Michael Buble at the Vivint Arena

I have always wanted to see Michael Buble in concert but, for one reason or the other, I never had the opportunity.  When I heard he was coming to SLC last year, I bought a ticket for the concert immediately but, after Covid upended everything, the show was postponed a number of times.  It finally happened last night and I can't remember when I have had so much fun.  I had a huge smile on my face the entire time!  I love Buble's voice and I really enjoyed watching him perform because he is the ultimate showman.  He is also just a little bit irreverent and his interactions with the crowd were hilarious.  He performed, along with an insanely talented group of musicians and back-up singers, some lovely arrangements of quite a few standards, such as "Feeling Good," "My Funny Valentine," "I Only Have Eyes For You," "Such a Night," "When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You)," and "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You." He talked about growing up in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, mentioning that it was famous for producing a bunch of hockey players that most people in the audience wouldn't know (this made me laugh because I know a quite a few of them, including my favorite player Joe Sakic), and he spoke lovingly of his grandfather's support of his singing career before dedicating "Lazy River" to him.  He dedicated "When I Fall In Love" and "To Love Somebody" (one of my favorites of the night) to all of the couples in the audience before quipping that if the singles felt left out they could join a couple in a threesome to spice things up!  He sang a snippet of "Everything" with a delighted audience member (after bragging about the long microphone he invented to comply with social distancing requirements).  He also performed the original songs "Haven't Met You Yet" and "Home," which are favorites of mine, as well as a beautiful rendition of "Forever Now," which he wrote for his son after a long illness (this brought tears to my eyes).  He turned the Vivint Arena into an intimate club by moving to a smaller stage at the other end of the floor with a few of his musicians to sing "Buona sera," "Just a Gigolo," "I Ain't Got Nobody" and "You Never Can Tell" and then ended his set with an exuberant performance of "Cry Me a River."  For the encore he performed "Where or When," "Everything" (I was so happy he performed the full version of this because it is one of my favorites), and an emotional rendition of "You Were Always on My Mind" after expressing his gratitude to his musicians, crew, and the audience.  Buble was brimming with energy and enthusiasm the whole evening and his show was everything I hoped it would be!  It was definitely worth the wait!

Note:  This was the first of several concerts I have this month!  Yay for the return of live music!

Dear Evan Hansen

I really love the musical Dear Evan Hansen.  I've seen the Broadway touring production twice (in Las Vegas and SLC) and I think the music, staging, and message are absolutely brilliant.  I was looking forward to the movie adaptation until I heard all of the negative reviews and, I have to admit, they gave me pause.  I finally went to see it last night and it was both better and worse than I was expecting.  Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) suffers from anxiety and feels insignificant and all alone and his single mother Heidi (Julianne Moore) means well but struggles with how to help him.  His one friend, Jared (Nik Dodani), is only nice to him because their mothers are friends and he is too shy to talk to Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever), the girl he likes.  His therapist encourages him to write letters to himself to help build his confidence but, when he does, a deeply troubled fellow student named Connor (Colton Ryan) intercepts it from the printer because it mentions his sister Zoe.  When Connor takes his own life, his parents Cynthia (Amy Adams) and Larry (Danny Pino) find the letter and, believing it to be a suicide note, reach out to Evan.  To comfort Connor's parents, Evan pretends that they were friends.  This falsehood eventually spirals out of control, particularly when Alana (Amandla Stenberg), another lonely girl at school, wants to do something to keep Connor's memory alive.  When the truth is finally revealed, Evan realizes that he was never really alone.  Much of the criticism about this movie has to do with the issue of mental health and the fact that the entire narrative centers on a lie.  However, in my opinion, Evan is so lonely that he will do anything, even perpetuate a lie, to form a connection with someone and this response rings very true to me (I think most of the questionable actions taken by several characters, including Connor’s family and Alana, are in order to find a connection).  I find Evan to be an incredibly sympathetic character and I personally relate to his need to be seen and accepted.  Another criticism is that Platt, at age 27, is much too old for the role.  While I did find the makeup worn to make him look younger to be a bit disconcerting at first, I think his vocal performance more than makes up for it and I especially loved his renditions of "Waving Through a Window" and "You Will Be Found."  I also enjoyed the powerful performances of Dever and Moore.  My biggest disappointment with this movie is the staging.  One of the biggest themes of the musical is that, while the world is increasingly connected by technology, so many people struggle to form a connection.  This is emphasized on stage by large moving panels depicting various social media platforms throughout the show and these overshadow the minimal set pieces.  I don't think the use of social media translates as well on the screen so this message is somewhat diminished.  Even though several songs are eliminated (which is also problematic in regards to character development, especially Heidi), the pace is sometimes incredibly slow and it feels overlong.  I definitely prefer Dear Evan Hansen on the stage but I didn't hate this adaptation (it is certainly not as bad as Cats).

