Caught Stealing

Last night my nephew and I returned to the Broadway for another double feature.  We started with Caught Stealing, which is a movie that both of us were excited to see, and we really liked it!  Henry "Hank" Thompson (Austin Butler) is a former baseball phenom whose life and career were derailed by a car accident that took the life of his friend.  It is now 1998 and he is slumming as a bartender in New York City but still makes a point of cheering for the San Francisco Giants.  When his punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to watch his cat Bud (Tonic) after he is unexpectedly summoned home to London, his girlfriend Yvonne (Zoe Kravitz) convinces him to do it even though he doesn't like cats.  However, this brings him unwanted attention from two Russian mobsters (Yuri Kolokolnikov and Nikita Kukushkin), their Puerto Rican associate (Benito Martinez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny), and a narcotics detective (Regina King), who are all looking for the money Russ stole from two Hasidic drug dealers (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onofrio) who are also looking for the money.  Hank is beaten, bruised, and chased all over New York but, when his friends and family are threatened, he must finally reconcile his past (and rescue Bud).  This thriller is a lot of fun with some humorous scenes involving a cat who bites, a perpetually annoyed neighbor (George Abud), a black and white cookie, a shabbos dinner (with Carol Kane), and the propitious use of a Giants hat but the tension keeps escalating with stakes that are much higher than I was expecting (the trailer is a bit misleading) because Hank has no idea what Russ has gotten him into or how to get himself out of the mess.  There are some fantastic action sequences, particularly several spectacular chases and car crashes, with epic needle drops (my favorite was "Rock You Like a Hurricane" by the Scorpions).  The ensemble cast is great, especially Schreiber and D'Onofrio who play the most unlikely villains, but Butler is very impressive in both the action scenes and the more poignant moments.  Darren Aronofsky is very hit or miss with me but I think this is probably his most entertaining movie and I highly recommend it.

Something Rotten at The Ruth

I have now seen the musical Something Rotten many times (I have already seen it twice this year with another production scheduled in a few months) but that didn't damper my excitement for The Ruth's version last night in the least!  I always joke that it was written specifically for me because I am a former English teacher who loves musical theatre and I don't think I stopped laughing once while watching this entertaining show!  Brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom (Ryan Shepherd and Austin Dorman, respectively) are desperate to write a hit play but they are constantly overshadowed by the wildly popular William Shakespeare (Jordan Nicholes).  When the soothsayer Thomas Nostradamus (Scott Rollins) tells Nick that the future of theatre involves singing and dancing, they set out to write the world's first musical.  However, inspiration fails so Nick returns to Nostradamus to learn what Shakespeare's most popular play will be and Omelette The Musical is born!  Eventually, the Bottom brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self.  I loved everyone in the cast but there were several standouts for me.  Rollins had everyone in the audience laughing out loud at his antics while trying to see the future (at one point he was lying upside down on a set of stairs).  Ondine Morgan-Garner as Portia, the repressed daughter of a Puritan and the love interest of Nigel, has hilarious facial expressions as she responds with *ahem* pleasure to Nigel's poetry (much of the profanity is toned down but most of the innuendos remain).  Nicholes oozes charisma as the bard and he is an incredible dancer with some impressive rock star moves (I especially loved the moonwalking and the athletic jumps in the song "Will Power").  However, I think Matt Baxter steals the show as Brother Jeremiah because his physicality and line deliveries are both playful and naughty (he is positively gleeful whenever he accuses the theatres of debauchery).  I really like Izzy Arrieta as a choreographer and his work in this show is very dynamic, especially with such a small stage.  I absolutely loved seeing so many different styles of dance from specific Broadway shows in "A Musical" and "Make an Omelette."  I always notice something new in these numbers every time I see this show and, in this production, I noticed references to The Music Man in both of them.  The set, which is configured as an Elizabethan theatre, is different from the ones I've seen in other versions but it is very effective and I particularly loved the backdrop used on the balcony (it reminded me of The Unicorn Tapestries).  I also loved the period costumes.  My favorite is the one worn by Lord Clapham (Josh Tenney) because it features pink and purple frills and it makes his line accusing Nick of making him look ridiculous even funnier!  If you are a fan of this show I definitely recommend getting a ticket (go here) because this production is very well done!  It runs in the Smith Grand Theatre through October 4.

Relay

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway with my nephew last night was Relay.  This is an old-fashioned thriller with a clever premise that kept me invested until the final twist and I really liked it.  Ash (Riz Ahmed) is a clandestine fixer who specializes in brokering deals between whistleblowers and corrupt corporations.  He is also a recovering alcoholic with complicated reasons for doing what he does. In order to maintain his anonymity, he communicates with his clients through a relay service used by the deaf and hard of hearing to make and receive phone calls because they have strict rules regarding confidentiality and do not keep records.  He goes to extreme lengths to keep himself and his clients safe by establishing elaborate rules and procedures and insists that they be followed explicitly.  He is contacted by Sarah Grant (Lily James), a woman in possession of documents implicating Cybo Semantis Research Institutes in a cover-up of the toxic side effects found in their genetically engineered wheat, because the company has been intimidating and harassing her ahead of a lucrative merger.  He helps her elude a team led by a man in the company's employ named Dawson (Sam Worthington) and arranges for a document handoff with the CEO but, when the plan goes awry, he breaks his own rule and contacts her directly to protect her.  The first half of this movie involves a slow and steady build-up involving surveillance, counter-surveillance, hidden cameras, disguises, and other elements of spycraft but it is strangely compelling because Ahmed gives such a gripping performance.  The action ramps up in the second half, including a suspenseful dead drop in the middle of Times Square and a tense chase sequence during a symphony performance, with lots of twists and turns to keep the audience guessing (I did predict a big twist early on but I was still surprised by the motivation for it).  I thoroughly enjoyed this and I recommend seeking it out as it is another movie that seems to be flying under the radar.

