Wall Drug

As we were driving through South Dakota on one of our trips back to Canada, we kept seeing hundreds of billboards for Wall Drug.  There seemed to be more and more of them the closer we got to the town of Wall.  My dad was so intrigued by these signs he decided that we just had to stop there.  It began in 1931 as a simple drug store operated by Ted and Dorothy Hustead.  They struggled to keep it going during the Great Depression so Dorothy had the idea to advertise free ice water to anyone who visited (you can still get free ice water!) and it eventually grew to become a sprawling collection of cowboy-themed stores, several restaurants, an art gallery with over 300 paintings, a backyard area with attractions for kids (including an animatronic T-rex and a giant statue of a jackalope), as well as the original drug store.  There is even a chapel inside!  It is a major tourist attraction and it draws over two million visitors every year but, honestly, I found it a bit underwhelming as an adult (I loved it as a kid and I remember buying a big sack of polished rocks!).  Marilyn and I still enjoyed it for the nostalgia (my dad loved it and had a bumper sticker that said "Where the heck is Wall Drug?" on his car for years).  Go here for more information.

I remember getting my picture taken on this jackalope (a portmanteau of jack rabbit and antelope) when I was a kid but I can't find it now.  Fun fact:  I thought jackalopes were real for an embarrassingly long time!

Mount Rushmore

I wanted to go on a road trip this summer but nothing was really piquing my interest until my sister Marilyn mentioned Mount Rushmore.  Even though I have been there several times, on family vacations when I was a teenager and a few times on my own, I got really excited about seeing it again (it is very awe-inspiring) and we started planning a trip.

The plaza leading up to the monument has flags from all of the states and there is a large viewing terrace, an amphitheatre, and a Visitor's Center at the base.  You can walk along the Presidential Trail for different views of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln and visit the Sculptor's Studio to learn more about Gutzon Borglund and how the monument was created.  There is also a cafe where you can get the world famous ice cream (I'm not sure why it is famous but it is really good).  Admission is free but there is a $10.00 fee for parking (there are two large parking structures) and it is valid for one year.

Even though I've been several times, I still find Mount Rushmore to be incredibly impressive and I recommend seeing it at least once in your life (go here for more information).

There is a turn-out where you can see George Washington's profile.  It is Marilyn's favorite view of the monument.

Devils Tower

After my family moved to the United States, we would go back to Canada on vacation every summer.  It took three days to drive from Utah to Ontario so my dad would always find places for us to stop and explore along the way.  One of my favorite places was Devils Tower in Wyoming (I was so excited to see it because I am a big fan of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind).  My sister Marilyn and I were on our way to Mount Rushmore on a road trip when we spontaneously decided to revisit some of our favorite stops from those summer vacations, starting with Devils Tower.  It added about two hours to the ten hour drive to Mount Rushmore but it was worth it because it is so cool!

It is a large butte (867 feet from base to summit) formed from igneous rock with hundreds of parallel cracks (which makes it very popular to climb).  It is sacred to the Kiowa and Lakota Native American peoples because, according to legend, it rose from the ground to save a group of girls from a large bear that was chasing them.  The bear's claws left the cracks in the rock when it tried to climb up to the girls but the tower grew so high that the girls eventually became stars in the sky.  It costs $25.00 to enter the park (which you pay on your way out) and there is a loop you can drive which takes you all around the tower and leads to a Visitor's Center, a path you can take to the base as well as some longer hikes, and several routes of varying degrees of difficulty for climbing the tower (you must register for a permit, which is free, and then check back in when you finish).  Go here for more information.

I loved seeing it again but, sadly, no alien space ships landed there during my visit!