Summer of Outdoor Performances

In my opinion there is nothing better than sitting outside under the stars on a warm summer evening listening to music or watching a performance.  It is my favorite thing to do in the summer and I really missed having the opportunity last summer.  This year I was determined to visit all of my favorite outdoor performing arts venues and I even made a list!  I can happily report that I officially crossed off all but one venue on my list (I had planned on going to a concert at the Gallivan Plaza, the final venue on my list, last night but it was cold and raining so I decided not to).  Now that it is officially fall, I thought it would be fun to recap all of my summer adventures.

Murray Park Amphitheater

My sister Marilyn and I took our Mom to see The Little Mermaid at the Murray Park Amphitheater and all three of us really enjoyed this fun and quirky production.  My Mom had a smile on her face the entire time!  I loved all of the costumes for the sea creatures (especially the jelly fish) and Ursula was an absolute hoot because she was characterized as an over-the-top drag queen!

Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre

My first road trip of 2021 was a weekend in Cedar City for the Utah Shakespeare Festival and it was such a great experience.  I was able to see two plays in the outdoor Engelstad Theatre (I also saw a marvelous production of Ragtime in the indoor Randall L. Jones Theatre) and I thoroughly enjoyed them both but I think Richard III is the highlight of the summer!  It is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays and the lead actor was brilliant in the role!

Waterfall Amphitheatre at Thanksgiving Point

The Utah Symphony performs in various outdoor venues during the summer and the annual Concert at the Waterfall is always a good time!  The concert this year featured lots of patriotic favorites and culminated in a spectacular version of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, which is incredibly stirring, and fireworks!

Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater at Deer Valley

 

This year I was able to attend two concerts at Deer Valley!  I love being in the mountains (where it is usually much cooler than in the valley) and eating a picnic while waiting for the show to start.  My first concert was Kristin Chenoweth and it was so much fun because she is such a dynamic performer!  The highlights were "Popular" from Wicked and one of the best performances of "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables that I have ever heard.

My second concert at Deer Valley featured the Utah Symphony and guest conductor Enrico Lopez-Yanez (he is so charming and engaging) performing music from the Harry Potter movies.  I really enjoy these movies so it was a lot of fun to hear selections from the different scores performed live.  My favorite pieces were "Double Trouble" from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (with vocalists from each house) and "Courtyard Apocalypse" from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.

Eccles Outdoor Stage at Sundance

This year the Summer Theatre production at the Sundance Mountain Resort (in conjunction with the UVU Theatre Department) was Footloose.  This is not my favorite musical but I enjoyed many aspects of the show and I definitely loved being up in the mountains because of the fresh air, the cooler temperature, and the smell of pine!

Sandy Amphitheater

I am a huge fan of Queen so I was really excited to see The Magic of Queen (a great tribute band) at the Sandy Amphitheater.  Lead singer Brady Dolyniuk sounded a lot like Freddie Mercury (but he didn't try to imitate him) so it was a lot of fun to hear all of Queen's biggest hits performed live.  Of course, my favorite was an epic rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Tuacahn Amphitheatre

I was able to go on another quick road trip to Southern Utah to see Beauty and the Beast at Tuachan.  I used to see at least one show at Tuacahn every summer but I hadn't been for a long time.  It felt good to be back seeing a show with the beautiful red rock as a backdrop.  This was an absolutely magical production of Beauty and the Beast (with lots of unexpected special effects) and it made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time!

Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

I always love attending concerts at Red Butte Garden because it is such a beautiful venue!  This year I was really lucky because Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, one of my favorite bands, was part of the Outdoor Concert Series and somehow I was able to get a ticket (it sold out very quickly).  I thoroughly enjoyed this show because they played so many songs from their new album (which I love) as well as many of my favorites.

USANA Amphitheatre

Another highlight of the summer is seeing Alanis Morissette at USANA with my sister Kristine.  We are both huge fans of Morissette and we both love the album Jagged Little Pill, which she performed in its entirety to commemorate 25 years since its release.  It was so fun to be back at USANA for the first time in over two years for such an amazing concert!

It has been a great summer!

