The Lower Lights 2019

One of my very favorite Christmas traditions is to see the Lower Lights Christmas concert at Kingsbury Hall.  I was able to see the show last night and, as always, it was amazing and did much to restore my spirits.  The Lower Lights is a group of twenty insanely talented musicians, songwriters, and singers, many of whom are popular in their own right, who periodically join forces to record folk and bluegrass renditions of popular hymns and Christmas carols.  I really love their sound and I especially love their renditions of Christmas songs because, as you know, I really enjoy Christmas music performed live.  They began with "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" which was quite upbeat and then they performed beautiful versions of "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "Angels We Have Heard On High," and "Away in a Manger" which brought tears to my eyes.  Then they played an acoustic version of "Mary's Boy Child" which was so lovely.  Debra Fotheringham provided vocals on an incredible version of "River" which is one of my favorite songs (I love Sarah McLachlan's version on her Christmas album).  In the middle of their set they performed a number of their hymns, including "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy," "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder," and "Just A Closer Walk With Thee."  These songs basically turned Kingsbury Hall into an old fashioned revival with people singing and dancing in the aisles.  It was a lot of fun.  They continued with an acoustic version of "Maybe This Christmas"  and an instrumental version of "Carol of the Bells" featuring guitar, mandolin, and banjo that was incredibly stirring.  Next came one of my favorite Christmas songs, "Still, Still, Still," with vocals provided by Corinne Gentry, Kiki Sieger, and Marie Bradshaw.  The cost of a ticket to this show is worth it for this song alone because the three of them harmonize so beautifully that they give you chills!  Sarah Sample provided the vocals for "White Christmas" and they continued with "I Saw Three Ships" which is another favorite.  There was another gospel interlude with "The River of Jordan" and "I Hear a Call."  Dustin Christensen performed a beautiful version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" which was fun after seeing Meet Me In St. Louis recently.  The audience joined in on a rousing rendition of "Go Tell It On the Mountain," and they continued with "A Cradle in Bethlehem" and "I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day."  They ended their set with bluesy renditions of "Working on a Building," "This Little Light of Mine," and "Calling You."  For the encore they performed "Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)" and then, as they always do, they had the audience join them for a beautiful acoustic version of "Silent Night."  I don't consider myself to be especially religious but there is just something about Christmas music and I am always moved by this concert.  I would highly recommend getting a ticket to one of the three remaining concerts (go here).

The Play That Goes Wrong at PTC

Last night I went to see the madcap comedy The Play That Goes Wrong at Pioneer Theatre and I don't remember when I have laughed so much!  The titular play is Susie H. K. Brideswell's The Murder at Haversham Manor and it is being performed by the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society.  The cast consists of Maxwell Benjamin Chesterwitz (Jordan Sobel) as Cecil Haversham/ Arthur the Gardener, Chris Daniels (William Connell) as Inspector Carter, Jonathan Harris (Brandon Contreras) as Charles Haversham, Robert John Parry III (Greg Balla) as Thomas Colleymoore, Dennis Timbertop (Eric Santagata) as Perkins the Butler, and Sandra Wilkinson (Ruth Pferdehirt) as Florence Colleymoore.  It is directed by Chris Daniels with Set Design, Costume Design, and Hair Design by Chris Daniels.  The Fight Choreographer is Chris Daniels, the Stage Manger is Annie Macdonald (Kirsten Wyatt) and the Sound and Lighting Technician is Trevor Santos (Archelaus Crisanto).  Literally everything that can go wrong does go wrong with this play including a set that is slowly falling apart, misplaced and malfunctioning props, a sound designer who keeps playing Duran Duran instead of the real sound cues, a missing dog, an actor playing a dead body who can't stay still, an actor who can't remember his lines, and a leading lady who is injured and must be replaced by her unprepared understudy.  The script is absolutely hilarious but it is also extremely clever with references that theatre people will definitely enjoy (be sure to read the playbill for The Murder at Haversham Manor within the playbill for The Play That Goes Wrong).  The entire cast is outstanding with brilliant comedic timing.  The physical comedy will make you laugh out loud!  My favorite scenes involved a drawn out fight between Sandra and her understudy for the chance to play Florence, when Thomas and Cecil break their swords and have to finish their duel with their arms, and when Perkins must finish the show handcuffed to a chaise lounge because the prop keys have been lost.  The set is fantastic because it falls apart so spectacularly, especially the study!  I don't think I stopped laughing through the entire show (I was even laughing before it started because the technical crew was searching the audience frantically for the missing dog).  This is a production that everyone will enjoy and I highly recommend it for a fun night out!  It runs at PTC through December 21 (go here for tickets).

Note:  This play makes references to Duran Duran and Hamlet so it was basically written for me!

