28 Years Later

I took my nephew to 28 Years Later at the Broadway last night and, as a fan of the first two movies in the franchise, I was excited to see it.  Even though it is very different from what I was expecting, I really loved the exploration of how to live in the midst of death.  Twenty-eight years after the spread of the rage virus, the UK is still heavily quarantined and survivors have been left to fend for themselves.  A group of these survivors, including Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife Isla (Jodie Comer), who suffers from a mysterious illness that causes hallucinations, and his 12-year-old son Spike (Alfie Williams), have found refuge on an isolated island separated from the mainland by a fortified causeway that is only accessible during low tide.  Jamie takes Spike to the mainland to initiate him in hunting the infected but they soon become overrun by a large group that has mutated to become stronger and faster and they are forced to take shelter in the attic of an abandoned cottage.  Spike sees a large bonfire in the distance and, when they return to the island, he learns that it was most likely lit by Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), an eccentric who burns the bodies of the dead in a ritual of remembrance.  Spike is disillusioned by Jamie's exaggeration of their exploits on the mainland and by his behavior towards Isla so he decides to take her in search of Kelson so he can cure her.  The main narrative is bookended by Jimmy (Rocco Haynes as a child and Jack O'Connell as an adult) who survives an attack by the infected and then reappears twenty-eight years later with his cult to help Spike fight another group that has mutated.  Jimmy provides the chaos I was expecting but I loved the more meditative (relatively speaking) hero's journey taken by Spike as he learns how to reconcile himself to death (and new life) and become what his father pretends to be.  I also really enjoyed a montage showing images of war throughout the years accompanied by Rudyard Kipling's poem "Boots" read by Taylor Holmes (which is used very effectively in the trailer) because it establishes the idea that people have always had to survive the consequences of savagery.  Fiennes gives an incredibly moving performance but I was most impressed by Williams and I am very much looking forward to the continuation of Spike's story in the sequel(s).  I recommend this to fans of the franchise who are willing to set aside their expectations because it is definitely more haunting than frightening but I think it is brilliant.

& Juliet at the Eccles

I have been looking forward to seeing & Juliet ever since the Broadway at the Eccles 2024 - 2025 season was announced and I finally had the chance last night.  I loved it and I had so much fun singing along to all of the pop songs and laughing at all of the Shakespeare references!  William Shakespeare (Corey Mach) is ready to present his latest play Romeo and Juliet when his wife Anne Hathaway (Teal Wicks) unexpectedly arrives to watch it.  She is immediately unhappy with the tragic ending and offers suggestions for an alternate one.  Shakespeare reluctantly listens to her ideas while her version is acted out in front of them.  Juliet (Rachel Simone Webb) wakes up in her tomb to find Romeo (Michael Canu) dead and impulsively decides that she shouldn't kill herself over a man she hardly knows.  She learns that her parents plan to send her to a convent to punish her for forbidden relationship with Romeo so her Nurse (Kathryn Allison), her best friend May (Nick Drake), and her new friend April (who is portrayed by Anne), encourage her to run away.  They travel to Paris and crash the Renaissance Ball, a party thrown by Lance Du Bois (Paul-Jordan Jansen) to encourage his son Francois (Mateus Leite Cardoso) to find a bride, and soon "Frankie" and Juliet are bonding over the control their parents have over them.  Frankie proposes when his father tells him that he must either get married or join the army and Juliet accepts him when her parents arrive to take her to the convent.  However, Shakespeare is unhappy that there isn't enough conflict in the play so he secretly brings Romeo back from the dead which angers Anne.  Will Juliet choose Frankie, Romeo, or herself?  Will Shakespeare ever understand why Anne wants Juliet to have a choice?  This show is so clever because it reimagines a classic to tell a very modern story about empowerment and the use of pop songs written by Max Martin for the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Jessie J, Katy Perry, The Weeknd, and others is absolutely brilliant.  The songs fit the narrative really well and I especially loved "Larger than Life"  when Shakespeare is first introduced, "Overprotected" when Frankie and Juliet complain about their parents, "Oops!... I Did It Again" when Juliet realizes that she has started yet another relationship too quickly, "Since U Been Gone" when Romeo suddenly reappears in Juliet's life, "Stronger" when Juliet refuses to do what her parents want, and "Roar" when she takes control of her life.  I laughed so hard when Frankie sings "It's Gonna Be Me" as he confesses his feelings for May (iykyk) and I also laughed out loud at a hilarious reference to Macbeth.  I loved Webb's dynamic performance, the fun choreography, the modern take on the Renaissance silhouette in the costumes, and the vivid neon colored set pieces and projections (especially the use of signs featuring the names Juliet and Romeo).  I had such a great time at this show and I highly recommend getting a ticket to one of the five remaining performances at the Eccles Theatre (go here).

