The Scarlet Pimpernel at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I enjoyed the Terrace Plaza Playhouse's production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers so much I knew I had to come back! Last night I was able to see their version of one of my very favorite shows, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and I loved it. Percy Blakeney (Jeremy Gross) has disguised himself as the Scarlet Pimpernel and has recruited a band of followers in order to save the people of Paris from the sinister Chauvelin (Maxx Teuscher) and his guillotine during the French Revolution. He keeps his identity a secret from his wife Marguerite St. Just (Jessica Andrus), a Parisian actress, because he believes that she is helping Chauvelin, her former lover. He is also keeping his identity secret from the Prince of Wales (Quin Geilman) by pretending to be a foppish nincompoop. However, he must make his most daring rescue when Marguerite is arrested trying to rescue her brother Armand (Jaron Michaelis). I have attended three different productions of this musical at HCT as well as other productions around the Salt Lake valley and I think Gross is the best Percy I have ever seen. He is incredibly powerful in "Into the Fire" (my favorite song in the show) and very moving in "She Was There" but I especially enjoyed his hilarious physicality as the foppish nincompoop. I laughed out loud every time he mispronounced Chauvelin and could hardly breathe during "The Creation of Man." I also really enjoyed Teuscher's portrayal of Chauvelin, particularly his exasperation with Percy. His rendition of "Falcon in the Dive" is very stirring and he displays more passion during "Where's the Girl" than I have ever seen before. Andrus has an incredibly beautiful voice but she is sometimes overpowered by the music and the ensemble, especially during "Storybook" and "The Scarlet Pimpernel." However, she gives a very affecting performance of "I'll Forget You" (I had a tear in my eye) and I loved her interactions with Gross and Teuscher during "The Riddle." As with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, I was really impressed with the clever use of the intimate space, particularly the staging of "Into the Fire" as the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel travels from England to France by boat and then rescues the condemned prisoners from the guillotine. The choreography is fantastic and I loved how silk handkerchiefs and walking sticks are incorporated into "The Creation of Man" and I loved the intricate patterns created in "Ouilles Gavotte." The backdrop consists of marble archways with flags denoting England or France and various set pieces are brought in to create Percy's study, a garden, and a prison. The guillotine is very dramatic and the special effects used as the blade drops are impressive because it looks very real.  Finally, the costumes in this show are spectacular!  All of Marguerite's gowns are absolutely gorgeous but the outfits worn by the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel take "frou frou" to new levels (I loved the neon colored animal prints). I can't tell you how many times I've read the novel by Baroness Orczy (I love the story) or how many times I've listened to the Original Broadway Cast recording (I love the music) so I have very high expectations whenever I see this show and the Terrace Plaza Playhouse did not disappoint! I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Hatching

There are always a few films at Sundance that catch my eye but, for one reason or another, I am not able to see them.  One such film was Hatching but, luckily, it is now playing at the Broadway.  I had the chance to see it last night and, while I found it to be a bit gross, it is absolutely riveting.  Tinja (Siiri Solalinna) is a twelve-year-old gymnast who is desperate to please her mother (Sophia Heikkila), a lifestyle blogger who continually documents her "lovely life."  Mother expects perfection from everyone in the family, especially from her daughter, and they do everything they can to keep up appearances like automatons.  Mother is even going through the motions herself because she is having an affair with a handyman (Reino Nordin) but stays with her meek husband (Jani Volanen) for the sake of her blog.  When a bird accidentally flies into their living room and wreaks havoc in the picture perfect space, mother kills it mercilessly.  Tinja finds the bird's abandoned nest and discovers an egg which she brings home and cares for until it hatches.  Tinja lavishes all of the love that has been denied her by her mother on the creature (a bird with humanoid characteristics) until it begins acting out all of her repressed emotions with tragic consequences.  Solalinna (in her acting debut) gives an amazing performance as a young girl coming undone under the weight of her mother's expectations, particularly in several scenes where Tinja looks at her mother and tries to figure out what she wants and in the scenes where she interacts with the creature and is finally able to show her emotions.  Heikkila is also outstanding because mother always has a smile on her face but she still manages to be incredibly menacing.  The design of the creature is brilliant because it is quite scary but also sympathetic, especially as it transforms into a version of Tinja, and the practical effects involving the creature (which required five puppeteers) are deeply disturbing to watch but you can't look away.  The production design creates a world where everything is perfect on the surface (lots of pastels and flowers) but the lighting and sound design show the evil lurking underneath and this is incredibly effective in creating an unsettling atmosphere.  This is definitely a cautionary tale about seeking perfection.  Sometimes the highly curated images people post on social media mask a deep unhappiness and I found the exploration of this theme to be fascinating.  I recommend this movie but only to fans of body horror (it is really gross).

