The Last Voyage of the Demeter

I usually taught Frankenstein to my senior British literature students but every once in a while I would opt for Dracula so I have been looking forward The Last Voyage of the Demeter because it is an adaptation of "The Captain's Log" chapter from Bram Stoker's novel.  I went to see it at a late screening last night (why do I do this to myself?) and I really liked it!  The Demeter, under the command of Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) and First Mate Wojchek (David Dastmalchain), makes port in Bulgaria to pick up cargo bound for London.  Clemens (Corey Hawkins) is a Cambridge-educated doctor looking to get back to England and is asked to join the crew after saving the captain's grandson Toby (Woody Norman) from being crushed.  Soon after setting sail one of the crates breaks open revealing a young woman, who is near death, buried in the dirt inside.  Clemens begins giving her blood transfusions in order to save her life but after several mysterious events, including the slaughter of all the livestock and the disappearance of crew members, the remaining crew is superstitious about having a woman on board and distrustful of Clemens.  However, when the stowaway Anna (Aisling Franciosi) wakes up, she warns that they should abandon ship because a monster from her village known as Dracula is aboard.  However, Wojchek wants the significant bonus promised if the Demeter reaches London ahead of schedule and they continue on with tragic results.  This is incredibly atmospheric with eerie visuals and an escalating sense of dread created through dramatic sound design (especially when crew members knock on the ship's hull to request assistance) and lighting design (the use of shadows creates so much tension).  There are some really effective jump scares and I almost screamed during a particularly harrowing scene where Dracula stalks Toby.  The attacks are really gruesome (it definitely earns its R rating) and Dracula's creature design is more monstrous than I was expecting but that adds to the terror.  The cast is solid and Hawkins and Dastmalchian, especially, give emotional weight to their roles while Javier Botet is suitably creepy as the creature.  This does suffer from some pacing issues because a few scenes go on too long and the ending is a foregone conclusion but this is a strong entry in the horror genre and I recommend it.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at the Empress

I was able to see the final performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella at the Empress last night and I was absolutely enchanted by it.  Not only is this one of my favorite productions at the Empress it is one of my favorite productions of this show (and I've seen quite a few of them, including one last month).  This is a more contemporary version of the classic fairy tale and, while I didn't like the first production I saw, it is definitely growing on me.  Cinderella (Joy Austin) rescues Prince Topher (Aaron Allred) from the Lord Protector Sebastian (Brandon Walton) who is deceiving him about the conditions of his kingdom.  Her Fairy Godmother is a crazy beggar woman named Marie (Cassie Hurt-McLarty) who shows her that she has the power to make her own dreams come true and her stepsister Gabrielle (Chelsea West) becomes a sympathetic co-conspirator against the machinations of her stepmother Madame (Jenn George) and her stepsister Charlotte (Bridges Eatchel) as she pursues her own romance with the revolutionary Jean-Michel (Robert Campbell).  She eventually brings about a happily ever after for everyone by convincing Topher to form a constitutional monarchy.  This features a really strong cast and I was particularly impressed with Austin and Allred because they have lovely voices and I loved their romantic renditions of "Ten Minutes Ago" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?"  I also loved George (a regular at the Empress and one of my favorites) because her Madame is so imperious and Eatchel because her rendition of "Stepsister's Lament" made me laugh out loud!  However, my favorite was Hurt-McLarty because I loved her vocal performances of "Impossible/ It's Possible" and "There Is Music In You" and her characterization is hilarious (she is always in character with crazy facial expressions and bits of business whenever she is on stage even when the focus is not on her).  The choreography is a lot of fun, especially in "The Prince Is Giving a Ball/ Now Is The Time" and "Ten Minutes Ago" (it is so magical).  I really liked the staging of "Me, Who Am I?" because it involves a child's rocking horse (every production I've seen has portrayed Prince Topher's horse Buttercup differently) and the "Transformation" because the mice who become the horses for Cinderella's coach are portrayed by four adorable little girls.  The costumes are beautiful, particularly the sparkling white gown Cinderella wears to the ball and the elaborate gold frogging on Prince Topher's many uniforms, and I loved the giant clock overlooking the stage and Cinderella's coach.  As I mentioned, last night was the final performance of the run but tickets are available for the upcoming shows Bright Star and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (go here) and you don't want to miss them.

