Holiday Pops Starring Jodi Benson

I didn't really feel up to going out last night but a Christmas concert featuring the Utah Symphony and Broadway star Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid) was exactly what I needed so I am glad that I made the effort!  The orchestra, under the baton of Larry Blank, began with a medley called A Christmas Festival featuring "Joy to the World," "Deck the Halls," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Up On the Housetop," "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "Silent Night," "Jingle Bells," and "O Come All Ye Faithful."  Then Jodi Benson came to the stage to sing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "The Christmas Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."  She has such a beautiful voice and I had goosebumps during every song.  She continued with "Grown Up Christmas List" and then took a break while the orchestra performed another beautiful medley called Christmas Scherzo which I loved because it featured "Bring a Torch Jeannette, Isabella."  Then they played "Trepak" from The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky and the Overture to A White Christmas by Irving Berlin.  Benson returned to the stage for "Ordinary Miracles" by Marvin Hamlisch, which was beautiful, and then introduced her daughter Delaney who sang "Winter Wonderland."  I loved hearing her talk about her daughter because she is so proud of her and it was so endearing!  She concluded the first act with a rousing rendition of "Mary, Did You Know?" that just about blew the roof off Abravanel Hall!  After the intermission the orchestra played a really fun version of "Sleigh Ride" complete with the neighing of a horse (provided by a trumpet player wearing a horse mask).  Benson returned to sing "We Need a Little Christmas" and a sultry version of "Let it Snow."  Next the orchestra performed a Disney medley featuring songs from Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, and Aladdin.  Benson sang "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio and her daughter Delaney returned to sing "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.  One of my favorite moments came next when Benson sang "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid!  It was absolutely magical to hear Ariel sing this song and I may or may not have giggled at the end of it!  The orchestra performed another medley called Christmas Fantasy which featured "I Saw Three Ships," "We Three Kings," and "Sing We Noel."  The concert concluded with my very favorite Christmas song "O Holy Night."  I recently heard an instrumental version by Kurt Bestor but it was so lovely to hear it sung by Benson!  For the encore, she sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with her daughter.  I really loved this concert and, if you are in need of a little comfort and joy this season, I definitely recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance (go here).

West Side Story

I am a huge fan of the old Hollywood musicals, such as The Sound of Music, South Pacific, The Music Man, and Fiddler on the Roof, because I have very vivid memories of watching them on VHS at my Grandma Anderson's house.  My all-time favorite is West Side Story.  I know that it is problematic when viewed with a modern lens but I love the songs and the dancing so much!  I was, therefore, a bit concerned when I heard that Steven Spielberg was directing a remake because I didn't think anything could compare to the original.  I was wrong!  I finally had the chance to see it last night and I absolutely loved it!  The story revolves around the forbidden romance between Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler) and the animosity it stirs up between the Jets and the Sharks, two rival street gangs who are vying for territory.  I really enjoyed some new additions to the story.  The gentrification of the neighborhood raises the stakes for both the Jets and the Sharks because they are not just fighting for territory but for a place to live. The backstory of Tony as a former gang member trying to go straight after serving time in prison for assault provides more motivation for his desire to stop the fighting.  The new character of Valentina (Rita Moreno), the Puerto Rican widow of Doc who now runs his drug store, becomes an important mentor for Tony because she shows him what is possible (Moreno provides one of the most poignant moments in the movie).  The entire cast is absolutely brilliant but the standouts for me are Mike Faist as Riff and Ariana DeBose as Anita because their singing, dancing, and acting are amazing (this is what happens when you cast Broadway stars in movie musicals).  I also really liked Elgort, despite his tumultuous personal life, because he is an endearing Tony and has great chemistry with Zegler.  His rendition of "Maria" gave me goosebumps!  Speaking of Zegler, I loved her voice and she imbues Maria with a strength that I appreciated.  I absolutely loved the new staging of the musical numbers, particularly "America," which happens more organically on the street, "Gee, Officer Krupke," which happens inside the police station as the gang members are questioned about the upcoming rumble, and "Pretty," which happens in the window displays of the department store where Maria works as a cleaner.  I really loved that "Cool," one of my favorite numbers, is changed so that Tony sings it to convince the Jets not to rumble with the Sharks.  (The only number that I prefer from the original movie is the prologue because the hostility between the gangs is conveyed entirely through dance rather than a fight as is the case in this version).  All of the costumes are fantastic but the ones at the school dance are especially striking because the Jets and their girls are primarily in blue and the Sharks and their girls are primarily in red.  Finally, I loved the cinematography and shot composition, especially all of the overhead shots because they are so dramatic!  I went into the theater last night feeling a bit skeptical but left it loving this movie.  I highly recommend it!

