The Northman

I am a huge fan of Robert Eggers (I think The Lighthouse and The Witch are both masterpieces) so The Northman was another one of my most anticipated movies of 2022.  I had the chance to see it last night at a Thursday preview and it certainly did not disappoint!  King Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke) returns home from battle with many injuries so he holds an initiation rite for his young son and heir, Prince Amleth (Oscar Novak), which is presided over by his friend Heimir (Willem Dafoe).  Amleth receives visions about his destiny and promises his father that he will avenge him should he fall in battle.  Soon after, Amleth witness his uncle Fjolnir (Claes Bang) brutally murder his father and kidnap his mother Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman).  Amleth escapes pursuit and vows to avenge his father, save his mother, and kill Fjolnir.  Years later Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) has become a Viking warrior but, when he encounters a seeress (Bjork) while sacking a village, he is reminded of his vow and soon discovers that Fjolnir has been overthrown and exiled to Iceland.  He smuggles aboard a ship taking slaves to Fjolnir and encounters Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy), a sorceress with whom he eventually begins a relationship.  As he comes face to face with Fjolnir, he struggles to fulfill his destiny because he must choose between showing kindness to his kin or hatred for his enemy.  This is a very simple revenge story but the references to Norse mythology and symbolism (it is based on a medieval Scandinavian legend which is also the source material for Shakespeare's play Hamlet) are what make it so interesting and compelling, particularly the portrayal of the Tree of Kings, the Valkyrie, and Valhalla.  The images on the screen are stunning and feature the usual atmospheric world-building that Eggers is known for.  I lost count of how many times I was mesmerized by the beauty of a particular shot.  I also loved the sound design, the heart-pounding score, and the period detail.  The medieval warfare is visceral and unrelenting, especially the final confrontation between Amleth and Fjolnir, and many might be put off by this but I found it exhilarating!  Skarsgard is an absolute beast but I also found Kidman's portrayal of Queen Gudrun to be fascinating (it made me rethink Queen Gertrude's motivations in Hamlet) and Taylor-Joy is luminous.  Eggers has done it again because The Northman is brutal, bloody, and brilliant (but might not be for everyone).

The Light in the Piazza at HCT

When HCT announced the 2022 season this time last year, the show I was most excited for was The Light in the Piazza. I had the opportunity to see it last night and I was not disappointed because it is one of the most beautiful productions I've seen! In 1953 Margaret Johnson (Michelle Blake) and her daughter Clara (Rachel Tregeagle) are touring Italy for the summer. When a strong wind blows Clara's hat across the Piazza Della Signoria in Florence, a young man named  Fabrizio Naccarelli (Matthew Sanguine) retrieves it for her and the two of them fall instantly in love. Margaret immediately separates them and continues to do so as Fabrizio pursues them to the Uffizi Gallery and the Duomo. Margaret finally gives in and agrees to a meeting with Fabrizio's family, including his father (Danny Inkley), mother (Mandi Barrus), brother Guiseppe (Landon Horton), and sister-in-law Franca (Cecily Bills), during which they are all enchanted by Clara. When it becomes clear that Fabrizio and Clara want to get married, Margaret takes her to Rome to get her away from him. It turns out that Clara is intellectually and emotionally delayed as the result of a tragic accident in her childhood and Margaret has always felt the need to protect her. However, she soon comes to realize that Fabrizio is the light in Clara's darkness. This is a very sweet and old-fashioned story where true love overcomes all obstacles and I found it to be charming. Every one in the cast is outstanding but I was particularly impressed by the three leads because they have beautiful voices.  Blake is formidable as a mother protecting her child but also shows a lot of vulnerability when she realizes that her own darkness might be influencing her decisions, Tregeagle is very effective at portraying wide-eyed wonder at everything Clara is experiencing, and Sanguine is incredibly charismatic as a smitten young man searching for the right words to express his love. I also really enjoyed Horton as Fabrizio's philandering brother because he can dance and his facial expressions are hilarious. The best part of this show is the music and I loved seeing the musicians (Sebastian Neugebauer on piano, Julie Beistline on violin, Hannah Brown on cello, and Alyssa Holman on harp) performing live on stage. My favorite songs are "Statues and Stories" because it describes the excitement Margaret feels as she discovers all of the history found in Florence (I felt the same way when I was in Florence), "Say It Somehow" because it is swoon-worthy as Clara and Fabrizio find a way to express their love without words, and "The Light in the Piazza" because it shows that, even with all of the beauty surrounding her in Italy, all Clara can see is Fabrizio's love. I had goosebumps through most of the songs because they are so beautiful. The set, designed by Jenn Taylor, features Roman columns that rotate on a turntable with various pieces that are brought in to create different scenes (my favorite was the Uffizi Gallery with paintings coming down from the rafters).  The attention to detail is incredible and I especially loved a cut-glass lamp used in Margaret's hotel room. Projections can be hit or miss with me but in this production they are literally works of art because they feature amazing impressionistic paintings of locations in Florence created by Madeline Ashton. Finally, the costumes, designed by Joy Zhu, are gorgeous! Every dress features textured, embellished, or embroidered fabrics and every outfit includes shoes, a hat, gloves, a purse, and jewelry (the brooches!). Everything about this show, which runs on the Sorensen Jewel Box Stage through June 18, is absolutely delightful and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).

