Black Phone 2

I was really surprised by how much I liked The Black Phone so I was excited to be able to see the sequel, Black Phone 2, with my nephew last night.  I think it takes a lot of the ideas explored in the first movie and expands upon them.  Four years after Finney Blake (Mason Thames) killed the Grabber (Ethan Hawke), his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is having disturbing dreams about three dead boys at the Alpine Lake Camp, including one in which her late mother Hope (Anna Lore), who worked at the camp, calls her from a pay phone there.  Finney is still traumatized by his experience with the Grabber but he reluctantly agrees to go with Gwen and her boyfriend Ernesto (Miguel Mora), the brother of one of the Grabber's victims, to investigate the camp.  They arrive in the middle of a severe snowstorm and are stranded there with Armando (Demian Bichir), the owner of the camp, who remembers Hope and the three campers who were killed by a counselor and never found.  When Gwen begins having disturbing interactions with the Grabber in her dreams, Finney receives a call on the pay phone from him vowing to kill Gwen as retribution for his death.  They eventually realize that the Grabber was the one who killed the boys and that they must find their bodies in order end his power over Gwen.  What I enjoyed most about this story is that it mirrors the one in the original.  In the first movie, Gwen uses her supernatural ability to help Finney defeat a real monster and, in this one, Finney uses his real ability to help Gwen defeat a supernatural threat.  I also liked the continued use of the phone as a link to those beyond the grave, especially the connection between Gwen and her mother which becomes more significant as the movie progresses.  Gwen's dream sequences have a grainy Super 8 film aesthetic and feature plenty of gory imagery, particularly a decapitation using a windowpane, but my favorite scene is when Finney interacts with the three dead campers while in the phone booth because it is incredibly unnerving.  Thames and McGraw give great performances but Bichir is used mostly for exposition and there are a few other characters who feel a bit extraneous.  I think this is a good sequel but what keeps it from being a great one, in my opinion, is all of the cringe-worthy dialogue (of which there is a lot).  I still really liked it and would definitely recommend it to fans of horror.

National Theatre Live: Inter Alia

Yesterday afternoon I was really excited to see a screening of the National Theatre Live production of Inter Alia which was filmed earlier this year at the Lyttelton Theatre in London and presented by the Tanner Humanities Center and Salt Lake Film Society.  This new play by the same team responsible for the hit Prima Facie is brilliant and I was blown away by Rosamund Pike's powerful performance.  Jessica Parks (Pike) is a ground-breaking Crown Court Judge as well as a wife to Michael Wheatley (Jamie Glover) and a mother to eighteen-year-old Harry (Jasper Talbot).  While she is a rock star in the courtroom (she is backed by a band who performs live on stage during the courtroom scenes) known for refusing to back down from the misogynistic barristers who appear before her and for her tough stance on the perpetrators of sexual violence, she frequently feels compelled to downplay her accomplishments to soothe the ego of her husband, who is a less successful barrister, and defers to him in matters relating to their son because he is a man and she thinks that he can relate to what Harry is experiencing more than she can.  She shoulders most of the responsibilities for running the household (there is an incredible scene in which she frantically prepares for a dinner party as Michael and Harry make demands of her) and often feels guilty about her perceived failures as a mother.  Her professional and personal worlds collide when Harry is accused of rape at a party and her role as a judge who advocates for the rights of victims is at odds with her role as a mother who wants to save her son.  Pike is in constant motion, moving between a platform upstage, which represents her courtroom, an elaborate set center stage, which represents her home, and a large screen downstage, which depicts flashbacks with Harry as a child, as she juggles all of Jessica's many responsibilities (inter alia is a legal term which means "among other things"), and she deftly manages multiple costume changes on stage and a myriad of props.  She also effectively portrays many competing emotions, from a hilarious scene singing karaoke (of course she sings "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!") to a devastating one in which she confronts her husband for not stepping up and helping their son navigate the toxic masculinity on the so-called manosphere.  Both Glover and Talbot are also outstanding and I was especially moved by the latter's final scene with Pike because it is so emotional.  I loved this because, in addition to its clever staging and memorable performances, it is incredibly thought-provoking, particularly the difference between the moral definition of guilt and the legal one, and I know that I will be thinking about it for a long time to come.  The next National Theatre Live productions at the Broadway are Mrs. Warren's Profession on November 8, The Fifth Step on February 21, Hamlet on March 21, and Life of Pi on April 11 (I so excited for this!).

