Harry Potter Marathon

I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter franchise so I was really excited to see a marathon of all eight movies with my sister Kristine over the weekend.  I had never done a marathon like this before and, even though I was really tired at the end (it was 22 hours including short breaks), I had so much fun!  Most people were in costume (I represented House Ravenclaw) and there were some really fun backdrops for photos.  The ticket included a free large popcorn and soda with unlimited refills and you could purchase a meal package with breakfast, lunch, and dinner catered by local restaurants but we opted not to get it because we thought it was expensive for what it was (the Megaplex at Jordan Commons has lots of food options and the service was great despite the big crowds during the meal breaks).  As I watched each of the movies I was especially struck by the enchanting world-building in Sorcerer's Stone, the theme of fearing those who are different in Chamber of Secrets, the developing relationship between Harry and Sirius Black in Prisoner of Azkaban, the changing dynamic between Harry, Ron, and Hermione and their friends as they enter adolescence in Goblet of Fire, the darker tone as Harry's mind is invaded by Voldemort (it is interesting to see Harry mimic Voldemort's mannerisms) in Order of the Phoenix, the higher stakes for every character in Half-Blood Prince, the importance of friendship and teamwork in Deathly Hallows Part One, and the weight of responsibility that Harry feels as he faces Voldemort (I always get a tears in my eyes when Harry asks his parents, Remus, and Sirius to be with him) in Deathly Hallows Part Two.  I also enjoyed seeing the changes in Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as they grow up on screen (it is much more evident watching the movies one after the other).  I love every movie in the series but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Goblet of Fire (which is really ironic because I dozed off for a few minutes and missed the sequence in the maze).  The audience wasn't as boisterous as I was expecting but there were definitely cheers and applause at the end of the final movie (maybe it was just relief that we had all survived).  I had a great time and I would definitely do a movie marathon again!

Note:  I'm happy that I got to experience this with Kristine because she is the one who introduced the books to me.

The Drowsy Chaperone at the Grand Theatre

I love The Drowsy Chaperone and I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing it because not only is it a hilarious parody of the genre with every musical theatre trope you can think of but it is also a poignant ode to the power that musical theatre has to transport you away from from the real wold and all of your problems to a place where happy endings are possible for a few hours.  I had the chance to see it again at the Grand Theatre last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Because Man in Chair (Jason Campbell) is feeling a little bit blue he decides to listen to the LP of the cast recording for his favorite musical The Drowsy Chaperone.  As he listens the musical comes to life in his apartment with frequent pauses for his commentary on the show which becomes more and more personal.  Mrs. Tottendale (Dawn Veree) and her Underling (Jeffrey Black) are hosting the wedding of oil tycoon Robert Martin (Clayton Barney) to a Broadway star named Janet Van De Graaff (Morgan Fenner) who is giving up her glamorous career for love.  Robert is leaving the wedding details to George (Luke Logan), his best friend and best man, while Janet's Chaperone (Lauren Slagowski), who gets drowsy when she drinks champagne, is charged with keeping the couple apart to avoid bad luck.  Broadway producer Feldzieg (Doug Caldwell) is unhappy about losing his biggest star and sets out to stop the wedding by hiring a Latin lover named Aldolpho (Dru) to seduce the bride.  An investor in the Feldzieg Follies is also worried about losing its biggest star and hires two gangsters (Steve Shoemaker and Kaltin Kirby), who are posing as pastry chefs, to stop the wedding bit a ditzy chorus girl named Kitty (Natalie Wren) is hoping to take Janet's place.  The happy ending is in doubt until Trix the Aviatrix (Kacee Neff) is enlisted to marry four couples on her plane while flying to Rio.  This production features the original Broadway version which does not have an intermission (it also omits "Message From A Nightingale" which usually happens at the beginning of Act 2) and I think it is delightful.  The choreography in the big song and dance numbers "Fancy Dress," "Show Off," "Toledo Surprise," and "I Do, I Do in the Sky" is really fun but I especially enjoyed the tapping (I always love to see tapping) in "Cold Feets," the roller skating in "Accident Waiting to Happen," and the Busby Berkeley-like sequence in "Bride's Lament."  I am always intrigued to see how the furniture and other items in the apartment are incorporated into the choreography and the use of a Murphy bed in "As We Stumble Along" is hilarious.  The entire cast is very strong but the stand outs for me are Dru, because not only is his performance completely over the top but he also has a beautiful voice (he might be my favorite Aldolpho), and Campbell, because it is so fun to watch him mimic the choreography while sitting in the chair.  I had a smile on my face from beginning to end and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).  There are performances Thursday - Saturday until September 14.

