Hello, Dolly! at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre

Last night I spent a lovely evening under the stars at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre seeing a charming production of Hello, Dolly! This is a really fun old fashioned show with big song and dance numbers and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At the turn of the century, the irascible Horace Vandergelder (Bryan Harper) decides to get married again so he will have someone to do all of the chores at his Hay & Feed Store in Yonkers, New York. His niece Ermengarde (Capri Gallacher) wants to marry an artist named Ambrose Kemper (Coleman Rowberry) but Vandergelder objects because he doesn't have a steady income. His clerk Cornelius Hackl (Jacob Nilson) is longing for an adventure in New York City so he convinces his fellow clerk Barnaby Tucker (Joey Thompson) to come along with him and they vow not to return to Yonkers until they have both kissed a girl. They soon meet Irene Molloy (Chloe Henry), who owns a millinery shop in NYC but wants a rich husband to take her away because she hates hats, and her excitable assistant Minnie Fay (Rebecca Varney). A recently widowed matchmaker named Dolly Gallagher Levi (Allison Brooks) is hired to find a wife for Vandergelder but she decides that she wants to marry him herself. She just needs to convince him! She eventually arranges for all of the couples to meet for a memorable evening at the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant in NYC and merriment ensues. One of the biggest highlights of this show for me was the live orchestra, under the baton of Marden Pond, because they sounded absolutely amazing! Another highlight was Brooks because she gives an incredibly charismatic performance as the irrepressible Dolly. She has a beautiful voice, especially in the song "Before the Parade Passes Me By," and she does a great job with all of the choreography but I loved her facial expressions as she bamboozles Vandergelder at the Harmonia Gardens because they are hilarious. Honorable mentions go to Henry, who also has a beautiful voice in the songs "Ribbons Down My Back" and "It Only Takes a Moment," and Thompson because he is an amazing dancer in "Dancing" and "Elegance" (it is really impressive how high he can kick). The energetic choreography is a lot of fun and the ensemble looks like they are having a blast in "Put on Your Sunday Clothes," "Dancing," and "Hello, Dolly!" (I loved the kickline). The set featuring pastel colored storefronts, several of which open up to become Vandergelder's Hay & Feed Store, Irene Molloy's Millinery Shop, and the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, in both Yonkers and New York City is fantastic and the period costumes, especially the opulent red gown worn by Dolly at the Harmonia Gardens, are dazzling. I really love these classic musicals and I definitely recommend getting a ticket for this production (go here) before the parade passes you by! It runs at the SCERA Shell on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through August 19.

Weapons

Last night my nephew and I went to see Weapons at the Broadway with a large and enthusiastic crowd and we both really enjoyed it.  Seventeen children from the same third-grade class at Maybrook Elementary School wake up at the exact same time in the early hours of the morning and disappear from their homes.  This event is viewed from the perspectives of Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), the teacher of all of the children who disappeared, Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), the grieving father of one of the missing children who blames Justine for his disappearance, Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich), a troubled police officer involved with Justine, James (Austin Abrams), a homeless addict arrested and then assaulted by Paul, Marcus Miller (Benedict Wong), the principal of Maybrook Elementary School, and Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), the only student in Justine's class who did not disappear.  All of their disparate stories converge with Alex's great-aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) when she comes to stay with his family.  This is not as scary as I thought it would be but it is very unsettling and the use of different POVs that continually reframe the information creates an escalating sense of dread.  It is more like a mystery thriller with elements of horror and dark comedy (my audience laughed out loud multiple times) thrown in but the central mystery is incredibly compelling because I really wanted to know what happened to the children and I wanted to know how all of the characters were connected to their disappearance.  Unlike other recent horror films that come undone in the third act after slowly building an atmosphere of unease, the resolution of the mystery really worked for me and the final sequence is both disturbing and oddly satisfying.  The theme that collective trauma can be weaponized to cause even more violence is extremely thought-provoking and I was particularly struck by the need to find a scapegoat.  Everyone in the ensemble cast is outstanding but I especially enjoyed the intense and unhinged performance from Madigan and I was also very impressed by Christopher because he has such a haunting presence.  The hype for this is real and I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre (try to see it with a crowd).

Note:  I loved the use of "Beware of Darkness" by George Harrison in the opening sequence.

Daddy Long Legs at CPT

I fell in love with the musical Daddy Long Legs when I saw a production at HCT several years ago so I was thrilled to see that it was part of the 2025 season at CPT on the second stage. I tried to convince my sisters to get tickets with me to no avail (although they did get tickets to Pride and Prejudice on the second stage later this year) so I went on my own last night. CPT's production is absolutely enchanting and I loved it! At the turn of the century, Jervis Pendleton (Jacob Coates) is a young and wealthy trustee of the John Grier Home. An essay written by Jerusha Abbott (Mackenzie Turner), the oldest orphan at the home, impresses him and he decides to send her to college so she can achieve her dream of becoming a writer. He will pay her tuition and all of her living expenses on the condition that he remain anonymous and that she writes him a letter once a month informing him of her progress. Since she doesn't know his name, she refers to him as Daddy Long Legs because of the tall shadow she saw when he left the orphanage and he finds her letters to be charming. Against his better judgement he meets her without revealing that he is her benefactor and then falls in love with her. Jerusha also falls in love with him but, when she pours her heart out about her feelings for Jervis Pendleton in her letters to Daddy Long Legs, it creates confusion as he struggles to decide whether to reveal himself to her. I really love Jerusha as a character because she has such a thirst for knowledge and for new experiences so I definitely relate to her. I also love her growth and development as a character because, by the end of the show, she proves herself to be her benefactor's equal and he ultimately feels like she has given him far more than he gave her. Both Turner and and Coates, who have beautiful voices, give incredibly dynamic performances because they, quite literally, carry the show by themselves. Turner is so much fun to watch because of her wide-eyed wonder and her palpable yearning for more, especially in the songs "Like Other Girls" (my favorite in the show) and "Things I Didn't Know." Coates is also fun to watch because of his facial expressions, particularly his smitten awkwardness when Jervis and Jerusha first meet, his exasperation when he attempts to write to Jerusha only to throw the letters in the trash, and his jealousy every time Jerusha mentions her roommate's brother. The set features a large curving bookcase and window seat upstage and this creates an elaborate study for Jervis on one side as well as a location for the live band (Jason Anderson on guitar, Risa Bean on cello, and Jackie Ward on piano) on the other side. There are a series of platforms downstage with trunks and suitcases that are configured and reconfigured to become multiple locations for Jerusha. I think this is very clever because it shows Jerusha's transformation throughout the show. Jerusha's costumes and hairstyles are also very effective at showing her growth because they become more and more embellished and elaborate as the show progresses (I loved the attention to detail because her first costume at the orphanage has frayed hems and is too big for her). I had a smile on my face the whole time while watching this delightful show and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on the second stage through September 2.

