Once at HCTO

The first time I saw the musical Once I didn't know anything about it but I ended up loving it so much because it is a beautiful and moving story about the impact that one person can have on your life.  I even downloaded the music during intermission!  I was absolutely thrilled (and a little bit surprised but more about that later) when I found out that it was part of the 2023 season at HCTO.  I saw their production last night and it is grand!  A Guy (Will Ingram) is busking on a Dublin street when a Girl (Rachel Ryan Nicholes) strikes up a conversation with him because she likes his music.  He reluctantly tells her that he wants to give up on music because all of his songs are about a girl who left him to move to New York.  The Girl encourages him to play more of his music for her and eventually helps him to record a demo.  He begins to have feelings for her and tells her that he may have written the songs for another girl but now he is singing them for her.  She knows that she needs to reconcile with her estranged husband for the sake of her daughter and that he needs to go to New York and play his music for his former girlfriend so, even though she loves him, she tearfully convinces him to go.  The Broadway touring production that I saw was set in a Dublin bar (you could even go up on stage and buy a drink during intermission) with very minimal props representing the other locations so I was very intrigued to see how HCTO would stage their version.  It is quite different, with the main stage configured as a Dublin street with the music store, repair shop, bar, and other locations in the wings, but it is very effective and I liked it.  All of the secondary characters (Caleb Collier, Makenzie Belnap, Shaunna Thompson, Clark Woolstenhulme, David Kocherhans, Nathan Holley, Jordan Briggs, Caleb McCleary, Nathan Bowser, and Angelica Salazar) play a variety of instruments live on stage and it is really clever how they are integrated into the action.  Both productions that I've seen (Broadway touring and PTC) had a lot of profanity and I wondered how HCTO would address that.  I am happy that they really toned it down (and it didn't detract from the narrative at all) because now I feel like I can recommend it to anyone (and I wholeheartedly do!).  The music is really beautiful and the way the cast performed my favorite songs, "Falling Slowly," "If You Want Me," and "Gold," gave me goosebumps!  Both Ingram and Nicholes are outstanding in the lead roles because they also play guitar and piano, respectively, as well as sing and they have a lot of chemistry (Ingram reminded me a lot of Jack Raynor).  I really loved this production and I suggest you get tickets as soon as possible (go here) before every show sells out because I'm sure they will!

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant

Guy Ritchie is hit or miss with me because, while I like many of his movies, there are a few that I really hate.  Last night I went to see his latest, The Covenant, and it is definitely in the former category because I really enjoyed it!  During the war in Afghanistan, many locals are recruited as interpreters with the promise of visas for them and their families.  Ahmed (Dar Salim) also wants revenge against the Taliban for killing his son and agrees to work with Sgt. John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal).  Kinley's platoon is ambushed while searching for explosive devices and he and Ahmed are the only survivors.  They spend several days eluding the Taliban, who have placed a significant bounty on their heads, but Kinley is eventually shot.  Through an incredible act of will, Ahmed carries Kinley over treacherous terrain for several days to save his life and get him back to his base.  Once Kinley is back home in the U.S. he learns that Ahmed and his family have gone into hiding so, feeling incredibly guilty about a situation for which he feels responsible, he tries to get help from the government but encounters bureaucracy and endless red tape.  He eventually decides that he must return to Afghanistan, at great personal risk, to find Ahmed himself.  Gyllenhaal provides the intensity that he is known for in the portrayal of a soldier who feels a debt of honor that must be repaid but there are also some moments of vulnerability, especially in a powerful scene where he confronts his former commanding officer, that I found very moving.  However, Salim's quietly devastating performance is absolutely riveting!  He is able to express so many emotions with very little dialogue, such as the extreme exertion required to transport Kinley through the mountains, the fear of discovery when he encounters the Taliban, and the relief he feels when Kinley finds him.  Gyllenhaal and Salim have tremendous chemistry together and I was particularly impressed by a scene featuring just their profiles across from each other because they are able to communicate their relationship brilliantly.  The action sequences are extremely well done and Ritchie's signature style puts the audience in the middle of the firefight with the soldiers, most notably in the tension filled climactic battle (I could hardly breathe).  This is a thoroughly entertaining action thriller (with a bit of commentary about the military’s failure to protect the citizens of Afghanistan who collaborated with them tacked on for good measure) and I highly recommend it.

