The Woman King

The next movie on my list was The Woman King and I went back to the Broadway to see it last night.  I loved it so much!  The Kingdom of Dahomey has been under attack by the Oyo Empire who sell their fellow Africans as slaves to Europeans in return for guns so King Ghezo (John Boyega) is preparing for war.  General Nanisca (Viola Davis), the leader of an all-female group of warriors in Dahomey known as the Agojie, decides to train a new generation to fight in this war after a battle with many casualties.  Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) is left at the palace by her father for refusing to marry a man who beats her and she is soon enlisted to train with the Agojie by a veteran named Izogie (Lashana Lynch).  Nawi's independent spirit and recklessness attract Nanisca's attention but she also reminds her of a past trauma that affects her judgement in battle.  Ultimately, the Agojie are are instrumental in defeating the Oyo but Nanisca must fight a more personal battle.  There are a few subplots, including a possible romance between Nawi and a Portuguese visitor with ties to Dahomey and an attempt by one of Ghezo's wives to discredit Nanisca, that are not quite as compelling but I was definitely riveted by the relationship between Nanisca and Nawi and I may or may not have cheered out loud during a key moment between them.  The battle sequences are spectacular and it is actually quite thrilling to see all of these women engaging in hand-to-hand combat with cinematography that is incredibly immersive.  I loved the production design, especially the beautiful costumes and all of the rituals and ceremonies, as well as the atmospheric score.  Davis gives a brilliant and physically transformative performance that shows not only Nanisca's strength but also her vulnerability.  Mbedu is also outstanding as a young woman searching for her place in the world and Boyega gives several stirring speeches that gave me goosebumps but my favorite performance belonged to Lynch because her character is such a wisecracking bad ass (she steals every scene she is in)!  I love historical epics and this is a really good one!  I highly recommend it!

See How They Run

There are so many new releases this weekend and I want to see most of them!  I'm a little bit behind but I started with See How They Run at the Broadway last night and, as a huge fan of Agatha Christie, I really enjoyed it!  While the cast and crew celebrate the 100th performance of Agatha Christie's play The Mousetrap in London's West End, Leo Kopernick (Adrien Brody), a sleazy Hollywood director trying to adapt the play into a film, is killed by a mysterious man in a dark overcoat and a felt hat.  The cynical and often inebriated Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and the eager but prone to jumping to conclusions Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) are sent to investigate.  As they interview the stars of the play, Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson) and Sheila Sim (Pearl Chanda), theatre impresario Petula Spencer (Ruth Wilson), film producer John Woolf (Reece Shearsmith), and screenwriter Mervyn Cocker-Norris (David Oyelowo), they realize that everyone had a motive to kill him.  When all of the suspects arrive at the estate of Dame Agatha Christie (Shirley Henderson) and her husband Captain Mallowan (Lucian Msamati), it seems as if life is imitating art with a resolution similar to The Mousetrap but then it becomes even more meta!  This is a hilarious spoof of the whodunit genre (it works better as a spoof than it does as a murder mystery) with lots of Easter eggs from the theatre world and Christie's works, my favorite being when a character breaks the fourth wall at the end to admonish the audience not to reveal the murderer (just as characters do in the play).  I loved the glamorous 1950s London aesthetic in the production design, especially the clothes, cars, theatres, and hotels.  Ronan is fantastic with great comedic timing and Rockwell is a lot of fun as her straight man but the entire cast is outstanding (I loved Oyelowo and his mustache).  I had a lot of fun with this but your enjoyment might depend on knowing a little bit about The Mousetrap (I saw it last year at HCT).

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

Many amazing musicians have graced the stage at Abravanel Hall over the years but I don't think I have ever felt such a palpable excitement in the audience as I did last night for soloist Nemanja Radulovic!  In fact, before the concert began a member of the orchestra told me that I was in for a treat and that ended up being an understatement!  Changes had to be made to the original program because of Covid so the orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor Alexandre Bloch (who was almost as charismatic as Radulovic), began with Pavane by Gabriel Faure and I loved it!  It is based on a Spanish court dance from the sixteenth century and it is very delicate and airy with beautiful themes by the flute.  Then Radulovic joined the orchestra for Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto which is one of my favorite pieces by one of my favorite composers!  I love Tchaikovsky because, in my opinion, his music is very emotional and this piece is no exception because it is incredibly passionate.  I especially love the second movement because it is just a little bit mournful with a beautiful theme played by the solo clarinet.  But, honestly, it was hard to pay attention to any instrument other than the solo violin!  Radulovic gave such a dynamic performance that he was spellbinding!  I literally couldn't take my eyes off of him as he played faster and faster and with more and more intensity!  I don't think I have ever heard this piece played better (the audience agreed with me because Radulovic received a thunderous standing ovation after the first movement).  It was thrilling, to say the least, and I am positive that this performance will be a highlight of the 2022-2023 season!  After the intermission, the orchestra played Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 "Italian."  This piece was written in response to the impressions Mendelssohn had while taking a ten month journey through Italy.  I particularly enjoyed the woodwinds in the first movement, the militaristic fanfare played by the horns in the second movement, and the energetic conclusion.  This is a Utah Symphony concert that is not to be missed and there are even $20 rush tickets available for tonight!

