Eddington

My nephew and I are fans of Ari Aster so we were both excited to see Eddington at the Broadway last night.  I can certainly understand why this has divided critics but I found it to be incredibly thought-provoking.  In the small town of Eddington, New Mexico at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) clashes with the mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) over the latter's implementation of a lockdown and enforcement of a mask mandate.  Cross views Garcia's policies as a violation of personal choice (as an asthmatic he finds it difficult to breathe while wearing a mask) and eventually decides to run against him in his bid for re-election.  Soon, Garcia's son Eric (Matt Gomez Hidalka) becomes involved in a series of Black Lives Matter protests which creates havoc for the sheriff's department and Cross makes an allegation about the possible misconduct of Garcia towards his wife Louise (Emma Stone).  This contributes to the escalation of tensions between the sheriff and the mayor leading Cross to take matters into his own hands with unexpected consequences for all involved (the final scenes are quite satirical and had the audience laughing out loud, albeit uncomfortably).  There is a lot of social commentary to unpack beyond the obvious, including perceived government control, performative social justice, the spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories, and the rise of dubious internet celebrities (I wish Austin Butler's character had been explored more fully), and I sometimes found the narrative to be very bloated and messy (Aster could use an editor).  However, he very effectively portrays the anxiety, confusion, mistrust, and division felt during this period through the changing relationship between Cross and Garcia.  I was particularly struck by the juxtaposition between an early scene in which they confront each other on the street but maintain civility and a later scene in which they challenge each other at a fundraiser and come to blows. I also enjoyed the use of the neo-Western genre to tell the story, particularly the climax which literally features a gunfight in the town square!  Phoenix is absolutely brilliant in this role because he is increasingly ridiculous as he unravels before our eyes.  Pascal is also very good but some of the other big name actors do not have much to do (particularly Stone and Austin).  Aster does not offer much in the way of explanations or solutions but I honestly have not been able to stop thinking about this movie.  I recommend it with the caveat that it will definitely not appeal to everyone.

Catch Me If You Can at CPT

I was really looking forward to Catch Me If You Can at CPT with my sisters last night because it is such a fun show. They had never seen it before and I think they enjoyed this production as much as I did! The show begins when Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Drew Dunshee) is arrested by FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Jeremy Botelho) at the Miami Airport. Then Frank breaks the fourth wall and begins telling the audience his story as if he were the emcee of a 1960s television variety show (complete with go-go dancers) in the big production number "Live in Living Color." When his parents, Frank Abagnale, Sr. (David Johnson) and Paula Abagnale (Mary Ann West), get divorced, sixteen year old Frank decides to run away to New York and he starts forging checks in order to get by (almost two million dollar's worth by the time he is caught). This gets the attention of the FBI, especially Hanratty who is relentless in his pursuit. Frank eventually impersonates a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer (even passing the bar exam) and he is always one step ahead of Hanratty until he falls in love with Brenda Strong (Emily Richman). Dunshee is incredibly charming and charismatic as the fast-talking confidence man, especially in the songs "Jet Set" and "Doctor's Orders," but he also brings a vulnerability to his portrayal of a teenager who is just looking for a home. Botelho is hilarious as the straight-laced FBI agent who has no life away from the job and his number, "Don't Break the Rules," was the biggest crowd-pleaser of the show! The interactions between them are both amusing, particularly the scene where Frank manages to elude Hanratty in a motel room, and poignant, most notably when Frank calls Hanratty on Christmas Eve and they both realize that they don't have anyone to talk to but each other. I also loved Richman's portrayal of Brenda because, in my opinion, the actress who plays her really needs to be able to sing the blues in the song "Fly, Fly Away" and she more than delivers! The choreography is very entertaining and I was beyond impressed with the female ensemble (they are all great dancers but they also have some quick costume changes in between numbers). The set looks like a colorful soundstage from a 1960s television show (such as Laugh-In or Hullabaloo) with various locations created by simple props moved on and off stage by the ensemble. The use of projections is also very creative (I loved the postcards from all of the places Frank visits). The period costumes are fantastic and, as previously mentioned, the sheer number for the female ensemble is quite impressive (my favorites are the Pan Am uniforms). I had a great time watching this high-energy show and, if you are in need of a fun night out, I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs on the Mountain America Main Stage through August 19.

Note:  This was my 50th theatre production of the year!  So far, my favorites are Macbeth at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Twelve Angry Men at HCT, Life of Pi with Broadway at the Eccles, Little Women at HCT, and An American in Paris at the Ruth.  An honorable mention goes to Hadestown: Teen Edition at CPT (I was so impressed by the young actors in this production).