Dark Waters

There are so many movies that I want to see right now (luckily winter break is coming soon) but I was able to cross one of them off my list by seeing Dark Waters last night.  This movie, based on a true story, is extremely unsettling.  Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) has just been made partner in a prestigious law firm known for defending powerful corporations, including DuPont, when a farmer from a small town in West Virginia named Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp) comes to his office wanting to file a lawsuit against DuPont.  Since his grandmother recommended him to Tennant, Bilott decides to visit his farm and investigate.  Tennant claims that all of his cows have died mysteriously because they drank from a river that is being polluted by DuPont.  After conducting exhaustive research he discovers that DuPont knowingly dumped PFOA, a man-made chemical used in Teflon that can't be processed by the body, into the water supply and he convinces Tom Terp (Tim Robbins), the managing partner of his firm, to file a claim against DuPont.  Thus begins a 20 year legal battle in which DuPont and its CEO Phil Donnelly (Victor Garber) use their considerable resources against the lone crusader Bilott who, despite damage to his reputation, his marriage, and even his health, refuses to give up until justice is served.  It is a scathing indictment against corporate greed and it will probably make you angry and then make you nervous.  The story kept me riveted as Bilott uncovers the truth piece by piece, although there are some pacing issues, and I was particularly invested in the scenes involving the people involved in the class-action suit.  Ruffalo gives an incredibly passionate performance and Robbins has a moment that made me want to stand up and cheer.  The rest of the cast is also solid, although Anne Hathaway, as Bilott's wife Sarah, isn't asked to do much beyond lamenting the fact that her husband is never around.  This is an incredibly powerful story about what happens when corporations go unchecked that should probably be seen by everyone and I highly recommend it (and I recommend that you get rid of all of your Teflon pans).

Meet Me In St. Louis

Yesterday I saw Meet Me in St. Louis, the final movie in the TCM Big Screen Classics series for this year (see below for next year's selections).  Believe it or not, I had never seen this movie (on the big screen or otherwise) so I was really excited for this opportunity.  This movie is a series of vignettes about the Smith family, including Alonzo Smith (Leon Ames), his wife Anna (Mary Astor), their children Lon, Jr. (Henry H. Daniels), Rose (Lucille Bremer), Esther (Judy Garland), Agnes (Joan Carroll), and Tootie (Margaret O'Brien), Grandpa (Harry Davenport), and their maid Katie (Marjorie Main), in the year leading up to the World's Fair of 1904 in St. Louis, Missouri.  In the summer, Rose and Esther are plotting romances with Warren Sheffield (Robert Sully) and John Truitt (Tom Drake), respectively.  In the fall, Agnes and Tootie are involved in a Halloween prank gone wrong.  In the winter, the family learns that Alonzo has been transferred to New York City.  They celebrate their final Christmas in St. Louis at an elegant ball on Christmas Eve and, afterwards, Esther must soothe a distraught Tootie.  In the spring, the family makes a visit to the World's Fair and they marvel at the fact that St. Louis is their home.  This movie is absolutely charming and features some well known songs such as "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."  Garland gives a marvelous performance as Esther but, in my opinion, Margaret O' Brien absolutely steals the show as the irrepressible Tootie.  I loved her sassy performance in the song "Under the Bamboo Tree," her Halloween prank on a grouchy neighbor, and her poignant response to the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."  I really enjoyed all of the period costumes and the fantastic Smith family home, especially all of the gas lamps.  I loved this appealing and nostalgic look at a time gone by and I would highly recommend checking it out on the big screen (go here for information and tickets).

Note:  I have really enjoyed all of the movies in the series this year (I was able to see all of them except for The Wizard of Oz because it was screened during the Sundance Film Festival).  The selections for next year were recently announced and include An American in Paris, Love Story, The Color Purple, King Kong, A League of Their Own, Airplane!, Annie, The Blues Brothers, Ghost, Babe, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Psycho, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Fiddler on the Roof.  Are you excited to see any of these movies on the big screen?  I am looking forward to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which is one of my favorite movies!

Holiday Inn at CPT

Last night I went to see Christian Johnston, one of my former students, in a lead role in the musical Holiday Inn at CPT. I was very impressed with his performance and I thoroughly enjoyed the show!  Jim Hardy (Rich Adams), Lila Dixon (Allison Hogge), and Ted Hanover (Johnston) are a song and dance trio who play the occasional engagement in New York City.  Jim is in love with Lila and, when he proposes one night, she accepts him.  However, when she finds out that he has purchased a large farm in Connecticut and intends to leave show business, she decides to break the engagement and continue the act with Ted as a duo.  When Jim moves to the farm, he discovers that it is incredibly run down and that he owes the back taxes but he soon meets the former owner, Linda (Lindsea Garside), and Louise (Brittany Bullen), a fix-it-lady, and they begin renovating.  When Jim learns that Linda was once a performer in New York, he decides to turn the large farmhouse into a hotel and performance venue that is only open on holidays.  He writes a show for Linda and his former back-up dancers to perform on New Year's Eve.  When Lila decides to leave the act, a drunken Ted comes to visit Jim and stumbles into the number with Linda. When Ted sobers up, he is determined to find out who he danced with to make her his new partner but Jim has fallen in love with Linda and doesn't want to lose her to show business so he contrives to keep them apart. Chaos ensues! This is an old-fashioned musical filled with wonderful songs by Irving Berlin and fabulous tap dancing! I really loved the big song and dance numbers performed at the inn to commemorate the various holidays including "Happy Holidays," "Let's Start the New Year Right," "Cheek to Cheek," "Easter Parade," "Let's Say It With Firecrackers," and "Song of Freedom."  Johnston, Garside, and the male and female ensemble are terrific dancers and the holiday themed costumes and decorations are a lot of fun!  I also really enjoyed the popular songs "Blue Skies" and "White Christmas."  This is the kind of musical that will definitely put a smile on your face and give you a good dose of holiday cheer.  It runs at CPT through December 21 (go here for tickets).