The Music Man at HCTO

I had so much fun at HCTO last night because I saw their wonderful production of The Music Man (it is a sentimental favorite of mine).  I think I had a huge smile on my face from beginning to end!  This show tells the well-known story of a traveling salesman who comes to swindle the residents of River City by selling band instruments but falls in love with a librarian instead.  It features an amazing cast led by Bronson Dameron, who is incredibly charming and charismatic as Harold Hill, and Brittany Sanders, who has a beautiful voice as the uptight yet vulnerable Marion Paroo.  Dameron's renditions of "Ya Got Trouble," "Seventy-Six Trombones," and "Gary, Indiana" are so much fun and I had to try really hard not to sing along (I mostly succeeded) while Sanders had me swooning during "Goodnight My Someone," "My White Night," and "Till There Was You."  Other standouts from the cast are Shawn Lynn as the befuddled Mayor Shinn ("Not one poop out of you madame"), Bonnie Wilson Whitlock as my favorite character Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn (I could not stop laughing during her hilarious performance as a Grecian Urn), and Thomas Wood, Jason Baldwin, Ryan Withers, and Davis Underwood as the feuding members of the school board who form a barber shop quartet ("Sincere," "Goodnight Ladies," "It's You," and "Lida Rose" are highlights of the show).  Ella Bleu Bradford as Zaneeta Shinn, Mayor Shinn's oldest girl, and Evan Naef as Tommy Djilas, a boy with reform school written all over him, are amazing dancers who lead a terrific ensemble in the big production numbers, particularly in "Seventy-Six Trombones," "Marion the Librarian," "The Wells Fargo Wagon," and "Shipoopi."  I am always so impressed with how HCTO is able to stage these big numbers with energetic choreography in such a small space!  I wondered if "Marian the Librarian," my favorite number in the show, would be as dynamic as it has been in other productions I've seen but I loved the clever way the choreography incorporates a desk, a card catalog (so fun), a book cart, benches, and books.  I also loved the staging of "Rock Island" with all of the suitcases.  The set, which features the lattice porch of the Paroo house, a wisteria draped gazebo, and a wooden footbridge, is beautiful and the period costumes, especially Marian's dress for the social, are some of the best I've seen at HCTO (and the bar was already set pretty high with this theatre).  This is a delightful production that everyone is sure to love as much as I did and I highly recommend it!  It runs at HCTO through November 18 and tickets may be purchased here.

Note:  Just wait until you see the finale!  It is pretty spectacular!

The Royal Hotel

Last night I went to the Broadway to see The Royal Hotel because I found the trailer very intriguing.  It is a compelling examination of toxic masculinity and the unequal power dynamic between the sexes that had me squirming the whole time.  Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) are two young "Canadian" women backpacking through Australia and, when they run out of money, they seek employment through a work-travel program and end up at a pub called the Royal Hotel in a remote mining town in the Outback.  The men who frequent the pub are often belligerent, offensive, and sexually inappropriate but the owner, a curmudgeonly drunk named Billy (an unrecognizable Hugo Weaving), expects the girls to put up with it to keep the customers happy.  Hanna finds one of them, a miner named Dolly (Daniel Henshall), to be especially menacing and wants to leave immediately but Liv thinks it is all harmless fun and befriends two of the patrons, Matty (Toby Wallace) and Teeth (James Frecheville).  However, Hanna becomes more and more disturbed by the situation because Billy refuses to pay them, there is no cell service, and the only way to leave is a bus that comes once a week.  When events spiral out of control, she must take matters into her own hands.  The tension builds and builds until it is almost unbearable (I was so stressed out watching this) and what makes the situation so terrifying is that it is not necessarily the sociopaths that they should fear but the ones who seem to be "nice guys."  I was really struck by the shot composition and the lighting design because they effectively emphasize both the claustrophobia of the pub and the isolation of the area that surrounds it.  One scene in particular, where Hanna sees a shadow underneath her bedroom door, perfectly captures her terror. Both actresses give riveting performances but I was especially impressed with Garner because everything is viewed from her perspective and her escalating dread is palpable.  Even though the dramatic climax is a bit rushed and not really earned after the subtle build-up that precedes it, I would definitely recommend this.

