The Long Walk

I am a huge fan of Stephen King but the movie adaptations of his books are hit or miss with me (The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and The Shining are among my favorites and The Dark Tower is definitely my least favorite) so I was both excited and nervous to see The Long Walk last night with my nephew.  I am happy to report, Constant Readers, that it is in the former category!  It is set in a dystopian future in which an economic collapse after a devastating civil war has led to a totalitarian regime.  Circumstances have become so dire for the population that thousands of young men volunteer to be part of an annual televised event called "The Long Walk."  Fifty are chosen to compete and they must walk at a steady pace of 3 miles per hour (those who fall below that pace are given three warnings and then are executed by soldiers) along a predetermined route until only one is left to be declared the winner and rewarded with a substantial cash prize and the fulfillment of a wish.  The contest is overseen by the Major (Mark Hamill) who taunts the boys as they battle against fatigue, the elements, and their own inner demons.  At the start of the race Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) says an emotional goodbye to his mother Ginnie (Judy Greer), befriends Peter McVries (David Jonsson), Hank Olsen (Ben Wang), Arthur Baker (Tut Nyuot), Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick) and Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), and antagonizes Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer).  As the race continues for four brutal days and nights and the boys are killed one by one, Ray and Peter form a meaningful friendship and help each other survive as long as they can.  This is one of the bleakest movies I have ever seen because, not only is the story about people so desperate that they are willing to participate in an ordeal of state-sanctioned violence in which they have almost no chance of success just for the possibility of bettering their lives, it features color grading that is washed out and muted as well as locations that reflect the economic depression in the country (all of the towns they walk through seem abandoned and the spectators look as if they could be extras in The Grapes of Wrath).  However, I loved the portrayal of friendship and how the boys are able to comfort and support each other in moments of extreme duress and, even though the ending is ambiguous, I interpret it as somewhat hopeful for the fate of humanity.  I was very surprised by how compelling this movie is (I didn't think the premise could be sustained for so long) and this is due, in large part, to the dynamic performances of Hoffman and Jonsson (some of their interactions brought tears to my eyes).  I especially loved a monologue delivered by Jonsson in which he says that his whole life has been a long walk and that you just have to keep going.  This is extremely well done and I highly recommend it with the proviso that the violence is very graphic.

Silent Sky at Parker Theatre

I have seen two very different productions of the play Silent Sky, an elaborate and stylized one at HCT and a more stripped down version at the Empress Theatre, so I was really eager to see what Parker Theatre would do with it. I had the opportunity last night and I think the staging falls somewhere in between the two and I loved it just as much. It is a beautiful story about the real-life astronomer Henrietta Leavitt (Emma Widtfeldt) and her trailblazing discovery that allowed future astronomers to calculate the distance between galaxies. She begins working in the Observatory at Harvard University in 1900 as a human computer along with Annie Cannon (Emily Parker Holmgren) and Williamina Fleming (Hillary McChesney) and, even though they are not allowed to use the university's refracting telescope because they are women, her questions about the universe compel her to work long hours analyzing the images on the glass photographic plates taken from the telescope. However, her dedication to her work puts her at odds with her sister Margaret (Jalyn Bender) over family obligations and with her supervisor Peter Shaw (William McAllister) over their romantic relationship but her legacy is secured. What I love most about this story, besides seeing a group of strong and determined women defy societal expectations, is the exploration of what a legacy means through the juxtaposition of the two sisters. The play opens with Margaret receiving a marriage proposal and Henrietta receiving a job offer and this is very effective because it establishes that Margaret believes in home and family while Henrietta believes in opportunity and hard work. Then, in the epilogue, we learn about Margaret's children and grandchildren as well as the lasting impact of Henrietta's work (including the Hubble telescope) and that both legacies are equally valuable. Widtfeldt gives a lovely performance that is more subdued in the portrayal of Henrietta's romance with Peter but more passionate in her search for answers than I have seen before. I especially enjoyed her excitement when she makes an important connection while listening to her sister play the piano and her exhilaration at seeing her work published. The rest of the cast is also outstanding and I particularly loved McChesney's imperiousness (I laughed out loud at her sash and pamphlets) and McAllister's awkwardness. The set is simple but effective and includes an academic office with desks and stools (I loved the way the glass photographic plates are displayed) and smaller set pieces for Margaret's home in Wisconsin, Henrietta's apartment in Cambridge, and an ocean liner. There are stunning images from space projected on scrims multiple times throughout the show and the depiction of the telescope is very dramatic. The lighting design is also very dramatic, especially the spotlights on characters as they read letters to Henrietta. While each production that I've seen has been very different, the commonality is a beautiful and inspiring story and I highly recommend getting a ticket Parker's version playing Fridays and Saturdays through October 11. Go here for tickets.

