Kinds of Kindness

I think Yorgos Lanthimos is an incredibly provocative director (my favorite kind) and I have enjoyed all of his previous movies so I was really excited to see his latest, Kinds of Kindness, last night at the Broadway with my nephew.  We both really enjoyed this absurdist black comedy (I was surprised by how much my nephew liked it).  This is an anthology of three different stories featuring the same actors in repertory with similar themes and motifs.  In the first, Robert (Jesse Plemons) is under the complete control of his boss Raymond (Willem Dafoe) who dictates every aspect of his life including what he wears, what he eats, what he reads, and even when he can have sex with his wife Sarah (Hong Chau).  When Raymond asks him to do something that goes against his conscience, Robert refuses and his life falls apart.  He learns that Raymond has recruited a woman named Rita (Emma Stone) to complete the task instead and, in a fit of jealousy, he takes matters into his own hands to impress him.  In the second, Daniel (Jesse Plemons) is a police officer whose wife Liz (Emma Stone), a marine biologist, has gone missing at sea.  When she is miraculously rescued, Daniel becomes irrationally convinced that the woman is not really his wife.  This prompts Liz to take extreme measures to prove that she loves him.  In the third, Emily (Emma Stone) has abandoned her husband Joseph (Joe Alwyn) and their daughter to join a sex cult led by Omi (Willem Dafoe) and Aki (Hong Chau).  She and Andrew (Jesse Plemons) are assigned to leave the compound to search for a woman prophesied to have spiritual powers.  However, Emily takes the opportunity to visit Joseph and her daughter and, in doing so, she becomes "contaminated" and is expelled from the cult.  She then goes rogue in order to find the woman (Hunter Schafer or is it Margaret Qualley?) the cult is looking for.  This is absolutely wild (I heard a lot of uncomfortable laughter and my nephew gave me a WTF look at one point) but all three of these stories explore the lengths that people will go to find love, acceptance, and community which is something almost everyone can relate to.  The fact that the same actors reappear in similar roles also reinforces the idea that this is a universal theme that continually plays out in society.  There are several bizarre recurring images (I was particularly struck by the use of dreams, shown in black and white, to foreshadow events) and the continual use of jarring piano notes during key moments is incredibly unnerving.  Plemons is outstanding, showing a range that definitely deserved to be rewarded at Cannes this year, and Stone is a perfect foil to his caged unpredictability.  This is most definitely not for everyone but fans of Lanthimos will find this to be a return to the absurdity of The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.

A Quiet Place: Day One

Last night my sister and I went to see A Quiet Place: Day One (checking another movie off her summer list).  As a huge fan of the franchise, I was really looking forward to this prequel and, even though it has a very different vibe than the other movies, I really liked it.  Samira (Lupita Nyong'o) is a bitter terminally ill woman living at a hospice facility in New York with her service cat Frodo.  One of her caregivers (Alex Wolff) convinces her to join an outing to Manhattan for a performance but it is interrupted by what turns out to be an alien invasion and she is knocked unconscious.  She awakens inside the theater with death and destruction all around her.  Other survivors, including Henri (Djimon Hounsou), warn her to be quiet and to head to an evacuation point to get off the island by boat.  The noise from the large crowds moving to the evacuation point attract the aliens so she heads the opposite direction with Frodo.  She eventually ends up at her old apartment but is dismayed to discover that she has been followed by a shell-shocked English law student named Eric (Joseph Quinn).  However, the two of them form a bond as they inspire each other to live in the midst of chaos.  This might not be what people are expecting from a prequel because it doesn't provide many new details about the invasion or the aliens but it is a very moving portrayal about finding the best of humanity in the worst of circumstances and it features incredibly poignant performances from both Nyong'o and Quinn.  It also features some incredibly scary action sequences that had me and my sister holding our breaths (much of my anxiety involved the status of the cat).  The visuals showing a post-apocalyptic New York City convey a real feeling of devastation and the unnerving sound design is very effective at creating tension but it is the intimate and emotional story that kept me riveted.  I really appreciate the fact that writer/director Michael Sarnoski took this in a very different direction and, even though some might be disappointed by that, I highly recommend it.

