The Worst Person in the World

One of my very favorite films at the Sundance Film Festival this year was The Worst Person in the World so I was really happy to be able to see it again at my favorite art house theater last night.  I think I loved it even more upon a second viewing!  Julie (Renate Reinsve) changes majors, boyfriends, and, rather amusingly, hairstyles several times before deciding to leave school to pursue photography.  She takes a temporary job in a bookstore and moves in with Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), a comic book artist who is several years her senior, after meeting him at a party.  She is ambivalent when Aksel presses her about starting a family and, even though she loves him, her dissatisfaction with the direction of her life causes her to question their relationship and whether she is ready to make a commitment.  She becomes infatuated with Eivind (Herbert Nordrum), a man she meets when she crashes a wedding, and eventually leaves Aksel to move in with him but he also proves to be a disappointment.  She continually wonders when life will begin but it takes a tragedy for her to realize that she has been living all along.  I love the character of Julie so much because, even though I am a bit (ahem) older than she is, I can really relate to feeling like you should have life figured out by a certain age and I definitely appreciate the message that there is not necessarily a timeline for doing so.  Reinsve give an absolutely captivating and moving performance (I think she deserved a Best Actress Oscar nomination), particularly in an emotionally charged but incredibly honest scene in which she breaks up with Aksel.  Danielsen Lie is also outstanding, giving a powerful monologue in the third act about the things we hold on to in life.  Trier uses the time of day (and the city of Oslo) very effectively in three brilliant scenes depicting Julie's state of mind.  First, she walks home wistfully at dusk feeling disillusioned with life until she is distracted by a party.  Next, she is giddy as she runs through the streets during the day, while time stops for every one else, to follow a sudden impulse.  Finally, she is heartbroken as she wanders the city in tears all night before she finds some peace at sunrise.  I love the imagery of these scenes because they are all so evocative and the time of day is a great metaphor for the ebb and flow of life.  I laughed out loud multiple times and I shed a tear or two!  This is one of the best romantic comedies that I've seen, mostly because it subverts the genre, and I highly recommend it!

Daniel Lozakovich Plays Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

Last night's Utah Symphony concert featured the music of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev so you can be sure that I really enjoyed it (I love the Russian composers).  The first piece, however, was not composed by a Russian but by a Brazilian!  The orchestra began with the U.S. premiere of Oji - Cheganca e impeto by Paulo Costa Lima.  The composer wanted to explore Afro-Brazilian folk traditions and this piece is meant to represent a trans-Atlantic journey from Africa to Brazil.  It features many different percussion instruments, including some rather unusual ones, and I was particularly struck by how well these instruments, along with the strings, mimic the sound of rolling waves in a storm.  I kept seeing a ship being tossed about in a thunder storm.  I could also really hear the relief that comes from reaching a destination safely as interpreted by the diminishing sound of a wind machine.  I thought it was really cool (you are pretty much guaranteed something cool when you see six percussionists on the stage).  Next, the orchestra performed the Violin Concerto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and they were joined by Daniel Lozakovich on violin.  In my opinion, Tchaikovsky's music is incredibly emotional (which is why I love it) and the Violin Concerto is especially so.  The theme played by the soloist, which is repeated often throughout the three movements, is absolutely beautiful and I particularly enjoyed it when it was repeated by the flute.  Lazakovich was required to play faster and faster in the first movement (the violinist for whom this piece was composed declared it unplayable) and it was thrilling to watch, to say the least!  My favorite movement was the second because it is slower and just a bit melancholy with a beautiful introduction by the woodwinds.  The third movement includes variations of Russian folk music before it returns to the passionate main theme in a triumphant conclusion!  Lazakovich was absolutely brilliant and, in response to the standing ovation from the large crowd at Abravanel Hall, he played a dramatic rendition of Sonata No. 5, Danse Rustique, by Eugene Ysaye as an encore.  After the intermission, the orchestra concluded with selections from the ballet Cinderella by Sergei Prokofiev.  I saw Ballet West's production of Romeo and Juliet, which also features the music of Prokofiev, just last weekend so I was really excited for this!  I have also seen this ballet performed by Ballet West so I had many images in my head as I listened to the orchestra.  I especially enjoyed Cinderella Goes to the Ball, because it includes incredibly romantic themes played by the woodwinds, strings, and horns, and Midnight, because the percussion mimics the dramatic chiming of the clock (I could still see the giant clock used in Ballet West's production) as Cinderella leaves the ball.  I enjoyed every minute of this concert and would definitely recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance (go here) of the same program.

