The Little Mermaid at the Draper Amphitheater

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is see a live performance outside under the stars and I was able to see my first theatre production last night at the Draper Amphitheater. This was actually the first of three productions of The Little Mermaid that I have scheduled this month and it was so much fun! A mermaid named Ariel (Amanda Frisby) just wants to be where the people are but her father King Triton (Mike Handy) doesn't trust them. After she saves Prince Eric (Danny Keetch) from a storm that sinks his ship, Triton destroys her collection of human objects and forbids her from going to the surface again. Ariel defies her father and accepts a deal with her aunt, a sea witch named Ursula (Naomi McClure), to trade her voice for a pair of legs. She must get Prince Eric to kiss her within three days so a crab named Sebastian (Chad Smith), a fish named Flounder (John Arntz), and a seabird named Scuttle (Sam Martinez) attempt to help her. This show put a huge smile on my face because it was filled with so much heart. Both Frisby and Keetch have beautiful voices and have tremendous chemistry together. Frisby portrays Ariel's wide-eyed wonder very well, espcecially in "Part of Your World," and Keetch is incredibly endearing in "Fathoms Below," "Her Voice," and "One Step Closer." I was also impressed with all of McClure's antics as Ursula (I loved her peformance of "Poor Unfortunate Souls") and Smith's as Sebastian ("Kiss the Girls" and "Les Poissons" are highlights). The ensemble of dancers, featuring Hilary Biggart, Addison Brotherson, London Brotherson, Aliya Gardner, Eliza Hebdon, and Ileah Washington, is outstanding and I particularly enjoyed the tapping in "Positoovity." There are lots of really fun effects used in this show and, while Ariel, Eric, Scuttle, and even Ursula fly across the stage (the scene where Ariel saves Eric is very dramatic) and aerialists perform on silks, I loved seeing Ariel and her sisters (Lizzie Burget, Brielle Denning, Addison Horrocks, Abbie Ricord, Olivia Shelton, and Miranda Stokes) glide around the stage on heelys, King Triton and Flounder on hoverboards, and Flotsam (Jessica Duncan) and Jetsam (Alyx Rees) in rollerblades. They even had the turtles crawling around on skateboards during "Under the Sea." The staging of the big numbers is a lot of fun and everyone really liked it every time the cast came out into the audience! My favorite is when Chef Louis (Dwight Western) chases Sebastian into the crowd during "Les Poissons," The backdrops and set pieces are great and the costumes, especially for all of the sea creatures (the jellyfish made out of umbrellas were so cute) and for Ursula, are very creative. The best thing about community theatre is seeing so many children in the audience with huge smiles on their faces and this particular show is especially magical! There are two more chances to see it (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it for the whole family!

Ezra

Last night my nephew and I went to the Broadway to see Ezra and we both enjoyed it.  Max (Bobby Cannavale) is a stand-up comedian with anger issues living with his father Stan (Robert De Niro), with whom he has a contentious relationship, and struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (William Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne).  When he and Jenna have a difference of opinion about the correct school placement for Ezra, Max impulsively decides to take him on a road trip to learn how best to advocate for him and, in so doing, he improves his relationship with both his son and his father.  What I really liked about this movie, despite some very convenient plot contrivances, is that Max has preconceived notions about who his son is and what is best for him but he finally sees him and accepts him for who he really is.  Cannavale gives an incredibly nuanced performance, one of his very best, as a dad who doesn't know how to help his son but knows that he needs to do a better job than his dad did with him.  There is an especially poignant scene between him and Fitzgerald where Ezra lashes out at Max that gave me goosebumps.  De Niro is also fantastic, especially in a monologue where Stan admits that he wasn't a good father, and Byrne shines as an overwhelmed mother who is trying her best (I really love that Jenna is also a sympathetic character).  My favorite performance is by Fitzgerald, an actor on the autism spectrum making his debut, because he is so authentic and endearing.  I have never been diagnosed but I have many characteristics and behaviors that make me think that I am on the spectrum and I really appreciate the sensitivity and respect with which the character is portrayed (I was particularly moved by scenes in which Ezra reacts to being touched).  The ending is a bit rushed and I wish that there had been another scene explaining how Max and Jenna came to consensus about Ezra's schooling (since that was the catalyst for the whole movie).  However, this is a heartwarming look at the realities of raising a child with autism and the performances overcame any of my issues with the story.  I would recommend it.