National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire

Yesterday afternoon I was able to see a screening of the National Theatre Live production of A Streetcar Named Desire, filmed live in 2014 at the Young Vic in London, presented by the Tanner Humanities Center and Salt Lake Film Society.  I was blown away by this bold interpretation of the classic play by Tennessee Williams!  Blanche DuBois (Gillian Anderson) arrives unannounced at the New Orleans apartment of her sister Stella Kowalski (Vanessa Kirby) and tells her that she has lost Belle Reve, their ancestral home in Mississippi, and has taken a leave of absence from her teaching job.  She intends to stay for an indeterminate amount of time and this, along with her obvious disdain for the cramped apartment in a working class neighborhood, earns her the enmity of Stella's husband Stanley (Ben Foster).  The genteel Southern belle shows her contempt for the crude and often violent mechanic on a daily basis until he discovers that she is not quite as respectable as she pretends to be.  When Stanley ruins Blanche's chances with a new suitor (Corey Johnson), the two of them have a highly charged physical confrontation which forces Stella to choose between her sister and her husband.  This is over three hours long and I was completely riveted!  The most intriguing aspect of this production is the set because, not only is it very modern and minimalist (everything is a bright white and looks like it came from Ikea), it continually revolves which provides a 360 degree view of what is happening.  This staging allows the audience to see the characters during moments when they are not part of the action and this really emphasizes the claustrophobia of the Kowalski apartment.  It also gives a new perspective on the characters and I found them to be much more sympathetic than I usually do (especially when Stanley sits on the fire escape and overhears Blanche tell Stella to leave him and when Blanche soaks in the bathtub and overhears Stanley criticize her).  I think this was probably even more powerful live because the camera often dictates where the audience should look in the filmed version.  The three central performances are all outstanding but Anderson is absolutely brilliant because you can actually see moments of fragility behind the haughty exterior.  The scene when she comes undone in a ball gown, a rhinestone tiara, and smudged lipstick is very powerful but I found her expression when trying to summon her dignity before being led away by the doctor to be one of the most poignant things I've seen on stage (or screen).  My only criticism is that some of the anachronistic dialogue should have been cut to fit the more contemporary set, costumes, and music (I found the line about Edgar Allan Poe in reference to the Kowalski apartment to be incredibly incongruous).  I loved seeing this (I wish I could have seen it live) and I am looking forward to the upcoming National Theatre Live productions of Inter Alia on October 18 and Mrs. Warren's Profession on November 8 at the Broadway.