Note:  Don't miss out on seeing some insanely talented kids rock out in School of Rock now playing on the Young Living Main Stage through May 28 (go here for tickets).

Catch Me If You Can at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts

The musical Catch Me If You Can, based on the movie of the same name starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, is a lot of fun so I went to see a new production at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts last night. It is fantastic! The show begins when Frank Abagnale, Jr. (A. J. Nielsen) is arrested by FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Mark Gordon) at the Miami Airport. Then Frank breaks the fourth wall and begins telling the audience his story as if he were part of a 1960s television variety show (complete with go-go dancers) in the big production number "Live in Living Color." When his parents, Frank Abagnale, Sr. (Nathaniel Noyes) and Paula Abagnale (Samantha Frisby), get divorced, sixteen year old Frank decides to run away to New York and he starts forging checks in order to get by (almost two million dollar's worth by the time he is caught). This gets the attention of the FBI, especially Hanratty who is relentless in his pursuit as Frank impersonates a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer (he even passes the bar exam). Frank is always one step ahead of Hanratty until he falls in love with Brenda Strong (Shannon Follette). The two leads are so much fun to watch and I particularly enjoyed their interactions together! Nielsen is charm personified as the fast-talking confidence man (especially in the songs "Jet Set" and "Doctor's Orders") but he is equally adept at portraying the vulnerable teenager who ran away from home. Gordon is absolutely hilarious as the straight-laced FBI agent who has no life away from the job and his number, "Don't Break the Rules," is a definite crowd pleaser! The scene where Frank manages to elude Hanratty in a motel room is really funny but there is also a poignant moment between them when Frank calls Hanratty on Christmas Eve and they both realize that they don't have anyone to talk to but each other. I was also very impressed with Follette and her rendition of "Fly, Fly Away" is my favorite out of all the productions of this show that I've seen because she can definitely sing the blues! The choreography is a pastiche of the variety shows of the 1960s (such as Laugh-In and Hullabaloo) and the big song and dance numbers are incredibly entertaining. The set, which looks like it could be from a television awards show, has multiple levels which are used very effectively as various locations with the addition of just a few set pieces. Finally, the costumes are quite impressive (especially for the female ensemble who appear as go-go dancers, Pan Am stewardesses, FBI agents, nurses, and southern belles among other characters). I had a great time last night and, if you need a fun night out, look no further than Catch Me If You Can which runs at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts through May 7 (go here for tickets).

