Rock of Ages at the Empress

Last night I went to the Empress Theatre for a double dose of 80s nostalgia and it was so much fun!  First up was Rock of Ages, which I saw when the Broadway touring production came to SLC about ten years ago but haven't seen since.  It is a jukebox musical featuring songs from 1980s glam rock bands and I may or may not have been singing along during every number!  Sherrie (Benzley Tinney), a small town girl living in a lonely world, and Drew (Aaron Allred), a city boy born and raised in south Detroit, both come to Hollywood to make their rock and roll dreams come true and end up working at the Bourbon Room on Sunset Boulevard.  The owner, Dennis Dupree (Brian Fuller), is desperate to generate some income because a German developer (Cassie Hurt-McLarty) wants to tear it down so he convinces Stacee Jaxx (KC Cook), who's seen a million faces and rocked them all, to perform one final concert with his band Arsenal at the Bourbon Room.  Drew opens for Arsenal and gets a record deal and Sherrie hooks up with Stacee Jaxx.  Complications ensue but, if they don't stop believing, their dreams might eventually come true!  I love all of the music in this show, especially "Nothin' But a Good Time," "Sister Christian," "Too Much Time On My Hands," "I Wanna Rock," "Waiting For a Girl Like You," "Wanted Dead or Alive," "I Want to Know What Love Is," "Shadows of the Night," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "High Enough," "Oh, Sherrie," and "Don't Stop Believin'."  Both Tinney and Allred are fantastic and bring a lot energy and attitude to their performances (although Allred occasionally struggled to hit the high notes) but Cook absolutely steals the show as Stacee Jaxx (I could not stop laughing at his rock star poses).  The choreography is amazing and the ensemble does a good job with it.  I especially enjoyed the aerialists in the scene at the strip club.  The costumes feature as much acid wash denim, neon, and big hair as you would expect from an 80s show and the set of the Bourbon Room includes a stage and bar with vinyl records and posters advertising Arsenal's final concert on the wall.  I loved this show so much and it was really fun to be with a crowd that cheered louder and louder as it went on.  If you are a fan of the 80s, make sure you get a ticket (go here) for one of the remaining performances because it's nothin' but a good time!

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.