The Helsinki Affair

My Book of the Month selection for November was The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak (the other options were The Last Love Note by Emma Grey, Again and Again by Jonathan Evison, What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez, This Spells Love by Kate Robb, and Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward). In my late teens and twenties I was obsessed with spy thrillers (my dad used to joke that I would read anything with a hammer and sickle on the cover) so I was really excited for this selection (I was even more excited when I learned that the protagonist is a woman). CIA agent Amanda Cole is languishing in Rome as the deputy station chief when a low ranking officer of the Russian FSB walks in off the street to warn them that a powerful U.S. senator will be assassinated in Cairo the next day. She instinctively believes him but the station chief does not and no action is taken. When the senator is assassinated in the exact manner specified, she is recalled to Washington D.C. and promoted to station chief. As she investigates the motive for the assassination, she uncovers a vast Russian plot that takes her around the globe but she also finds a troubling connection to her father dating back to his time as a CIA operative in Helsinki in the 1980s. Eventually, Amanda must choose between loyalty to her country and loyalty to her father. What I loved most about this novel is that it is very much a contemporary story about stock manipulation using the algorithm to promote so-called "meme stocks" but it is also interspersed with flashbacks to the past involving lots of Cold War intrigue (which reminded me of all the spy thrillers by Ludlum, Le Carre, and Forsyth that I read and loved in my youth) culminating in a dramatic and suspenseful confrontation in Helsinki when the two stories converge. There are agents, double agents, triple agents, moles, red herrings, conspiracies, betrayals, and lots of action involving spycraft so I was completely riveted from beginning to end (and the ending is ambiguous enough to suggest that this might be the beginning of a series which I would welcome) and couldn't put it down. While I loved all of the spycraft, I also really appreciated Amanda as a character because she grapples with being a woman in a man's business, the toll that being an operative takes on one's personal life, and the fear of losing one's humanity (I also loved Kath Frost, a legendary Cold Warrior who helps Amanda navigate all of the above, because it is so refreshing to get a woman's point of view on being a spy). As an avid fan of the genre, I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it!

Sweeney Todd at the Empress

I was thrilled to see the closing performance of Sweeney Todd at the Empress Theatre last night.  It joins The Sound of Music and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder as one of my favorites from this theatre and I am sad that it has now closed because anyone reading this will not be able to see it!  Benjamin Barker (Todd Christensen), a Victorian-era barber, was unjustly accused and condemned to exile in Australia by the lascivious Judge Turpin (Matthew Davids) who coveted his beautiful wife.  He returns to London 15 years later as Sweeney Todd after being rescued at sea by Anthony Hope (Tyler Rasmussen) and, when learns that his wife has died and that his daughter Johanna (Boston Bean) is now a ward of the judge, he vows revenge.  He returns to his former rooms above the pie shop run by Mrs. Lovett (River Robinson) and, when he discovers that she has kept all of his barbering tools, he decides to set up shop and lures the judge in for a shave so he can slit his throat.  However, the judge eludes him when Anthony rushes in to announce his plans to elope with Johanna and Sweeney vows to take vengeance on the whole human race.  He begins to kill all of his customers and Mrs. Lovett uses the bodies in her meat pies!  Eventually, his quest for revenge turns to madness!  The music in this show always gives me goosebumps because it is operatic in scale (with very macabre themes) and this cast is more than up to the challenge!  I absolutely loved Robinson's performance as Mrs. Lovett because she is hilarious with her over the top facial expressions and uproarious physical comedy!  I especially enjoyed her rendition of "By the Sea" because she really leans into the humor rather than the poignancy of the moment (as some actresses do in this scene) and I laughed out loud at her reaction to kissing Sweeney!  She is also really funny in "The Worst Pies in London" and "Parlor Songs" as well as "A Little Priest" with Christensen.  Speaking of Christensen, he really impressed me with his incredibly powerful version of "Epiphany" and he matched Robinson beat for beat in "By the Sea" by acting resigned (rather than oblivious as most actors do) to her advances.  I love how various citizens of London are used to narrate the tale of Sweeney Todd and the ensemble in this production is outstanding in "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and its many reprises and I thoroughly enjoyed their choreography in "God, That's Good."  Rasmussen and Bean also have beautiful voices and do a great job with "Johanna" and "Green Finch and Linnet Bird," respectively.  This is a complicated show and I was very impressed with how they staged moving Sweeney's victims from the barber chair to the bakehouse in such a small space.  I also loved the set, especially all of the iron work on Judge Turpin's house because it actually looks like the metaphorical bird cage that Johanna is trapped in.  Finally, the costumes are some of the best I've seen at this theatre, particularly those worn by the ensemble because they bring Victorian London to life, and I laughed out loud as Sweeney's wig becomes more and more disheveled and deranged!  I really loved this production but, as I mentioned previously, the run is now over.  I will, however, recommend getting a ticket for Sherlock (go here) which is the next production.

