None of This Is True

My August Book of the Month selection was None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (the other options were Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo, The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin, Happiness Falls by Angie Kim, Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, and Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas). I am a big fan of Jewell so I was already anticipating her latest release and it did not disappoint! Josie Fair is celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at a popular pub with her husband Walter, a rare outing for the two of them, when she notices that another woman is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday with her husband and a large group of friends. Josie is captivated, maybe even obsessed, by her so-called "birthday twin" and learns that she is Alix Summers and that she has a popular podcast about women who have overcome tremendous odds to create new lives for themselves. She contrives to meet Alix again and convinces her that she would be a good subject for her podcast because she says that she is on the verge of making big changes in her life. At first Alix is wary but she is soon drawn in to the story of Josie's complicated life with her much older husband and her troubled daughters. As Josie insinuates herself into her life, Alix begins to suspect that she is hiding some incredibly dark secrets about her family and that her own family might be in danger. The narrative alternates between the POVs of Alix and Josie and also includes transcripts of the interviews conducted with other characters for Alix's podcast and scenes from a Netflix documentary filmed after the events described (which is extremely effective at creating suspense because it implies that something terrible has happened and I wanted to keep reading to find out what it was). What I loved most about this novel is that Josie is an incredibly unreliable narrator and I kept changing my mind about her as snippets of her past are revealed little by little. As with most of Jewell's other psychological thrillers, there are lots of twists and turns, including a final one that absolutely blew my mind and made me rethink everything I thought I knew about Josie. I still haven't made up my mind about her and I love it when a book does that to me. I also really enjoyed the character of Alix, especially in juxtaposition with Josie, because, even though it appears that she has a perfect life that Josie envies, there are also secrets about her family hiding under the surface. As I previously mentioned I could not put this book down because there is an atmosphere of foreboding on every page and I had to know what happened. Fans of the author are sure to love this but I recommend it to everyone who loves a good domestic thriller!

Romeo and Juliet at Parker Theatre

My least favorite Shakespeare play is Romeo and Juliet but I decided to see a production at Parker Theatre last night because my friend Karen highly recommended it and I have really come to love this theatre. They did some interesting things with it and I actually liked it! The Montagues and Capulets are two noble families of Verona who have an ancient grudge against one another that escalates when Tybalt (Zachary Ballard), a Capulet, and Benvolio (Brendan Hanks), a Montague, get into a fight on the street. They are warned by the Prince (Lucas Charon) to stop disrupting the peace with their feud or face severe consequences. Soon Romeo (Dallin Suman), a Montague, and Juliet (Isabelle Purdie), a Capulet, fall in love and secretly wed despite the fact that their families are enemies. However, they find themselves in a hopeless situation after Romeo kills Tybalt to avenge the death of his friend Mercutio (Spencer Hohl). Romeo is banished and Juliet's family forces her to marry Paris (Michael Kelly) so Friar Lawrence (Palmer Scott) devises a plan for them to be together but it ends in tragedy which ultimately leads to peace between Montague (Bryson Dumas) and Capulet (Joseph Kyle Rogan). Some creative liberties are taken with the original text and, while I am usually not a fan of doing that, I think the changes make the play more accessible. My audience responded with lots of laughter to many of the anachronistic ad-libs and to the updated character of the Nurse (Madeline Thatcher) who seems more like a sympathetic friend to Juliet rather than a caregiver. I also really liked the update to Tybalt's character because he seems incredibly volatile and irrationally angry at all of the Montagues and this serves to emphasize that the division between the two families is groundless and unreasonable. There is also an interesting twist involving Lady Montague (Missy Stebbing) that adds to the devastation in the final act. I was quite impressed with many members of the cast. Purdie, especially, gives a highly nuanced performance (a highlight of the show for me) that brilliantly showcases Juliet's arc. She is a young and naive girl when the audience first meets her but she visibly matures over the course of the play and her performance in the scenes where she mourns the death of Tybalt and discovers Romeo's dead body in the tomb is truly heartbreaking. As previously mentioned, Thatcher provides a lot of comic relief with her interactions with Juliet but her discovery of Juliet's lifeless body is incredibly affecting. I always think of Romeo as feckless (which is why I find the play to be so problematic) but Suman really leans into his immaturity, especially in the scene where the Nurse demands that a sniveling Romeo go to Juliet after the death of Tybalt (it is so powerful), and this interpretation worked for me. I also liked Hohl's Mercutio because he gives the character a swagger to match his wit. The beautiful set is another highlight of this production and I especially loved the symmetry of the balconies, arches, columns, and staircases on either side of the stage to represent the two houses. The fight choreography uses the various levels very effectively to add visual interest. Speaking of which, I was particularly struck by the lighting design in this show, which is unusual for me, because it creates so many beautiful vignettes (the wedding scene is gorgeous). Even if you are not a fan of this particular play I definitely recommend getting a ticket to this imaginative retelling (go here). It runs through September 2 with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings and Saturday matinees.

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.