A Distinct Society at PTC

At my last Utah Symphony concert the cute ladies that I sit with absolutely raved about PTC's production of A Distinct Society. I was already intrigued by the show and their endorsement made me even more excited to see it. I had the chance last night and I really loved this exploration of how ideologies and borders impact relationships. The Haskell Free Library is located on the border between Vermont and Quebec making the question of who has jurisdiction over it, the United States or Canada, somewhat hazy. The librarian, Manon (Carrie Paff), is a French-Canadian and a staunch Separatist who regrets damaging her relationship with her father over her extremist beliefs so she writes an anonymous Facebook post, using the nom de guerre Elizabeth Bennett, inviting those affected by the so-called Muslim ban to come to Canada to reunite with their loved ones living in the U.S. at the library. Peyman (Abdullah Khalil) travels from Tehran to Montreal and makes arrangements to meet his daughter Shirin (Vaneh Assadourian), a medical student based in Boston, at the library. However, Customs and Border Patrol is cracking down on these reunions and Bruce (Corey Jones) is assigned to the area. He is sympathetic to the plight of these families, especially Peyman and Shirin, but he is determined to follow the letter of the law after having been disciplined for being lax in the past. Sixteen-year-old Declan (Emmet Smith) is an immigrant to Canada from Northern Ireland and a frequent visitor to the library.  He says that he travels several hours to read the graphic novels he can't find anywhere else but it is really so he can symbolically escape the bullying he faces in Quebec for refusing to speak French. Their interactions with each other are motivated by kindness, understanding, shared experiences (I particularly enjoyed the references to The Green Lantern), and even the possibility of a new romance but will policies determined to keep them apart prevail? I found the story to be incredibly powerful and compelling but the resolution was a bit disappointing because it feels very rushed (it actually took me a minute to realize that the play had ended). The narrative takes its time to reveal the backstory of each character little by little and, as a result, I was very invested in each of them and I wanted to know more about the consequences of their actions, especially Manon's decision to allow Peyman and Shirin to meet. Having said that, I really enjoyed this production. The cast is outstanding and everyone gives a very heart-felt performance. I particularly enjoyed the chemistry between Paff and Jones and the palpable vulnerability displayed by Smith. I also really loved the set of the library which includes bookcases surrounding the proscenium, library carts full of books, cozy leather chairs and sofas, a child-sized table and chairs, and lots of fun details (the line on the floor separating the U.S. and Canada is hilarious). I was very moved by the themes of belonging, which feel very relevant today, and I definitely recommend it.  There are only a few more performances so get your tickets (go here) soon.

Saint Omer

The trailer for Saint Omer looked really intriguing to me so I spontaneously decided to see it at the Broadway last night.  It is an incredibly powerful and thought-provoking examination of motherhood and the immigrant experience and it is one of the best movies I've seen this year!  Rama (Kayije Kagame) is an author and professor of literature who is interested in writing a modern retelling of the Greek myth Medea.  To that end, she travels from Paris to the town of Saint Omer to cover the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a Senegalese woman accused of murdering her 15 month old daughter by leaving her on the beach to be swept away with the tide.  As the trial progresses, it is slowly revealed that Laurence fled her native Senegal because of a difficult relationship with her mother, that she stayed in a toxic relationship because she didn't have a job or anywhere else to live, that she had aspirations of studying philosophy but was prevented from doing so by her pregnancy, and that she felt lost and invisible as an immigrant in France.  It is also revealed that Rama had a difficult relationship with her Senegalese mother while growing up, that she sometimes feels that she doesn't belong in the country of her birth (in a brilliant scene of her walking through a crowd), and that she is now four months pregnant.  She begins to feel a deep connection to Laurence (shown in an incredibly poignant scene when the two women make eye contact) but not for the reason I was expecting and it culminates in an incredibly emotional moment.  I love it when my expectations are subverted!  What I found so interesting is that, even though most of the narrative takes place in the courtroom during the trial, it is not really about the trial (we don't even hear the verdict) but, rather, it is about Rama's reaction to the trial.  I also thought is was interesting that her reactions are shown with closeup shots of her face rather than with dialogue (silence is used very effectively).  Both Kagame and Malanda give compelling performances because I was absolutely riveted by the narrative despite the sparse and unadorned presentation.  This is a simple but profound film and I highly recommend it!

