Big Fish at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I am a big fan of the musical Big Fish because it is such a touching story and the new production at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse, which I was able to see last night, is really charming! Will Bloom (Zion Austin) has always been exasperated by all of the wild stories that his father Edward (Tyler O'Bagy) tells him. These include hearing his fortune told by a witch (Kate Rufener) in a swamp, learning how to swim from a mermaid (ShayLee Hunter-Powell), befriending a giant named Karl (Mats Mudrow), running away to a circus owned by Amos Calloway (Brandon Rufener), wooing a young woman named Sandra (Margaret Simon) with daffodils, and thwarting the assassination attempt of a general during the war. As he is about to become a father himself, he learns that his father is dying from cancer and returns home to attempt a reconciliation with him. After a Wild West confrontation between the two of them, Will discovers that the truth about his father is even more extraordinary than the stories. All of the songs in this show are really fun and imaginative because they bring all of Edward's fantastical stories to life and I was quite impressed with how they are staged, especially in such a small and intimate space, and with the whimsical choreography. My favorite numbers are "Favorite Son" with all of the townspeople of Ashton (I loved the cheerleaders), "Closer to Her" with the circus performers (the strongman is adorable and the elephants had me laughing out loud), "Daffodils" (it is really immersive because everyone in the audience is given a daffodil to wave during this scene), and "Red, White and True" with the USO (I am always impressed when the ensemble tap dances). Both O'Bagy and Austin are outstanding as Edward and Will, respectively. O'Bagy portrays Edward's zest for life with an enthusiasm that is palpable, especially in the songs "Be the Hero" and "Fight the Dragons," while Austin is incredibly overwrought until he confronts his father in "Showdown" and then shows heartfelt emotion as he learns to appreciate him in "What's Next." I also really enjoyed Simon's emotional rendition of "I Don't Need a Roof." The set is very minimal with a wooden path across the stage leading to a backdrop featuring a river (the meaning of this symbolism is explored very well in the song "How It Ends" and I found it very moving). There is a large screen used for projections depicting the various rooms in Edward's house and all of the fantastical locations in his stories as well as set pieces that are moved on an off stage by the ensemble (I loved Jenny Hill's house). There are a myriad of elaborate costumes for this show and the ones for the witches, the giant, and the circus performers are highlights. This is a lovely story about a son trying to understand his father and a father trying to make his son proud that is sure to warm your heart and I highly recommend it!  It runs Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through November 11 and tickets may be purchased here.

Saw X

I loved the first Saw movie but I liked each successive sequel less and less (I didn't even see the last two).  I decided to see the latest installment, Saw X, last night because I heard so many good things about it and I am glad I did because it is now my favorite from the franchise.  John Kramer (Tobin Bell) has just learned that he only has months to live due to his aggressive brain tumor when he hears of an experimental treatment offered by Dr. Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody Lund).  In his desperation he undergoes the treatment in Mexico but soon realizes that it was all a con.  With help from his apprentice Amanda (Shawnee Smith), he kidnaps Dr. Pederson and her team, including Diego (Joshua Okomoto), Mateo (Octavio Hinojosa), Valentina (Paulette Hernandez), and Gabriela (Renata Vaca), in order to have them play one of his deadly games to learn a lesson about giving people false hope.  What I really liked about this sequel is that it returns to its roots with a straightforward story about the original Jigsaw that provides well defined motivations for his actions (the previous sequels got way too convoluted in my opinion) and much higher stakes.  The traps are even more gruesome than ever but they are also very clever and I loved the fantastic twist at the end.  However, there is a poignancy to the narrative that is incredibly affecting and I found myself feeling somewhat sympathetic towards Kramer who is front and center this time around instead of just a disembodied voice (Bell gives a powerful performance).  I also liked Amanda's character arc, especially when she feels conflicted about Gabriela.  This installment is a direct sequel to the original and feels very self-contained, although there are some fun call-backs that die hard fans will enjoy (my audience cheered when Billy the puppet appeared for the first time).  This is so much better than I was expecting and, while fans of the franchise are sure to love it, I recommend it to anyone who can handle the gore.

