Head Over Heels at the Grand Theatre

Last night I went to the musical Head Over Heels at the Grand Theatre.  I didn't know anything about this show beyond the fact that it features the music of the Go-Go's but that was enough to get me there because they were one of my favorite bands when I was a teenager.  I am so glad that I spontaneously decided to get a ticket because I loved it.  The story is an adaptation of The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney and it has a wonderful message about acceptance and living authentically.  Basilius (Zac Freeman) rules the peaceful and prosperous kingdom of Arcadia but he is incredibly rigid and refuses to deviate from long-held traditions to the detriment of his family.  His youngest daughter Philoclea (Elizabeth Petrucka) is in love with her childhood friend Musidorus (Michael Scott Johnson) but he doesn't approve of the match because he is a lowly shepherd.  He also expects his oldest daughter Pamela (Michelle Lynn Thompson) to marry well but she keeps rejecting all of her suitors while her handmaiden Mopsa (Madison Melia) pines away for her.  His wife Gynecia (Melody Baugh) is unhappy with her role but he refuses to give her a voice in ruling the kingdom.  He is summoned by the Oracle Pythio (K.J. Leuthauser) who gives him four prophecies of doom.  In order to save the kingdom, Basilius has the family go on a journey to Bohemia filled with mistaken identity, love triangles, sexual awakening, and self-discovery along the way.  Philoclea is eventually allowed to marry Musidorus, Pamela discovers her love for Mopsa, Basilius and Gynecia rekindle their love for each other, and Basilius gives up the crown in favor of Gynecia which creates a more open society.  Of course I loved all of the songs, especially "Mad About You" when Musidorus proposes to Philoclea, "Good Girl" when Philocea is forced to refuse him, "Our Lips Are Sealed" when both couples get together but decide to keep their love secret, "Head Over Heels" when both Basilius and Gynecia develop feelings for Musidorus who is posing as an Amazon warrior named Cleophila, "Heaven is a Place on Earth" when Basilius and Gynecia have an encounter but both believe that they are with Cleophilia, and "We Got the Beat" when the kingdom is saved.  I was really impressed with all of the performances, especially Petrucka because I loved her voice and Johnson because he is hilarious (especially as an Amazon warrior).  Everyone in the ensemble does an outstanding job with the choreography, particularly when they portray Musidorus' sheep.  The elaborate Elizabethan costumes worn by the main cast and the set featuring thatched cottages, stylized trees, and pastel tents give the production a fairy tale vibe that is very effective.  This show is so much fun (I had a hard time stopping myself from singing and dancing along with the cast) but it is also a wonderful reminder to accept people for who they are.  I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to one of the remaining performances through June 18.

Jurassic World: Dominion

I liked Jurassic World so, even though I was very underwhelmed by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, I decided to conclude the trilogy by seeing Jurassic World: Dominion last night.  Unfortunately, I brought my sister and niece with me (and for that I am most profoundly sorry).  To say that the three of us hated it would be an understatement!  Four years after the events of Fallen Kingdom, humans are struggling to coexist with the dinosaurs that have reproduced and now roam the Earth.  Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) are trying to protect as many dinosaurs as they can while keeping Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), the clone created by Hammond's business partner to replace his daughter, safe.  Dr. Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott), through his company Biosyn, has created a sanctuary for dinosaurs in order to study their genetic makeup for the benefit of mankind but he has much more nefarious intentions and employs mercenaries and black marketeers to capture the dinosaurs.  He masterminds the kidnapping of Maisie (for reasons) and a baby velociraptior being cared for by Owen so he and Claire attempt to rescue them.  Meanwhile, Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) has discovered that prehistoric locusts are destroying every crop except those genetically engineered by Biosyn and recruits Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) to help her find evidence.  After Claire and Owen make a detour to Malta where they are harassed by the mercenaries and black marketeers and then recruit a pilot for hire named Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise), everyone ends up at the Biosyn headquarters to rescue Maisie (whose backstory is retconned to fit the new narrative), find evidence about the locusts, and fight a bunch of dinosaurs.  Are you confused?  This is a bloated and convoluted mess that doesn't make sense half the time and is boring the other half of the time.  It doubles down on everything I disliked about Fallen Kingdom and emphasizes the evils of genetic engineering and corporate greed rather the compelling story of how humans and dinosaurs would actually coexist (the ending where humans and dinosaurs have suddenly found a way to coexist is so convenient and unearned that I actually laughed out loud).  Much of the action is derivative and literally copies exact sequences in The Bourne Ultimatum (a chase on the rooftops of a Mediterranean city), Raiders of the Lost Ark (running through an underground tunnel with a torch and a fedora), and Skyfall (characters trapped in a fighting pit except with dinosaurs instead of a komodo dragon).  It was fun to see the original characters (Goldblum is probably the highlight) but there is absolutely no reason for Dr. Grant to be a part of the narrative other than for the nostalgia factor (and Neill is definitely phoning it in).  There are some fun sequences with the dinosaurs but they are few and far between (if you remove the dinosaurs the story would essentially remain the same) and the characters evade them so easily that it is almost laughable.  Let me echo Dr. Malcolm's sentiments when he says, "Jurassic World?  Not a fan."  Skip this and see Top Gun: Maverick again for a legacy sequel done well!