The Full Monty at the Grand Theatre

Last night I went to the musical The Full Monty at the Grand Theatre.  I saw the Broadway touring production but that was over 20 years ago so I was really excited to see it again!  An unemployed steel worker in Buffalo, New York named Jerry Lukowski (Aaron Naylor) is worried when his ex-wife Pam (Becca Lemon) threatens to take full custody of their son Nathan (Oscar Bateman-Rapier) because he hasn't been paying child support.  He and his best friend Dave Bukatinsky (Trevor Blair) follow Pam and Dave's wife Georgie (Maggie Gadd) into a club where they have gone to see the Chippendales dancers and he gets the idea to form a striptease group himself to make some fast cash.  He eventually convinces Dave, who is self-conscious about his weight, and they recruit Malcolm MacGregor (Darrin Burnett), who is under the thumb of his invalid mother Molly (Chloe Ray Wood), and coerce Harold Nichols (Skylar Hawker), who hasn't told his materialistic wife Vicki (Alexa Shaheen) that he lost his job.  After they hold try-outs at the abandoned steel mill with Jeanette (Brandwynn Michelle), a chain-smoking veteran of show business who came with the piano, and add Noah "Horse" Simmons (Kiirt Banks), who is old with arthritis but can really dance, and Ethan Girad (Ian Fernandez Andersen), who is *ahem* well-endowed, they begin rehearsing as the group "Hot Metal."  Complications ensue but, with nothing left to lose, they decide to go "the full monty," or strip all the way, during their show and they not only impress their friends and family but they find their self-respect again!  This was so much fun and I loved it when the ensemble came out in the audience to get us cheering during the song "Let It Go" for Hot Metal's striptease (it got pretty rowdy!).  The main cast gives incredibly brave and heartwarming performances and they all have beautiful voices.  I especially loved Naylor in "Breeze Off the River," Blair and Hawker in "You Rule My World," and MacGregor and Andersen in "You Walk With Me."  Banks is a fabulous dancer and Michelle is an absolute hoot (I loved the plume of smoke that followed her).  The choreography is really clever, especially in "Michael Jordan's Ball" when the men equate dancing with playing sports and in "The Goods" when the men see what it feels like to be judged by their appearance like women are.  I also really enjoyed the costumes (the hockey fan in me loved all of Buffalo Sabres shirts) and the set made of wood, corrugated metal, and brick panels which are reconfigured throughout to become various locations is very effective at conveying a time and place.  This is a feel good show that will definitely have you cheering at the end (keep in mind that it does feature lots of profanity and nudity) and I had a great time!  It runs at the Grand Theatre on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through October 4 and tickets may be purchased here.

Flowers for Mrs. Harris at The Ruth

Last night, for the second night in a row, I was able to see a show that was new to me (a rare treat).  This time it was the North American premiere of the musical Flowers For Mrs. Harris at The Ruth.  I really love the movie, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, but I didn't love this adaptation quite as much.  Ada Harris (Dianna Graham) is a war widow in 1950s London who is content with her life working as a cleaning lady and spending time with the spirit of her dead husband (David Morley-Walker) and her friend Violet Butterfield (Janae Koralewski Thomas) until she sees a glamorous Dior gown owned by Lady Dant (Melanie Muranaka), one of her wealthy clients, and dreams of owning one herself.  She scrimps and saves and even takes in sewing in order to afford a Dior original but she still willingly helps everyone around her, including Bob Smith (Tanner Sumens), Pamela Penrose (Neena Warburton), Major Wallace (Jeff Thompson), and Countess Wyszcinska (Marcie Jacobsen).  She eventually travels to Paris to choose her gown and her kindness transforms the lives of everyone at the House of Dior, including Madame Colbert (Melanie Muranaka), Monsieur Armand (Jeff Thompson), Andre Fauvel (Tanner Sumens), and Natasha Raimbault (Neena Warburton).  When she returns home to London, she realizes that she has something much more meaningful than a dress.  I really love the message about the importance of having a dream, even one that is seemingly impossible, and the willingness to work hard in order to achieve it.  I also love the message about the importance of kindness and that it will eventually be rewarded in unexpected ways.  The design of this show is beautiful and I especially loved the multi-level rotating set featuring Ada's London flat on one side and the House of Dior on the other as well as the gorgeous couture gowns based on flowers (my favorite was "The Bluebell").  Graham gives a lovely performance that is very moving and it was fun to see most of the actors playing two similar characters in both London and Paris.  Unfortunately, I did not care for the music because it features lots of dialogue that is sung, instead of spoken, without a melody (much like a recitative in an opera) and I often found the piano accompaniment to be discordant (this may be due to the sound mixing because the music often overshadowed the voices).  The man sitting next to me said that he didn't think he would be humming any of the songs in the lobby after the show because they weren't very memorable.  An exception is the song "Rain On Me" because it is quite poignant and I really enjoyed it and its reprises.  I wish I could say that I loved this more than I did but I am glad that I saw it because it is always nice to see something new.  It runs in the Lindsay Legacy Theater through November 15 and tickets may be purchased here.