Anastasia at the Eccles

I have always been fascinated by Russia and the rumor that the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov may have survived the slaughter of her family during the Russian Revolution is incredibly compelling (even though it has been debunked by DNA evidence).  The musical adaptation of this story has been at the top of my list for a long time and I finally had the chance to see Anastasia last night at the Eccles Theater.  I really loved it!  Young Anastasia (Marley Sophia) is given a music box by her grandmother the Dowager Empress (Gerri Weagraff) before she leaves to live in Paris.  Several years later the Imperial family is arrested and executed by Bolsheviks but there is a rumor in St. Petersburg that Anastasia somehow survived.  Two conmen named Dmitry (Sam McLellan) and Vlad (Bryan Seastrom) want to find someone to impersonate her in order to demand money from the Dowager Empress.  They find an old music box once owned by the Romanovs and eventually encounter a young woman named Anya (Kyla Stone) who is suffering from amnesia.  As they try to teach her about the Grand Duchess, she recognizes the music box and starts remembering the Imperial family.  They escape the clutches of a Bolshevik general named Gleb (Brandon Delgado), who vows to finish the job of executing the Romanovs begun by his father, and eventually arrive in Paris.  With the help of Countess Lily (Madeline Raube), a lady in waiting, they introduce Anya to the Dowager Empress but is she really Anasatsia and does she want the life of a Grand Duchess?  I was really impressed by Stone as Anastasia and I loved her songs "In My Dreams," "Once Upon a December," and "Journey to the Past."  I also really enjoyed her facial expressions as she moves from saying the lines given to her by Dmitry and Vlad to remembering the events they describe.  I was absolutely blown away by the set, which consists of a series of columns, and the use of projections to bring the cities of St. Petersburg and Paris to life.  St. Petersburg is one of my favorite cities so it was really fun for me to recognize the Winter Palace, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Nevsky Prospect, the Neva River, and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.  Several of the musical numbers are staged so brilliantly!  The use of red lighting in "The Last Dance of the Romanovs," which shows the transition from the Romanov family waltzing inside the Winter Palace to their eventual overthrow by the Bolsheviks, is incredibly powerful, the ghosts of the Romanov family dancing around Anya in "Once Upon a December" and "A Nightmare" is absolutely otherworldly, and the staging of Swan Lake is quite impressive because it includes the actual ballet (with Lauren Teyke as Odette, Taylor Stanger as Prince Siegfried, and Dakota Hoar as Von Rothbert) while Anya, Dmitry, Gleb, and the Dowager Empress sing "Quartet at the Ballet" in gold box seats on each side of the stage.  So many moments took my breath away and I am really happy that I was finally able to check this show off my list!  It runs at the Eccles Theater through February 20 but every performance is sold out!

