Moulin Rouge at the Eccles

After seeing Hadestown, Jagged Little Pill, and SIX, the only show left on my must-see list was Moulin Rouge and I had the chance to see it last night at the Eccles Theater.  I was really excited for this because I love the movie (I have seen it an embarrassing number of times) and it certainly did not disappoint!  The musical is loosely based on the movie and tells the story of a courtesan named Satine (Courtney Reed) who is torn between the wealthy Duke of Monroth (David Harris), who can save the Moulin Rouge cabaret club where she performs, and the penniless songwriter Christian (Conor Ryan), who she loves, but many of the songs featured in the movie have been updated to more recent ones.  It was really fun to pick out all of the snippets of songs used in the musical numbers and my favorites were "Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love" which includes "Royals," "Children of the Revolution," and "We Are Young;" "The Sparkling Diamond" which includes "Diamonds Are Forever," "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," "Material Girl," "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," "Brick House," "Jungle Boogie," and "Diamonds;" "Sympathy For The Duke" which includes "Sympathy For The Devil," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and "Gimme Shelter;" "Elephant Love Medley" which includes "All You Need is Love," "Just One Night," "Pride (In the Name of Love," "Can't Help Falling in Love With You," "Don't Speak," "I Love You Always Forever," "It Ain't Me Babe," "Love Hurts," "Love is a Battlefield," "Play The Game," "Such Great Heights," "Torn," "Take On Me," "Fidelity," "What's Love Got to Do With It," "Everlasting Love," "Up Where We Belong," "Heroes," "Your Song," and "I Will Always Love You;" "Backstage Romance" which includes "Bad Romance," "Tainted Love," "Seven Nation Army," "Toxic," and "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This);" and "Crazy Rolling" which includes "Crazy" and "Rolling in the Deep."  I also really loved the original song "Come What May" because Reed and Ryan (who are amazing) perform it with so much passion.  The choreography in this show is spectacular, especially in "Welcome to the Moulin Rouge" (I loved the Can-Can) and "Backstage Romance" (I loved the tango during "Bad Romance") and the ensemble is incredibly talented, particularly Nicci Claspell as Arabia, Libby Lloyd as Nini, Andres Quintero as Baby Doll, and Harper Miles as La Chocolat in "Lady Marmalade."  The costumes, which range from corsets and fishnets to top hats and tails, and the sets, including a cabaret with nesting filigreed hearts, a dressing room inside a papier-mache elephant, and a garret apartment in Montmartre, are fantastic.  The lighting, which bathes the stage in reds, pinks, and purples, is incredibly dramatic and I loved the neon green used to represent absinthe in "Chandelier."  This high energy spectacle is wildly entertaining and I loved it!  It runs at the Eccles Theater through December 11 (go here for tickets).

Note:  Now that I have seen everything on my must-see list, what new musicals should be added to it?  Nothing is really catching my eye at the moment except for maybe Beetlejuice.

Let's Go Jazz!

Last night I went to my first Utah Jazz game of the season with my friend Angela and I could not have been more excited!  When the two best players, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, were traded during the off-season I didn't really have a lot of hope for the team.  However, against all odds, the team had an outstanding start!  Jordan Clarkson has taken on a leadership role and some of the new team members, such as Lauri Markkanen, are playing very well.  At one point the Jazz were at the top of the Western Conference and they have been so much fun to follow!  Angela got a ticket package this season and very graciously let me pick a few games to see with her.  I have been looking forward to last night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers all month but the Jazz were on a five game losing streak so I didn't really know what to expect.  It ended up being a great game because all five starters were in double-digits!  Clarkson had a season high of 33 points, Markkanen had 23, Sexton had 21, Vanderbilt had 14, and Olynyk (he's Canadian) had 12!  The Jazz led by as many as twenty points in the first quarter but the Clippers went on a 12-0 run in the second quarter and eventually went up 60-58 to end the first half.  The Jazz responded with a 22-6 run in the third quarter and did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game, although the Clippers came within three in the beginning of the fourth quarter.  Then the Jazz took control with some really great plays by Vanderbilt, Clarkson, and Sexton.  The lead was pretty much assured by the final two minutes so Coach Hardy put the entire bench in the game.  It was hilarious!  The Jazz ended up winning 125-112 and it was so much fun!  Angela said that I ended the losing streak by being at the game and I'm just going to go with that!

Fetival of Trees 2022

Yesterday I was a hostess at the Festival of Trees for the twelfth year (after a two year pause for Covid).  Various individuals and organizations decorate and then donate the trees (usually to commemorate someone who has been ill or died) for auction (this year the auction is a silent one and you can still bid on trees until 8:00 tonight) and then they are displayed for public viewing at the Mountain America Expo Center.  All of the proceeds go directly to Primary Children's Hospital!  In addition to the trees, there are centerpieces, wreaths, quilts, and gingerbread houses on display as well a lots of treats for purchase (I love the homemade cinnamon rolls) so it is a lot of fun!  Most of the following trees were in my area but I did walk around a little bit after my shift was over to see some of the others.