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

As I huge fan of the Harry Potter franchise, I was so excited to see the Wizarding World expand into a new series.  Unfortunately, I thought Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was a bit underwhelming and The Crimes of Grindelwald was absolutely awful.  I even contemplated skipping The Secrets of Dumbledore but ultimately decided to see it last night and, to my surprise, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  While the bar was set very low, I think it is the best movie in the franchise.  Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) is prevented from fighting against Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) because of a blood pact taken when the two were in a relationship so he recruits Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a Magizoologist, Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner), an Auror in the British Ministry of Magic, Eulalie "Lally" Hicks (Jessica Williams), a Professor at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizadry, Yusuf Kama (William Nadylan), a French Wizard, and Jacob Kowalski (Dan Folger), a Muggle, to stop his quest for Wizard domination.  Grindelwald is acquitted of his crimes by the International Confederation of Wizards (ICF) and is now running as a populist candidate (there is a bit of commentary on the rise of fascism that is pretty interesting) against Vicencia Santos (Maria Fernanda Candida) of Brazil and Liu Tao (Dave Wong) of China to be the Supreme Head of the ICF.  One of Newt's magical creatures overturns a manipulated election and Dumbledore's protection of Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) breaks the blood pact leading to an epic confrontation with Grindelwald.  Unlike the first two, I think this tells a more complete story that ties up most of its loose ends (I credit the improvement to Steve Kloves who co-wrote the screenplay with J.K. Rowling).  If this is to be the last movie in the franchise, as has been speculated, I think the resolution is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy.  As with the other movies my favorite moments involve Newt Scamander interacting with the magical creatures, particularly a hilarious scene when Newt must rescue Theseus from prison and an affecting scene where he saves a newborn creature.  There are also some exciting action sequences, including a duel between Dumbledore and Credence and the climactic battle, and some fun references to the Harry Potter movies (I loved the use of the original score).  Finally, I think recasting Mikkelsen as Grindelwald is a huge improvement over Johnny Depp, who was rather bland in the role, because he is much more menacing and he has great chemistry with Law.  I liked this movie enough to recommend it, especially to those who are already fans of the franchise.

Thierry Fischer Conducts Haydn 11, Arlene Sierra, Nielsen & Elgar

Last night's Utah Symphony concert will definitely be another one of my favorites this season!  It began with a small chamber group playing Symphony No. 11 by Franz Joseph Haydn.  This piece is very delicate with beautiful melodies and I especially enjoyed the themes played by the strings and the horns in the third movement.  Next, the full orchestra was joined by Anthony McGill as the soloist for Carl Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto.  This piece is very lively and energetic with what seems like a great battle between the clarinet and the snare drum but I found the ending to be quite surprising because it is almost anticlimactic as the melody just fades away in resignation.  I loved it!  As someone who played the clarinet, very badly, all through school beginning in the fifth grade, I loved hearing someone play the instrument brilliantly.  I loved watching McGill's fingers fly up and down the holes and keys and there was a small part of me that wished that I had kept playing.  After the intermission, the orchestra performed the world premiere of Bird Symphony by Composer-in-Association Arlene Sierra.  I must admit that it was absolutely thrilling to be the first to hear a brand new piece commissioned by the Utah Symphony!  I loved it and I think I enjoyed it even more than Sierra's Nature Symphony which was performed last weekend.  I especially liked the second movement because it features a recording of a birdsong and the orchestra interacts with it.  The concert concluded with In the South ("Alassio") by Edward Elgar.  I always think of Elgar's music as stately and dignified and this piece is no exception.  It was written while the composer was on holiday in Italy and it is meant to represent life during the Roman Empire.  I especially loved the theme played by the solo viola.  I enjoyed every piece performed during this beautiful concert and I cannot recommend tonight's performance of the same program enough (go here for tickets).

Note:  The adorable ladies who sit by me asked me if I had renewed my subscription for next season and they cheered when I told them that I had.  It will be Thierry Fischer's final season as Music Director and I am looking forward to so many concerts, including ones featuring Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev (go here to explore the season).