Arsenic and Old Lace at HCTO

Last night I went to see Arsenic and Old Lace at HCTO and I could not stop laughing at this classic madcap comedy!  Two elderly spinsters, Abby and Martha Brewster (Jayne Luke and Melany Wilkins, respectively), are known in their Brooklyn neighborhood for their numerous acts of charity.  However, their charity includes poisoning lonely old men who come to their home looking for lodging with their homemade elderberry wine.  Their nephew Teddy (Josh Needles), who believes that he is Teddy Roosevelt, helps them by burying the men in the holes he digs for the Panama Canal in the cellar.  Chaos ensues when their other nephew Mortimer (Jon Liddiard) discovers one of their victims in the window seat and when their estranged nephew Jonathan (Matt Kohler) suddenly appears wanting to dispose of one his own victims in the same window seat.  It takes an unwilling accomplice (Jonathan McBride), a bumbling policeman who really wants to be a playwright (BJ Oldroyd), and a curious fiance (Brianna Meikle) to end the mayhem!  What I loved most about this production is the over the top performances, particularly Liddiard because he is hilariously overwrought and Kohler because he is such a melodramatic villain (his facial expressions killed me), and all of the physical comedy, especially every time Teddy charges up the stairs while fighting the Battle of San Juan Hill, when Mortimer gets tangled up in the phone cord, when both Teddy and Dr. Einstein struggle getting the bodies out of the window seat (I sat near the window seat so I had a great view of the shenanigans), and when Officer O'Hara describes the plot of his play in detail.  The set features the kind of fussy drawing room that you would expect two elderly spinsters to inhabit and I loved the all of the details (my favorites of which were the Victorian portrait on the wall near where I was sitting and the red velvet sofa).  The elaborate costumes worn by the Brewster sisters are very amusing because they are in sharp contrast to those worn by the other characters and I laughed out loud when they appeared in black bombazine gowns and veils to conduct the funeral service for their victim.  This is one of the most performed plays for a reason and this particular production is very well done.  I loved it and I highly recommend getting a ticket for a fun night out (go here).  It runs through September 21.

The Addams Family at HCT

I consider HCT's 2019 production of The Addams Family to be one of the best I've seen of this show so I was very excited to see a new version last night. I had so much fun watching it (I was sitting next to a teen seeing it for the first time and her excitement was infectious) and I think it may even surpass their earlier production! The Addams family relies on their dead ancestors to help them through life and they need them now more than ever because Wednesday (Tearza Leigh Foyston) has fallen in love with a boy from Ohio named Lucas Beineke (Danny Kenny). She wants his uptight parents, Mal (Chandler Bishop) and Alice (Claire Kenny), to meet her family, including her father Gomez (Josh Richardson), her mother Morticia (Bailee Morris), her brother Pugsley (John Nelson Wakley), her uncle Fester (Dallin Bradford), her Gradma (Heidi Scott), and their butler Lurch (Thomas Wood), so she arranges a dinner and requests that they give her just one normal night. Chaos ensues when a mishap involving a poisonous potion occurs and it is up to Uncle Fester, with the help of the ancestors (Alec Foote, Alex Joyner, Jonathan Avila, Collin Larsen, Sophi Keller, Kristi Curtis, Channing Spotts, and Kennedy Bradford), to convince everyone that love is the answer.  This features a nearly perfect cast and I especially enjoyed Richardson (reprising the same role from the 2019 production) and Morris as Gomez and Morticia, respectively, because their interactions are hilarious (watch their facial expressions). Foyston is one of my favorite Wednesdays because her voice is very well-suited to the score. I especially enjoyed her renditions of "Pulled" and "Crazier Than You" because they are so powerful. Wakley is adorable as Pugsley (he can definitely scream) and Bradford is a different Fester than I've seen before (I liked him) but Wood absolutely steals the show as Lurch (he is often in the background but you should watch everything he does because he had me laughing out loud, especially his interactions with Thing). The choreography is a lot of fun and, in addition to the big song and dance numbers "When You're an Addams," "Trapped," "One Normal Night," "Full Disclosure," and "Move Towards the Darkness," I really loved the integration of the ancestors in a kick-line with Morticia in "Just Around the Corner," a Pas de Quatre with Fester in "The Moon and Me," and a tango with Gomez and Morticia in "Tango de Amor." I loved Wednesday's iconic black minidress, all of Morticia's slinky gowns, and Gomez's velvet smoking jacket but the costumes for all of the ancestors are epic (my favorites are the Conquistador and the Viking). Finally, the set is absolutely incredible. The proscenium is surrounded by portraits of ancestors (be sure to watch them throughout the show) and the stage is dominated by an ornate wrought iron staircase that is rotated to become different rooms with the addition of elaborate set pieces and props (I loved all of the dead flower arrangements). The visuals, which change for each of the different rooms, are my favorite aspect of this production and they, along with lots of amusing little details, are what make it so spectacular! This would be the perfect show to see during the Halloween season and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through November 16.

My Penguin Friend

Last night I returned to the Broadway to see My Penguin Friend and I think it is one of the most heartwarming movies I've seen in a long time.  It tells the true story about a Magellanic penguin who traveled from Patagonia every year to visit the man in Brazil who nursed him back to health after being caught in an oil spill.  Joao Pereira de Souza (Jean Reno) is a fisherman living on the coast of Brazil who has isolated himself from the villagers around him because he is still grieving the loss of his young son who died many years ago in a boating accident for which he feels responsible.  A penguin is separated from his colony during its annual migration from Patagonia and washes up on Joao's beach sick and covered in oil.  Joao brings the penguin home, much to the dismay of his exasperated wife Maria (Adriana Barraza), and cares for him tenderly until he is ready to be released back into the wild.  When the penguin, dubbed Dindim by a girl in the village, returns the following year, it brings Joao back to life and Dindim ultimately helps him reconcile his son's death.  The underwater cinematography following Dindim's journey from Patagonia to Brazil and back again is incredibly beautiful and immersive and I loved the footage of the penguin colony because I learned so much about their behavior.  There are also some shots from Dindim's POV that are highly amusing because he is very curious and a little bit naughty.  Some liberties are taken with the story but it is really touching, especially a scene when Dindim is in peril and another when we realize that Joao is desperate to save him because he was unable to save his son.  Reno gives a performance that is subtle but affecting and I also love that Dindim is portrayed by ten different rescue penguins. This is such an uplifting movie about the power of friendship and forgiveness that I think almost anyone would enjoy it!