One of the main jobs of the hostess is to make sure that the trees are not harmed.  I had to remind several kids not to touch this particular tree!  I think they wanted to feel the fur!

I noticed that many of the trees were not as elaborate as those in years past and didn't have as many items surrounding them.  This tree was the exception!

This tree was my favorite one in my area.  I loved the old fashioned snowshoes!

The festival will continue at the Mountain America Expo Center through Saturday.  Go here for more information and tickets.

Gentri Christmas at the Eccles

I was introduced to Gentri last year when the members of this popular trio performed in HCT's production of Les Miserables (Casey Elliott was Jean Valjean, Bradley Quinn Lever was Enjolras, and Brad Robins was Marius) but my sister Marilyn has been a huge fan for years.  I really love Christmas music so, when I found out that Gentri performs a Christmas concert every year and suggested we get tickets, she immediately and enthusiastically agreed.  We went to the show at the Eccles Theater last night and it was wonderful!  They began with "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and then sang "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" which is a favorite of mine because I sang it when I was in choir in college.  They were joined by a vocalist named Bri Ray for "Do You Hear What I Hear" and then performed a really pretty original song called "All Is Well."  The Rise Up Children's Choir joined them for "Mary's Boy Child" and several members acted out the Christmas story complete with costumes (Casey Elliott's daughter was Mary).  Next came "The First Noel" and an amazing rendition of "Ave Maria" with the Rise Up Children's Choir behind them holding candles.  They performed another original song called "Somewhere In Your Silent Night" and then turned the Eccles Theater into an old time gospel revival with a rousing rendition of "Go Tell It On The Mountain" featuring Brad Wheeler on harmonica to end their first set.  After the intermission, they sang "Joy To The World" and then were joined by another guest vocalist named EJ Michaels for "Little Drummer Boy."  I always hope that I can hear "O Holy Night" (it is my favorite Christmas song) live at least once during the holiday season and Gentri performed a lovely arrangement of it.  Most singers build to a powerful crescendo that blows the roof off the venue but their version was very soft and contemplative and I loved it!  One of my favorites from the concert was another original song called "Noel" because the harmonies were so beautiful!  Next, they performed a song they wrote especially for this concert called "Love is Alive" with audience participation that made them quite emotional!  They brought out an upright piano to the front of the stage and gathered around it for "I'll Be Home For Christmas" with Elliot's mom joining them for the final verse.  They concluded with "Silent Night" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" with the children.  The gents (as they call themselves) were really funny and they seemed genuinely appreciative that the audience was there to hear them.  I loved every minute and, if I didn't have a lot of Christmas spirit before, I certainly do now!  I think this has become a new Christmas tradition!

Strange World

My nephew Sean and I have a tradition of seeing the latest Disney/ Pixar movie together over the Thanksgiving holiday (we have seen The Good Dinosaur, Moana, Coco, Frozen II, and Encanto) so we went to see Strange World yesterday despite the lukewarm response.  We actually really liked it!  Legendary explorer Jaeger Clade (Dennis Quaid) and his son Searcher (Jake Gyllenhaal) are on an expedition to cross the mountains that surround their home Avalonia.  Along the way, Searcher discovers a plant that gives off energy and wants to return to Avalonia to grow it and improve the lives of the people there.  Jaeger, disappointed that Searcher doesn't have his adventurous spirit, continues on without him.  Twenty-five years later, Jaeger is presumed dead and Searcher is a farmer of the plant, called Pando, that powers every aspect of life with his wife Meridian (Gabrielle Union) and son Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White).  When Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu), a former member of Jaeger's team, informs Searcher that the Pando crop is failing, she convinces him to join an expedition to find the cause.  Disenchanted with life on the farm, Ethan sneaks aboard the ship and, when it becomes stranded in a subterranean world filled with fantastical creatures, he becomes separated from the group.  It turns out that Jaeger has been trapped in this world the whole time and he and Searcher must work together to find Ethan and save Avalonia.  I loved the beautiful and vibrant animation used in this movie, especially the style inspired by the pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s used for Jaeger's story, as well as the dazzling world-building and creature design (Splat is adorable).  I loved the diversity represented by the characters, particularly Ethan because he is an openly gay character who is completely accepted by everyone.  I was expecting some backlash from Jaeger (he is a hyper-masculine character) when he meets Ethan but I loved it when he gives him some advice for getting the attention of his crush!  Finally, I loved the messages about fathers and sons learning to accept one another for who they are and the importance of caring for the environment even when it might require a sacrifice.  I definitely recommend giving this movie a chance!