Ballet West's Firebird

Yesterday I went to a matinee Ballet West performance featuring a trio of ballets celebrating the 60th anniversary of the company.  I definitely prefer full length ballets but, over the years, I have come to appreciate these one-act pieces and I really enjoyed this production.  The first piece, Firebird, is a classical ballet choreographed by Ballet West's founder William Christensen and it is based on a Russian fairy tale with music by Igor Stravinsky (so I obviously loved it).  An Evil Magician (Tyler Gum) keeps a group of princesses captive in his castle and turns the knights who come to rescue them into stone.  A Prince (Jordan Veit) enters the Magician's garden and encounters the Firebird (Amy Potter), a magical creature illuminated by light, and immediately captures her.   In a beautiful Pas de Deux, the Firebird struggles in the Prince's arms so he releases her.  In gratitude, she gives him one of her feathers to use if he is ever in peril.  When the princesses are released into the garden, the Prince woos the loveliest one (Kazlyn Nielsen) in another beautiful Pas de Deux where they vow their love for each other.  He attempts to rescue the Princess but the Magician appears with a group of wild animals, who wear incredible masks created by Logan Long (I especially loved the insects) and wield torches of fire, and tries to turn him into stone.  He reveals the Firebird's feather which summons her to the garden and soon the Magician is defeated (very dramatically), the princesses are released, and the stone knights are brought back to life.  The ballet concludes with the marriage and coronation of the Prince and Princess.  I especially enjoyed Potter's performance as the Firebird, because all of her stylized movements mimic those of a bird, and the traditional Russian costumes in the coronation scene.  Next came the world premiere of Fever Dream which is a modern ballet choreographed by former Ballet West soloist Joshua Whitehead (I liked him when he danced with the company) featuring music that he composed and contemporary costumes.  In this piece, a dreamer is torn between his mundane life and the unsettling and eerie dream world and I loved all of the innovative patterns created by different groups of dancers and the dramatic use of red to highlight some of the dancers.  The final ballet, Stars & Stripes, is a patriotic extravaganza choreographed by George Balanchine with music by John Philip Sousa.  It is divided into five campaigns with three different regiments of dancers, a Pas de Deux, and a thrilling finale and it is meant to mimic a parade with marches in unison and athletic leaps and spins.  My favorite was the second campaign because the regiment was led by my favorite dancer, Katlyn Addison.  The costumes for the women are so much fun because they incorporate military uniforms (I loved the epaulets) with tights and pastel tutus!  This was a wonderful production but, unfortunately, last night was the final performance.  However, The Nutcracker is up next and you don't want to miss this holiday tradition (go here for tickets).