The Woman in Black at Parker Theatre

Seeing Parker Theatre's production of The Woman in Black last year was one of the most frightening theatrical experiences I have ever had (at one point I was so scared I nearly jumped out of my seat and there were multiple times when members of the audience screamed out loud). I was, therefore, excited (terrified?) when I learned that they were bringing this show back for a limited run just in time for Halloween! I saw it last night and, while I was more prepared for when the woman in black suddenly appeared in the aisle next to me, I was still quite unnerved by the whole experience. In other words, I loved it! Arthur Kipps (Michael Hohl) is still traumatized by an encounter with an apparition that he had many years ago while settling the estate of Alice Drablow at Eel Marsh House on an isolated island that is only accessible by a causeway at low tide. He believes that he can rid himself of the nightmares that plague him by telling the story publicly on stage so he hires an Actor (Ben Lowell) to help him. The Actor convinces him that it would be better to act out the story rather than recite it from a manuscript so they begin rehearsing in a Victorian theatre using minimal props, realistic sound cues, and imaginative light design. The Actor portrays a younger version of Kipps and Kipps plays all of the other characters and narrates the play. The action on stage depicts Kipps attending Drablow's funeral, traveling to her house in an old-fashioned pony and trap, working alone in the eerie house, and witnessing unsettling events including the appearance of a strange figure dressed in black. They stop in between scenes to discuss their performances and, during one such break, Kipps promises a surprise. The Actor interprets this to mean that Kipps hired the actress who suddenly appeared on stage with them. The action concludes when young Kipps discovers the identity of the mysterious figure and when the Actor makes a startling realization about the actress portraying her. This is a very clever adaptation of the Gothic novel by Susan Hill because it uses imaginative stagecraft to tell the story. I particularly loved the smoke effects when Kipps is trapped in fog on the causeway, the light from a single torch when he gets lost in the marsh, as well as the shadows on a scrim and the creaking of a rocking chair when he discovers a room that seems to be haunted (people in the audience screamed during all three of these scenes) because the suggestion of something is often much more effective than the thing itself (especially the woman in black because she only appears a few times but I thought I saw her in every shadow). Both actors are outstanding! Lowell's performance really adds to the unease because his terror is palpable and Hohl seamlessly inhabits all of his characters with just the addition of an article of clothing or prop. In my opinion, this is the perfect show to see for Halloween (go here for tickets) but act quickly because it is a limited run with only nine more performances through Nov. 1.

Thriller 2025

Last night I had so much fun at Odyssey Dance Theatre's Halloween-themed dance extravaganza Thriller.  It is one my favorite Halloween traditions and, even though most of the dances are the same every year, I eagerly anticipate every one of them.  My favorites include a group of the undead cavorting in a graveyard in "Thriller" (I love this because it incorporates the choreography from Michael Jackson's iconic music video), a breakdancing mummy and his maidens in "Curse of the Mummy," misbehaving pandas at their first dance recital in "Miss Alli's Nightmare" (I love the one that slowly removes his costume and the once that sits down and refuses to dance), a Pas de Deux that goes horribly wrong in "Frankenstein & Frankenstein" (I love the inclusion of Gene Wilder's overwrought monologue about giving his creation life from Young Frankenstein), tap dancing skeletons that glow in the dark in "Dem Bones," a trio of serial killers who wield a variety of weapons in "Jason Jam" (this is a huge crowd favorite and they seemed even more deranged because they chased a victim through the aisles), scarecrows that terrorize a group of teens in a cornfield in "Children of the Corn" (I love that the cheerleaders' uniforms are from a different school every year), a coven of condemned witches seeking vengeance from beyond the grave in "Salem's Mass" (this is my favorite number), demonic dolls that come to life in "Chucky-Rama" (this features a different youth cast from various dance schools around the valley every night and they are always fantastic), acrobatic vampires stalking an unsuspecting victim in "Lost Boys," and an elaborate costume parade in "Trick or Treat" (my favorite was the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man).  There were also a few new dances and my favorite was a sexy tango in "Gomez & Morticia" (this was especially fun after seeing The Addams Family earlier in the week).  I was happy that Bubbles the Clown once again appeared in between numbers because he is hilarious (I was equally happy that Giggle Girl did not appear this year) and I laughed out loud at a new short film by Scott Winn featuring a dance-off between the wizards from Harry Potter and the vampires from Twilight judged by Gandalf ("You shall not dance!").  There was a large and enthusiastic crowd (it was at the Grand Theatre once again) and I loved cheering along with them for every number!  I highly recommend this for some Halloween fun (go here for tickets) but act quickly because there were very few empty seats last night.  It runs at the Grand Theatre through October 25 and at Tuacahn from October 28-November 1.