Seussical The Musical at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts

It is no secret that I am not a big fan of Seussical the Musical (when I saw the Broadway touring production a few years ago I wanted to leave at intermission) but I have to admit that the more I see it the more it grows on me. I still think it is convoluted and loses steam in the second act but the production I saw last night at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts featuring an insanely talented group of high school students known as Acting Up! just might be the best one I've seen yet because I think the fantastical story is served really well by a young and exuberant cast. JoJo (Casey Garner) is an imaginative boy who sometimes gets in trouble for the thinks that he thinks so the Cat in the Hat (Luke Elison), acting as a Master of Ceremonies with the help of Thing 1 (Al Sorenson) and Thing 2 (Averie Bartholomew), takes him on a magical adventure where he meets Horton the Elephant (Max Wright), Gertrude McFuzz (Juniper Gray), the Amayzing Mayzie (Elena Dutton) and her Bird Girls (Eloise Brown, Lily Martin, Racel Paz, Sophia Rush, Tanya Cespedes, and Vashti Coray), the Sour Kangaroo (Hannah Mildenstein), the Wickersham Brothers (Cairo McGee, Cyrus Beaumont, Dean Salvesen, and Eli Palmer), the Mayor of Who-Ville (Max Warren) and his wife (Gabriella Droubay), and General Genhis Khan Schmitz (Thayne Larson).  JoJo ultimately learns that anything is possible and that he can go anywhere he wants just by thinking his thinks. I was really impressed with the choreography and special effects used in all of the musical numbers, especially "Horton Hears a Who" (something drew my eye everywhere I looked), "It's Possible" (the fish puppets are very whimsical), "Monkey Around" (the acrobatics are quite impressive), "The Military" (the giant knives used as swords are a lot of fun), "The Circus McGurkus" (I loved the tap dancing), and "Havin' A Hunch" (the use of blacklight is dazzling). As I mentioned, the entire cast is unbelievably talented but I particularly enjoyed Elison because he oozes charisma, Wright because he is so enduring and sympathetic (his renditions of "Alone in the Universe" and "Solla Sollew" almost brought me to tears), and Mildenstein because she has an amazing voice! The costumes are bold, colorful, and fun and I especially loved the fanciful feathered dresses worn by Mayzie and the Bird Girls.  The pastel multi-level set comes straight from a Dr. Seuss book and I loved all of the little nooks and crannies from which cast members suddenly appear and the poles used to slide from the top level to the bottom one. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are cleverly used to move smaller set pieces and props on and off stage seamlessly. I know that many of you who have heard me complain about how nonsensical this show is will be surprised but I really enjoyed this version! It will never be my favorite but I had a smile on my face during the whole show because I was so impressed by these young actors! It runs at SCERA through February 11 (tickets may be purchased here) and I highly recommend it.

Knock at the Cabin

I am a big fan of M. Night Shyamalan and, other than The Last Airbender, I have enjoyed all of his movies to varying degrees.  I was, therefore, really looking forward to Knock at the Cabin and I went to see it last night.  As with most of Shyamalan's movies, I thought it was incredibly thought-provoking.  Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) are vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods with their seven-year-old adopted daughter Wen (Kristen Cui).  During their stay, four strangers approach with makeshift weapons and break into the cabin.  Leonard (Dave Bautista), Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Adriane (Abby Quinn), and Redmond (Rupert Grint) tell them that they have all had the same visions of the apocalypse and have been compelled by those visions to seek them out and offer them a terrible choice: they must willingly sacrifice one member of their family or each of the four of them will be forced to unleash a plague to bring about the end of the world.  At first Andrew and Eric refuse because they believe them to be a doomsday cult that has targeted them for being gay but then news reports seem to suggest that the prophecies are coming true.  I was completely riveted by the themes of belief and choice.  Much of the palpable tension comes from trying to decide if what the four strangers are saying is true or if they are completely delusional and much of the suspense comes from trying to figure out what Eric and Andrew will ultimately decide.  The shot composition, which employs many extreme closeups, creates a claustrophobia that adds to the unease.  The performances are outstanding but the standout for me is Bautista because, even though he is large and menacing, he imbues Leonard with a tenderness that kept me off guard.  This is probably Shyamalan's most straightforward narrative because the third act doesn't really feature one of his well-known twists but, rather, answers the above questions in such a way that I am still pondering how I feel about it.  In my opinion, this is one of his best movies in years and I highly recommend it.

Emmanuel Pahud Performs Mozart's Magic Flute Fantasy

Last night's Utah Symphony concert marked the return of Maestro Thierry Fischer to the podium and it was a wonderful and varied evening of music!  The orchestra began with Symphony No. 12 by Joseph Haydn.  It was performed with a smaller chamber group standing up and I really enjoyed it, especially the woodwinds in the first movement, the somber mood in the second movement, and the burst of energy from the strings in the third movement.  After this came Lyric Suite by Alban Berg.  This piece was inspired by Berg's intense infatuation with Hanna Fuchs-Robbetin.  In an attempt to keep the affair a secret from his wife and her husband, Berg included many secret codes and messages dedicated to her within the music.  It is very expressive and emotional with the first three movements getting progressively faster and the last three getting slower to depict the timeline of a forbidden affair that begins with passion and then ends in despair.  Next the orchestra was joined by the 2022-2023 Artist-in-Association Emmanuel Pahud as the soloist for Magic Flute Fantasy, an arrangement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute by Robert Fobbes.  This was very lively and playful and Pahud performed it beautifully with a bright and clear sound.  Fischer also got in on the action by playing the pan-flute to the delight of the audience!  After the intermission, Pahud joined the orchestra once again for Concerto for Flute and Orchestra by Carl Nielsen.  This piece is also very playful and I particularly enjoyed the dialogues between the flute and other solo instruments (especially the clarinet and the timpani).  The concert concluded in dramatic fashion with Sinfonietta by Leos Janacek.  This piece is an ode to Czechoslovakia which begins and ends with patriotic fanfares by the brass (featuring 12 trumpets, 2 bass trumpets, 4 trombones, 4 horns, 2 Wagner tubas, and a tuba) and timpani.  It was absolutely epic!  I love ending the week at Abravanel Hall with the Utah Symphony and last night's concert was especially enjoyable!  Tickets for tonight's performance of the same program may be purchased here.