Bright Star at the Empress

Another show (currently very popular with Utah theatre companies) that I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing no matter how many times it is produced is Bright Star.  I absolutely love it because it is a beautiful and moving story about love and redemption with incredible bluegrass music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.  I got to see the Empress Theatre's version last night and it is amazing!  The story takes place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina during the 1920s and just after World War II.  After the war, Billy Cane (Bradley Barker) briefly returns to his hometown of Hayes Creek and reunites with his father (Kaleb Hunt) and childhood friend Margo Crawford (Stephanie Benson) before deciding to try writing for a magazine in Asheville where he meets the uptight editor Alice Murphy (Heather Shelley).  When the magazine staff, Lucy Grant (Makayla Porter) and Daryl Ames (Sam Phillips), tease her about her boring existence, we see Alice (literally) transform into the wild and rebellious girl she once was in the small town of Zebulon where she has a romance with and is cruelly parted from the Mayor's son Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Trevor Noble).  The narrative goes back and forth from one timeline to the other as Alice learns to deal with heartache and loss and Billy learns the importance of home and the one who really loves him.  The best part of this show is the music and this production includes an incredible live band on stage, featuring Ashley Joseph on cello, Isaiah Perez on bass, Spencer Kellogg on banjo and guitar, Natalie Cardon on violin and viola, Stacy Mayren on piano, Joe DeSisto on keyboard, Kim Brown on fiddle, JD Robison on drums, Christian Porter on mandolin, and Brandon Kerby on acoustic guitar.  I have seen this show many times and I am very familiar with all of the twists and turns in the plot but I was still reduced to tears by the emotional performances by Shelley and Noble in the songs "Please, Don't Take Him," "Heartbreaker," and "I Had a Vision."   I also really loved how Shelley is able to differentiate between her uptight persona in Asheville and her rebellious persona in Zebulon, especially during "Way Back in the Day" and "Firmer Hand/ Do Right."  One of my favorite songs is "Asheville" and Benson gives a beautiful performance of it and she has tremendous chemistry with Barker (who is very appealing as Billy) in "Always Will."  The choreography in "Picnic Dance" and "Another Round" is fun and spirited and the staging is very clever with a set that looks like an old and weathered barn with various pieces for Margo's bookstore, Alice's office, the Mayor's office, and various cabins moved on and off seamlessly by the ensemble.  I wondered how a key scene involving a train would be staged, because it is sometimes tricky to pull off and it needs to be an emotional turning point in the show, but I was extremely impressed with how it is done using a platform above the stage and projections.  I cannot recommend this show enough but, unfortunately, the remaining performances today are sold out (with good reason).  However, standby tickets are sometimes available at the door on a first come, first served basis!

Dumb Money

My nephew has been looking forward to Dumb Money for weeks so we went to see it last night.  He absolutely loved it and, even though I had only the vaguest notion of what was happening at any given time, I had a lot of fun with it, too!  Financial analyst Keith Gill (Paul Dano) uses all of his savings to buy a large block of stock in the company GameStop because he thinks that it is undervalued, much to the dismay of his exasperated wife Caroline (Shailene Woodley), and promotes it on his YouTube channel as "Roaring Kitty" and on the subreddit r/wallstreetbets.  Soon lots of ordinary people, including Jennifer (America Ferrera), Marcos (Anthony Ramos), Riri (Myha'la Herrold), and Harmony (Talia Ryder), are buying the stock on the Robinhood app, developed by Vlad Tenev (Sebastian Stan) and Baiju Bhatt (Rushi Kota), on his recommendation which drives up the price.  This causes several Wall Street hedge fund CEOs, such as Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogan), Steve Cohen (Vincent D'Onofrio), and Kenneth C. Griffin (Nick Offerman), to panic because they have been short-selling the stock and they need it to fail.  I really enjoyed how funny and self-aware this movie is (it reminded me of The Big Short but it is less heavy-handed) and the juxtaposition between the ordinary lives of the average investor and the extravagant and over the top lifestyles enjoyed by the hedge fund CEOs is incredibly amusing (I especially loved all of the employees standing at attention when they play tennis at a resort).  Dano is perfect as the nerdy Keith (I think he excels in these everyman type roles) and I loved Pete Davidson as his slacker brother Kevin who wants him to sell when the price of the stock starts climbing (although I do think there are too many unnecessary secondary characters to keep track of).  I wish there had been more information provided about specific terms that are used frequently (what are diamond hands?) but I have to admit that the comments on YouTube and Reddit that are shown in lieu of explanations are hilarious and my lack of understanding didn't really detract from my enjoyment.  My nephew highly recommends this (but I think you can wait until it streams).

The Creator

I went to an early access screening for The Creator last night and I loved it so much!  In the near future, an advanced artificial intelligence detonates a nuclear weapon in Los Angeles causing the death of millions and prompting a war between the United States and countries that refuse to ban AI.  Joshua Taylor (John David Washington), a special forces agent, goes undercover in New Asia to find the creator of this advanced AI but ends up marrying Maya (Gemma Chan), the daughter of the man he believes to be responsible.  When Maya and his unborn child are killed during an attack by the USS Nomad, an airship with weapons of superior firepower, he returns home a bitter and disillusioned man who is viewed as a traitor.  Five years later, because he knows the area better than anyone else, he is recruited by General Andrews (Ralph Ineson) and Colonel Howell (Allison Janney) to lead a mission back to New Asia to find a powerful new weapon developed by the creator that could defeat the U.S. but he is more motivated by the news that Maya might still be alive.  He eventually discovers the weapon in the form of a "simulant" child he names Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles) and, when he decides to protect this advanced AI because of a possible connection to Maya, he rediscovers his humanity.  This is a bold and original sci-fi thriller and, even though the action set pieces become a bit unwieldy in the final act, the world-building is intriguing, the images are absolutely stunning (definitely see it in IMAX), and the story is incredibly thought-provoking.  It tackles important themes of what it means to be alive, the futility of war, and the fear of those who are different but, at its core, it is about a relationship that is brought to life beautifully by outstanding performances from Washington and Voyles (at one point I had tears in my eyes during an especially poignant moment between the two characters regarding the existence of heaven).  I also really loved the moving score by Hans Zimmer because it adds so much emotional weight.  This is definitely one of my favorite movies this year and I highly recommend it!