Ballet West's Swan Lake

Last night I was thrilled to be able to attend opening night for Ballet West's production of Swan Lake.  It is my favorite ballet and the performance definitely did not disappoint because it is beautiful!  Prince Siegfried (Adrian Fry) goes into the woods to hunt but, when he aims his bow at a swan, it becomes a beautiful woman named Odette (Emily Adams).  She explains that she is a swan by day and a woman at night because she is under the spell of an evil sorcerer, the Baron von Rothbardt (Tyler Gum).  Only true love can break the spell but, as the sun comes up, Odette reverts back to a swan and Siegfried returns home to celebrate his birthday with a grand ball.  Many princesses vie for his attention because he must marry to inherit the throne but he ignores them all, thinking only of Odette.  Suddenly, Rothbardt enters the ballroom with his daughter Odile (Emily Adams), who looks exactly like Odette.  Thinking that she is Odette, Siegfried declares his love to Odile.  When Rothbardt reveals his treachery, Siegfried rushes to Odette to beg forgiveness which she grants.  They eventually find a way to defeat Rothbardt which ends the spell very dramatically.  Tchaikovsky's score is magnificent and there are moments when the music is so heart-wrenching that it brings tears to my eyes (the themes played by the harp and solo violin are a highlight).  The choreography is beautiful, especially the pas de deux between Siegfried and Odette because it is filled with so much longing as they fall in love (I especially loved it when Odette leans back into Siegfried's arms).  Fry and Adams dance with an emotion that is palpable and I was particularly impressed with Adams (I always want to see Katlyn Addison in the lead role but Adams is becoming a favorite) because she is demure as Odette and provocative as Odile and I loved all of the swan-like mannerisms that she incorporates into her performance.  I also loved the performances of the Swan Maidens, because they are incredibly synchronized with elaborate formations (I always get goosebumps when they emerge from the fog because it is so magical), and the Hungarian dancers at Siegfried's ball, because they are so athletic.  The costumes are gorgeous (Rothbardt's iridescent cape), the sets are spectacular (the chandeliers in the ballroom), and the special effects are are dramatic (Rothbardt's disappearance).  I loved everything about this production and, judging from the thunderous applause, so did the capacity crowd at Capitol Theatre!  I highly recommend getting a ticket to one the nine remaining performances (go here).

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder at CPT

Last night I finally had the chance to see A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder at CPT (I had to change my usual ticket with my sisters because of Sundance) and I think it might be my favorite production of this hilarious show! After the death of his mother, Monty Navarro (Christian Johnston) learns that she was a member of the illustrious D'Ysquith family but was disinherited for marrying his father. He is really Montague D'Ysquith Navarro and is in line to inherit an earldom. The catch is that there eight family members in line ahead of him! When his vain and heartless girlfriend Sibela (Claire Glaittli) marries the rich and handsome Lionel Holland, he decides to murder all eight family members ahead of him in the succession to become the Earl of Highhurst and win her back. Standing in his way are the Reverend Lord Ezekiel D'Ysquith (who has an unfortunate fall from the bell tower of his cathedral), Asquith D'Ysquith, Jr. (who has a bizarre ice skating accident), Henry D'Ysquith (who is stung by the bees in his own hive), Lady Hyacinth D'Ysquith (who falls in a volcano on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific and is presumed dead), Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith (who is decapitated while lifting weights), Lady Salome D'Ysquith (who is killed when a prop gun is mistakenly loaded with real bullets during her stage debut), Lord Asquith D'Ysquith, Sr. (who suffers a heart attack from his grief over the deaths in his family), and, finally, Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, the Earl of Highhurst, (who is mysteriously poisoned). Along the way, Monty marries Phoebe D'Ysquith (Emma Austin) which makes Sibela jealous but, after he becomes the Earl of Highhurst, he is arrested for the murder of Lord Adalbert (the only D'Ysquith death for which he is actually not responsible). The charges are eventually dismissed when Phoebe and Sibela each give proof that the other committed the murder but Monty might not live happily ever after because Chauncey D'Ysquith, the next in line to the earldom, is lurking! I've seen this show many times (it is very popular with Utah audiences) but this is my favorite production because Monty is played by my former student Christian Johnston (my original ticket was for the MWF show and he is in the THS cast so it was exciting to be able to see him) and he gives a fantastic performance showcasing his comedic timing and his amazing voice, especially in the song "Sibela." I also really enjoyed Andrew Bringhurst's performance as every member of the D'Ysquith family. He gives each character a distinct personality with hilarious facial expressions and physicality (and some quick costume changes!). I always anticipate the appearance of every family member but my favorites in this production are the outrageously flamboyant Henry who thinks everything is "Better with a Man" and the over-the-top Lady Hyacinth who just wants to do some good in "Lady Hyacinth Abroad." Glaittli and Austin have beautiful voices, particularly when they harmonize together in "That Horrible Woman," and Brighton Sloan almost steals the show as Countess Eugenia D'Ysquith! The set, featuring an elaborate stage in an old time music hall with footlights and a red velvet curtain, is one of the best I've seen at CPT and I loved all of the projections, especially when Monty and the Reverend Lord Ezekiel climb the tower in the cathedral and when Henry is chased by his bees. The staging of Asquith Jr.'s skating accident is really clever as is the scene where Phoebe visits Monty's flat when he is having an assignation with Sibela. The period costumes are gorgeous and I liked how Monty's suits get more elaborate as the show goes on and I loved all of the gowns worn by Phoebe and Sibela. I enjoyed this production so much (I don't think I stopped laughing the whole time) and I highly recommend it. It runs on the Barlow Main Stage through February 17 and tickets may be purchased here.

