A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

I was on the fence about A Big Bold Beautiful Journey because the trailer didn't really do it for me but I ultimately decided to see it at the Broadway last night because I really like the director Kogonada (I think After Yang is brilliant) as well as actors Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie.  I should have trusted my instincts because I found this very disappointing.  David (Farrell) and Sarah (Robbie), both unhappy and alone, are compelled to rent the same 1994 Saturn SL from a quirky agency in order to attend an out of town wedding.  They meet and immediately decide that they are all wrong for each other but, when Sarah's car won't start, David offers to drive her home.  However, the GPS device (voiced by Jodie Turner-Smith) directs them to stop at various locations where they find doors that are really portals to various moments from their past, both real and imagined, which provide them with epiphanies intended to help them realize that they belong together.  I have to admit that this kind of movie is not really my thing but I think that even fans of the genre will find this as lifeless and boring as I did.  The premise of going back in time to learn from past mistakes is really intriguing but I could never figure out what the characters were meant to learn from these interludes because there are so many conflicting ideas and the filmmakers clearly think they are more profound than they actually are.  Farrell and Robbie are good actors but their performances in this are so bland (Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Kevin Kline are more interesting in their brief time on screen as employees of the car rental agency) and they have absolutely no chemistry (at no time did I think the characters belonged together).  The dialogue is incredibly contrived, even for a high concept film, and I started losing interest after yet another endless conversation about how wrong Sarah is for David.  Some of the visuals are gorgeous and I liked all of the Laufey needle drops but this was definitely a slog to get through and I recommend giving it a miss.

Sister Act at HCT

Last night I went to Sister Act at HCT and, even though I wasn't especially looking forward to it because I have seen it so many times, I had a lot of fun watching this production. The musical is based on the 1992 movie of the same name and follows a lounge singer named Deloris Van Cartier (Mack) as she wreaks havoc on the convent where she has been placed for her protection until she can testify against her mobster boyfriend by taking over the choir. The entire cast is fantastic but I really liked Mack because she gives Deloris an emotional depth that I haven't see before, especially in her renditions of "Fabulous, Baby" and its reprise, Aioleoge Lesa as Curtis because he has a deep and sonorous voice (he reminded me of Barry White) and his version of "When I Find My Baby" is silky smooth, Christian Patrick Wawro as Eddie because he also has a great voice and his performance of "I Could Be That Guy" is very entertaining, and Ric Starnes as Monsignor O'Hara because his facial expressions are hilarious (I almost died laughing when he introduces the nuns like Ed McMahon introducing Johnny Carson). I also really enjoyed Bonnie Wilson Whitlock (she is a hoot in every show she is in) as the elderly nun Sister Mary Theresa and Sharon Lynn Kenison (another favorite from many local shows) as the cantankerous nun Sister Mary Lazarus because they both maintain their amusing characterizations throughout the whole show. I loved the choreography for the nuns in "Take Me to Heaven," "Sunday Morning Fever," and "Spread the Love Around," because the patterns they create across the floor are very creative (the integration of several props is especially fun), and for Curtis's henchmen TJ (Alec Powell), Joey (Abrin Tinney), and Pablo (Angel Martinez) in "Lady in a Long Black Dress," because they had the entire audience laughing out loud, especially for all of TJ's seductive poses! The sets are completely over the top with an awesome 1970s aesthetic (the shag carpet!) and I was quite impressed with the attention to detail, particularly in the dive bar and Eddie's apartment (it is very clever how it transforms into a club for the reprise of "Fabulous, Baby"). The Gothic arches hanging throughout the theater and the stained glass windows on the LED screens really add to the overall effect. The costumes also have a 1970s vibe (the leisure suits!) and I especially loved the pink and gold lamé outfits worn by Deloris's back-up dancers in the reprise of "Fabulous, Baby" and I loved how the Monsignor's vestments and the nuns's habits get more and more elaborate and bedazzled as the show goes on. This production really won me over and I recommend it for a fun night out (go here for tickets). It runs on the Young Living Centre Stage through October 25.

Note:  I also highly recommend the thoroughly entertaining show The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 now on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through November 15 (go here for tickets).

