Foreigner at USANA

I have always really loved Foreigner!  I played my vinyl copy of 4 so much I scratched it in several places (now whenever I hear "Urgent" it sounds strange without the skip at the beginning).  They were one of the first bands I saw in concert when I was in high school (the University of Utah a cappella choir backed them on "I Want to Know What Love Is") and I drove to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver just to to see them in a double bill with Journey.  I was really excited to see them again last night at USANA Amphitheatre during a stop on what has been billed the Farewell Tour.  Mick Jones is the last remaining original member of the group and, because he has had some health problems recently, the band has decided to quit touring.  He has performed very sporadically on this tour because of these ongoing health problems and he was not with the band last night.  They were, essentially, a cover band without any original members but it didn't seem to matter because there was a huge crowd who sang along with every song!  They performed all of the hits starting with "Double Vision," "Head Games," and "Cold As Ice."  Then came "Waiting for a Girl Like You," which is my favorite song by the band, and it was amazing.  After such a beautiful ballad, Kelly Hansen joked that it was time for something a bit nasty so they sang "Dirty White Boy" which got the crowd cheering.  Next came an acoustic set featuring several lesser known songs including "When It Comes To Love," "Girl on the Moon," which I actually really love (see above comment about the album 4), and "Say You Will."  They continued with "Urgent," another favorite of mine, and "Feels Like the First Time" followed by extended keyboard and drum solos and then an epic rendition of "Juke Box Hero" to finish the main set.  For the encore, they performed "I Want to Know What Love Is" with everyone holding up their phones (I always love it when the crowd does this because it looks so cool) and "Hot Blooded" with some awesome pyrotechnics!  Hansen doesn't sound exactly like Lou Gramm but I thought he did justice to the songs and I liked his banter with the crowd.  He was funny at times but was also quite poignant about the legacy of the band.  I really enjoyed this concert because these songs are filled with a lot of nostalgia for me (a recurring theme this summer) and I'm glad I made the effort to go even though I was tired from my camping trip!

Note:  The opening band was Loverboy (another band from my youth).  I had never seen them before and I enjoyed their set, especially "Lovin' Every Minute Of It," "Turn Me Loose," and "Working for the Weekend."

Moon Lake Camping Trip

My family has property in Duchesne county and whenever we are there we like to take day trips to the surrounding area.  On one of our trips we discovered Moon Lake on the back end of the High Uintas and I liked it so much I booked a trip at the resort for this past week.

I stayed in a "rustic" cabin which means that it does not have a bathroom (a really nice bathroom with a shower is just steps away).  It has a kitchen, with a sink, stove, and refrigerator, a table and four chairs, and two double beds.  You have to provide your own dishes and bed linen but they can be rented for a small fee.  It rained every day I was there in the late afternoon and I really enjoyed staying inside under a blanket and reading.  It was so relaxing.

I spent every morning at the lake.  You can rent motorboats, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and life jackets from the resort but the water was absolutely freezing (some kids still went swimming) so I stayed mostly on the beach.  It wasn't very crowded so it was really nice.

Every cabin has its own fire pit and seating area (you can also rent grills and picnic tables) and I spent every evening sitting by the fire.  It is my favorite part of camping!  Most of the cabins were occupied but they were far enough apart that I didn't really interact with anyone and it was very quiet.  The staff was very friendly and helpful (there are lots of other amenities available such as mountains bikes for rent and horseback riding).  I had a wonderful time (even without Wi-Fi) and I would highly recommend staying at the Moon Lake Resort (go here for more information and reservations).

Beauty and the Beast at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I now have a new favorite production at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse! Last night I saw Beauty and the Beast and words cannot express how much I loved this show! I loved everything about it starting with the stellar cast. Everyone is very well suited to their particular role and I enjoyed every single performance. Olivia Lusk-Garibay is an absolutely beautiful Belle and she has a beautiful voice to match. Her versions of "Home" and "A Change In Me" are incredibly moving (the latter gave me goosebumps). Daniel Sessions is a gruff but sympathetic Beast and his rendition of "If I Can't Love Her" is a highlight of the show (I loved the staging of this because all of the enchanted objects comfort him throughout). Stefan Kurzius brings a lot of physicality to the role of Gaston and I laughed out loud every time he manhandled Belle in "Me." Quacee Dorby is hilarious as LeFou and I loved the energy he brings to "Gaston." David J. Madsen is so endearing as Maurice and the Silly Girls (Ginny Waldron, Janelle Wiser, and Maura Gardner) are a lot of fun to watch because of their facial expressions. The actors portraying the enchanted objects, including Cody Eisenbarth as Cogsworth, Jacob Draper as Lumiere, Kellie Chapman as Babette, Kim Tolman as Mrs. Potts, Parker Tolman as Chip, and Lorinda Griffiths as Madame de la Grande Bouche, each perfectly embody their object's characteristics. Another highlight of this production is the choreography because the big song and dance numbers are spectacular and integrate a large cast into the intimate space very effectively, particularly all of the townspeople in "Belle," "Gaston," and "The Mob Song," the dancing dishes in "Be Our Guest" (I loved the tap dancing plates), and all of the enchanted objects in "Human Again." The waltz during "Beauty and the Beast" is so romantic! All of the costumes are simply amazing, the best I've seen at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse! The attention to detail in the costumes for the enchanted objects is incredible and I loved that Lumiere's candles light up, Mrs. Pott's spout has steam coming out of it, and Madeame de la Grande Bouche's doors open. Belle's iconic yellow dress is lovely (I loved the roses sewn on the top skirt) and the cape worn by the Enchantress is dazzling. Finally, I was so impressed with the set! It features four large, beautifully painted, three-sided panels on casters that are turned to become the village, the castle, the hunting lodge, and the library and there are set pieces on either side of the stage for the west wing of the castle (watch the rose petals carefully) and Belle's chamber. I have seen much bigger and more elaborate versions of this musical (including the Broadway touring production and one at Tuacahn) but I was absolutely charmed by what the Terrace Plaza Playhouse did with it and I think everyone should go see it!  Go here for tickets.

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.