Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

I was absolutely blown away by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse so I was already looking forward to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse but all of the early buzz made me even more excited!  My nephew and I saw it last night and the hype is real because it is amazing!  Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is adjusting to life as Spider-Man but is struggling to balance these responsibilities with the expectations of his mother Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) and father Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry).  Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) is facing similar struggles as Spider-Woman in her universe because her father George (Shea Whigham) is hunting Spider-Woman for the murder of Peter Parker.  When her identity is revealed to her father, she is reluctantly admitted to the Spider Society, an organization charged with protecting the Spider-Verse, by Miguel O'Hara/ Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) and Jessica Drew/ Spider-Woman (Issa Rae).  When Miles encounters the Spot (Jason Schwartzman), a scientist altered by the explosion of the collider at Alchemax, Gwen joins him in pursuit of this villain to another universe where they are aided by Pavitr Prabhakar/ Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) and Hobie Brown/ Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya).  However, events in this universe show Miles that he must defy all of the other Spider-People to protect those he loves from the Spot. This is one of the best sequels I've seen because it expands the ideas explored in the first movie about who can be Spider-Man to include what it means to be Spider-Man and the stakes for each of the characters are much higher.  I found the narrative to be incredibly compelling because, just when I thought I knew where things were going, my expectations were subverted in the best possible way.  There is also a greater emotional weight to the tone and all of the voice actors really deliver, particularly Isaac.  The images on the screen are absolutely dazzling and, as with the first movie, I loved all of the different styles of animation used for each of the characters, particularly the watercolor palette used for Gwen and the cut-and-paste style of punk rock posters for Spider-Punk (my favorite character).  Finally, all of the Easter eggs are so much fun!  I laughed out loud every time I spotted something (I loved the Lego Spider-Man) but for every one I found my nephew, who loves the comics, found ten more!  We both loved this movie so much (go see it!) and we can't wait for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse next year!

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the Eccles

Last night I saw Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the Eccles Theatre and I found it to be especially poignant after the recent passing of Tina Turner.  This is a jukebox musical about the life of Tina Turner (Zurin Villenueva) from her humble beginnings as Anna Mae Bullock (Ayvah Johnson) in Nutbush, Tennessee to her rise to success with Ike Turner (Roderick Lawrence) and then her reinvention as a global superstar after overcoming prejudices against her race, gender, and age.  I knew that Tina was physically abused by Ike but I didn't know everything else that she endured in her life so I found the narrative to be incredibly compelling.  However, the best part of this show is the music and I think its use in a thematic order, rather than a chronological one, is very effective in giving context to her struggles and ultimate triumph.  I especially enjoyed how "Let's Stay Together," "Better Be Good to Me," and "I Don't Wanna Fight No More," show her dysfunctional relationship with Ike, how "Private Dancer" shows her years of performing in Las Vegas to pay her debts after leaving Ike, and how "We Don't Need Another Hero" shows the turning point in her life and career.  Villenueva gives a powerful vocal performance and her renditions of "River Deep - Mountain High" and "(Simply) The Best" just about blew the roof off the Eccles (and gave me goosebumps).  The choreography is energetic, to say the least, and Villenueva and Aliyah Caldwell, Reyna Guerra, Takia Hopson, and Parris Lewis (as the Ikettes) are so much fun to watch in "I Want to Take You Higher" and "Proud Mary" (the highlight of the show for me).  Because of Turner's recent passing, I've seen a lot of footage of her performances, especially during her time with Ike Turner, and I was really impressed with how well the real-life choreography and costumes are replicated.  This production makes use of projections and minimal set pieces but the final set depicting the stage of a concert in Brazil is spectacular with amazing lighting effects (it was almost like an actual rock concert with lots of enthusiastic audience participation).  This show is an incredibly moving tribute to a remarkable woman and I highly recommend it (although it features very disturbing scenes of domestic violence, lots of profanity, and the use of racial epithets which some might find upsetting).  Go here for tickets to one of the four remaining performances.

Note:  Stay through the bows for a continuation of the concert featuring "Nutbush City Limits" and "Proud Mary."