Afire

Yesterday afternoon I went back to the Broadway (it is my second home) to see Afire, a movie I have been looking forward to ever since it won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival this year.  I really loved it because, unfortunately, I relate to the main character a little too well.  Leon (Thomas Schubert) and Felix (Langston Uibel) travel to a vacation house on an island in the Baltic Sea owned by Felix's mother so Leon can finish his second novel before showing it to his editor Helmut (Matthias Brandt) and Felix can work on his photography portfolio.  When they get there Felix is surprised and Leon is dismayed to learn that a woman named Nadja (Paula Beer) is also staying there.  She has a seasonal job selling ice cream at a nearby hotel and is conducting an affair with a lifeguard named Devid (Enno Trebbs).  Leon is attracted to her but he is also judgmental about her personal behavior and looks down on her because of her job.  He is also peevish and pretentious whenever he is around her.  She asks to read his manuscript and is critical of it but he dismisses her opinion because he feels superior to her even though he knows it is not good.  It takes a devastating tragedy, in the form of wildfires slowly enclosing the island, for Leon to find inspiration and to realize that he was wrong about Nadja.  This is a brilliant character study of an incredibly unlikable and self-absorbed man who is also somewhat sympathetic because he knows that he is antisocial but seems unable to help it.  I really liked the juxtaposition between Leon and Felix because Leon is so uptight and struggles to form relationships and to finish his book while Felix is carefree and bonds with both Nadja and Devid and takes stunning photographs of the sea.  Schubert gives a highly nuanced performance filled with subtle glimpses of Leon's vulnerability and insecurity and Beer is luminous as Nadja (she is fantastic in Frantz and Transit), especially in a scene where she recites a poem by Heinrich Heine. Because I have a tendency to be very antisocial and dismissive, I definitely saw myself in Leon (especially when he refuses to participate in activities with others) so I really appreciated the ambiguous but optimistic ending.  The action unfolds very slowly but it is so multilayered that my attention never wavered and I loved it.  I highly recommend seeking it out.

Note:  Leon also wears black almost exclusively so...

Singin' in the Rain at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre

Last night I had a great time at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre watching a really fun production of Singin' in the Rain (my second one of the summer).  It tells the well-known story of how a silent film star of the 1920s dubs the voice of his obnoxious partner with that of an aspiring actress with whom he is in love after the studio transitions to talking movies. What I love most about this show is all of the big song and dance numbers and they are absolutely spectacular in SCERA's version.  I especially enjoyed the choreography in "Moses Supposes" and "Broadway Melody" because they feature fantastic tapping and that always impresses me. "Make 'Em Laugh" and "Good Mornin'" are also a lot of fun because they integrate set pieces and props into the dancing and I was enchanted by "You Were Meant for Me" because it is so romantic with some cool lighting and special effects. However, the highlight of the show is, of course, the iconic number "Singin' in the Rain" because it actually rains on stage! It was thrilling to watch all of the exuberant high energy dancing and splashing in the puddles! Both TJ Thomas, as Don Lockwood, and Heidi Hughes, as Kathy Seldon, are great singers and dancers and have tremendous chemistry, particularly in "You Were Meant for Me" and "You Are My Lucky Star."  Tia Trimble, as Lina Lamont, is an absolute hoot and I laughed out loud during her rendition of "What's Wrong With Me?"  I also really enjoyed Tanner Frederickson's brilliant comedic timing and physicality as Don's sidekick Cosmo Brown. The set is amazing (one of the major highlights of the show) with the logo for Monumental Pictures above a red curtain, that opens and closes to reveal a giant screen, and stairs that light up.  This becomes a sound stage where the movies are filmed and a theater where they are viewed (the movie footage is incredibly well done) with the addition of a few props (which are cleverly brought on and off stage by members of the ensemble acting as the crew for a large film production). On one side of the stage there is an elaborate entrance to the theater and on the other is a street corner including the famous lamp post! Finally, the 1920s period costumes are impressive with lots of sequined flapper dresses and argyle sweaters! This is the perfect show to see outside on a summer evening and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets). It runs through August 22 with performances every night but Wednesday and Sunday.

Jules

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the Broadway seeing the movie Jules.  It is utterly delightful and put a big smile on my face.  Lonely septuagenarian Milton (Ben Kingsley) is beginning to exhibit signs of dementia which causes his frazzled daughter Denise (Zoe Winters) to consider putting him in an assisted living facility when a space ship carrying an alien crash lands in his backyard (and ruins his azaleas!).  No one believes him because of his declining mental abilities (and because he regularly makes a nuisance of himself at the local town council meetings).   He befriends the alien, who comes to be known as Jules (Jade Quon), and he finds him to be a sympathetic listener.  Eventually two other lonely septuagenarians (and regulars at the town council meetings), Sandy (Harriet Sansom Harris) and Joyce (Jane Curtin), learn Milton's secret and also begin confiding in Jules.  They become friends as they protect Jules from discovery and help him return home (this movie is like E.T. for the senior citizen set) which then gives them the courage to face their own challenges.  This exploration of loneliness, loss, and growing older is surprisingly funny (I laughed out loud several times) as well as poignant and I was particularly struck by the realistic portrayal of caring for an aging parent (I had a tear in my eye at one point).  Kingsley, Harris, and Curtin give wonderful performances and their characters have very relatable arcs.  Quon is also noteworthy because she is riveting in a completely physical performance.  The story is simplistic and it takes a while to get going but it is a heartwarming way to spend an afternoon and I recommend it.