Death on the Nile

I enjoyed Kenneth Branagh's version of Murder on the Orient Express so I was excited when I found out he was adapting Death on the Nile next.  It seems like I have been waiting forever to see it and I finally had the chance last night.  Like the first movie, it is stylish and entertaining with a bit of added poignancy.  Heiress Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) is on her honeymoon with her new husband Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer) in Egypt but Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), her former friend and Simon's former fiancee, pursues them wherever they go.  To escape her, they spontaneously decide to take the wedding party on a river cruise of the Nile.  Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is also vacationing in Egypt when he runs into his old friend Bouc (Tom Bateman) and his mother Euphemia (Annette Bening), who are part of the wedding party, and they invite him along.  When Jackie boards the cruise during a stopover at Abu Simbel, Linnet confesses to Poirot that she fears for her safety.  However, it seems that everyone on board has a grudge against Linnet: her longtime maid Louise Bourget (Rose Leslie), her former fiance Linus Windlesham (Russell Brand), her cousin and lawyer Andrew Katchadourian (Ali Fazal), her godmother Marie Van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders), Van Schuyler's nurse and companion Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French), her former classmate Rosalie Otterbourne (Letitia Wright), and Rosalie's aunt Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okenedo).  When Linnet is found dead with a gunshot wound to the head, it is up to Poirot to solve the murder.  As with the previous movie I really enjoyed the all-star cast, particularly Mackey, who all have a moment to shine as they are interrogated one by one.  I also enjoyed Branagh's portrayal of the famous Belgian sleuth because he expands on Poirot's backstory in a compelling prequel about a doomed relationship with a woman named Katherine (Susannah Fielding), a theme hinted at in the first movie, as motivation for his actions.  I think his performance in this movie is more nuanced and less affected.  However, while I loved the glamorous costumes and opulent production design, the sub-par visual effects are very distracting because it is glaringly obvious that this was filmed on a set with green screens.  There are also some pacing issues because it takes much too long to establish all of the characters and relationships before the murder happens and the resolution feels rushed as a result.  Finally, I found the suggestive dance sequence between Simon and Jackie to be very uncomfortable in light of what we know about Hammer's personal life.  This movie is not without its faults but I had a great time watching it as a bit of escapist fun and I recommend it to those who enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express.

Note:  My family had VHS copies of Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Death on the Nile (1978), and Evil Under the Sun (1982).  I often binge-watched them together when I was a teenager so I am hoping that Branagh adapts Evil Under the Sun next so that I can recreate that experience!

Ballet West's Romeo and Juliet

When I subscribed to Ballet West's 2021-2022 season, Romeo and Juliet was the ballet I was most excited to see and it certainly lived up to my expectations last night!  It was absolutely beautiful!  This ballet tells the well-known story of star-crossed lovers by William Shakespeare with music composed by Sergei Prokofiev and choreography by Michael Smuin.  I loved everything about it starting with the music.  The themes played during the Capulet's ball are incredibly dramatic and the variation played when Romeo and Juliet first see each other is haunting.  The choreography is absolutely riveting, especially the ensemble scenes on the streets of Verona because they are so playful and fun to watch, the sword fights between the Montagues and Capulets because they are tense and passionate, and the pas de deux between Romeo and Juliet because, not only are they incredibly romantic, they are also quite acrobatic (she leaps into his arms multiple times and at one point he lifts her effortlessly above his head).  The performances are simply brilliant!  I was particularly struck by the death of Tybalt (Rex Tilton) because Lady Capulet (Emily Adams) is filled with palpable despair and climbs on to his funeral bier as it is taken away.  It is a powerful scene.  I also enjoyed Hadriel Diniz as Mercutio because he is so charismatic, especially when he kisses a girl as he is dying.  Chase O'Connell, as Romeo, and Beckanne Sisk, as Juliet, dance their roles beautifully and their chemistry is off the charts (they are a real-life couple).  The balcony scene is beautiful and I loved it when he would fall at her feet and clutch her skirt to his face.  So romantic!  The sets and costumes really add to the drama.  I let out an audible gasp when the Capulet's crypt was revealed because it is so dramatic with gray marble, an iron gate, and black robed dancers carrying lanterns all around Juliet's bier.  I also liked the chapel where Romeo and Juliet are married because it looks like a Renaissance painting.  The Capulets are all dressed in various shades of red while the Montagues are in blue and this is especially impressive when the two families collide with each other.  This is a stunning production that kept me captivated from beginning to end and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).