Fischer's Farewell: Mahler's Symphony No. 3

Last night's Utah Symphony concert, while absolutely brilliant, was a little bit bittersweet for me because it was the final opportunity to see Thierry Fischer conduct the orchestra as the Music Director (I am holding out hope that he will return as a guest conductor at some point).  I have been attending Utah Symphony concerts for more than 30 years and Fischer is my favorite conductor (followed by Pavel Kogan who was the principal guest conductor for several years) because he has such a light touch and brings out the very best from the orchestra without a lot of theatricality.  For his final performance, Fischer selected Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler and, in my opinion, it was the perfect choice because it is such a monumental piece about creation and he has done such a wonderful job of helping the orchestra create a distinctive sound.  The women of the Tabernacle Choir, the choristers of Madeleine Choir School, and mezzo-soprano Anna Larsson joined the Utah Symphony for this amazing piece and I loved it!  According to Fischer, the first movement is about the invisible forces within a planet and I especially loved all of the dramatic fanfares by the brass, particularly those by the solo trombone and the solo trumpet, along with the timpani (there are two sets of timpani used in this piece and I was fascinated by how many times the musicians changed mallets).  The second movement is meant to mimic the appearance of flowers and trees and is much more delicate with a beautiful melody by the oboe.  The third movement introduces birds and other animals and I loved all of the woodwinds and the trumpet solo played off stage.  The fourth movement is when man arrives and it features a powerful text by Nietzsche about the nature of mankind sung as a simple melody by Larsson (who has a beautiful voice).  The two choirs join the orchestra in the fifth movement and represent angels who watch over mankind.  I loved hearing the children's choir imitate the sound of bells along with the chimes.  Many believe that the sixth movement is Mahler's vision of Heaven and I really enjoyed the beautiful themes played by the swelling strings and then the triumphant notes played by the timpani (I couldn't take my eyes of the musicians because it was so thrilling).  The audience immediately erupted into a thunderous standing ovation for Fischer (he also received one when he took the stage) and he appeared to become emotional as he hugged Concert Master Madeline Adkins and acknowledged all of the section leaders.  I admit that I had a tear in my eye, too!  This was a spectacular conclusion to the 2022-2023 season (which has been stellar) and the remarkable tenure of Maestro Fischer!

Note:  The 2022-2023 season may be over but there are still plenty of opportunities to hear the Utah Symphony perform this summer.  There are community concerts (several of which are free) in June, the Deer Valley Music Festival in July (I can't wait for the Music of Queen), and a state tour in August (these concerts are free but require a ticket).  Go here for tickets and more information.

Bountiful High School Class of 2023

Yesterday Sean graduated from Bountiful High School and we were all able to watch him receive his diploma at the Dee Events Center.  We are so proud of him because it wasn't easy but he did it!

He will be going to Neumont College in the fall for a Bachelor's Degree in Cyber Security and we are really excited for him!

The Little Mermaid

Last night my sister Marilyn and I took our nephew Sean, our niece Tashena, and her boyfriend Tucker (they are in town for Sean's graduation) to see the new live action version of The Little Mermaid.  Marilyn and I absolutely loved it!  Everyone else?  Not so much!  A mermaid named Ariel (Halle Bailey) doesn't think that all humans are as evil as her father King Tritan (Javier Bardem) believes them to be and she is fascinated by them.  After she saves Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) during a storm which sinks his ship, Triton destroys her collection of human objects and forbids her from going to the surface again.  Ariel defies her father and accepts a deal with her aunt, a sea witch named Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), to trade her voice for a pair of legs.  She must get Eric to give her true love's kiss within three days so a crab named Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), a fish named Flounder (Jacob Tremblay), and a seabird named Scuttle (Awkwafina) attempt to help her.  Can Ariel get Eric to fall in love with her and, more importantly, can she convince Tritan that not all humans are bad?  Bailey is phenomenal in the role and her version of "Part of Your World" gave me goosebumps.  Her wide-eyed innocence is so charming and the chemistry between her and Hauer-King is palpable (especially in the star-gazing scene).  I also really enjoyed McCarthy and Diggs because their characterizations of Ursula and Sebastian are so much fun.  The new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, including "Wild Uncharted Waters" by Eric, "For the First Time" by Ariel, and "The Scuttlebutt" by Sebastian and Scuttle (this is my favorite because I loved hearing Diggs of Hamilton fame rap again) are fantastic and really add to the narrative.  I also really appreciated some subtle changes to the story such as making the sisters more diverse as representatives of the seven seas and the addition of the character of Queen Selina (Norma Dumezweni) to emphasize the humans' fear of the ocean in juxtaposition to Tritan's fear of humans (this gives Ariel and Eric a better motivation to fall in love, in my opinion, because they recognize that they are both fighting against parental control and for more understanding).  Sean, Tashena, and Tucker criticized the visual effects and they do have a point because the underwater sequences look really unnatural, especially, rather ironically, in "Under the Sea." I also found the hyper-realistic portrayal of the animals to be somewhat jarring but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting (definitely not as bad as the live-action version of The Lion King) and it didn't detract from my enjoyment.  I loved it in spite of these flaws and Marilyn and I are making plans to see it again (without the others).