Note:  Every year I try to avoid eye contact with the undead who roam the aisles before the show but this did not save me last night because one of them kept sneaking up on me to hiss at me (at one point I jumped a mile out of my seat which made her laugh).  It turns out I was sitting next to her parents.

Utah Opera's The Shining

To say that I was intrigued when Utah Opera announced The Shining as the opening production for the 2025-2026 season would be an understatement!  As a huge fan of the novel by Stephen King, I have been counting down the days until I could see it and I was so excited to finally have the chance last night.  I admit to being a bit skeptical about how well the novel would translate to the stage but this production is outstanding and I think it brilliantly captures the terror of the Overlook Hotel.  Jack Torrence (Craig Irvin) is a recovering alcoholic tormented by the memory of his abusive father and by the fact that he is now perpetuating the cycle of abuse with his own son.  He hopes that a job as the caretaker for the remote and isolated Overlook Hotel while it is closed for the winter will be a new start for him, his wife Wendy (Kearstin Piper Brown), and his son Danny (Bella Grace Smith).  However, Danny immediately senses an evil presence in the hotel with a sixth sense that the hotel's cook Dick Hallorann (Patrick Blackwell), who possesses the same abilty, calls "the shining."  Dick assures Danny that he can use "the shining" to contact him if things get too dangerous for him at the hotel.  Jack finds a scrapbook detailing the hotel's infamous past full of murders, suicides, and Mafia hits and the ghosts haunting the hotel use his insecurities about being a good husband and father to influence him.  Eventually, the ghosts of Delbert Grady (Christian Sanders), the former caretaker who murdered his wife (Stephanie Chee) and daughters (Eva Peterson and Lilah Burrell), and his father Mark Torrence (Christopher Clayton) urge him to murder his family but, in a moment of lucidity, Jack implores them to leave with Hallorann, who has responded to Danny's call for help, and finds redemption by destroying the hotel and its ghosts.  I think the movie adaptation is a cinematic masterpiece but it is definitely the story Stanley Kubrick wanted to tell rather than the one Stephen King wrote so I was pleased that the libretto follows the novel because I prefer the more sympathetic portrayal of Jack.  Irvin gives a powerful performance and, while much of what he sings involves recitative, he does have a soul searching aria where he wishes to be a better husband and father in Act I and it is very affecting.  He also portrays Jack's slow descent into madness with nuance and it is very chilling to watch.  Brown gave me goosebumps with her beautiful performance of the aria "I never stopped loving you" in Act I and I also liked her characterization as both a loving wife and a fiercely protective mother because her Wendy is much stronger than the movie version.  Blackwell has a moment to shine in the epilogue and his deep rich tones in the aria exhorting Danny to be strong was the highlight for me.  The music itself is very atmospheric and it gets more ominous as the opera progresses but the sound design also adds to the unease (particularly the steam coming from the boiler because it foreshadows the tragedy to come).  The stage is configured as the lobby of the Overlook Hotel with a grand staircase leading to an upper level and various rooms made out of scrim to allow for eerie digital projections (some of which replicate the iconic images from the movie).  The costumes for the Torrence family have a fun 1970s vibe but I especially loved those worn by the ghosts attending the New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball.  I thoroughly enjoyed this opera and would definitely recommend getting a ticket to one of the two remaining performances (go here).