Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles at the Eccles

I love the Beatles and, even though I never had the opportunity to see them live, I have seen many tribute bands.  One of the best is Rain and I was so excited to be able to see them again last night at the Eccles Theatre.  It was an amazing show and I sang every single word (so did everyone around me).  Steve Landes (John Lennon), Paul Curatolo (Paul McCartney), Alastar McNeil (George Harrison) and Aaron Chiazza (Ringo Starr) look and sound a lot like the Beatles so it really feels like you are actually seeing them and the background images turn the concert into an incredibly immersive experience (the crowd even screamed as much as the early fans).  The concert was divided into different sets (or eras!) and it began with the Beatlemania set.  The lads were dressed in their signature black suits and Cuban-heeled boots and they performed "All My Loving," "Please Please Me," "This Boy," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "Roll Over Beethoven," "A Hard Day's Night," "If I Fell," "You Can't Do That," and "Yesterday" with background images from the Ed Sullivan Show.  The next set was Shea Stadium featuring "I Feel Fine," "Day Tripper," and "Twist and Shout" (which got the crowd up and dancing) with costumes and background images from that epic concert.  Next came the Revolver & Rubber Soul (my favorite albums by the Beatles) set with performances of "Drive My Car," "The Word," "Eleanor Rigby," "In My Life," and "Nowhere Man."  During this set they were dressed casually with video footage of the Beatles from that period projected on the screens.  After the intermission came the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band set with the iconic uniforms and lots of psychedelic images on the screens.  I really loved this set because it included "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "With a Little Help From My Friends," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," "She's Leaving Home," "Lovely Rita," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)," and "A Day in the Life" which was brilliant!  Then came the Rooftop Concert set which mimicked the concert the Beatles performed on the roof of their Apple Corps headquarters in London.  They wore the same outfits the Beatles wore then (including John Lennon's fur coat) and the images on the screen made it seem like they were really on the roof.  They performed some of the setlist from this show, including "Get Back," "Dig a Pony,"and "Don't Let Me Down," with a bonus performance of "Let It Be."  The final set was Abbey Road and the costumes were based on what the Beatles wore on the cover of this album and the images on the screen were from the famous recording studio.  They performed "Come Together," "You Never Give Me Your Money," "Mean Mr. Mustard," "Polythene Pam," "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window," "Golden Slumbers," "Cary That Weight," and "The End."  Of course they performed "Hey Jude" for the encore and the entire crowd sang along which was really fun!  I'm so glad that I decided to see this show again because it featured a completely different setlist so I got to hear quite a few songs that I have never heard performed live before (I can't believe I still remember the words to "She's Leaving Home" and "Lovely Rita").  Due to popular demand another show was added tonight and there are still a few tickets available (go here).  I highly recommend it to all Beatles fans.

Newsies at HCT

There was a time when Newsies was at the top of the list of shows that I wanted to see. I was so eager to see it that I went to Los Angeles because it was playing at the Pantages Theatre and then the Broadway touring production came to SLC the following year so I got to see it again! I have since seen it multiple times (it is very popular in Utah) but I really love it and was so excited to see HCT's version last night! It is a fun production and I thoroughly enjoyed it! A group of newspaper delivery boys (and girls in this production) led by Jack Kelly (Matthew Sanguine) decide to go on strike when Joseph Pulitzer (Douglas Irey) raises the price of newspapers. With a little help from a fledgling reporter named Katherine Plumber (Rachel Martorana), the so-called newsies get the attention of Governor Theodore Roosevelt (Ryland Despain) and score a victory for all of the working children in New York. I love all of the music in this show but my favorite song has always been "The World Will Know." Sanguine and the ensemble performed it with so much passion that I had goosebumps! I also really enjoyed Martorana's rendition of "Watch What Happens" because she infuses it with both vulnerability and determination to succeed and Gunnar Russell (as Crutchie) gave the best performance I’ve seen of "Letter from the Refuge" because it is incredibly poignant! The highlight of this show has always been its high-energy choreography and HCT did not disappoint! Everyone in the ensemble is an amazing performer and the big production numbers "Carrying the Banner," "The World Will Know," "Seize the Day," "King of New York," and "Once and for All" are outstanding. The choreography features a few of the iconic leaps and spins from the original Broadway production but it is also innovative enough to keep it fresh and exciting. At first I felt that Sanguine was too old for the role of Jack (who is supposed to be a teenager) but he eventually won me over and I enjoyed his charisma and bravado. The other standouts in the cast for me were Hyrum Smith as Davey and Flynn Mitchell (who steals every scene he is in) as Les because they play off of Sanguine so well. The set also maintains the spirit of the original Broadway production but, because it is Hale, it is even more dramatic with one large multi-level metal tower in the middle of the stage which splits apart and is reconfigured multiple times. It is quite thrilling to see the actors climbing and swinging on all of the different levels and configurations. I did find the use of an actual chalkboard for the newspaper headlines, while clever, to be a bit underwhelming and it was hard to see Jack's drawings. The previous production of Newsies at HCT utilized the LED screens that surround the theatre for the headlines and drawings and I think that was more effective. Other than that minor complaint, I had a great time with this show and I highly recommend seeing it with your kids (the children and teens in my audience absolutely loved it).  It runs on the Young Living Centre Stage through August 26 (go here for tickets).