Utah Opera's La Boheme

I love the opera La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini (I actually flew to San Francisco just to see it performed by one of the best opera companies in the world and it was incredible) so I was really excited to see Utah Opera's production last night!  Marcello (James Westman), a painter, and Rodolfo (Christopher Oglesby), a poet, are penniless and live a hand-to-mouth existence with their friends Colline (William Guanbo Su), a philosopher, and Schaunard (Tshilidzi Ndou), a musician, in a Parisian garret.  When the others leave to celebrate Christmas Eve at Cafe Momus in the Latin Quarter, Rodolfo receives a visit from their neighbor Mimi (Laura Wilde) who is looking for a light for her candle.  She faints from breathlessness because she is suffering from consumption and Rodolfo catches her in his arms.  They fall madly in love and decide to join the others in their revelry at Cafe Momus.  Marcello sees Musetta (Marina Costa-Jackson), his former lover, in the cafe with her new suitor, a rich old man named Alcindor (Danny Belcher), and is jealous but refuses to look at her.  She tries desperately to get his attention by flirting with every man in the restaurant and they eventually leave together while Alcindor is left with the bill!  After a few months, Marcello is jealous of Musetta's flirtation with other men and Rodolfo feels guilty for being too poor to care for Mimi adequately so the couples separate (one acrimoniously and one amicably).  Later Musetta brings a dying Mimi to the garret because she is desperate to see Rodolfo.  Marcello, Musetta, and their friends go for the doctor but Mimi ultimately dies and Rodolfo collapses in despair while calling her name.  The story is unbelievably romantic but also tragic and this is what makes it so compelling and the music is breathtaking!  I loved everyone in the cast (it is one of the best I've seen from this company) and they all sing their roles beautifully!  I had tears in my eyes after "O soave fanciulla" at the end of Act I because Ogelsby and Wilde have amazing voices and tremendous chemistry together as they visibly fall in love and I laughed out loud during "Quando m'en vo," ("Musetta's Waltz") during Act II because it is staged so well and Costa-Jackson has hilarious facial expressions and an over-the-top physicality.  Ndou and Su are also outstanding as the other bohemians and I was very moved by Su's rendition of "Vecchia zimarra" in Act IV.  The costumes are fantastic and I especially loved Musetta's red dress and feather boa because it really pops against the muted tones of the other costumes.  I was really impressed by the clever transformations, from a humble garret apartment to the boisterous Cafe Momus to a dreary gated checkpoint into the city, that happen with the addition of a few elements to the multi-level set.  I loved this production and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) for one of the three remaining performances.

Note:  If you have never been to an opera before I think this is a good one to start with because it is very accessible (the musical RENT is based on it).

The Exorcist: Believer

Last night I went to see The Exorcist: Believer and it isn't quite as bad as I was led to believe by all of the negative reviews but, after seeing the original last week, I was very underwhelmed.  Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and his pregnant wife Sorenne (Tracey Graves) are vacationing in Haiti when she becomes trapped during an earthquake.  The baby ultimately survives but Sorenne dies of her injuries despite a voodoo blessing.  Thirteen years later, Victor's daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum) go off into the woods to conduct a ritual to contact her mother's spirit and then they disappear for three days.  When they return, they don't remember where they have been but, other than burns on their feet, they seem fine.  However, they soon begin exhibiting troubling behavior and Victor seeks a medical answer while Katherine's parents Miranda (Jennifer Nettles) and Tony (Norbert Leo Butz), who are very religious, suspect that the girls went to Hell for three days and brought back a demon. Victor's neighbor Ann (Ann Dowd), a former Catholic nun, sees similarities with another famous case of possession and, even though he no longer believes in God, Victor decides to contact Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) in his desperation.  She tells him about her research into the exorcisms found in different cultures which leads him to assemble a Catholic priest (E.J. Bonilla), a rootwork healer (Okwui Okpokwasili), Katherine's family's Baptist pastor (Raphael Sbarge), and a Pentecostal preacher (Danny McCarthy) to conduct an exorcism but, ultimately, he must be the one to save his daughter.  I was impressed with Odom's nuanced performance because he is able to convey so much with very little dialogue.  Jewett and Marcum are also very compelling but Burstyn's return feels more like a gimmick than an essential part of the narrative which is disappointing (her screen time is much shorter than I was expecting).  I really enjoyed the first act because it slowly builds tension in a very unsettling way (although there are some strange editing choices) and Victor's loss of faith as a theme calls back to the original but then it completely loses focus during the exorcism with too many characters and very muddled ideas (I'm not even sure what the movie is trying to say).  I think this had a lot of potential but, unfortunately, it becomes too convoluted and chaotic in its execution so you can probably give it a miss.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Parker Theatre