Ghostlight

I actually had Ghostlight on my schedule at Sundance this year but I ended up going to a different movie at the last minute.  I kind of regret that decision because so many people that I spoke to while in line recommended it.  Luckily it is now playing at the Broadway so I got to see it last night.  I absolutely loved this incredibly moving look at the healing power of art.  Dan (Keith Kupferer), his wife Sharon (Tara Mallen), and his daughter Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) are grieving the recent suicide of their son and brother Brian.  However, there is conflict within the family because Dan refuses to acknowledge his feelings.  Sharon is exhausted from dealing with the wrongful death suit they have filed against their son's ex-girlfriend, Daisy has started acting up in school, and Dan has an altercation with a rude motorist at his job on a road construction crew.  A woman named Rita (Dolly de Leon) witnesses this altercation and invites Dan to be a part of her community theatre group's production of Romeo and Juliet because she thinks it will help him to be someone else for a while.  At first he is resistant but he keeps going to rehearsals and is soon cast as Romeo.  This revives Daisy's interest in theatre and she also joins the company as Mercutio.  His performance as Romeo allows him to finally give vent to all of the feelings of grief he has been repressing and his analysis of Romeo's motivation helps him to understand what drove his son to suicide and to forgive the person he holds responsible.  He is also able to connect with his daughter through their shared experience on stage and with his wife as an audience member witnessing his catharsis.  Kupferer and Mallen are a real-life couple and Katherine is their daughter which gives an authenticity to their brilliant and emotionally complex performances as a family dealing with a tragedy.  I teared up quite a few times but there are also some really funny and lighthearted moments as the company rehearses Romeo and Juliet that made me laugh out loud (if you have ever acted in a school or community production you will definitely enjoy this because it is such a love letter to theatre).  I loved the blending of reality and fantasy as the plot of Romeo and Juliet slowly reveals the circumstances of Brian's death and, as a theatre nerd, I also loved the actual performance of the play.  I am so happy that I finally had a chance to see this and I highly recommend it!

The Little Mermaid at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I have a new favorite production at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse! Last night I saw my third and final production of The Little Mermaid this month and this one is fantastic!  Ariel (Kaylee Wheeler) is a mermaid who just wants to be where the people are so she defies her father King Triton (Sheldon Cheshire) and trades her voice to the sea witch Ursula (Olivia Lusk-Garibay) for a pair of legs and, with a little help from a crab named Sebastian (Ian Wellisch), a fish named Flounder (Grace Moore), and a seagull named Scuttle (Terran Lowe), she hopes to make Prince Eric (Drew Saddler) fall in love with her. What I loved most about this production is all of the amazing costumes and puppets because they are absolutely incredible (the best of any production I have seen including both of the ones at HCT). Ursula wears an elaborate black and purple gown with eight puffy tentacles that swirl all around her while Flotsam (Shaelynn Wright) and Jetsam (Davin Loveland) wear segmented eel puppets around their shoulders and arms (I think these were my favorites). The songs "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" feature a dazzling array of sparkling neon-colored fish and other sea creatures (I loved the multicolored coral reef headdresses and the jellyfish made from clear umbrellas) and it is quite the spectacle! Sebastian is covered from claw to claw in red sequins while Scuttle is covered in white feathers. Ariel and her sisters each have their own color with jewel encrusted gowns and mermaid tails made of organza and King Triton has regal robes of turquoise and silver. I was also impressed with all of the elaborate set pieces, including a reef that lights up in different colors as a backdrop, Prince Eric's ship located on a platform next to the stage, Ariel's grotto filled with her collection, and Ursula's lair complete with a bubbling cauldron. The staging of several of the numbers is incredibly clever, especially the portrayal of the sea when Ariel saves Eric after he falls overboard because it is so immersive as well as Ariel's final transformation because it is very dramatic, and the choreography is a lot of fun and integrates a large cast into the small space very well, especially in "Les Poissons." Finally, the cast is outstanding! Wheeler and Saddler are perfect as Ariel and Eric, respectively, but Wellisch steals the show as Sebastian because he is hilariously overwrought with facial expressions that are a hoot. I also really enjoyed the mersisters (Ginny Waldron, Shantell Eisenbarth, Aleksa Poulter, Hailey Burt, Kayli Sorenson, and Arianna Evans) because each of the characters is very distinct. This is definitely the best production I have seen at this theatre and I had so much fun watching it (as did the all of the children sitting around me). There are performances on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through July 27 and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to one of them!