Dark Corners

My July Book of the Month selection was Dark Corners by Megan Goldin (the other options were The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange, The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, Hello Stranger by Katherine Center, and Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong). I picked it because I recently read and enjoyed The Night Swim (the first in the Rachel Krall series) and was eager for another case involving the popular podcast host. I think I liked this one even more! A violent criminal named Terrence Bailey, who was once the main suspect in a series of brutal murders against women, is about to be released from prison after serving time for breaking and entering. Two days before his release he receives a random visit from a young and successful social media influencer named Maddison Logan and then she disappears several hours later. In the course of their investigation, the FBI discovers that Logan spoke with Bailey about Krall during their meeting and they want to know why so they reluctantly ask for her help. Both Krall and the FBI come to believe that Bailey is somehow responsible for Logan's disappearance and she suspects that she might be the next victim. The narrative alternates between Krall's POV as she investigates Logan's last movements at an influencer convention and those of a rideshare driver who may or may not be Bailey's accomplice and an FBI agent racing against time. This is a fast-paced mystery filled with lots of suspenseful twists and turns that kept me reading into the early morning hours (and kept me guessing until the very end) but I especially enjoyed the deep dive into influencer culture because it is a lot more cut-throat than I imagined and I was absolutely fascinated (and, as someone who follows a few influncers on social media, I was also appalled). Rachel Krall is a great character (I love intelligent, strong, and independent female protagonists) and I particularly liked her development from a passive role as a reporter looking into a crime that happened years ago in the first novel to a more active participant in an on-going investigation in this one and I hope to see more of her in future installments of the series. The only aspect of the narrative the fell flat for me was the sudden romance between Krall and an FBI agent because it was a bit cringe-worthy and seemed out of character but this is a minor criticism. Even though this is the second in a series I think it works as a standalone (there are only a few references to the first novel and they are thoroughly explained) and I definitely recommend it to fans of mysteries.