The History of Sound

I have wanted to see The History of Sound ever since I learned about it because I am a big fan of both Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor and I finally had the chance last night at the Broadway.  It is a meditative, meandering, and melancholy portrait of forbidden love so, of course, I absolutely loved it!  Lionel Worthing (Mescal), a sensitive farm boy from Kentucky, and David White (O'Connor), a wealthy and charismatic orphan from Newport, Rhode Island, meet in 1917 as students at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and bond over their shared love of folk music.  They begin an affair but are separated when David is drafted to fight in World War I and Lionel returns to the farm.  They are both unhappy without each other so, after the war, David invites Lionel to assist him while traveling throughout rural Maine to collect recordings of folk songs on wax cylinders.  Even though he is happier than he has ever been during this interlude, Lionel realizes that a relationship with David is not possible when he suggests getting teaching positions near each other and they reluctantly part. He attempts to communicate with David but gives up when his letters go unanswered and spends the next few years pining for him while pursuing unhappy relationships and performing in Europe.  Lionel eventually finds closure and lets the memory of David go only to discover later in life the impact they both had on each other.  I really love a scene where Lionel explains that sound is able to be captured on a wax cylinder because, even though it cannot be seen, it creates a vibration that can be felt and this becomes a meaningful metaphor for the relationship between Lionel and David.  The narrative moves at a languid pace (so much longing!), loses focus in the second half (I really missed the presence of O'Connor on screen), and concludes with heartache and yet I still found it to be very compelling.  The cinematography featuring muted colors is beautiful, the score is incredibly evocative, and the nuanced performances are lovely.  I also really enjoyed all of the folk music used throughout, especially "The Unquiet Grave" because it foreshadows an important turning point for Lionel.  This might not appeal to everyone because it is so restrained but I recommend it to fans of the actors.

Him

I was really intrigued by the trailer for Him so my nephew and I went to see it last night.  It has received mostly negative reviews but I actually liked it and what it has to say about the culture of football.  His father wants Cameron "Cam" Cade (Tyriq Withers) to be the greatest football player of all time so he continues playing even though his heart is no longer in it just to please him.  Years later, he is now a star quarterback being eyed by the eight-time world champion San Antonio Saviors but a traumatic brain injury prevents him from participating in the league combine.  He thinks his prospects are ruined until Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), the legendary quarterback for the Saviors who is contemplating retirement, invites Cam to train with him at his isolated compound in the desert to see if he has what it takes to replace him.  He subjects Cam to more and more disturbing physical and psychological tests which culminate in a one-on-one battle to the death to see who will be the starting quarterback. I found this to be incredibly thought-provoking.  The metaphor comparing football to religion, the players to messianic figures, and the fans to zealots is fascinating because it actually rings true.  I also liked the theme that football serves the same purpose that gladiator contests once did in ancient Rome because that also seems very accurate.  It definitely condemns the violence inherent in the game as well as exploitation by the owners, management, and agents who value the money to be made from the sport over the well-being of the players.  The cinematography and editing are very chaotic and the tone is surrealistic, sometimes even absurd (especially a twist in the third act), but I think the disorientation serves to emphasize how completely Cam must lose himself in order to succeed. I was impressed with the performances because Wayans is absolutely unhinged and Withers does a good job portraying the pressure that players are under but I especially loved Julia Fox because she provides a lot of comic relief as White's influencer wife.  There are flaws and it is definitely not for everyone (it is extremely violent and unsettling) but my nephew and I both kind of dug it.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts

Last night I went to see The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts and, even though I recently saw an outstanding production, I love this musical and I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing it so I really enjoyed this version, too! It tells Victor Hugo's classic story about how a gypsy girl named Esmeralda (Rose Fletcher) inadvertently captivates Claude Frollo (Andrew Lambert), the Archdeacon of Notre Dame Cathedral, Phoebus de Martin (Adam Moore), the Captain of the Cathedral Guard, and Quasimodo (Benjamin Oldroyd), a deformed boy who has been hidden in the bell tower his whole life, which brings about tragedy and redemption. I love just about every song and the talented cast sings them beautifully! Oldroyd is incredible (he is one of the best Quasimodos I've seen) and his versions of "Out There" and "Heaven's Light" are beautiful and filled with both wonder and longing while his version of "Made of Stone" is incredibly plaintive. Fletcher is alluring in "The Rhythm of the Tambourine" (she is a great dancer) and playful in "Top of the World" with Oldroyd but her emotional performances of "God Help the Outcasts" (my favorite song in the show) and "Someday" with Moore brought tears to my eyes.  Lambert portrays Frollo's torment very well and his powerful rendition of "Hellfire" gave me goosebumps. I also loved the portrayal of the Saints (Stan Peck, Krystal Bigler, Sarah Glancy, Lindsey Lebaron, Tanner Lybbert, Shawna Packer, and Xander Richey) because they have some of the best costumes I have seen and their interactions with Quasimodo are highly amusing in "Out There," "Top of the World," and "Flight into Egypt" but poignant in "Made of Stone" (I love how they turn back to stone when they abandon him). One of my favorite aspects of this production is the choreography because it so exuberant and athletic, especially in "Topsy Turvy," "The Tavern Song," and "The Court of Miracles," and the ensemble does an amazing job with it (I loved all of Keith Allen's flips as Clopin). I was also impressed by the clever staging of "Hellfire," the rescue of Esmeralda from the pyre, and Frollo's fall from the bell tower. The elaborate set features a dramatic multi-level stone cathedral dominated by a stunning rose window which then becomes the bell tower, the town square, and the Court of Miracles with the addition of several pieces moved on and off stage by the ensemble. This is a wonderful production of one of my favorite shows and I am glad that I got to see it again! It runs through October 4 and tickets may be purchased here.