Gentri Sings Broadway at HCT

Bradley Quinn Lever, Brad Robbins, and Casey Elliott met each other in 2014 when they were cast as Enjolras, Marius, and Jean Valjean, respectively, in a production of Les Miserables at HCT (I don't remember if I saw them then but I definitely remember seeing them reprise their roles in HCT's 2021 production). The three of them have beautiful tenor voices and, when they realized how well they harmonized together, they formed The Gentlemen's Trio (or Gentri as they now refer to themselves). I love them (especially when they sing Christmas music) so, when I heard that they were performing a series of concerts at HCT in honor of their 10 year anniversary as a group, I immediately got a ticket! I had just enough time to get cleaned up from my camping trip for the concert last night and I enjoyed every minute, especially since the program featured all of the songs from their latest album, Broadway. They began with their original song "Dare" and then continued with "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha. Their Music Director, Stephen Nelson, writes beautiful arrangements for them and I especially loved their version of "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music because the harmonies gave me goosebumps! They dedicated their song "Lullaby" to all of their children and then performed an incredible cover of "Let It Be" by The Beatles (sigh). They performed an emotional rendition of "Home" and then the crowd went crazy when they sang "A Million Dreams" from The Greatest Showman. One of my favorite moments came next when they sang a medley from The Phantom of the Opera including "Think of Me," "The Music of the Night," and "The Phantom of the Opera" and then they blew the roof off the theater with a powerful version of "Defying Gravity" from Wicked to close out their first set. After the intermission, they performed stirring renditions of their original songs "Soldier" and "On the Outside" and then they let the audience vote on the next song ("Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts won but I really wanted to hear "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan).  Next came "Out There" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and a moving version of "Somewhere" from West Side Story. To finish the set, Lever sang "Do You Hear the People Sing?" as Enjolras, Robbins sang "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" as Marius (this brought a tear to my eye), and Elliott sang "Bring Him Home" as Valjean. I absolutely loved hearing these songs from Les Miserables and this was definitely the highlight of the show for me (and the rest of the audience judging from the reaction). For the encore, they sang "Make You Feel My Love" and I think it is because I screamed so loud for it when the audience was voting for the next song! They were so charming and had some hilarious interactions with the audience. The Jewel Box Stage is very intimate (I was sitting on the front row) and Lever, my favorite, actually did look at me several times and smile (sigh) but during "Think of Me" he gave a rose to the woman sitting two seats down from me (so close!). They all spoke about the power of theatre to connect people and I loved seeing photos of them from various shows they have been in (even from high school). I really had to rush to get to the show on time (I even left all of my camping gear in my car) but it was worth the effort because it was an amazing concert! They will be in residence on the Jewel Box Stage until August 23 and, if you want to see them, you need to act quickly because most shows are sold out (go here). I also highly recommend getting a ticket for one of their Christmas shows at the Eccles Theater on November 28 & 29 (go here).

A Week of Solo Camping

I spent the last five days solo camping at my very favorite campsite and it was so much fun!  Kristine and Trent bought a new springbar tent and they let me field test it before they use it this weekend.  I was really impressed with it because it has a lot of room inside (I am very tall and I could stand upright in it) and it is very sturdy.

The temperature was very pleasant during the day but it cooled down at night so I built a fire every evening and every morning to keep myself warm.  I really love sitting by a campfire because it is so mesmerizing!

I spent some time exploring the area.  The North fork of the Duschesne River runs in between the Aspen campground (where I was staying) and the Iron Mine campground and there are some beautiful views.  I also had to take yet another picture of "Old Stoneface" because I think it is so cool.  The campground was so quiet at night and I could hear the river as I went to sleep which was very relaxing (I slept really well because I went to bed when it got dark and woke up naturally when it got light).

I took a day trip to Moon Lake (it is a beautiful drive) and I had the beach all to myself for several hours!

It was so wonderful to have nothing to do and nowhere to be (with limited wi-fi).  I loved making and eating every meal outside because I think everything tastes so much better outside and I also loved reading (I finished two books) in my camp chair under a large pine tree while chipmunks and hummingbirds entertained me (I didn't see any deer which I sometimes do at this campground).  This was an incredible experience in so many ways and I am kind of proud of myself (Trent called me a bad ass and I like the sound of that).  I have camped this long by myself before but it was always in the trailer and now I know that I can rough it!