In a Violent Nature

Everything I heard about In a Violent Nature, both good and bad, made me very excited to see it.  I finally had the chance last night and, while I can understand why people might not like it, I really dug it.  A group of friends, including Kris (Andrea Pavlovic), Colt (Cameron Love), Troy (Liam Leone), Aurora (Charlotte Creaghan), Brodie (Lea Rose Sebastianis), Ehren (Sam Roulston), and Evan (Alexander Oliver), are staying at a cabin in an old logging camp with a history of tragedy in northern Ontario.  When they discover a fallen fire tower in the forest, Troy notices a locket which, he eventually learns, once belonged to the son of a firefighter named Johnny (Ry Barrett) who was lured to the tower by loggers and then fell to his death.  He takes it to give to his girlfriend Kris but this theft reanimates Johnny's corpse, which had been buried under the fire tower, and he begins killing the group of friends one by one for retribution.  What distinguishes this from other slasher movies is that it is from the POV of the killer, rather than the victims, as he slowly and methodically (in some long continuous shots that follow Johnny from behind) stalks them through the forest.  Since we know where the killer is at all times there is not a lot of tension but there is a very palpable sense of dread as each victim inevitably succumbs to his increasingly inventive violence.  Johnny wears a vintage firefighter's mask and uses the tools that would be available in a logging camp, such as drag hooks, chains, axes, and log splitters, in some of the most brutal and gory scenes imaginable (there is one scene in particular that is so shocking I had a visceral reaction to it).  The fact that all of this violence takes place in such a beautiful location filled with sun-dappled trees and crystal lakes is also quite disconcerting, especially in scenes where Johnny seems to blend in with nature before he attacks.  Barrett gives a silent but riveting physical performance but some of the other actors are a bit cringe-worthy (I actually think that this would have worked better with no dialogue at all).  I'm also not sure the shift in POV from Johnny to one of the victims in the third act really works (aside from a brilliant cameo) but I have to admit that I'm still thinking about it.  This is a slow burn that many will find tedious and it is definitely more disturbing than scary but I liked it!

James Taylor at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

I really love James Taylor so I usually try to see him whenever he comes to town.  However, I decided that I would try to spend less money on concerts this year (that is going about as well as you might expect) but I just couldn't resist getting a ticket to his show at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre last night and I'm so glad that I did!  Taylor's voice is not quite what it once was but it was good enough and he had an amazing band with him including Steve Gadd on drums, Luis Conte on percussion, Jimmy Johnson on bass, Michael Landau on guitar, Walt Fowler on keyboards and horns, Lou Marini on horns, Larry Goldings on piano, Andrea Zorn on fiddle, Dorian Holley on backing vocals, and Kate Markowitz on backing vocals.  He played, without an opening act, for over two hours and divided his sets into "Deep Listening," which featured lesser known songs, and "Greatest Hits" with an intermission in between.  During the first set he played "Something in the Way She Moves," "Everyday," "Never Die Young," "October Road," "Secret O' Life," "Anywhere Like Heaven," "Country Road," "Sweet Baby James" (with a cool fiddle intro), "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" (a highlight of the first set), and "Sun on the Moon."  I really enjoyed the first set but I have to admit that I absolutely loved the second set and sang every word to every song!  This set included "Carolina in My Mind," "Mexico," an epic rendition of "Steamroller" with extended solos," "Fire and Rain," "Up on the Roof," "You've Got a Friend," and "Shower the People" (my favorite James Taylor song).  He ended this set with a rousing rendition of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) which got the crowd up and dancing!  For the encore he performed "Shed a Little Light," Your Smiling Face" (another highlight of the show for me), and "That Lonesome Road."  Taylor is incredibly droll and interacted with the audience by telling jokes (which he says he is recycling from tour to tour) in between each song and signing lots of items before the second set.  My favorite moment happened when someone yelled that they loved him and he answered that he loved them back but they should both see other people!  I had so much fun last night and I think this was a great way to start the summer concert season (even though I was a little bit cold by the end of the night).

Note:  The first time I saw James Taylor live was at this venue (when it was USANA Amphitheatre) years ago and I've been a fan ever since!

Young Woman and the Sea

I was able to see a Thursday preview of Young Woman and the Sea last night and, as a big fan of inspirational sports movies, I absolutely loved it!  After surviving a bout with the measles, Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle (Olive Abercrombie) wants to learn to swim just like her older sister Meg (Lilly Aspell) but her parents, German immigrants Henry (Kim Bodnia) and Gertrude (Jeanette Hain), fear that it will worsen her hearing loss.  Undaunted, Trudy (Daisy Ridley) eventually trains with Charlotte Epstein (Sian Clifford) in a basement pool and defies expectations by winning races.  After a disappointing showing at the 1924 Olympics, where she was expected to earn four gold medals, interest in women's swimming wanes and her father expects her to submit to an arranged marriage.  Trudy has other ideas and decides to swim the English Channel, something only five men (and no women) have ever done before.  She is reluctantly sponsored by the Women's Swimming Association (WSA) who insist that she train with Jabez Wolffe (Christopher Eccleston), who had previously attempted to swim the channel 22 times without success.  When Wolffe sabotages her first attempt, she finds a way to stay in France and try again with the help of her sister Meg (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and another eccentric swimmer named Bill Burgess (Stephen Graham).  What I found so compelling about this true story is that Trudy is not a natural athlete with perfect technique.  She has to fight to be allowed to swim and, even then, there are others who are much better than her but it is her determination and hard work that allows her to succeed!  I also loved the portrayal of Trudy's family, especially the support of her mother despite the opposition of her more traditional father and the heartwarming relationship with her sister even though they are on different paths.  Ridley gives a quietly powerful performance (one of her best) in a physically demanding role and I found it to be very moving without being manipulative.  The rest of the cast is uniformly excellent but the standouts for me were Hain and Clifford.  Finally, the cinematography, particularly the shots in the water, is stunning and the vibrant score really enhances the uplifting message.  I thoroughly enjoyed this crowd-pleaser and I highly recommend it!