Honey Don't

Even though I was not a fan of Drive-Away Dolls (to put it mildly), I decided to see Honey Don't, the second in Ethan Coen's proposed lesbian trilogy, with my nephew as the first in a double feature at the Broadway last night.  Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this movie, either, and I will definitely not be seeing the third one.  Honey O'Donahue (Margaret Qualley) is a tough-as-nails private detective in Bakersfield, California who visits the scene of a fatal car crash after she discovers that the victim had scheduled an appointment with her for later that day.  She begins investigating and discovers that her death may not have been an accident.  Honey is a compelling character because she is a throwback to the famous private detectives in classic noir thrillers and Qualley does a good job embodying her world-weary, cynical, and stoic attitude but there is not much for her to do because the central mystery is so underdeveloped.  There are lots of fun and eccentric characters, including Drew Devlin (Chris Evans), a sleazy reverend who uses his church as a front for trafficking drugs, Chére (Lera Abrova), a fixer in town to keep Drew in line for his mysterious bosses, Marty Metakawich (Charlie Day), a police detective who propositions Honey every time he sees her despite the fact that she likes girls, MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza), a troubled police officer involved with Honey, Heidi O'Donahue (Kristen Connolly), Honey's sister who struggles to keep her many children under control including her rebellious daughter Corinne (Talia Ryder), Honey and Heidi's estranged father (Kale Browne) who wants to reconnect with them, and Shuggie (Josh Pafcheck), Drew's incompetent henchman, but most of these characters are involved in random subplots that go nowhere.  The resolution is very abrupt and unexpected and the killer's motivation makes absolutely no sense.  Finally, there are many continuity errors and, even though this is a very minor point, they really bugged me.  Honestly, the only point of this movie seems to be to show as much gratuitous sex as possible.  I was really hopeful that I would like this because the opening credits are some of the best I've seen but it is a jumbled mess and I recommend that you don't watch it.

Note:  I think Ethan Coen should stop collaborating with his wife and start collaborating with his brother again.

Aaron Tveit at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre

I am a huge fan of musical theatre so I could not have been more excited for last night's concert at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre with Broadway star Aaron Tveit! It was a beautiful night (the temperature was perfect) filled with beautiful music and I loved every minute! Tveit was backed by the Utah Valley Symphony under the baton of Cheung Chau and he told the crowd that he specifically picked the songs in his setlist in order to take advantage of singing with an orchestra. It was an eclectic program as a result but I really enjoyed it! He began with a beautiful version of "Fly Me to the Moon" which I loved because I went through a Frank Sinatra phase when I was in my twenties (it was a strange time).  He continued with "Younger Than Springtime" from South Pacific and then returned to music made famous by the Rat Pack with performances of "What Kind of Fool Am I?" and "The World We Knew" (this was a highlight for me because it is one of my favorite songs by Sinatra and I still remember every word!). Next came "You Can't Tame Me" and "Doorway to Where" from Schmigadoon (I am so sad that we didn't get a third season of this show). Another highlight came next when he performed "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from Les Miserables. He played Enjolras in the movie adaptation but he told the crowd that he auditioned for Marius and so he wanted to sing one of his songs for us. This always brings a tear to my eye and his arrangement was amazing! He originated the role of Christian in Moulin Rouge on Broadway so he ended his first set with "El Tango de Roxanne" and this made all of the theatre girlies in the audience lose their minds! Just kidding. I lost my mind. I am theatre girlies. Tveit took a short break while the orchestra played "Polovtsian Dances" from the opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin. The audience got a bit restless during this number but I really enjoyed it (you know I love the Russian composers). He returned to the stage for a medley from West Side Story, featuring "Maria," "Something's Coming," and "Tonight," and joked that he had never played Tony in a professional production but he did play him in eleventh grade! Next came the Sammy Davis, Jr. version of  "As Long As She Needs Me" from Oliver (he really likes the Rat Pack). He continued with "Johanna" from Sweeney Todd. He played the role of Sweeney on Broadway but I am glad he sang Anthony's song from the show because his version was beautiful!  He told the crowd  that he was inspired to sing his next song, "What Was I Made For?" from the movie Barbie, when he saw Billie Eilish perform it with a full orchestra at the Oscars and this brought another tear to my eye! He ended this set with an incredible version of "Being Alive" from Company which gave me goosebumps! For the encore, he sang "Your Song" from Moulin Rouge which brought the crowd (one of the biggest I've seen at the SCERA Shell) to their feet! Not only does Tveit have an incredible voice, he is also very charming and I enjoyed all of the anecdotes interspersed between the songs. I have been looking forward to this concert all summer (I bought a ticket they day they went on sale) and it was thrilling to hear him perform live after being a fan for so long!

Note: I love SCERA because, among other things, they brought both of my theatre crushes, Aaron Tveit and Jeremy Jordan, to town for amazing concerts!  The couple next to me argued over which concert was better and they wanted me to be the tie breaker but I couldn't possibly choose!