Bye Bye Birdie at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I have very fond memories of watching a VHS copy of the musical Bye Bye Birdie at my Grandma Anderson's house when I was young but I had never seen the stage version before. I had the opportunity at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse last night and it is definitely one of the best productions I have seen there!  Songwriter Albert Peterson (Tyler O'Bagy) is upset when his biggest client, Conrad Birdie (Boyad Hollingshead), is drafted into the Army because he is heavily in debt. His secretary and on-again off-again love interest, Rosie Alvarez (Natalie Peterson), comes up with a publicity stunt to have Birdie record a song called "One Last Kiss" and sing it to a fan on The Ed Sullivan Show before he leaves for the Army. Rosie hopes that this plan will allow Albert to make enough money to quit show business, become an English teacher, defy his disapproving mother Mae (Meredith Carlson), and finally marry her. Kim MacAfee (Aurora Nelson), the President of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club in Sweet Apple, Ohio, is selected and chaos ensues when Birdie disrupts life in Sweet Apple by driving the teen girls crazy, irritating Kim's father Harry (Steve Peterson), and coming between Kim and her steady boyfriend, Hugo Peabody (JC Wansgard), and when Mae comes to Sweet Apple to separate Albert from Rosie! I loved the young enthusiastic ensemble cast, one of the strongest I've seen at this theatre, because they perform the choreography really well, especially in the big numbers "Telephone Hour," "A Healthy, Normal, American Boy," "Honestly Sincere," and "A Lot of Livin' To Do." O'Bagy is adorably dorky and his version of "Put On a Happy Face" is really fun because it is so awkward, Hollingshead is channeling Elvis Presley with all of his moves (and his slicked back pompadour) in "Honestly Sincere" and "One Last Kiss," Nelson has a beautiful voice and she is sweet and earnest with her renditions of "How Lovely to Be a Woman" and "One Boy" and a bit rebellious in "What Did I Ever See In Him" and "A Lot of Livin' To Do," Steve Peterson is hilariously overwrought in "Kids," and Natalie Peterson absolutely shines in a dynamic performance of "Spanish Rose."  However, Carlson steals the show in a completely over the top performance and I laughed out loud when she flirts with Conrad and when she rolls around on the ground (in her fur coat!) to stop Albert from marrying Rosie! This show is set in the 50s so the costumes, with all of the pedal pushers, skirts, cardigan sweaters, scarfs, jeans, leather jackets, and letterman jackets, are so much fun and I loved the over-sized "I Heart Conrad Birdie" badges. The small space is used very effectively with Kim's bedroom and the Ice House located on platforms on either side of the stage and a train station (with actual train tracks!) located up stage with set pieces brought on for the MacAfee house and Maude's Roadside Retreat. My favorite set piece was a series of boxes lit with colored lights used in "Telephone Hour" because it reminded me of this same scene in the movie.  I had so much fun watching this show because there were so many young people in the audience, presumably to see their friends in the cast, and the energy was electric! This, along with The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Addams Family, is one of my favorites at this theatre and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).

Beau Is Afraid

I am a huge fan of Ari Aster's previous films, Hereditary and Midsommar, so I was already planning to see Beau Is Afraid but, when my nephew expressed a strong interest in it as well, I got tickets for both of us to see it last night at the Broadway.  This might not be the best movie to see with your 18-year-old nephew but it certainly gave us plenty to talk about on the drive home!  Beau Wasserman (Joaquin Phoenix) is a middle aged man who is in an almost constant state of anxiety.  He goes on an epic (literally) journey to get home so that his recently deceased mother, Mona Wasserman (Patti LuPone), can be buried in a timely manner according to Jewish custom.  Once he arrives home, however, he must confront his mother over the years of psychological abuse that she inflicted on him and then ultimately be judged, by her and the audience, for his response.  The reviews have been very divisive for this surrealistic black comedy and, although I really loved the allusions to Odysseus in the second act and to Oedipus in the third, I did sometimes find the pacing to be incredibly tedious (it has a three-hour runtime and, in my opinion, it could have achieved the same end in two).  It is extremely thought-provoking (which is something I will always appreciate in a movie) and my nephew and I had very different interpretations of certain scenes (I am sure that Aster intended it thus).  As previously mentioned, we had a very spirited discussion afterwards and he actually changed my mind about something with a vigorous defense of his thesis!  I also really enjoyed the world-building because one is never really sure if what is happening is real or a product of Beau's imagination and the images on the screen reflect this, whether it is the urban hellscape of Beau's daily life, the despair under the facade of suburban domesticity found with his surrogate family, the gorgeous stop-motion animation depicting his journey, or the spacious modern architecture (which actually represents a claustrophobic nightmare for Beau) of Mona's estate.  Finally, both Phoenix and LuPone give brilliant and riveting performances which kept me invested in the chaos (several in the audience left the theater before the end).  Needless to say, this will not be for everyone (especially if you are not a fan of Aster's previous work) but I liked it for the most part (as did my nephew) and I definitely respect Aster's ambitious swing for the fences!

Company at the Empress

While I am very familiar with the music (the songs "Being Alive" and "The Ladies Who Lunch" are staples for vocalists who perform with the Utah Symphony), I have never actually seen a production of Company before!  I was so happy to finally be able to do so last night at the Empress Theater (it has been on my list for so long).  Robert (David Nichols) is facing his 35th birthday and the prospect of living the rest of his life alone when he reflects on the relationships of his friends, including Susan (Sara Murphy) and Peter (Nate Kemp), Sarah (Merilee Adams) and Harry (Michael Ricks), Jenny (Jessica Benson) and David (Matthew Davids), Amy (Alyssa Powers) and Paige (Jenn George), and Joanne (Fawna Jones) and Larry (Jim Dale), and the relationships he has with three of his girlfriends, April (Cassie Hurt-McLarty), Kathy (Emily Jameson), and Marta (Brandwynn Michelle).  Every relationship has problems but he ultimately realizes that life is better lived with someone else rather than alone.  I really appreciated being able to hear all of the brilliant songs that I've loved for so long in the context of the story and I found them to be even more meaningful.  I particularly enjoyed Powers' rendition of "Getting Married Today" because the panic she feels at the thought of having to commit to someone else is palpable, Jones' version of "The Ladies Who Lunch" because her delivery is intense without being overpowering, and Nichols' interpretation of "Being Alive" because the turning point when his arguments against a relationship suddenly become the desire for one is so powerful.  I also liked the staging of "The Little Things You Do Together," "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "Side By Side By Side," and "What Would We Do Without You?" because the choreography is really dynamic and fun.  The set is very simple but effective with modern furniture that is moved and reconfigured into the various apartments of the characters and the use of large screens with images of New York City do much to add context (smaller screens that show text messages between characters are highly amusing).  I sometimes found the pacing to be a little slow but I'm sure this was a deliberate decision to create a more reflective mood and it didn't detract from my enjoyment.  I loved this production and I am so happy that I finally had the opportunity to cross this show off my list!  Unfortunately the run ended last night but the rest of the season looks really good (go here for tickets and information).