Audra McDonald with the Utah Symphony

Last night I spent an incredible evening with Audra McDonald and the Utah Symphony (and my friend Angela) at a concert featuring lots of Broadway classics and standards from the great American songbook.  I loved every minute of it!  The orchestra began with "Carousel Waltz" from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Carousel and then the incomparable Audra McDonald took the stage with a powerful performance of "I Am What I Am" from La Cage aux Folles.  She continued with "Pure Imagination" from the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (which I've heard her sing before) and she told a hilarious story about performing her next song, "Cornet Man" from Funny Girl, in a competition as a 14 year old girl and being criticized for not picking a more appropriate song!  Next came "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" by Duke Ellington, a sultry rendition of "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess, and then a spirited version of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady (a song she has always been hesitant to sing because it is such a standard for all sopranos).  She talked about her hobby of gardening (very badly) which led her to add the song "I Always Say Hello to a Flower" to her repertoire and I thought her performance was really fun!  She ended her first set with "Home" from The Wiz and she just about blew the roof off Abravanel Hall with her powerful vocals!  After the intermission, she returned to the stage with "Before the Parade Passes By" from Hello, Dolly!  Next, she performed a lovely arrangement of "Bein' Green" accompanied by a guitar and a beautiful mashup of "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" from South Pacific and "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods (I loved this so much).  She continued with "Can't Stop Talking" from the movie Let's Dance and then an amazing rendition of "Somewhere" from West Side Story.  She told the crowd that she found her next song, "I Love Today," on singer-songwriter Emily King's social media (it was written by King's mother Kim Kalesti) and reached out to her to ask if she could sing it.  It is a beautiful song about living in the moment and living life to the fullest and I loved it!  She concluded her main set with a really cool arrangement of "Life is a Cabaret" from the musical Cabaret.  For the encore, she sang a mashup of "Happy Days Are Here Again" and "Get Happy" with her music director Andy Einhorn and the crowd exploded into an appreciative standing ovation!  Both Angela and I have seen her perform before and both of us agreed that McDonald's vocals were especially powerful last night and we both found her to be even more loquacious than usual with lots of funny anecdotes to introduce every song.  It was an amazing night and, if you are a fan of Broadway, I highly recommend getting a ticket to tonight's concert (go here).

The Marvels

Last night I saw a Thursday preview of The Marvels and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it!  Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), a Kree leader who is trying to restore her planet after it was damaged by Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) when she defeated the Supreme Intelligence, locates a Quantum Band and uses it to create a jump point in space.  Carol Danvers/ Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) are enlisted by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to investigate the jump point and their light-based powers become enmeshed with each other and with those of Kamala Khan/ Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) because she has the other Quantum Band.  This causes the three of them to switch places when they use their powers (and provides endless amusement and some great action set pieces).  Eventually they realize that Dar-Benn is creating jump points to plunder the atmosphere, water, and sunlight from planets that are significant to Danvers and the three of them must work together to stop her.  I have been vocal in my criticism of the MCU for becoming bloated with too many characters, stories, and timelines for the casual movie fan to keep up with but, honestly, as someone who has only seen WandaVision, I didn't find the story hard to follow (I thought Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was much more convoluted).  Obviously a familiarity with the TV shows (particularly Ms. Marvel) will provide a greater appreciation for the subtleties of each character but I found the quick recaps to be sufficient for my own understanding and enjoyment.  I really loved the deeper exploration of Danvers as a character, especially her relationship with Rambeau and her developing role as a mentor to Khan.  Larson, Parris, and Vellani have really fun chemistry in their scenes together and some of these scenes are absolutely bonkers (in the best possible way).  I laughed out loud so many times!  I think Dar-Benn is fine as the villain because her motivation is understandable (she reminded me of Killmonger in this respect) while Goose the Flerken and Prince Yan (Park Seo-joon) steal the show!  Finally, this movie has the second best use of a Beastie Boys song this year and the best use of a song from the musical Cats ever!  I had so much fun with this movie and definitely recommend it!

Note:  It goes without saying that you should stay for a mid-credits scene.  It's a good one!