Argylle

I finally had the chance to see Argylle last night and I really enjoyed it until it was completely derailed by the third act.  Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the anxiety-ridden author of a series of books based on a spy named Argylle (Henry Cavill).  In her latest novel, Agent Argylle is searching for a computer drive that implicates a secret agency known as the Directorate but she is suffering from writer's block and can't finish the final chapter. She decides to visit her mother Ruth (Catherine O'Hara) with her cat Alfie but she encounters a real spy named Aidan Wilde (Sam Rockwell) on the train.  He saves her from a group of assassins and then informs her that her novel is eerily similar to his current mission to expose the secret agency known as the Division run by Director Ritter (Bryan Cranston) and that he needs her to finish the final chapter to help him find the computer drive before Ritter does.  This premise is initially very intriguing and the big twist about Agent Argylle's real identity actually worked for me (I somehow avoided all spoilers).  Rockwell and Howard are a great comedy duo with lots of chemistry as opposites who are thrown together by circumstances.  The action sequences on the train and in a flat in London are a lot of fun, especially the scenes from Elly's POV that show Aidan and Argylle fighting interchangeably.  However, there are so many twists and turns in the third act that the narrative becomes overly convoluted and it is hard to keep track of (or even care about) who is double-crossing whom and Rockwell and Howard's performances become less compelling (and even cringe-worthy) as their characters' motivations change.  In addition, the action sequences in the final act are laughably bombastic and look terrible (I think I groaned out loud at one point) with lots of messy slow-motion choreography and obvious CGI.  It is especially ridiculous when Aidan and Elly recreate the opening sequence performed by Argylle and a femme fatale named LaGrange (Dua Lipa).  I found this to be incredibly disappointing because it started out so well and I definitely recommend giving it a miss.

Jazz vs. Thunder

Last night I went to another Utah Jazz game with my friend Angela (she has a season ticket package and she very graciously allows me to pick several games to attend with her) and it was so much fun because it was such a great game!  The Jazz played the Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the best teams in the league, and they got a hard-fought win!  They stayed with the Thunder through the first quarter but then Oklahoma City built a double digit lead with lots of three-point shots (8 for 15).  Kris Dunn and Walker Kessler really stepped up the defense to keep the Jazz in the game but the Thunder were up 89-77 with five minutes left in the third when the offense exploded.  Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George (I really like him) hit some really impressive shots and the energy in the Delta Center was absolutely electric!  It was so much fun to be in the crowd!  The Jazz ended up going on a 19-3 run to close out the third quarter 96-92!  The fourth quarter was a battle because the Thunder did not give up (their big three, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, combined for 76 points during the game) and got within one but it was not enough because Dunn and Kessler eventually shut them down while Markkanen and George traded shots to lead the Jazz to a big 124-117 win.  I love it when the Jazz beat a really good team in front of a loud and enthusiastic crowd and it it was so much fun to catch up with Angela!

The Promised Land

Last night I went to the Broadway to see the epic historical drama The Promised Land and, since that is one of my favorite genres, I absolutely loved it!  Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen), the illegitimate son of a Danish nobleman and a maid, spends twenty-five years working his way to the rank of captain in the German army and, when he is discharged, he petitions the King of Denmark for permission to build a settlement on the barren moors of the Jutland peninsula.  The only compensation he requests for successfully cultivating the land is a noble title.  However, the local landowner and magistrate, Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), claims that the land belongs to him and initially tries to bargain with Kahlen for control but, when he refuses, he lures his workforce away.  Tensions escalate when Kahlen hires two of Schinkel's indentured servants, Johannes and Ann Barbara Eriksen (Morten Hee Andersen and Amanda Collin, respectively), who have broken their contract and run away and when he begins a relationship with Edel Helene (Kristine Kujath Thorp), Schinkel's cousin and betrothed.  Even though he overcomes numerous challenges and a harsh winter through sheer determination, Kahlen must eventually face Schinkel in an epic confrontation with stakes that might be too high to bear.  The story, which is a fictionalized version of real events, is incredibly compelling and I was very invested in the fate of Kahlen and all of the people who become a surrogate family for him (especially a young orphan girl played by Melina Hagberg) because the characters are so well developed and the performances are outstanding.  I even had to stop myself from cheering out loud during one dramatic scene because Bannenbjerg does such a good job of making the audience hate Schinkel!  The closeups on Mikkelsen's face show every emotion he is feeling and it is a highly nuanced, yet powerful, performance.  The cinematography is gorgeous and, while I was impressed by the sweeping shots of the desolate landscape, I was just as blown away by a closeup shot of a budding potato plant.  The costumes and production design are very effective at immersing the audience in 18th century Denmark and my attention never wavered during the two hour runtime.  This is one of the best historical dramas I've seen in a long time and I highly recommend it!