The Lies I Tell

My June Book of the Month selection was The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark (the other options were The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah, Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier, The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn, Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan). This is a cat-and-mouse thriller with a twist and I found it to be so engrossing that I read it during every bit of free time because I had to know who was conning whom! Meg Williams, an expert grifter, has returned to her hometown of Los Angeles after an absence of ten years to perpetrate the ultimate con on a man who once wronged her and her mother. Kat Roberts is a journalist who holds Meg responsible for an incident that derailed her life ten years ago and has been waiting for the opportunity to expose her for her duplicity. She views Meg's return as the perfect opportunity to take her revenge and does everything she can to insinuate herself into Meg's operation without revealing her true intentions. But can you really con a con artist? What I enjoyed most about this novel is that it features two strong female characters who are both incredibly sympathetic and have compelling reasons for doing what they do. I also enjoyed that fact that I didn't know what to believe and kept going back and forth about who I wanted to succeed until the final resolution! The unlikely friendship that develops between the two characters, despite their best intentions, is also very moving. The narrative alternates between the perspectives of the two women in the present with flashbacks to various times in the past so information about each of them is revealed little by little. It seems as if there is an a-ha moment at the end of every chapter and I kept reevaluating everything I thought I knew. I literally couldn't put it down! The ending is not at all what I was expecting but it left me completely satisfied and I think it is one of the best I've read in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed this selection and would highly recommend it to fans of domestic thrillers.

Eiffel

I was really intrigued by the trailer for Eiffel so I decided to see it last night at the Broadway.  I enjoyed aspects of the film but it wasn't as good as I was expecting.  An engineer named Gustave Eiffel (Romain Duris), renowned for providing the structural support for the Statue of Liberty, is persuaded to enter a competition to build the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair.  When Adrienne (Emma Mackey), a woman from his past with whom he had a passionate affair that ended abruptly, enters his life once again he decides to build a tower dedicated to her.  Construction on the tower is beset with many problems but, when he rekindles his affair with Adrienne, her husband Antoine de Restac (Pierre Deladonchamps) threatens to ruin his reputation in the press.  Eiffel must ultimately chose between Adrienne and the tower that she inspired.  The images on the screen are absolutely beautiful with sumptuous costumes and atmospheric lighting.  I enjoyed the two lead performances, particularly Duris during a scene in which Eiffel gives a stirring speech to motivate his unpaid workers to continue building the tower, but Mackey does not age at all even though she appears in flashbacks meant to be twenty years earlier.  I have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower many times so I was absolutely fascinated by the engineering required to build it, particularly the method by which the four feet are raised and lowered by sand in order to align perfectly to create the first level (I was holding my breath during this scene and wanted to see more of the actual construction of the tower).  It was also very interesting to learn about the difficulty in securing funds and the public backlash against building it.  I was so engrossed by the building of the tower that the fictionalized romance seemed like an intrusion that didn't really advance the plot and it bored me at times.  The narrative would have been so much better if it had focused on the real Eiffel and his accomplishments instead of a romance that seemed shoehorned into an already compelling story.  I was a bit disappointed by this and recommend waiting until it is available to stream.

Hairspray at the Draper Amphitheater

Last night I saw Hairspray at the Draper Amphitheater and it was so much fun!  I had never been to the Draper Amphitheater before but, since I love seeing outdoor performances in the summer, I decided to make the drive and I am so glad I did because it is a great venue and the show was fantastic!  Hairspray has always been a favorite of mine (I saw the Broadway touring production a few years ago and another touring production will be coming to SLC next year) because it has such a great message about loving who you are, following your dreams, and standing up for what you believe is right.  Plus-sized Tracy Turnblad (Linze Struiksma) wants to be one of the dancers on the Corny Collins (Weston Seiler) Show, to have Link Larkin (Austin Kimbell) notice her, to integrate the show so her Black friends can dance with her, and to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray crown.  Velma Von Tussle (Marilyn Oveson) and her daughter Amber (Kellie Seiler) do everything they can to stop her but Tracy proves that you can't stop the beat and makes all of her dreams come true.  The main cast is outstanding but I particularly enjoyed Struiksma's performance as Tracy because she could really dance and was very charismatic.  I also really enjoyed Gennell Goodman as Motormouth Maybelle, because her rendition of "I Know Where I've Been" brought the crowd to their feet, and Chad Smith and Joey West as Edna and Wilbur Turblad, respectively, because their antics were incredibly amusing in "Timeless to Me."  The ensemble is also very noteworthy, especially all of the dancers on the Corny Collins Show and the Dynamites (Ariana Marshall, Rebecca Meats, and Kimberly Teitter), because they execute the choreography very well.  I especially loved the staging of "The Big Doll House" (the tap dancing!), "Nicest Kid in Town," "I Can Hear the Bells," "Run and Tell That," "Hairspray," and "You Can't Stop the Beat."  My favorite song in the show is "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" and Struiksma, Kellie Seiler, and Kaitlyn Schreiner (as Penny Pingleton) did such a good job with it. I loved the costumes (the sheer number of costumes is very impressive) because they were so colorful and sparkly.  The set was a lot of fun with a giant LED television screen that featured live shots in black and white of the Corny Collins Show.  I really enjoyed every aspect of this show and it was wonderful to sit outside because the weather was absolutely perfect (although it did get a tad cold when the sun went down).  I highly recommend getting a ticket for one of the remaining shows (go here) through June 11.

Note:  Most of the seating is on grassy tiers so bring a blanket or a camp chair and grab some snacks because food is allowed.