Emma at Parker Theatre

My friend Karen recommended the play Emma at Parker Theatre so, because I trust her and because I am a huge fan of Jane Austen, I decided to check it out last night. I am glad that I did because I was incredibly impressed with both the production and the theatre and I will definitely be back! After Emma Woodhouse (Ariana Bagley, a wealthy young woman who has no desire to get married herself, is successful in matching her former governess Miss Taylor (Eden Benson) with Mr. Weston (Michael Hohl), she decides to take Harriet Smith (Taylor McKay Barnes), a young woman of unknown parentage, under her wing. She encourages Harriet to reject the proposal of Robert Martin (Sam Schmuhl) because he is a farmer and not worthy of her and sets her sights on the vicar Mr. Elton (Seth Larson) as a suitor instead.  However, he mistakes Emma's interest in him and declares his love to her. Then she selects Frank Churchill (Ren Cottam), whom everyone tries to match with her, but he is secretly engaged to someone else. Finally Harriet falls in love with Mr. Knightley (John Hayes Nielsen), a Woodhouse family friend, but chaos ensues when Emma realizes that she has loved Mr. Knightley all along! There are some other delightfully eccentric characters in the village of Highbury, such as her hypochondriac father Mr. Woodhouse (David Glaittli), a chatty old maid named Miss Bates (Abbie Webb), the long-suffering Jane Fairfax (Liz Nielsen), and Mr. Elton's snotty wife Augusta (Madeline Thatcher), and I absolutely loved the amusing projections that introduce and describe the dramatis personae! This adaptation, much like the one I recently saw of Pride and Prejudice at HCTO, does not include everything but it captures the essence of the novel in a way that feels fresh without sacrificing any of my favorite lines ("If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."). I am normally a purist when it comes to changing the source material but I really liked having Robert Martin propose to Harriet first before Knightley declares his feelings to Emma because this allows the play to end with a touching moment between the two main characters. Bagley is wonderful in the title role, especially when she breaks the fourth wall to address the audience because it seems like we are all in on her schemes, and so is Barnes as Harriet because she is so physically awkward (I loved a scene where she is described as graceful while she slaps a bug on her arm and then wipes the guts off her sleeve). I also enjoyed Glaittli as Mr. Woodhouse, because he is hilariously overwrought, and Cottam as Frank Churchill, because he is such a foppish rake. However, there isn't a lot of romantic chemistry between Bagley and Nielsen (I think there should be a spark between them from the beginning and not just at the end) but that is my only criticism of the performances. The impressive set features an elegant drawing room at Hartfield that moves forward when needed, a backdrop with board and batten paneling that, with the addition of a few Regency furniture pieces, is used for the other houses in Highbury, and arches that come in from the wings to represent outdoor locations. The period costumes are a lot of fun but, strangely, I preferred the ones for the men over the ones for the women because they are more embellished. I loved this thoroughly entertaining show and I highly recommend getting a ticket for one of the three remaining performances (go here).

Creed III

I finally had the opportunity to see Creed III yesterday afternoon and I absolutely loved it!  Three years after retiring from boxing, Adonis "Donnie" Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is  enjoying life with his wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent), is running the Delphi Boxing Academy, and is promoting a fight between the heavyweight champion Felix "El Guerrero" Chavez (Jose Benavidez, Jr.) and Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu).  An old friend that Donnie boxed with in his youth named Damian "Dame" Anderson (Jonathan Majors) comes back into his life after being released from prison and asks him for a chance at the title.  Donnie tells him that it is impossible but, when Drago is attacked and unable to fight, he convinces Chavez to give Anderson the same opportunity that his father gave Rocky.  Against all odds, Anderson wins the fight to become heavyweight champion but Donnie eventually learns that he manipulated him.  It seems that the two of them have unfinished business and Anderson believes that he should have the life that Donnie has.  He bullies him into coming out of retirement to fight him in an epic match, dubbed the "Battle of Los Angeles."  Donnie struggles to get in shape with "Little Duke" Evers (Wood Harris) and Draco (in a fun training montage that ends with a fantastic Rocky moment above the Hollywood sign) but once he gets in the ring, he is not only fighting Anderson, he is attempting to slay the ghosts of his past. I really enjoyed the story, especially Donnie's fear that he doesn't deserve all that he has because of his troubled past and his determination to see that his daughter doesn't have the childhood that he did (although I wish this was explored more fully).  Jordan is incredibly compelling but Majors is an absolute knock-out in a performance that is both intense and sympathetic (he is becoming one of my favorite actors).  The two of them have tremendous chemistry together and the final resolution between them brought a tear to my eye.  Finally, the fight choreography is amazing and the way that these sequences are filmed is exhilarating.  I especially liked the close-up shots of their eyes and the way the crowd disappears to focus on the intimate showdown happening between two men who used to be friends.  This is, in my opinion, one of the best entries in the franchise and it should not be missed!

