Ballet West's The Nutcracker 2021

One of my favorite holiday traditions is attending Ballet West's annual production of The Nutcracker.  I had the opportunity to see it last night and I think it was even more magical than usual (probably because I missed it so much last year).  I love everything about this ballet and I await every scene with great anticipation, especially the party scene where the Christmas tree is revealed to all of the children and Clara is given a nutcracker by Dr. Drosselmeyer, when everything is magically transformed to an enormous size and the nutcracker defeats the Mouse King with Clara's help, when the nutcracker becomes a handsome prince and takes Clara to the land of the Snow Queen and the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and all of the various divertissements arranged for Clara's entertainment.  My favorites are the Arabian dance because it is so exotic and the Russian dance because of the sheer athleticism of the leaps and spins (this dance received the loudest applause).  My favorite scene in the entire ballet is the Grand Pas de Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.  The choreography is so iconic and Emily Adams and Adrian Fry danced it beautifully last night.  I love every bit of Tchaikovsky's incomparable score but the music during this dance is so romantic it gives me goosebumps (I especially love the harp).  The costumes and sets were updated a few years ago and I love the addition of the jewel tones in the party scene and the pastels in the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy (the set looks very tropical).  The young dancers in the cast are fantastic and I especially enjoyed Frtiz and all of his antics (he seemed even more mischievous than usual) and Mother Buffoon's children.  The special effects in this production are absolutely enchanting, most notably the falling snow during the Snow King and Queen's Pas de Duex (some of the flakes were really big), the fireworks after all of the divertissements, and Clara's flying sled.  No matter how many times I see this show it always puts a huge smile on my face and I definitely recommend getting a ticket.  There are evening and matinee performances at the Capitol Theater through December 26 (go here for tickets).

Inmo Yang Plays Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto

I always love starting the weekend with a Utah Symphony concert and the one last night was amazing!  The orchestra began with Le chant du rossignol (The Song of the Nightingale) by Igor Stravinsky.  I have heard this piece performed before and I love it because it is so dynamic.  Stravinsky originally intended it as an opera but it was eventually used as the basis for a ballet by George Ballanchine (I definitely imagined movement in my mind as I listened).  The story follows a nightingale who sings for the Emperor of China but is forgotten when the Emperor favors a mechanical one given to him as a gift.  The nightingale flies away but feels pity when the Emperor is near death and returns again in order to restore him to health.  The nightingale is represented by a solo flute while the mechanical bird is represented by a solo oboe and it was really interesting to try to distinguish between the two of them.  Next, the orchestra was joined by soloist Inmo Yang to perform the Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn.  This piece is incredibly romantic and atmospheric and I especially loved the sustained note played by the bassoon to transition from the first to the second movement.  Yang gave a thrilling and passionate performance and it was so much fun to watch his bow flying across the strings of the violin with seemingly impossible speed.  The appreciative audience leapt to their feet at the end of the concerto and Yang rewarded us with a beautiful encore.  The concert concluded with Symphony No. 3 by Johannes Brahms.  This piece is very dramatic and emotional and I particularly enjoyed the third movement because, to me, it sounded like the movie score of an epic historical romance that ends tragically.  I loved all of the back-and-forth themes played by the horns, the oboe, and the violins in the third movement and I also loved the muted ending of the final movement after all of the intensity that preceded it.  This concert was so beautiful and, in my opinion, it was the perfect way to unwind after a long week.  The same program will be performed again tonight and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Mean Girls at the Eccles