A Flicker in the Dark

My Book of the Month selection for December was A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (the other options were Olga Dies Dreaming  by Xochitl Gonzalez, A History of Wild Places by Shea Earnshaw, Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford, and The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox). It is an atmospheric psychological thriller that is almost impossible to put down! It has been twenty years since Chloe Davis provided the evidence leading to the arrest of her father for murdering six teenage girls in the small town of Breaux Bridges. She is now a successful psychologist in Baton Rouge about to be married but she still has difficulty reconciling the loving father she once knew with the serial killer that he is and, as a result, she has had problems trusting people, especially men, and often self-medicates with prescriptions she writes herself. When several young girls go missing in a manner eerily similar to her father's modus operandi, she fears that history is repeating itself and that, once again, she has placed her trust in a monster. I really enjoyed the structure of this novel because the narrative takes place in the present with Chloe having flashbacks when events in the present seem to mimic those of the past. It is a really effective device because it shows how much Chloe is still traumatized by the past despite her best attempts at normalcy. I also enjoyed all of the many twists and turns as Chloe comes to suspect everyone in her life and then begins investigating each of them when her suspicions go unheeded because of her drug use and paranoia in past relationships. I predicted one of the major twists early in the proceedings but started to doubt myself as the narrative went on and I have to admit that I didn't see the final one coming (I love it when that happens). Finally, the writing is fantastic and I especially enjoyed the lyrical descriptions of the setting because it is so eerie and contributes much to the tension. This kept me reading during every spare moment I could find this weekend and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

Note:  It is hard to believe but this is Willingham's debut novel! As a fan of psychological thrillers, I am now eagerly awaiting more from this talented author!

Orli Shaham Plays Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2

I couldn't attend the Utah Symphony concert on Friday night because of a family responsibility but I was able to exchange my ticket for the same program last night and I am so glad I did because it was amazing!  The orchestra began with the Prelude and "Liebestod" from the opera Tristan and Isolde by Richard Wagner.  I have never seen this opera before but I found the music to be incredibly dramatic, especially in the "Liebestod" when the intensity builds and builds until Tristan and Isolde are reunited in death.  I particularly loved the harp at the conclusion.  Next, the orchestra was joined by pianist Orli Shaham for Frederic Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 and I absolutely loved this piece!  I especially loved the second movement because it is unbelievably lyrical and romantic!  It is believed that Chopin was inspired by Konstancja Gladkowska, a fellow student at the conservatory he attended in Warsaw for whom he pined but could not work up the courage to speak to, for this movement.  Shaham gave a dazzling performance and I loved the rapport that she seemed to have with the orchestra.  She received a well-deserved standing ovation and then performed a lovely encore (I didn't recognize the piece she played but it was beautiful).  The concert concluded with Symphony No. 7 by Antonin Dvorak.  The Czech composer wanted to write a symphony that would rival those composed by Germans so that Austrian Germans would acknowledge Czechs as their equals (there were rising ethnic tensions in Austria-Hungary during the late 1800s) and this piece is very stirring.  I especially loved the third movement because it features a Czech folk dance that is repeated by several different instruments.  I enjoyed this concert immensely and it was much needed after a long week!

Note:  The last time I exchanged my ticket for another performance the cute ladies who sit by me wondered where I was and told me they missed me!  I hope they weren't worried!

A Kurt Bestor Christmas at the Eccles

I have attended Kurt Bestor's annual Christmas concert many times over the years and, when last year's concert was canceled, I really missed it.  When this year's concert was announced I bought a ticket immediately and I've been looking forward to it ever since.  I love hearing Christmas music performed live and the concert last night was wonderful!  Bestor began with "Let It Snow" which was very appropriate considering the snowstorm we had in SLC yesterday (it was a lot of fun driving to the Eccles Theatre from my house).  He continued with "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" which is one of my favorites because I sang it in choir in college.  He performed a beautiful rendition of "Still, Still, Still" on flugelhorn which he dedicated to his father.  He continued with an arrangement called "Christmas Cubanismo" which featured a Latin beat and this got the audience dancing in their seats!  The special guest for this concert was Alex Boye and he came out to perform "Christmas Time Is Here" and I loved his rendition of this song.  Next came "The Coventry Carol" and then "Sing We Noel" in which each section of Bestor's band was featured as he introduced them.  The first set concluded with "Prayer for the Children," one of Bestor's best-known songs, featuring vocalists from the One Voice Children's Choir.  It was really lovely and it brought a tear to my eye as it always does.  After the intermission he performed arrangements of "Carol of the Bells" and "What Child is This."  Then he performed another one of my favorite Christmas songs, "In the Bleak Midwinter."  My favorite version of this song is Sarah McLachlan's but Bestor's arrangement was also really beautiful.  Boye returned to the stage for a rousing rendition of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" which basically turned the Eccles Theatre into an old time gospel revival!  Then Boye performed an original Christmas song called "Newborn" and I really loved this, especially the African drums!  He continued with "I Pray on Christmas" and his moves rivaled those of James Brown!  It is just not Christmas until I hear "O Holy Night" performed live and Bestor played the flugelhorn on a lovely arrangement that gave me goosebumps!  He continued with a really cool Celtic version of "Ding Dong Merrily on High" featuring his concert master on fiddle.  It is a tradition at Bestor's Christmas concerts to have an audience member read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas while he performs his amusing accompaniment but this year, because of Covid, he had Boye read it and to say that it was entertaining would be an understatement!  I laughed and laughed at his antics!  Bestor concluded the concert with "Joy to the World" and had Boye return to sing a stirring rendition of "Silent Night."  There is just something about Christmas music that makes me happy so, of course, I really loved this concert!  Bestor's music is always beautiful but last night he seemed delighted to be back in front of an audience and was especially charming so I highly recommend getting a ticket to one of the remaining shows (go here) because this might be his best concert yet!