Scream VI

I consider myself to be a casual fan of the Scream franchise but, since I thoroughly enjoyed the last installment, I have been eagerly anticipating Scream VI.  I had the chance to see it last night and I loved it...for the most part.  The four survivors of the recent Woodsboro killings have relocated to New York City so Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown), and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding) can attend college and Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), who is struggling because of an online campaign to paint Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) as the victim and her as the killer, can keep a close eye on her sister.  However, a new Ghostface has also appeared in New York which puts the four survivors and their friends, Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato), Ethan Landry (Jack Champion), and Anika Koyoko (Devyn Nekoda), in danger.  Ghostface begins killing people close to the Carpenter sisters and leaves a different mask used by the previous killers with each victim, prompting survivors Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), an FBI agent, and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), a renowned journalist, to join Detective Bailey (Dermot Mulroney), Quinn's father, in the investigation.  They eventually discover a shrine to Ghostface, filled with artifacts from every killer, where a showdown ensues.  I enjoyed so much about this movie!  It leans heavily into the mythology of Ghostface and this time the meta-commentary involves the tropes used in horror franchises where expectations are subverted (the cold open with Samara Weaving and Tony Revolori accomplishes this brilliantly) and anyone can be a victim (even legacy characters!) in service to the IP.  The kills are even more brutal with lots of blood and guts and there are some thrilling set-pieces, including a tension filled sequence on a subway train, an nerve-wracking escape between buildings across an alleyway, and a violent shoot-out in a bodega.  The performances are great with Barrera as the stand-out as Sam grapples with the trauma of what she had to do to survive.  Finally, there are lots of fun Easter eggs from the previous movies as well as other horror movies (my favorites are the red balloon from It and the twins from The Shining).  Having said that, I did find the third act reveal to be anticlimactic because it really strains credulity.  Still, it is a fun and entertaining slasher movie and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

65

I have been anticipating 65 for almost two years and I finally had the chance to see it at a Thursday preview last night.  It seems to be getting a lot of bad reviews for some reason but I really liked it! 65 million years ago Commander Mills (Adam Driver) is leading a long-range exploratory mission in space with passengers in cryogenic stasis.  An asteroid forces the ship to crash land on Earth, splitting it in half and killing most of the passengers.  Mills eventually discovers one survivor, a young girl named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), and makes the decision to try to find the rest of the ship, which is some distance away, because it contains the escape pod.  In order to get to the ship they must contend with dinosaurs and another asteroid on a collision course with Earth but Mills must also deal with his guilt over leaving his daughter behind to lead this mission and Koa must deal with her grief over the death of her family from the crash.  The action sequences are great and the CGI is pretty good because I didn't find it distracting.  The scenes involving the dinosaurs are actually quite scary (I jumped out of my seat at one point) with a menacing score that adds to the tension.  Driver is fantastic in an incredibly physical role (you can definitely tell that he is a former Marine by the way he moves and handles all of the weapons) and he is able to portray so much without a lot of dialogue. The survival story is compelling but I particularly enjoyed the father-daughter relationship between Mills and Koa.  There are some really tender scenes between them, especially when he teachers her how to whistle and when she rescues him from some quicksand.  I thoroughly enjoyed this (and not just because Driver looks really good in it) and I recommend that you ignore the critics and go see it!

Putting It Together at PTC

I like to call myself a big fan of Stephen Sondheim but the truth of the matter is the only shows that I am really familiar with are West Side Story, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Into the Woods. I have seen A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum but it was a long time ago and I don't remember much (beyond the togas) and I am embarrassed to admit that I haven't seen Sunday in the Park with George, Merrily We Roll Along, A Little Night Music, Follies, Assassins, Anyone Can Whistle, or Company (I will be remedying this very soon). I was, therefore, really excited to see PTC's new production of Putting It Together, a musical revue showcasing the works of Stephen Sondheim, last night because it features many songs from these other shows. A concert consisting of Sondheim's music would be worth the price of admission on its own but there is a loose narrative tying it all together (and a set featuring a luxury penthouse apartment, glamorous costumes, and fun choreography) involving a dinner party with a Husband (Nicholas Rodriguez) and Wife (Judy McLane), who are experiencing marital difficulties, a Young Associate (Brent Thiessen) and His Date (Cayleigh Capaldi), who are awkwardly navigating a new relationship, and an Observer (Tyrick Wiltez Jones), who narrates the goings-on. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between McLane (I absolutely loved her in Next to Normal which is one of my favorite productions at PTC) and Rodriguez in "Country House" from Follies and the harmonies between McLane and Capaldi in "There's Always a Woman" from Anyone Can Whistle because I had never heard those songs before.  However, my favorite numbers were McLane's version of "The Ladies Who Lunch" because she just about blew the roof off the theater, Thiessen's heartfelt rendition of "Marry Me A Little," McLane's hilarious take on "Getting Married Today," and the entire cast's incredible performance of "Being Alive," all from Company. The theater was only about 2/3 full last night which is really a shame because it was an amazing evening of music performed by an insanely talented cast! I highly recommend it to everyone (go here for tickets) because those who are fans of Sondheim will love it and those who are not just might become ones after seeing it!

Note:  As I mentioned, I will be attending a performance of Company at the Empress Theatre next month and I am even more excited for it after seeing this show!