Little Shop of Horrors at West Valley Arts

I was very excited to see Little Shop of Horrors at the West Valley Performing Arts Center last night. It has been a really long time since I've seen this show and I had a blast getting reacquainted with it. Seymour (Zack Elzey) and Audrey (MacKenzie Pedersen) both work in a run-down flower shop in Skid Row owned by the persnickety Mr. Mushnik (Michael Hohl). Seymour thinks that an unusual plant, which he found during a total eclipse of the sun, will bring more business to the shop. He can't find it in any reference book so he names it Audrey II because he is secretly in love with his co-worker. The shop becomes wildly successful because of Audrey II but Mr. Mushnik worries that it isn't thriving. Seymour inadvertently discovers that Audrey II likes drinking his blood after he cuts himself on a thorn and, eventually, it grows to a giant size and asks him to feed him more! When Seymour can't feed it any more of his blood, his first victim is Audrey's boyfriend Orin Scrivello (Douglas Irey), a sadistic dentist, which wins him the love of Audrey but her namesake now wants more and more! Seymour enjoys the notoriety that Audrey II brings him but soon feels guilty about everything he has done to feed it! He wants to get rid of it but he soon realizes that Audrey II has an evil plan for world domination! The music, which is a combination of rock and roll, doo-wop, and Motown, is fantastic and I especially enjoyed the songs "Little Shop of Horrors," "Skid Row (Downtown)," "Somewhere That's Green," and "Suddenly Seymour." A girl group comprised of Crystal (Nneka Barcelona), Chiffon (Anna Kaitlyn Burningham), and Ronnette (Daysha Lassiter) act as a chorus narrating the action and they sound amazing together! Elzey and Pedersen (who are both understudies) did a great job last night and I especially liked all of Elzey's nerdy and awkward mannerisms, particularly when Seymour tries to kiss Audrey. Irey is absolutely hilarious as Scrivello and I laughed out loud during his over the top rendition of "Dentist!" However, my favorite character was Audrey II (with Jared Lesa as its voice and Byerly Neilsen as puppeteer).  The elaborate puppet is a lot of fun and looks like a giant Venus flytrap with a mouth full of teeth that opens wide and roots that get bigger and bigger as the show goes on. Its song "Feed Me" is definitely a highlight of the show because Lesa has a smooth and seductive voice! The production design, including the set, lighting, and costumes, is outstanding and I was very impressed! I had a smile on my face through the whole show and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets and information).

Note:  I was so happy to see such a large crowd last night!

Love on the Brain

My September Book of the Month selection was Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood (the other options were The Attic Child by Lola Jaye, Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen, Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn, and The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh). I am not a huge fan of the romance genre but I read The Love Hypothesis by Hazelwood for reasons and I absolutely loved it so, when I saw that her latest was a selection this month, I was really excited! Bee Konigswasser is offered the chance to be a co-leader for BLINK, a neuroengineering project at NASA, and it seems to be a dream come true until she discovers who her co-leader will be. The tall, dark, and handsome Levi Ward made it very clear that he doesn't like Bee when they were graduate students at Pitt and now she is going to have to work with him at NASA. When her equipment goes missing and she doesn't receive important emails from the team, she immediately blames her nemesis. However, when she overhears him defending her to their supervisor she wonders how he really feels about her and, even more importantly, she wonders how she really feels about him. Much like with The Love Hypothesis I loved the women in STEM aspect, particularly Bee's appreciation for Marie Curie, and it was very eye opening to learn that women in STEM are treated so disrespectfully by their male counterparts. I also enjoyed having the chapter titles named after parts of the brain and their corresponding emotions (I wasn't very knowledgeable about the science of the brain but it didn't detract from my enjoyment). I think the subplot involving Bee and Levi's friendly correspondence through their popular anonymous social media accounts while they have an antagonistic working relationship is a lot of fun and, even though the enemies-to-lovers trope is usually not my favorite, it really works. Finally, I loved the character of Levi because, like with Adam Carlsen, he is obviously modeled on the dark and brooding character played by my favorite actor and I enjoyed picturing him in my mind whenever Levi is described (sigh). My only complaint is that I didn't like the character of Bee as much as Olive Smith because she is a bit immature and her inane internal monologues are sometimes at odds with her portrayal as a brilliant neuroscientist. I didn't quite love it as much as The Love Hypothesis but I had a great time reading it and would definitely recommend it (especially to members of a certain fandom).