An American in Paris at The Ruth

I was so excited to see An American in Paris at The Ruth last night!  It is such a beautiful show and I think this version   rivals the Broadway touring production I saw several years ago.  Jerry Mulligan (Johnathan Tanner) is an American soldier who decides to stay in Paris after the war to pursue his dream of becoming a painter.  He sees Lise Dassin (Ella Bleu Bradford), a Parisian shopgirl with aspirations of becoming a ballerina, on the street and is instantly enchanted by her.  They meet every afternoon along the Seine and inevitably fall in love but complications arise.  Lise feels a duty to the Baurel family for hiding her from the Nazis and accepts a proposal of marriage from their son Henri (Thomas Wood).  Jerry is indebted to his patron Milo Davenport (Teaira Burge), an American heiress who promotes his art and falls in love with him.  It takes an incredibly romantic ballet sequence for Lise and Jerry to realize that they belong together.  The dancing in this show is absolutely exquisite and I loved both the choreography and the performances.  I especially enjoyed "Concerto in F" on the streets of Paris because it conveys the hardships experienced after the war very effectively, "I've Got Beginner's Luck" as Jerry wreaks havoc in the Galeries Lafayette where Lise works because it incorporates a lot of fun props such as umbrellas, mannequins, bolts of fabric, and display cabinets, and "Stairway to Paradise" at a Paris nightclub because it is dazzling.  Bradford is an incredible dancer and I was so impressed by her ability to dance on pointe during the ballet "An American in Paris" because it is at the end of the show and requires an enormous amount of stamina.  Tanner is very exuberant and I loved his energy in "I've Got Rhythm" and "Fidgety Feet" as well as his chemistry with Bradford in "Liza" (which is really lovely).  Of course hearing all of the amazing music by George and Ira Gershwin is a treat and I particularly loved the beautiful rendition of "They Can't Take That Away From Me" by Jerry, Henri, and Adam (Jordan Briggs) at the end of the show.  The set is simple but very dramatic with an arched screen upstage used for projections of Paris and flowing fabric covered by twinkling lights above the stage to represent the Seine while the moody lighting gives everything a dream-like quality.  Finally, the costumes are gorgeous, especially Milo's elaborate gowns, the bold black and white costumes and masks at the ball, and the pink sparkly showgirl costumes and headdresses in "Stairway to Paradise."  I loved everything about this beautiful production (Who could ask for anything more?) and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).  It runs in the Smith Grand Theater through July 19.

Materialists

I loved Past Lives so much I named it as my favorite movie of 2023 so I was very eager to see what writer/director Celine Song would do next.  My nephew and I saw her latest movie, Materialists, last night as part of our double feature at the Broadway and, while it doesn't quite have the same emotional impact as Past Lives, I really enjoyed it.  Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a successful New York City matchmaker responsible for nine marriages using her own unique algorithm for compatibility.  At the wedding of one of her clients, she meets the groom's brother Harry (Pedro Pascal) and, because he is tall, handsome, charming, well educated, and incredibly wealthy, he fits the algorithm for her perfect match.  However, she also encounters her ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans), a struggling actor working as a waiter for the company catering the wedding.  The two of them split five years earlier because of their incompatible attitudes towards money but they still clearly have feelings for each other.  Harry, who believes that Lucy is also the perfect match for him, pursues her with extravagant dates but she contrives to find ways to keep in contact with John.  Eventually, she must decide if she belongs with the one who is perfect for her based on what she thinks she wants or the one she loves in spite of his imperfections.  There is also a subplot involving one of Lucy's clients (Zoe Winters) who has a terrifying experience with a man who is matched to her using the surface-level specifications in Lucy's algorithm and this ultimately helps her make her decision.  As with Past Lives, Song explores what it means to find your soul mate but this time love miraculously overcomes all complications (which is certainly less heartbreaking but also feels a bit unearned).  Nevertheless, I loved the witty banter between the characters and the honest, if sometimes harsh, observations about dating and marriage.  I also loved the performances.  Johnson is hit or miss with me because I think she is the kind of actress who needs a good director to pull a good performance out of her and this is one of her best.  Pascal is incredibly charming and Evans is endearing (one of the things that makes this so compelling is that it is entirely plausible that she could end up with either of them).  This may not be as strong as Past Lives (how could it be?) but I definitely liked it and would recommend it.

The Life of Chuck

Last night my nephew and I had a double feature at the Broadway starting with The Life of Chuck.  I absolutely loved this and I find it even more meaningful the more I think about it!  In Act One, Charles "Chuck" Krantz (Cody Flanagan as a 7-year-old, Benjamin Pajak as an 11-year-old, and Jacob Tremblay as a 17-year-old) spends his formative years with his accountant grandfather (Mark Hamill) and free-spirited grandmother (Mia Sara) and becomes involved with an extracurricular dance club run by the gym teacher (Samantha Sloyan).  In Act Two, Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) demonstrates how the people in his life have influenced him during an encounter with a busker (Taylor Gordon) and a woman reeling from a recent breakup (Annalise Basso).  In Act Three, a high school teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a nurse (Karen Gillan), and a mortician (Carl Lumbly) discover the influence Chuck has had on them at the end of his life.  This is told in reverse chronological order with narration from Nick Offerman and an elaborate conceit in Act Three that is both brilliant and thought-provoking (I haven't read the novella by Stephen King, upon which this is based, so I gasped out loud when I finally realized what was going on).  I loved all the recurring images that tie the three different acts together, especially the use of Walt Whitman's poem "Song of Myself" (which eventually provides a powerful message).  I also really loved Hiddleston's performance (he's got some serious moves) but I was really surprised by how little screen time he actually has.  In fact, I was surprised by the number of people who essentially have cameos (my favorites involve David Dastmalchian because his is very amusing and Matthew Lillard because his is incredibly profound) but this serves to emphasize the tremendous impact that one ordinary person can have in a lifetime.  This is a moving, and surprisingly optimistic, exploration of existence and I cannot recommend it enough!