I have to admit that I wasn't very enthusiastic when Broadway at the Eccles announced that the musical Mean Girls would be making a stop in SLC.  However, after hearing a live performance of "World Burn," I changed my mind and I've actually been looking forward to seeing it ever since.  I had the chance last night and, as a former high school teacher, I absolutely loved it!  Cady Heron (Danielle Wade) has recently moved to Chicago from Kenya, where she was home schooled, and is finding North Shore High School to be as brutal as the African plains.  Two social outcasts, Damian Hubbard (Eric Huffman) and Janis Sarkisian (Mary Kate Morrissey), attempt to help her fit in and advise her to avoid The Plastics, a clique made up of Regina George (Nadina Hassan), Gretchen Wieners (Megan Masako Haley), and Karen Smith (Becca Peterson).  Regina shows an interest in Cady and allows her to sit with her and her friends at lunch until she discovers that Cady likes her former boyfriend, Aaron Samuels (Adante Carter), and takes him back.  Cady devises a plan for revenge against Regina and, when it is successful, she takes her place as the leader of The Plastics.  However, she eventually alienates her real friends Damian and Janis, angers Aaron, disappoints her Calculus teacher Ms. Norbury (April Josephine), and loses her identity.  When she decides to participate in a math competition, she shows all of the students that it is much better to be yourself than to pretend to be someone else to fit in.  This show has such a great message and I honestly wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did!  I especially loved the songs "Where Do You Belong?' as Damian describes all of the cliques (my favorite is the show choir) at school to Cady, "Apex Predator" where Janis compares Regina to an animal at the top of the food chain, "Fearless," during which Gretchen and Karen stand up to Regina, and the aforementioned "World Burn" where Regina distributes her Burn Book to make Cady look bad.  I really enjoyed the use of projections to depict the classrooms (complete with subject specific bulletin boards), hallways, bathrooms, cafeteria, and gym at the school and the choreography involving moving desks and cafeteria tables is incredibly clever.  I liked the entire cast but Hassan (as Regina) was my favorite because she can really belt out a song and she has such an attitude as the ultimate mean girl.  I think the narrative loses a bit of momentum in the second act and some of the songs, especially "Sexy," might be too risque for some but I highly recommend this show!  It runs at the Eccles Theater until Dec. 5 (go here for tickets)

A Christmas Story at CPT

I saw the Broadway touring production of A Christmas Story several years ago and I thought it was delightful so I was excited to see it again last night at CPT. The musical is very much informed by the iconic movie of the same name (a favorite of mine).  It is narrated by radio personality Jean Shepherd (Darin J. Beardall) on Christmas Eve as he tells the story of a memorable Christmas from his youth. Ralphie (Soren Ray) desperately wants an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time for Christmas but his Mother (Jessica Love), the Old Man (Juston LeBaron), his teacher Miss Shields (Bailee DeYoung), and even Santa Claus (Andy Leger) tell him that he'll shoot his eye out. All of the well-known scenes from the movie are brought to life on stage including when Randy (Sam Akerlow) eats like a piggy, when Schwartz (James Leger) triple dog dares Flick (Trevin Hamblin) to stick his tongue to the flag pole, when the Old Man wins a major award, when Ralphie says the F-dash-dash-dash word while helping the Old Man change a tire, when Ralphie gets into a fight with Scut Farkus (Ben Liljenquist), when Ralphie gets a bunny costume from Aunt Clara, and when one of the Bumpus hounds (Phoenix, making his stage debut) eats the turkey forcing the Parkers to eat Christmas dinner at the Chop Suey Palace! The songs are not especially memorable but I really liked how they are staged and the talented cast does a great job, particularly the young actors. I really enjoyed the choreography in "When You're a Wimp," "Ralphie to the Rescue," "A Major Award," and "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out." Ray has a great voice and gives a really endearing performance as Ralphie, especially in "Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun," and Akerlow is absolutely hilarious as Randy (he made me laugh out loud several times), but, in my opinion, Phoenix steals the show when he chases the Old Man around to get to the turkey (he got the loudest applause all evening). The period costumes are fantastic and the elaborate sets, which feature Higbee's Department Store, the Parker house, and Warren G. Harding Elementary School, are cleverly placed side by side on stage to mimic an actual street. I had a smile on my face throughout the whole show and it definitely gave me a big dose of Christmas cheer! It runs on the Barlow Main Stage through December 23 (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it to fans of the movie!

Handel's Messiah 2021

I always try to attend the Utah Symphony's annual holiday performance of Handel's Messiah (it was virtual last year and I really missed it) whenever possible and I am so happy that I had the opportunity last night.  Because we are not quite out of the woods with Covid yet, the orchestra opted for a traditional performance rather than the usual format with audience participation during the choral sections.  Even though I love singing along I really enjoyed this concert and it was the perfect way to begin the holiday season.  The orchestra was joined by members of the Utah Opera Chorus and soloists Julia Gershkoff, Edith Grossman, and Daniel O'Hearn.  Unfortunately, Evan Hammond was feeling under the weather and was unable to perform.  Conductor Conner Covington said he was going step in and sing his part but thought better of it when he realized that we had all paid money for our tickets!  This is such an incredibly stirring piece and it was performed beautifully!  My favorite sections are "For unto us a child is born," "Glory to God in the highest," and, of course, "Hallelujah."  I did miss "The trumpet shall sound" because the baritone solo is usually a highlight for me but the other soloists were amazing.  If you have never seen a performance of Messiah, definitely put it on your list for the future!

Note:  I am starting to get really excited for Christmas.  I love hearing Christmas music performed live and last night's concert was the first of several that I have planned in the coming weeks!