The Pajama Game at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I had never seen the musical The Pajama Game before so I was really excited to attend a production at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse last night. It is a fun old-fashioned show with lots of songs that I recognized. Romance is in the air at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa but things really heat up when a new Superintendent named Sid Sorokin (Nick Balaich) falls for the leader of the union grievance committee Katherine "Babe" Williams (Clarissa Wykstra). They fall in love but their relationship is tested when Mr. Hasler (Spencer Stevens), the owner of the factory, refuses to give the workers a 7 1/2 cent raise and they find themselves on opposite sides of the dispute. Even though the story takes place in the 1950s, the issues are still just as relevant today and I liked that compromise is used to settle the conflict between management and labor as well as the one between the sexes (although some of the characters behave in ways that are very dated and problematic). I can't decide if it is the dialogue that is stilted or if it is the delivery but sometimes the pacing is very sluggish, particularly a scene that is so awkward it made me think that the actors were ad-libbing in order to stall long enough for a costume change that took longer than usual. However, the actors really shine during the big song and dance numbers. Balaich has a beautiful tenor voice and his performance of "Hey There" (one of the songs I immediately recognized) is incredibly touching and it was the highlight of the show for me, Wykstra is confident and sassy, especially in the song "I'm Not At All in Love," and the two of them are perfect foils to each other in the delightful "Small Talk" and "There Once Was a Man" (the other song I recognized). The ensemble do a fantastic job with the energetic choreography in "Once a Year Day," "Think of the Time I Save," and "7 1/2 Cents" and these numbers are so fun to watch. I also really loved "Racing With the Clock," especially when it is slowed down in the reprise to mimic the slow down in production, the Fosse-inspired "Steam Heat" because it is dazzling, and the sultry "Hernando's Hideaway" because the choreography is so dynamic (the lighting design is very effective in this number). The set and costumes are colorful and nostalgic and I especially loved the retro sewing machines and all of the pajamas during the bows. While there are issues, the cast is enthusiastic and the show is very entertaining. It runs on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through April 5 (go here for tickets).

Jazz vs. Pelicans

My friend Angela has a Utah Jazz season ticket package and she very graciously lets me pick a few games to attend with her.  Last night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans was my first of the season.  The Jazz have not been doing very well and last night most of the veterans, including Markkanen, Kessler, Collins, Clarkson, and Sexton, were out with injuries.  The Pelicans took an early lead and kept it for three quarters and, honestly, I kind of stopped paying attention to the game and just chatted with Angela (I hadn't seen her for a long time) which was actually a lot of fun.  Then there was a spark when Cody Williams made a three-point shot at the beginning of the fourth quarter to give the Jazz their first lead of the game.  It got really exciting when the Jazz went on a 27-8 run, including five baskets from Oscar Tshiebwe, to go up 100-94.  The crowd got loud and it really seemed like we had a chance to win but then CJ McCollum hit three straight three-pointers for New Orleans to put them ahead 118-108.  This deflated the crowd and the Jazz ended up losing 128-121 despite 28 points from Keyonte George and 21 from Brice Sensabaugh.  This game was dubbed the battle of the two worst teams in the Western Conference but I had a great time despite the loss (and despite seeing my favorite former Jazz player Kelly Olynyk score 26 points for the Pelicans).

Note:  With five seconds left in the game, the Jazz got a delay of game technical foul after Hardy called a timeout. We thought it was really weird but it turns out the Jazz didn't have any timeouts left.

Between the Lines at the Empress Theatre

I had never heard of the musical Between the Lines before but, when I read the description, I knew that it was obviously written for me because I usually prefer fictional characters to real people! I saw it last night at the Empress Theatre and I absolutely loved it! Delilah McPhee (Ashley Bates) is a seventeen year old girl trying to navigate her parents' divorce and a new school where she is bullied by the mean girl Allie McAndrews (Dusti Mulder) and her friends (Connor Alldredge, Talitha Jo Garrison, Tyler Parkin, and Emma Mendisabal). She finds solace in a children's fairy tale called Between the Lines and is drawn to the protagonist Prince Oliver (Alex Parkin). After a particularly stressful argument with her mother Grace (Lisa Shortridge), Oliver appears to Delilah and she tells him that she wishes that she could be part of his world. However, he tells her that things are not necessarily better in a fairy tale because they must live the same story over and over whenever someone reads it. They conspire to be together but Delilah eventually learns that she must write her own story. As someone who spent a lot of time reading during adolescence to escape from reality, I loved this story and I think anyone who has ever felt different will really enjoy it. The songs are a lot of fun and I especially loved "Mr. Darcy and Me" which is sung by the librarian Ms. Winx (Katelyn Johnson) when Delilah asks her if she has ever had a relationship with a fictional character and "Happily Ever After Hour" when the characters in Between the Lines lament the fact that they can never be who they really are because they must perform for the reader. The young cast does a fantastic job and I was really impressed with every performance! Bates is captivating and she sings "Another Chapter," "Between the Lines," and "A Whole New Story" with so much emotion. Parkin is incredibly appealing in the songs "In My Perfect World" with Bates and "Something to Hold On To" and I loved all of his physical comedy. The ensemble, who play characters in both worlds, is really strong and I enjoyed the songs "Inner Thoughts," especially when the dumb jock Ryan steps forward to sing but doesn't have any lines, and "Out of Character" because I always appreciate tap dancing. The set is one of my favorites at the Empress because it focuses on books with bookcases, book covers, and book pages located all around the theatre. Whenever the characters from Between the Lines appear, they enter from a bookcase that rotates to become a page from the book and this is such a clever way to denote which world we are in. This is an enchanting production and I highly recommend it! There were a lot of empty seats last night and I would love for more people to see this (go here for tickets). It runs at the Empress Theatre through March 15.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at PTC