Last night I saw the absolutely hilarious musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood at Parker Theatre and I had so much fun! I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud so much! This show features a play-within-a-play as a Victorian acting troupe performs The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens at the Music Hall Royale. Will Cartwright (Tyler Oliphant) is the Chairman, who acts as a narrator and master of ceremonies for the show, but he is also called upon to perform the role of Mayor Sapsea in the middle of the show with a script in hand. Leading man Clive Padget (Spencer Hohl) is John Jasper, ingenue Deidre Peregrine (Lisa Zimmerman) is Rosa Bud, London's most famous male impersonator Alice Nutting (Jasmine Hohl) is guest starring as Edwin Drood, the grand dame of the theatre Angela Prysock (Mary Parker Williams) is Princess Puffer, character actors Victor Grinstead (Brandan Ngo) and Janet Conover (Janzell Tutor) are Neville and Helena Landless, respectively, veteran Cedric Moncrieffe (Curt Jensen) is the Rev. Crisparkle, vaudeville duo Nick Cricker, Sr. (John-Tyrus Williams) and Nick Cricker, Jr. (Caleb Ceran) are Durdles and his Deputy, respectively, and bit player Phillip Bax (Jonathan McBride) is Bazzard (although he yearns for a bigger part and is eventually allowed to sing his original song "Never the Luck" as consolation). With lots of amusing commentary to the audience (some of which is ad-libbed), the Chairman introduces the characters as they appear and the narrative establishes that Jasper, Edwin, and Neville are all rivals for Rosa's affections, that Rosa is dismayed by Jasper's advances, that Helena will do whatever it takes to protect her brother, that the Princess Puffer has an unknown connection to one of the characters, and that the Rev. Crisparkle was once in love with Rosa's mother. After Edwin Drood disappears by the river, the Chairman reveals that Charles Dickens died when he got to this point in his novel and, since no one knows the resolution to the story, it is up to the audience to decide who the murderer is by voting. The show ends when the chosen murderer confesses to the crime! I really enjoyed the melodramatic element to the show, as if the audience is really watching a musical revue during the Victorian era, and I especially loved Spencer Hohl's over the top performance as an opium addicted Jekyll-and-Hyde like character (his facial expressions and exaggerated tics are hilarious) and Tyler Oliphant's perfectly delivered wisecracks and double entendres. I was also really impressed with Williams (the director of the show) because she had to step into the role of Princess Puffer at the last minute after the original actress broke her wrist and she hams it up spectacularly! The songs have a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta feel to them and my favorites are "Both Sides of the Coin" by Sapsea and Jasper, because it is performed faster and faster with energetic choreography, "A Man Could Go Quite Mad" by Jasper, because the physicality of this number is incredibly entertaining, and "Moonfall" by Rosa with accompaniment by Jasper, because it is a beautiful song with the added comedy of Jasper's love-struck responses to it. The set resembles an old fashioned music hall with floodlights and stylized backdrops and the costumes are beautiful. What makes this show so much fun is all of the audience participation beginning before the show even begins with the actors of the Music Hall Royale mingling with the audience and lobbying for their character to be chosen as the murderer. The audience is also encouraged to respond to certain elements of the show, such as the waving of hands when the name Edwin Drood is spoken, and, of course, the audience votes for the murderer as the characters stand on stage holding numbers. My audience voted for Rosa Bud but this is not a spoiler because every performance will be different (which makes me want to see it again!). I cannot recommend this show enough! It runs at Parker Theatre on Fridays and Saturdays through October 28 (go here for tickets).