Jagged Little Pill in Las Vegas

I have been a huge fan of Alanis Morissette ever since I heard the album Jagged Little Pill for the first time so the musical based on her music has been near the top of my must-see list for a really long time!  When I found out that it was part of the Broadway Las Vegas 2022-2023 season I immediately got a ticket and planned a little road trip.  People always think I'm crazy to drive such a long distance just to see a show but I had so much fun and I loved Jagged Little Pill!  The show includes most of the songs from Jagged Little Pill, including "All I Really Want," "You Oughta Know," "Perfect," "Hand in Pocket," "Forgiven," "You Learn," "Head Over Feet," "Mary Jane," "Ironic," "Not the Doctor," and "Wake Up," but it also includes songs from Morissette's other albums as well, including "So Unsexy," "So Pure," "That I Would Be Good," "Your House," "Unprodigal Daughter," "Uninvited," and snippets of "Hands Clean" and "Thank U."  Morissette also wrote the song "Smiling" especially for the show and it was one of the highlights for me!  I knew that I would love the music but I also found the story to be incredibly compelling!  The Healy family appears to be the perfect upper middle class suburban family but under the surface each of them are dealing with complicated issues.  Mary Jane (Heidi Blickenstaff) has become addicted to opioids after a car crash and an incident brings to light a past trauma that she has been repressing.  Her husband Steve (Chris Hoch) knows that something is wrong but he can't reach her so he retreats to his job more and more.  Her adopted daughter Frankie (Lauren Chanel), who is Black, is struggling to find her identity, her sexuality, and her voice about important causes she believes in while her son Nick (Dillon Klena) is buckling under the weight of his parents' high expectations.  Through their pain they learn that the most important thing is to love and accept each other.  There are many scenes that were so powerful and poignant that the audience spontaneously erupted in very enthusiastic cheering and applause and I was incredibly moved multiple times.  I especially loved the staging of "Smiling" as Mary Jane lives her day in reverse while trying to keep up appearances because the choreography is clever, particularly the soul cycle sequence, of "Forgiven" because Blickenstaff just about blows the roof off of the Smith Center as Mary Jane visits a church to deal with her trauma for the first time, of "You Oughta Know" when Jade McLeod, as Frankie's girlfriend Jo, accuses her of abandoning her for the new boy at school in a performance that generated a mid-show standing ovation, and finally of "Uninvited" (my favorite Morissette song) as Mary Jane literally wrestles with her younger self in order to continue repressing her trauma.  Also, the staging of "Ironic," when Frankie recites a poem in English class and is told by her classmates that she isn't using irony correctly, is proof that Morissette has a sense of humor!  I loved the performances, the dynamic choreography executed by the talented ensemble, the minimal sets and projections, and the message about healing so it was definitely worth the six hour drive!  If it ever comes to SLC I will probably see it multiple times!

Three Thousand Years of Longing

Yesterday was National Cinema Day, which meant that every movie in every format was only $3.00, so I decided to finally cross Three Thousand Years of Longing off my list.  I loved this visually stunning ode to storytelling!  Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is a solitary literary scholar who sometimes experiences hallucinations because of an overactive imagination.  On a trip to Istanbul she purchases an antique bottle and inadvertently releases the djinn (Idris Elba) trapped inside. He offers to grant three wishes, which will earn him his freedom, but she is wary because most stories involving wishes are cautionary tales.  He decides to tell her three stories detailing each time he came to be trapped in the bottle, including his interactions with the Queen of Sheba (Aamito Lagum), a concubine (Ece Yuksel) in the palace of Suleiman the Magnificent, and the wife (Burcu Golgedar) of a Turkish merchant.  She is enchanted by his stories and decides to use a wish to have him fall in love with her so that he will always be with her.  Back in London, however, she realizes that the only way for him to truly love her is to set him free.  I can certainly understand why Alithea falls in love with the djinn because Elba gives an incredibly appealing performance (he has such a great voice) and the stories he tells are compelling.  Just like Alithea, I was completely under his spell and my attention never wavered because of all of the beautiful images on the screen.  I feel like this movie could have gone on for at least another hour because I wanted to stay in this world a little bit longer.  I think that it loses a bit of steam when the action moves to London but I almost think this is intentional because Miller seems to be making a point that science and technology have taken away the wonder and magic of storytelling.  This won't be for everyone but I loved it and, if it sounds like something you would enjoy, definitely see it on the big screen!