The Broadway touring production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical was the first show I saw at the Eccles Theatre when it opened and, because I loved it so much, I was really excited to see it again last night at PTC. This version is definitely on par with the Broadway production and, once again, I really loved it. Beautiful is a jukebox musical describing how Carole King rose to stardom in the 1970s using the songs she wrote, such as "So Far Away," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Up on the Roof," "It's Too Late," "You've Got a Friend," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and "I Feel the Earth Move" among others, to inform her story. Act I begins when a sixteen year old King (Sara Sheperd) decides to go to Manhattan to sell one of her songs to producer Don Kirshner (Jason Andrew Hackney) and continues with her development as a hit songwriter with her husband Gerry Goffin (Anthony Sagaria) and with their rivalry with the songwriting team of Cynthia Weil (Lee Alexandra Harrington) and Barry Mann (Stephen Christopher Anthony). Act II details the disintegration of King's marriage to Goffin and how she finds the courage to stand on her own, both personally and professionally, which results in the writing and recording of her seminal album Tapestry. King's legendary concert at Carnegie Hall in 1971 is used as a framing device. Many of the musical numbers begin with King and Goffin or Weil and Mann singing a song as they write it, usually around a piano, and then continue with the artist who made it famous singing it as a big production number with fabulous choreography. I really loved seeing "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" with the Shirelles (Elexis Morton, Tyler Symone, Hannah Camille Hall, and Kianna Kelly-Futch), "Up on the Roof" with the Drifters (Travis Keith Battle, Chris Richie, Nathan Andrew Riley, and Cory Simmons), "The Locomotion" with Little Eva (Grace Ellis Solomon), "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" with the Righteous Brothers (Jordan Briggs and Nate Ginsberg), and "One Fine Day" with Janelle Woods (Elexis Morton). The music is incredible (I had to stop myself from singing along and I was definitely not alone as I watched the people around me instantly recognize a song) and all of the performances are brilliant. Sheperd, especially, is amazing because she not only embodies King in the musical numbers (her rendition of "A Natural Woman" gave me goosebumps) but she also shows so much vulnerability in portraying King's journey to self-acceptance (I really love the message of empowerment in this show). The minimal set pieces are moved and configured into various locations very effectively by the ensemble and the hair, makeup, and costumes do a great job evoking the 1960s and 1970s. I had such a good time watching this and I heard nothing but positive comments from the audience as I walked out. Do yourself a favor and get a ticket (go here) for one of the three remaining performances.

Note:  The crowd last night was the biggest I've seen all season!

Jesus Christ Superstar at the Grand Theatre

I have seen two different Broadway touring productions of Jesus Christ Superstar but I think the version I saw last night at the Grand Theatre might be my favorite.  I loved everything about it!  This rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice tells the story of the Passion of Jesus Christ from the perspective of Judas as he becomes dissatisfied with Jesus's growing popularity and fears that it is taking away from their mission to help the less fortunate.  It features contemporary sensibilities and I've seen Jesus portrayed as a rock star with an electric guitar and a microphone in other productions but in this one he creates a cult of personality and whips crowds into a frenzy with just his presence.  All of the costumes are contemporary, as well.  Jesus is dressed casually in athletic wear (and an orange jumpsuit during his trial), his followers are dressed as punk rockers (I loved Judas's red leather jacket), King Herod is dressed as a sleazy lounge singer in a pink lamé suit, and Pilate is dressed as a 19th century gentleman with a brocade waistcoat and frock coat.  The set, which consists of multi-level metal towers (that look like scaffolding) with a large cross at the top, the dramatic lighting design, and the dynamic choreography are all dazzling and my attention never wavered from what was happening on stage.  I love the music in this show (I had to try really hard not to sing along to every song) and the three leads, Michael Scott Johnson as Jesus, Aaron Naylor as Judas, and McKenna Kay Jensen as Mary Magdalen, have beautiful voices.  I really enjoyed Jensen's version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" (my favorite song in the show) and Johnson's rendition of "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" gave me goosebumps but Naylor blew me away with his performance of "Damned for All Time/ Blood Money" because you can really feel his escalating torment.  I was also impressed by "This Jesus Must Die" by Ricky Parkinson as Caiaphas because he has an incredible bass voice and "Pilate's Dream" by Keefer Glade as Pilate because having him play the guitar while standing in a spotlight during this song is very powerful.  I think this show is brilliant but the song "Trial By Pilate/ Thirty-Nine Lashes" is extremely difficult to watch, particularly in this version because it is staged very realistically with blood dripping from Jesus's wounds.  However, the staging of "John Nineteen: Forty-One" is incredibly tender and I think it makes up for the scenes preceding it.  This production is so good and I cannot recommend enough!  It runs at the Grand Theatre on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 22 (go here for tickets).