waterfall!  Evenings such as these are what I love most about summer!

Note:  Go here for more performances by the Utah Symphony this summer.

Howard Jones at Red Butte Garden (Again)

I have been a huge fan of Howard Jones since I was a sophomore in high school and I have seen him in concert more times than I can count.  When he was in SLC the last time he hinted at a return visit this summer and I was thrilled when I found out about this concert at Red Butte Amphitheatre.  It is such a great venue and last night was perfect for an outdoor concert.  This time I was able to go with my sister Kristine who loves Howard Jones as much as I do!  The opening bands were All Hail The Silence and Men Without Hats.  I had never heard of All Hail The Silence before but I really enjoyed their set because lead singer Christian Burns has a really nice voice (and is pretty easy on the eyes).  I was only familiar with two of the songs in the Men Without Hats set, "Pop Goes the World" and "Safety Dance," but they were a lot of fun and got the crowd up on their feet.  Howard Jones played quite a few songs from his latest album Transform, including the title track, "Take Us Higher," "Beating Mr. Neg," "Hero in Your Eyes," "Tin Man Song," and "The One to Love You."  This album has a very house/ techno sound to it and I liked all of these songs, especially "The One to Love You."  He also played many of the hits to the delight of the crowd, beginning with a lovely version of "Hide and Seek" to start his set.  He continued with "Equality," "No One Is To Blame," "Everlasting Love," "The Human Touch," "Life in One Day," "Like To Get To Know You Well," and a fantastic version of "What Is Love?" that made my inner fifteen year old self lose her mind because I loved this song so much back in the day.  He ended his set with "New Song" which brought back so many memories because this is the song that made me a Howard Jones fan (he also had footage of performing this song in the 80s on the screens behind him).  After he left the stage, quite a few people around me started singing the chorus to "Things Can Only Get Better" and then he came back on stage to sing it for the encore.  Just like the last time he was at Red Butte Garden, this was such a great concert and I loved every minute of it (so did my sister).

Note:  Go here for the complete lineup at Red Butte Amphitheatre.  It is such a great venue for a concert.

Toy Story 4

I thought the ending of Toy Story 3 was the perfect way to conclude the franchise so I wondered what the next installment could possibly have to offer.  Then I saw a trailer featuring Duke Caboom, Canada's Greatest Stuntman (Keanu Reeves) and I knew that I had to see it!  Yesterday I convinced Sean to go see it with me and I loved it!  Most of the toys are happy living with Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) but Woody (Tom Hanks) is feeling a little bit neglected.  Bonnie is nervous about going to kindergarten so Woody sneaks into her backpack to go with her to orientation and helps her make Forky (Tony Hale) out of a spork, popsicle sticks, and a pipe cleaner.  Forky becomes Bonnie's favorite toy but he has an existential crisis, wanting only to be used once and then discarded.  Woody does everything he can to keep Forky from absconding to the trash because Bonnie needs him and this makes Woody feel useful again.  When Bonnie's family takes a road trip in an RV, Forky escapes and Woody feels it is his duty to go after him.  He enlists the help of his former friend Bo Peep (Annie Potts), two plush toys named Bunny and Ducky (Jordan Peele and Keagan Michael Key, respectively), Giggles McDimples (Ally Maki), and Duke Caboom to rescue Forky and elude a doll named Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) who wants his voice box.  This is a worthy entry in the franchise with a powerful and poignant story.  The emotional journey that all of the characters take to discover their purpose is incredibly satisfying and I have to admit that I had a tear in my eye during an especially touching moment with Gabby.  Of course, my favorite character was Duke Caboom, a daredevil on a motorcycle who has a crisis of confidence when he cannot live up to the hype promised in the advertisement but ends up saving the day (and stealing the show).  I also really liked it whenever Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) decides what to do by using his button-induced phrases after Woody tells him to listen to his conscience.  I laughed out loud many times.  As is the case with most Pixar movies, the animation is absolutely beautiful and the action sequences are a lot of fun.  It is heartwarming movie that both children and adults will enjoy and I highly recommend it!