School of Rock at CPT

I have been so excited for School of Rock ever since CPT announced the 2024 schedule because it is such a fun and feel good show! I got to see it with my sisters last night and all three of us loved it! Dewey (J.B. Moore) is kicked out of his band No Vacancy right before the Battle of the Bands and his friend Ned (Blaine Backman), with whom he has been living for the past several years, is being pressured by his uptight girlfriend Patty (Kimberly Teitter) to get him to pay rent. Desperate to earn some money, he takes a job as a substitute teacher at Horace Green Prep School that was meant for Ned. He has no idea what he is doing in the classroom but he is able to see that his students are being crushed under the pressure put on them by parents who don't understand them. When he overhears them during music class, Dewey decides to form a band with Zack (Jack Putnam) on lead guitar, Katie (Reign Gilmore) on bass, Lawrence (John Nelson Wakley) on keyboard, Freddy (Henry Smith) on drums, and Shonelle (Rylee Hunt) and Marcy (Audrey Edwards) on backing vocals. He recruits Billy (Soren Ray) to be the band's stylist, James (Cooper Nichols) as security, Madison (Aubrey Balls) and Sophie (Eden Liljenquist) as roadies, Mason (Payson Inkley) on tech, and Summer (Amy Gurney), the class know-it-all, as the band's manager. He also convinces Tomika (Adeline White), a shy and insecure transfer student, to become a featured vocalist. Being in the band gives the students a lot of confidence so Dewey decides to enter them in the Battle of the Bands but first he needs to convince the straight-laced principal Ms. Mullins (Michaela Shelton) to let him take them on a "field trip." Eventually the parents discover Dewey's deception but their performance at the Battle of the Bands wins them over. The kids in this show are insanely talented and play their instruments live on stage in the songs "You're in the Band," "Stick it to the Man," "Time to Play," and "School of Rock." It is so much fun to watch them during these songs, especially Putnam whenever he has a solo because he really shreds, but I loved their performance in "If Only You Would Listen" because it is so poignant (I had a tear in my eye). Moore is really great as Dewey because he has a lot of charisma and energy (I laughed out loud during his version of "In the End of Time") and I loved his interactions with the kids because you can really see the bond he forms with them. Shelton has an incredible voice, particularly in "Here at Horace Green" and "Queen of the Night," but her rendition of "Edge of Seventeen" is hilarious and "Where did the Rock Go?" shows a lot of vulnerability. The sets and costumes depicting the Horace Green Prep School are a lot of fun and I was also impressed with the lighting during all of the band performances. This show is definitely my favorite from CPT this season and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets). It runs on the Barlow Main Stage through August 31.

Twelfth Night at Parker Theatre

Last night I had so much fun seeing Shakespeare's hilarious comedy Twelfth Night at Parker Theatre. I was laughing out loud the whole time and I was definitely not alone (there were lots of teens in the audience and that made my English teacher heart so happy). Sebastian (Alex Glover) and his twin sister Viola (Camrey Fox) are shipwrecked on the Illyrian coast in a terrible storm and each thinks that the other is dead. Viola disguises herself as a man named Cesario and offers her services to the Duke Orsino (Jason Hackney) with whom she immediately falls in love. Orsino is desperately in love with the Countess Olivia (Hannah McKinnon), who is in mourning for her brother, and sends Cesario to her to woo her on his behalf but Olivia, in turn, falls in love with Cesario. Meanwhile, Sebastian is wandering around Illyria and is, of course, mistaken for Cesario. Chaos ensues! There is also a secondary story, which is the source of much amusement, involving Olivia's obsequious steward Malvolio (David Johnson). He makes life difficult for the other members of Olivia's household, most notably her uncle Sir Toby Belch (Tyler Oliphant), her would-be suitor Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Scott Butler), her gentlewoman Maria (Katherine Tietjen), and her jester Feste (Owen Briggs). To get their revenge they have Maria mimic Olivia's handwriting and send him a letter in which Olivia professes her love for him and requests that he wear yellow stockings with cross garters (a fashion she dislikes). Hilarity ensues! This play includes a lot of physical comedy and it is extremely well done. I especially loved the scenes featuring the lovesick Orsino languishing on a chaise longue, Malvolio running to Olivia when summoned, Sir Toby and Sir Andrew engaging in drunken revelry, Sir Andrew half-heartedly fighting a duel with Cesario and then running away when challenged by Sebastian, Olivia chasing Cesario around the stage after declaring her love for him, and Malvolio attempting to woo Olivia with his yellow stockings and cross garters. I really enjoyed everyone in the cast (Johnson gets a shout out) but Oliphant and Butler gave my favorite performances because they have brilliant comedic timing. I laughed and laughed at all of their antics! Every aspect of this production, including costumes, sets, and lighting design, is outstanding and I particularly liked the choice to have Olivia's gowns become progressively lighter as she emerges from her melancholia as well as how the shipwreck is staged. Not only is this a highly entertaining play but it is also very accessible and easy to follow (the teens sitting near me loved it and said that they all want to see it again). It runs on Fridays and Saturdays through September 7 (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it.