Barbie

Last night Sean and I returned to the Broadway to see Barbie and, as with Oppenheimer the night before, it exceeded my already high expectations! A Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie), along with various other Barbies who who perform specific occupations within the matriarchal society (portrayed by Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Emerald Fennell, and Marisa Abela), is living the best day ever in Barbieland while a Stereotypical Ken (Ryan Gosling), several other Kens (portrayed by Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans, Ncuti Gatwa, Rob Brydon, and John Cena), and Allan (Michael Cera) do anything they can to get her attention.  Barbie soon experiences an existential crisis and seeks out a Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) who has been played with too hard.  Weird Barbie tells her that she must go to the Real World and find the child who plays with her to resolve any issues lest she end up like her.  However, things do not go as planned in the Real World because Ken stows away with her and is influenced by the patriarchy, the CEO of Mattel (Will Ferrell) wants to put her back in a box, and her child Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) berates her for giving girls unrealistic standards of beauty.  Barbie eventually discovers her true purpose with the help of Sasha's mother Gloria (America Ferrera) and Barbie's creator Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman).  I loved everything about this movie!  The message about identity is so incredibly powerful and a brilliant monologue about the travails of being a woman in today's society elicited applause from my audience while a montage to Billie Eilish's song "What Was I Made For?" reduced me to tears.  This is definitely an ode to female empowerment but I also really appreciated Ken's character arc as he goes on his own journey to self-actualization (in a hilarious 80s music video featuring a power ballad called "I'm Just Ken" performed by Gosling).  Gerwig (I love her unique voice as a filmmaker) effectively straddles the line between social commentary and nostalgia for a beloved toy through brilliant production design (the Barbie Dreamhouse with a slide to the pool is amazing), costumes that recreate some of Barbie's most famous looks, and witty self-referential dialogue that will have audiences laughing out loud (I loved a throw-away line about wearing high heels).  I can't think of anyone better to embody the iconic doll than Robbie and I loved her performance but Gosling is an absolute hoot who steals the show (especially in the aforementioned musical number) every time he is on screen.  It was such a fun experience watching this with a capacity crowd dressed in pink (they let me and Sean into the theater despite our lack of pink attire) and I highly recommend it!

Note:  After seeing both movies I stand by my recommendation to see Barbie and Oppenheimer on different days.  The shift in tone will be much too jarring!

Oppenheimer

Sean has been looking forward to Oppenheimer for months so we absolutely had to go to an early access screening in 35mm at the Broadway last night!  Even though it is three hours long with lots of dialogue and very heavy themes, we both found it to be riveting and we loved it!  J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) is a brilliant but highly-strung scientist who conducts theoretical research on quantum physics while teaching at U.C. Berkeley, dabbling in unionization, and beginning relationships with women (Florence Pugh and Emily Blunt) who have ties to the communist party.  Despite his dubious extracurricular activities, he is approached by General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) to head the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico.  Oppenheimer assembles a team of scientists and they succeed in creating a bomb but he is conflicted because he knows that it is needed as a deterrent but is horrified by the prospect of using it.  Once the bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he is devastated and becomes a vocal opponent against the proliferation of nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union.  Oppenheimer's position angers Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey, Jr.), the head of the Atomic Energy Commission, and he surreptitiously convenes a hearing to revoke Oppenheimer's security clearance because of his perceived ties to communism.  This hearing and Strauss' Senate confirmation hearing for a cabinet position in the Eisenhower administration are interspersed with the events leading to the so-called Trinity test of the bomb and I honestly can't decide which scenes were more fraught with tension!  This is in large part due to the brilliant sound design and the intense score by Ludwig Goransson (the ticking sound that mimics a clock is especially effective is creating an anxious atmosphere).  The visuals are striking, particularly those used to portray the quantum realm, and give the audience access to the cataclysmic visions inside Oppenheimer's mind.  Murphy gives the performance of his career (which will undoubtedly be rewarded during awards season) and the scenes where Oppenheimer envisions the consequences of his actions are some of the most powerful I have ever seen (the closeups on Murphy's blue eyes are haunting).  Downey, Jr. also give a powerhouse performance!  I have always believed him to be a great actor but he is next-level here and I had goosebumps in a scene filled with his character's righteous anger.  In addition, I was very impressed with Blunt when her character goes toe-to-toe with the special prosecutor (Jason Clarke).  The narrative is incredibly dense with lots characters and many actors make a big impact in relatively small roles (my favorites include Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie, Dane DeHaan, Kenneth Branagh, Alden Ehrenreich, David Dastmalchian, Tony Goldwyn, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, and Gary Oldman).  This movie is a masterpiece and I think what intrigued me the most is that the exploration of power and accountability is morally complex and thought provoking.  Much has been made about the release of Oppenheimer and Barbie on the same weekend (Sean and I are seeing Barbie tonight) with many opting for double features but I think the tonal shifts will be too much and recommend seeing them on different days.

Note:  Sean and I were both dressed in black and we ended up in an elevator at the theater filled with people wearing pink.  Someone said, "I guess you can tell which movies we are all going to!"