The Scarlet Pimpernel at CPT

I really love the musical The Scarlet Pimpernel because the story is so thrilling (I read the novel by Baroness Orczy at least 812 times when I was a teenager) and the music is incredibly powerful (I have the Original Broadway Cast recording and I listen to it often).  I always try to see it whenever it is playing (I have seen three different productions at HCT) so, as you can imagine, I have been anticipating CPT's version since they announced the 2021 season! I was able to see it last night and I had so much fun. Percy Blakeney (Ben Lowell) disguises himself as the Scarlet Pimpernel and recruits a band of followers (Benjamin Christian Plowman, Thad Weiland, Jared Daley, Ryan Zaugg, John Kenning, and Regan Whimpey) in order to save the people of Paris from Chauvelin (Jacob Omer) and his guillotine during the French Revolution. He keeps his identity a secret from his wife Marguerite St. Just (Anya Young Wilson), a Parisian actress, because he believes that she is helping Chauvelin, her former lover. He is also keeping his identity a secret from the Prince of Wales (Chris Kennedy) by pretending to be a foppish nincompoop. However, he must make his most daring rescue when Marguerite and her brother Armand (Derek Marsden) are arrested. Lowell and Wilson are outstanding as Percy and Marguerite, especially in the songs "You Are My Home" and "When I Look At You" which they sing together. Lowell is very powerful in "Into The Fire," absolutely hilarious in "The Creation of Man," and incredibly moving in "She Was There." I loved all of his interactions with Chauvelin, particularly when he mispronounces his name. Wilson is quite affecting in "I'll Forget You." Omer has an beautiful voice in the songs "Falcon In The Dive" and "Where's The Girl" but his acting is strangely without a lot of affect. I feel like he should be a bit more menacing in his interactions with Marguerite and more exasperated with Percy. I really enjoyed the choreography, especially the intricate "Ouilles Gavotte" where Marguerite questions the men to find out the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel at the ball and "The Duel" where both Percy and Marguerite engage in a sword fight with Chauvelin. The sets are very elaborate and I really liked the prison and guillotine, Percy's study, the ship used by the Pimpernel and his League to get to Paris, and the rose garden.  The moving of the various set pieces on and off the stage is a complicated process and, at times, it pulls focus from the action still happening on stage but it is very quick. Finally, the costumes are a definite highlight. I loved all of the embroidery on the fabric used for the women's costumes but, unusually, my favorites were those worn by the men.  The Pimpernel and his League take "frou frou" to a whole new level in "The Creation of Man." I am always so impressed by the quality of the productions at CenterPoint and this one is outstanding. I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).

Note: CPT recently announced their 2022 season which includes The Play That Goes Wrong, Cinderella, Big Fish, Bright Star, TBA, and Elf the Musical. I am looking forward to all of them and I've already renewed my subscription!

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

I distinctly remember watching the downfall of televangelist Jim Bakker on the nightly news (the footage of him being led away with a jacket over his handcuffs was used every time there was an update to the case) when I was a teenager and I had very strong feelings about the hypocrisy of religious leaders using their platform to profit personally from money donated by believers (I still do).  I was, therefore, very excited to see The Eyes of Tammy Faye and I finally had the chance last night.  I really enjoyed the performances, especially Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye, as well as the production design but I was ultimately quite disappointed by the shallow analysis of the title character.  The movie follows Tammy Faye as a child (played by Chandler Head) in a religious household who is viewed as a sinner because she is a product of a marriage that ended in divorce, as a student (now played by Chastain) at Bible college who becomes enamored with fellow student Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) because of his belief in a prosperity gospel, as an itinerant preacher with her new husband delivering a message with puppets, as the host of a children's TV show for Pat Robertson (Gabriel Olds) and his Christian broadcasting network, as an antagonist to Jerry Fallwell (Vincent D'Onofrio) for her views on religious inclusion, as a host for the Bakker's own PTL (Praise The Lord) network which broadcast their ministry by satellite to millions of viewers 24 hours a day, as the benefactor of a lavish lifestyle with money funneled from the contributions of those viewers, and, finally, as the supposed victim of her husband's wrongdoing.  Chastain gives a brilliant performance which captures all of Tammy Faye's idiosyncratic mannerisms (her nervous giggle is absolutely spot-on) and I was especially impressed that she did her own singing.  I also enjoyed Garfield's performance as the embattled televangelist, particularly when he delivers Bakker's catchphrase, "God loves you. He really does."  This movie also does a fantastic job at recreating the ostentation of the 80s from the sumptuous interiors to the flamboyant costumes.  My biggest issue is with the overly sympathetic depiction of Tammy Faye.  I have a really difficult time believing that she was not complicit in, or at least aware of, the bilking of their viewers for personal gain.  We are meant to believe that she was assertive enough to force her way to Jerry Fallwell's table at a BBQ and to proclaim her views about the responsibilities Christians have to love everyone despite opposition from other powerful religious leaders but that she allowed herself to be a pawn in all of Jim's schemes and knew nothing about the day-to-day operations of PTL.  Also this movie does not shed much light on what actually happened to bring about their downfall.  To be sure, this is Tammy Faye's story and it is told completely from her perspective rather than Jim's but I wish we could have had more details about the scandal.  I did enjoy the movie, and would recommend it, but I didn't learn much about the protagonist beyond what I already knew.