Eddington

My nephew and I are fans of Ari Aster so we were both excited to see Eddington at the Broadway last night.  I can certainly understand why this has divided critics but I found it to be incredibly thought-provoking.  In the small town of Eddington, New Mexico at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) clashes with the mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) over the latter's implementation of a lockdown and enforcement of a mask mandate.  Cross views Garcia's policies as a violation of personal choice (as an asthmatic he finds it difficult to breathe while wearing a mask) and eventually decides to run against him in his bid for re-election.  Soon, Garcia's son Eric (Matt Gomez Hidalka) becomes involved in a series of Black Lives Matter protests which creates havoc for the sheriff's department and Cross makes an allegation about the possible misconduct of Garcia towards his wife Louise (Emma Stone).  This contributes to the escalation of tensions between the sheriff and the mayor leading Cross to take matters into his own hands with unexpected consequences for all involved (the final scenes are quite satirical and had the audience laughing out loud, albeit uncomfortably).  There is a lot of social commentary to unpack beyond the obvious, including perceived government control, performative social justice, the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories, and the rise of dubious internet celebrities (I wish Austin Butler's character had been explored more fully), and I sometimes found the narrative to be very bloated and messy (Aster could use an editor).  However, he very effectively portrays the anxiety, confusion, mistrust, and division felt during this period through the changing relationship between Cross and Garcia.  I was particularly struck by the juxtaposition between an early scene in which they confront each other on the street but maintain civility and a later scene in which they challenge each other at a fundraiser and come to blows. I also enjoyed the use of the neo-Western genre to tell the story, particularly the climax which literally features a gunfight in the town square!  Phoenix is absolutely brilliant in this role because he is increasingly ridiculous as he unravels before our eyes.  Pascal is also very good but some of the other big name actors do not have much to do (particularly Stone and Austin).  Aster does not offer much in the way of explanations or solutions but I honestly have not been able to stop thinking about this movie.  I recommend it with the caveat that it will definitely not appeal to everyone.

Catch Me If You Can at CPT

I was really looking forward to Catch Me If You Can at CPT with my sisters last night because it is such a fun show. They had never seen it before and I think they enjoyed this production as much as I did! The show begins when Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Drew Dunshee) is arrested by FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Jeremy Botelho) at the Miami Airport. Then Frank breaks the fourth wall and begins telling the audience his story as if he were the emcee of a 1960s television variety show (complete with go-go dancers) in the big production number "Live in Living Color." When his parents, Frank Abagnale, Sr. (David Johnson) and Paula Abagnale (Mary Ann West), get divorced, sixteen year old Frank decides to run away to New York and he starts forging checks in order to get by (almost two million dollar's worth by the time he is caught). This gets the attention of the FBI, especially Hanratty who is relentless in his pursuit. Frank eventually impersonates a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer (even passing the bar exam) and he is always one step ahead of Hanratty until he falls in love with Brenda Strong (Emily Richman). Dunshee is incredibly charming and charismatic as the fast-talking confidence man, especially in the songs "Jet Set" and "Doctor's Orders," but he also brings a vulnerability to his portrayal of a teenager who is just looking for a home. Botelho is hilarious as the straight-laced FBI agent who has no life away from the job and his number, "Don't Break the Rules," was the biggest crowd-pleaser of the show! The interactions between them are both amusing, particularly the scene where Frank manages to elude Hanratty in a motel room, and poignant, most notably when Frank calls Hanratty on Christmas Eve and they both realize that they don't have anyone to talk to but each other. I also loved Richman's portrayal of Brenda because, in my opinion, the actress who plays her really needs to be able to sing the blues in the song "Fly, Fly Away" and she more than delivers! The choreography is very entertaining and I was beyond impressed with the female ensemble (they are all great dancers but they also have some quick costume changes in between numbers). The set looks like a colorful soundstage from a 1960s television show (such as Laugh-In or Hullabaloo) with various locations created by simple props moved on and off stage by the ensemble. The use of projections is also very creative (I loved the postcards from all of the places Frank visits). The period costumes are fantastic and, as previously mentioned, the sheer number for the female ensemble is quite impressive (my favorites are the Pan Am uniforms). I had a great time watching this high-energy show and, if you are in need of a fun night out, I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on the Mountain America Main Stage through August 19.

Note:  This was my 50th theatre production of the year!  So far, my favorites are Macbeth at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Twelve Angry Men at HCT, Life of Pi with Broadway at the Eccles, Little Women at HCT, and An American in Paris at the Ruth.  An honorable mention goes to Hadestown: Teen Edition at CPT (I was so impressed by the young actors in this production).