The Unsinkable Molly Brown at HCT

Many years ago I had the opportunity to see the Broadway touring production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown with Debbie Reynolds in the title role. I don't really remember much about the show except for the fact that I was incredibly star-struck by Reynolds! Last night I saw a brand-new production at HCT that is more historically accurate than the original version and I enjoyed it even though it has a few issues.  This musical tells the story of Margaret "Molly" Tobin Brown (Kelly Coombs) and her life in the mining town of Leadville, Colorado, her marriage to the miner JJ Brown (Kaden Caldwell), her life in Denver after striking it rich with the discovery of gold in her husband's mine, her work as a social reformer, a champion of women's rights, and a labor organizer, and her ill-fated voyage on the Titanic. Brown's story is compelling and Coombs gives an energetic performance but I found the character to be incredibly static because she is the same irrepressible figure from the moment we meet her testifying before a Senate committee on the Titanic disaster to the final scene where she advocates for immigration reform after several Titanic survivors are refused entry into the United States. Her first big song and dance number is "I Ain't Down Yet" and absolutely nothing gets her down, even when Denver society rejects her and when her husband is unfaithful to her, for the entire duration of the show and I found it to be very one-note and exhausting to watch. The revised book by Dick Scanlan places all of the action during Act I in Leadville as Brown interacts with characters drawn from real life and I think it gets really bogged down (my mind sometimes wandered in between musical numbers). Conversely, I think events in Act II are rushed and I would have liked to see more about her time in Europe. Having said that, every aspect of the production itself is outstanding. As previously mentioned, Coombs is delightful and so is Caldwell, especially when he gets exasperated with Molly. My favorite songs are "I Ain't Down Yet," "Belly Up to the Bar, Boys," "Beautiful People of Denver," and "Share the Luck." The choreography in these songs is so much fun and the large ensemble execute it well. I was very impressed with how the sinking of the Titanic is staged because it features dramatic sound and light design. The costumes are wonderful, particularly all of Molly's highly embellished dresses in Act II. As is often the case with HCT, the set is amazing with elaborate pieces coming in from the wings, up from the pit, and down from the rafters. I especially enjoyed the mine and cabins in Leadville, the garden in Denver, the Brown mansion, and the lifeboat. Finally, the projections featuring historical photos and documents are fascinating and very well done. Having a postcard of the Titanic move from one LED screen to another to show the progress of the ship and then rip in half when it sinks is so clever! HCT does a great job with this show and, even though it has a few minor character development and pacing issues, I would definitely recommend it.  Go here for tickets but act quickly because many shows are already sold out.