Trap

I am a big fan of M. Night Shyamalan and the premise for his latest movie Trap looked intriguing so I was really excited to see it last night.  Unfortunately, it was one of my biggest disappointments of the year.  Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett) takes his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to see her favorite pop star Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) in concert as a reward for a good report card.  He soon notices an elevated police presence at the venue and eventually learns (because he can roam at will despite all of the police and because a lowly vendor knows the entire plan) that an FBI manhunt, led by renowned profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), is being conducted to find the serial killer known as "The Butcher" because a torn receipt for the concert was discovered at one of his known lairs.  It turns out that Cooper is "The Butcher" (this is not a spoiler because it is inexplicably revealed in the trailer) and he must now find a way to escape from the arena.  I actually enjoyed the first two acts during the concert at the arena because, while it is incredibly far-fetched with obvious plot contrivances and cringe-worthy dialogue, it is very suspenseful with a campy performance from Hartnett that is fun to watch as well as a believable one from Saleka who wrote and performed all of the songs.  Once the action leaves the arena, however, it becomes even more far-fetched (to the point of incredulity) and Saleka is completely out of her depth once she stops singing (I think we all know how she got such a prominent role).  The requisite plot twist is underwhelming and my attention started to wane after I mistakenly thought it was over several times.  The real trap is having to sit through this movie!

Hamilton at the Eccles

I have now seen Hamilton thirteen times in seven cities (New York, Los Angeles, Denver, SLC, Las Vegas, Chicago, and San Francisco) and I can honestly say that I was just as excited last night at the Eccles Theatre as I was when I saw the Original Broadway Cast on Broadway!  I love this show so much and I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing it.  I anticipate every single number (I really have to make an effort to keep from singing along) and last night I particularly enjoyed what each actor in this production did to make the role his or her own.  Understudy Alex Nicholson has a different look than the other actors I've seen play Alexander Hamilton but I really liked the humor he was able to infuse into the character, particularly when he imitates other characters during "Farmer Refuted," "Cabinet Battle #1," and "Cabinet Battle #2."  I also liked his interpretation of "It's Quiet Uptown," especially when he bows deeply towards Eliza after she takes his hand (I have never made it through this song without crying).  Josh Marin, another understudy, is one of my favorite actors to play Aaron Burr because he gave me goosebumps during his powerful performance of "Wait For It" (his transition from the verse to the chorus blew me away), made me laugh during "The Room Where It Happens," and made me cry during his emotional performances of "Dear Theodosia" and "The World Was Wide Enough."  Kameron Richardson is a diminutive George Washington but that didn't stop him from blowing the roof off of the Eccles Theatre during "Right Hand Man" (I got chills when he first came on stage) and "One Last Time."  Simon Longnight is a more flamboyant Thomas Jefferson while Paul Louis Lessard is a more subdued (but hilarious) King George III than I've seen before.  Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama is very soft as Eliza (I loved all of the bits of girly business she adds to "Helpless") and this worked for me because it is such a big contrast to the way that Lencia Kebede portrays Angelica and it creates a dynamic moment during "Burn" when she builds to a dramatic crescendo.  However, I wanted more of a reaction from her during "Stay Alive (Reprise)."  There were quite a few people around me who were seeing this for the first time and the energy from the crowd was so much fun!  I loved the spontaneous audience participation during "You'll Be Back" and the cheers during the dance break in "Yorktown."  Finally, I always notice something new every time I see this and last night it was the ensemble doffing their hats to George Washington as he leaves the stage after "One Last Time."  I can't begin to describe the thrill I felt, even after seeing it so many times, watching this last night!  It will definitely be a highlight of the year for me.  This runs at the Eccles Theatre through September 1 (go here for tickets) and, obviously, I highly recommend getting a ticket, especially if you have never seen it before!

Deadpool & Wolverine

Last night I went to see a Thursday preview of Deadpool & Wolverine in a packed theater and it was so much fun!  Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is living a mundane life as a used car salesman after Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin) breaks up with him and he is rejected by the Avengers.  However, when he is summoned by the Time Variance Authority and one of its agents, Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen), he suits up once again as Deadpool and recruits a reluctant Wolverine variant (Hugh Jackman) in order to save his timeline because it has been jeopardized by the death of Logan.  They soon realize that they must join with others to save the entire universe from an even bigger threat, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).  The story is a bit messy but it is a funny and irreverent spoof of superhero movies in general, and multiverses specifically, that had me and the entire audience laughing out loud the whole time.  It includes the usual profanity-laden one-liners but, as always with this franchise, I especially enjoyed the meta humor (there is a throwaway line about Gossip Girl that made me laugh so hard I spit out my drink).  There are also quite a few unexpectedly emotional moments because Deadpool is desperate to prove that he matters and this variant of Wolverine is not the hero that Logan was (the reason for the return of Wolverine's original suit, while in service to the fans nostalgic, is incredibly poignant).  Reynolds and Jackman have so much chemistry as the goofy Deadpool and the intense Wolverine play off each other and all of the "gratuitous" cameos are a hoot (several of them had my crowd cheering) and feature some heartwarming and hilarious performances.  The big action set pieces are epic (my favorite of which is the opening credits sequence) but my enjoyment of them came more from the needle drops than from what was actually on the screen (I particularly loved the use of "Hells Bells" by AC/DC, 'You're the One That I Want" from Grease, and "Like A Prayer" by Madonna).  I had such a great time with this and I highly recommend seeing it with a big crowd!

Note:  Definitely stay for the end credits scene because it got some of the biggest laughs of the night!