Note:  In the "Battle of the Mermaids" this month I can't really pick a winner because I enjoyed every production for different reasons!

Timpanogos Community Theater's Anastasia

I have always found the idea that the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov may have escaped the fate suffered by the rest of her family during the Russian Revolution to be incredibly compelling (even though it has now been debunked by DNA evidence) so I am a huge fan of the musical Anastasia. I was able to see the Broadway touring production several years ago so I was very intrigued to see what the Timpanogos Community Theater would do with it last night. I was quite impressed! Young Anastasia (Paisley Shepherd) is given a music box by her grandmother the Dowager Empress (Nicole Tupola) before she leaves Russia to live in Paris. Several years later the Imperial family is arrested and executed by Bolsheviks but there is a rumor in St. Petersburg that Anastasia somehow survived. Two con men named Dmitry (Tanner Tate) and Vlad (William Gardner) want to find someone to impersonate her in order to claim the reward money offered by the Dowager Empress. They find an old music box believed to be owned by the Romanovs and eventually encounter a young woman named Anya (Sierra Livermore) who is suffering from amnesia. As they try to teach her about the Grand Duchess using history books, she recognizes the music box and starts remembering the Imperial family. They escape the clutches of a Bolshevik general named Gleb (Dylan Bradford), who vows to finish the job of executing the Romanovs begun by his father, and eventually arrive in Paris. With the help of Countess Lily (Serene Parker), a lady in waiting, they introduce Anya to the Dowager Empress but is she really Anastasia and does she want the life of a Grand Duchess? The Broadway production is known for the beautiful and elaborate sets and projections that bring St. Petersburg and Paris to life. This show is much more scaled down with simpler set pieces brought on and off stage by the ensemble.  However, the upstage area is dominated by a gilded marble archway from an Imperial ballroom that is covered by white sheets, which are removed one by one as we learn more about Anastasia, and this is very effective at portraying a lost way of life that is rediscovered by Anya. I admit that I really liked this, maybe even more than the Broadway version, because it is less distracting and lets the story shine on its own with a lot more emotion. The staging of the musical numbers is still incredibly dramatic. The red lights in "The Last Dance of the Romanovs" as the Romanov family is captured by the Bolsheviks while waltzing in the Winter Palace are powerful, the ghosts of the Romanovs dancing around Anya in "Once Upon a December" and "A Nightmare" are otherworldly, and the performance of the ballet Swan Lake in "Quartet at the Ballet" as Anya, Dmitry, Vlad, Lily, and the Dowager Empress watch in box seats on each side of the stage is impressive. I also really enjoyed the choreography in "Paris Holds the Key" and "Land of Yesterday" (the Russian dancing is so fun). I've noticed that this community theater is able to attract a lot of unbelievably talented performers that other professional companies would envy and this show is no exception. Livermore is outstanding as Anya and I particularly enjoyed her renditions of "In My Dreams," "Once Upon a December," and "Journey to the Past"  as well as her portrayal of so many different emotions as she transitions from reading about the events in Anastasia's life to remembering them. Everyone else does a great job but Bradford gave me goosebumps, especially in "The Neva Flows" and "Still," because his voice is so beautiful. This is another stellar production from TCT!  It has fewer bells and whistles than the Broadway version but it is all the better for it and I would highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through July 6.