The Bad Guys

Last night I spontaneously decided to see The Bad Guys (there aren't many new releases this weekend) and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  A crew of notorious criminals made up of anthropomorphic animals known for being scary to humans, including Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), attempt to steal a valuable trophy being presented to a philanthropist guinea pig named Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade) by the governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz) but they are caught by the overzealous human chief of police (Alex Borstein) who has been pursuing them for years.  Professor Marmalade convinces the governor that he can reform them by the time of his charity gala and she promises them a pardon if he succeeds.  Mr. Wolf agrees to the proposal, telling his crew that they will only be pretending to be good to get the pardon and to have another crack at stealing the trophy.  However, Mr. Wolf starts to like being one of the good guys and some of the heroes start acting like bad guys.  Chaos ensues.  The story gets a bit bogged down in the second act but I think the emphasis on each animal's defining characteristic is really clever, particularly when the tarantula (a computer hacker) uses all eight of her legs to type on different keyboards.  The voice cast is outstanding and I liked the look of the animation because it is very stylized with both 2D and 3D images.  The action sequences are a lot of fun, especially a high-speed chase after a bank robbery and an elaborate escape from prison, and the message that you shouldn't judge someone based on their appearance is a good one.  As with most animated features geared for children, there are a lot of references that adults are sure to find very amusing (lots of nods to other heist movies).  This is a highly entertaining movie and I recommend it for both children and adults.

Little Women at West Valley Arts

Last night I went to see Little Women at the West Valley Performing Arts Center. I fell in love with this musical when I saw a production at HCT (on the same stage!) and I enjoyed this show just as much! The story, based on the beloved classic by Louisa May Alcott, shows the March sisters, Jo (Lindsea Garside), Meg (Madison McGuire), Beth (Ellie Hughes), and Amy (Mia Hansen), coming of age in Concord, Massachusetts during and after the Civil War. We first meet Jo when she is in New York pursuing her dream of becoming a writer.  However, when Professor Bhaer (Josh Egbert), another resident at her boardinghouse, tells her that she should write about what she knows rather than the sensational pieces she has been submitting to magazines, there are flashbacks to the trials and triumphs of her adolescence with her sisters and mother "Marmee" (Heidi Hunt), her neighbor Theodore "Laurie" Laurence (Ricky Dowse), his grandfather Mr. Laurence (Nick Cash), and her Aunt March (Wanda Copier). Jo encounters sorrow in the death of a sister, disappointment in love with Laurie, redemption as she writes a story she can be proud of, and, ultimately, love with Professor Bhaer. I have always loved the character Jo (I wanted to be her the first time I read the novel) because she is so fiery and independent and the beautiful music adds another layer to her story. I especially love the songs "Astonishing" and "The Fire Within Me." Garside has a beautiful voice and the emotion that she puts into these songs make them incredibly powerful. I also really appreciated her passion in the scene with Aunt March when she learns that she won't be going to Europe because you could really feel her frustration. A number that put a smile on my face was "The Weekly Volcano Press" where Jo reads one of her sensational stories to Professor Bhaer as it is acted out. I found myself watching Garside more than what was happening on stage because she mouths all of the words as they are sung and she is so hilariously over the top! There are quite a few poignant moments with wonderful performances from the rest of the cast as well, such as when Hunt (who is the swing) as Marmee laments that her husband is not with her to help her raise their daughters in "Here Alone," when Cash as Mr. Laurence allows a bit of vulnerability to show through his gruff persona in "Off to Massachusetts," and when Hughes as Beth confesses that she knows she will die in "Some Things Are Meant to Be." I had a tear in my eye during the latter number. The choreography, especially in "Five Forever," is a lot of fun and the minimalist set is very effective. I was a little bit disappointed with some of the costumes and wigs but this didn't detract from my enjoyment. This production is extremely well done with lovely performances and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Note:  I would really love to see larger audiences for this theater because every show I have seen (as an usher and a patron) has been outstanding and the ticket price is very reasonable!

An Evening With Brian Stokes Mitchell and the Utah Symphony

I have been lucky enough to see Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell perform several times, including an amazing concert with the Utah Symphony and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, so I was thrilled when I found out that he would be performing with the Utah Symphony again and I bought a ticket almost immediately!  The concert last night was in honor of Kem Gardner, a long time USUO board member, and it was wonderful!  He began with a lively rendition of "There's No Business Like Show Business" from Annie Get Your Gun and then performed an eclectic program featuring Broadway hits and standards from the great American songbook with lots of stories and anecdotes in between (he is so charming and engaging).  I especially enjoyed "Man of La Mancha" from Man of La Mancha (he was nominated for a Tony award for his performance as Don Quixote) and a very sultry version of "Feeling Good."  Many years ago, during a Bravo Broadway concert with the Utah Symphony, he performed one of the most beautiful versions of "Stars" from Les Miserables that I have ever heard and I have always wanted to hear him sing it again.  I got my wish last night and it was definitely the highlight of the concert for me!  He ended the set with "Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime (he originated the role of Coalhouse Walker, Jr. and was nominated for a Tony) which was incredibly powerful.  For the encore he sang "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha, which is the song he sang out of his apartment window in New York for essential workers during the pandemic, and then a heartfelt version of "Wonderful World."  I loved this concert and I love the fact that so many Broadway stars enjoy performing with the Utah Symphony!