Alice in Chains at USANA

I really love Alice in Chains (I listened to their album Dirt just about every time I got in my car for at least a year) and I have always wanted to see them in concert.  I finally had the chance to see them, in a triple bill with Bush and Breaking Benjamin, at USANA Amphitheatre last night and it was the perfect end of summer concert!  It was a lot of fun because everyone around me was there to see a different band (I think it is really funny that so many people around me initiated conversations with me for some reason) but cheered for all of them.  I was, of course, there for Alice in Chains but I enjoyed the other sets, as well.  I also used to be a big fan of Bush back in the day and I was happy to hear "Machinehead," "Everything Zen," "Glycerine," and "Comedown" which were favorites of mine.  They also played "Flowers On a Grave," a song from their latest album which I was not familiar with but really liked, while Gavin Rossdale ran through the crowd.  I didn't know very many Breaking Benjamin songs (the girls next to me were huge fans) but I really liked "Sooner or Later," "Breath," "Give Me a Sign," "Until the End," and "I Will Not Bow."  They also performed an amazing cover of Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" which I loved (and the girls next to me had never heard before).  Alice in Chains took the stage at about 9:30 and they played all of my favorites including "Them Bones," "Dam That River," "Angry Chair," "Man in the Box," "No Excuses," "Down in a Hole" (my very favorite AIC song), and "Would?"  I had wondered how the band would sound with William DuVall on lead vocals after the tragic death of Layne Staley but these songs sounded amazing!  DuVall sounds a lot like Staley but has his own distinct style and I think he is a great fit with the band.  They did play several songs from their last three albums with DuVall, but I have to admit that I loved the hits and sang every word (I amused the girls next to me to no end).  A really touching moment came when the band dedicated "Nutshell" to Staley because the audience lit up their phones and it looked so cool.  I was hoping that they would play "Rooster," another favorite of mine, and, luckily enough, they ended their set with it!  This was such a great concert and I am so glad that I got to cross Alice in Chains off my list of bands that I want to see (Pearl Jam is still at the top).

Note:  I think that USANA Amphitheatre is a great venue for concerts but it can be extremely difficult to get out of the parking lot after the show (unless you are my brother-in-law).  This time I decided to get VIP parking which is a bit expensive but worth every penny because I was out of the parking lot in less than ten minutes!

National Theatre Live: Henry V

Once again the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah is joining with Salt Lake Film Society to bring National Theatre Live performances to the Broadway.  I was able to see my first production, William Shakespeare's Henry V starring Kit Harington filmed live from the Donmar Warehouse, yesterday and I loved it!  This play, where a once wayward prince earns his crown with blood, is incredibly compelling (it is one of my favorites) and this production has a contemporary setting making it even more powerful.  After succeeding to the throne of England, Henry (Harington) is informed that he has a tenuous claim to the French throne and, knowing that a foreign conquest will solidify his popularity with the people, he begins a war with France.  Outnumbered five to one, Henry rallies his troops for battle with the famous St. Crispin's Day speech (Harington's delivery gave me goosebumps) and, despite the overwhelming odds, achieves a decisive victory.  He wins the throne of France and the hand of the reluctant Katherine (Diany Samba-Bandza) thus beginning his reign as of one of England's most notable kings.  What I found intriguing about this production, aside from the contemporary setting, is that Henry is not portrayed as a patriotic hero as is usually the case.  Rather, he is incredibly ruthless and is as addicted to power as he used to be to alcohol.  There were so many memorable moments, including the opening scene when Henry enters a nightclub to meet Falstaff (Adam Maxey) and literally vomits on the floor, when Henry descends from above to inspect his troops ("Once more into the breach"), when Bardolph (Claire-Louise Cordwell), a former friend, is hanged for looting (this is unbelievably shocking), when the executed French prisoners (this is usually portrayed off stage) leave their boots on the stage and then exit while a requiem is sung, when Henry coerces a kiss from Katherine, and when the Chorus (Millicent Wong) accuses Henry in the final scene.  The staging of the Battle of Agincourt, which includes the sound of machine guns and helicopters as well as the use of smoke and strobe lights, is highly effective at portraying the brutality of war because it is almost overwhelming.  I liked having the courtiers of both England and France wear tailored suits (black for England and grey for France) and the soldiers wear camouflage fatigues with machine guns rather than swords and I absolutely loved the minimal set which features three large steps and a wall that opens to become an illuminated St. George's Cross.  Harington gives a phenomenal performance but I also enjoyed Olivier Hubbard as the cocky Dauphin as well as the women who portray many of the English and French Dukes.  I would have loved to have been a part of the actual audience for this brilliant production but this is the next best thing because the cameras captured the action so well.  I will definitely be attending more National Theatre Live performances in the future (go here for more information).