I Know What You Did Last Summer

I enjoyed the legacy sequels in the Halloween and Scream horror franchises so I decided to see I Know What You Did Last Summer yesterday.  Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one.  A group of friends, including Danica Richards (Madelyn Cline), Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders), Milo Griffin (Jonah Hauer-King), Teddy Spencer (Tyriq Withers), and Stevie Ward (Sarah Pidgeon), who recently left rehab, decide to take a drive to see the Fourth of July fireworks after celebrating the engagement of Danica and Teddy in Southport, North Carolina.  While goofing off in the middle of the road, they inadvertently cause an accident when a truck swerves into a guard rail to avoid hitting them.  They try to get the driver, Sam Cooper, out of the truck but it ultimately falls into the water below.  Ava wants to call the police but the rest of them are scared of the possible consequences so Teddy swears them all to secrecy and has his father Grant (Billy Campbell), a wealthy politician, cover up the accident.  The group reunites a year later to celebrate Danica's engagement to her new fiance Wyatt (Joshua Orpin) but they panic when she receives a card with the message, "I know what you did last summer."  After Wyatt is brutally killed by a fisherman with a hook, the group eventually learns of a similar massacre in Southport 30 years ago and they seek out survivors Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt), now a psychology professor specializing in trauma, and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), the owner of a bar in Southport, to learn how to stop the fisherman before they become his next victims.  The dialogue is incredibly cringe-worthy and the acting is abysmal but I actually liked the story until a twist in the final fifteen minutes completely derails it (the motivation for what a certain character does makes absolutely no sense).  The kill sequences are surprisingly bland with very little tension or suspense and the tone is all over the place (it is not funny enough to be campy or scary enough to be a thriller).  I wasn't a huge fan of the original but I was still very disappointed by this and recommend giving it a miss.

Disney in Concert with the Utah Symphony at Sandy Amphitheater

I really enjoy Sandy Amphitheater as an outdoor venue so I always like to see a few shows there each summer.  Last night I went to see Disney in Concert featuring the Utah Symphony under the baton of guest conductor Ron Spigelman and Broadway stars Lissa deGuzman (known for playing Jasmine in Aladdin and Elphaba in Wicked), Nasia Thomas (known for paying Anna of Cleves in SIX), Susan Egan (the original Belle in Beauty and the Beast and the voice of Meg in the movie Hercules), Noah J. Ricketts (the original Kristoff in Frozen and Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby), and Adam J. Levy (known for Moulin Rouge) in a program celebrating the music from the Disney and Pixar movies released in the 1980s and 1990s.  The concert began with a fun medley featuring "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast, "Prince Ali" from Aladdin, and "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid with all of the vocalists.  Thomas and Ricketts continued with "Reflection" and "I'll Make a Man Out of You," respectively, from Mulan and then Egan performed "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" from Hercules with Thomas and deGuzman as the Muses.  The orchestra played a medley from A Bug's Life then Ricketts and Levy returned to the stage for "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story.  Tucker sang "God Help the Outcasts" then Levy sang "Out There" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and both were incredibly powerful.  All of the vocalists performed a medley from The Disney Afternoon featuring songs from the TV shows DuckTales, Goof Troop, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck. This was followed by "Part of Your World" and then Egan continued with a hilarious version of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid.  The first set ended with "Santa Fe" and "Seize the Day" from Newsies (these were crowd favorites).  After the intermission, the orchestra performed a medley called "Mickey's Imagination" and then Ricketts and Thomas thrilled the crowd with renditions of "Go the Distance" and "Zero to Hero," respectively, from Hercules.  My favorite moment came next when deGuzman sang "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas because it was so beautiful.  Thomas, deGuzman, and Egan sang "I Put a Spell on You" as the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus and then were joined by Levy for "Once Upon a Time in New York City" from Oliver & Company.  Egan gave an incredibly moving rendition of "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2 and then the other vocalists performed a romantic mash-up of "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast and "A Whole New World" from Aladdin.  The second set ended with "Circle of Life" from The Lion King and then Ricketts sang "Stand Out" from A Goofy Movie (Thomas told the crowd that this is her favorite movie of all time) as an encore.  I loved hearing all of these unbelievably talented Broadway stars perform and it was a lot of fun to see the movies referenced in the songs shown on the screen above the orchestra.  It was the perfect temperature for an outdoor concert and I am really looking to a few more this summer (go here for the remaining concerts in the Deer Valley Music Festival and here for the line up at Sandy Amphitheater).

Lady Gaga in Las Vegas

I love Lady Gaga and, even though I was able to see her Jazz & Piano show a few years ago, I have always wanted to see her in concert performing her own music.  I didn't think I would ever have an opportunity because she mostly does big stadium tours so I was beyond excited when she announced an arena tour in support of her latest album MAYHEM (which, in my opinion, is her best album since The Fame).  I was able to get a ticket to the opening show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last night and took a fun road trip to cross another item off my bucket list!  The concert was absolutely amazing and I am still on a high from it!  Every performance was very theatrical (the stage was even configured as an opulent opera house) with elaborate costumes, lighting, visuals, and choreography for each song.  The show was structured into four acts and a finale during which Lady Gaga periodically confronted a character called the Mistress of Mayhem (she is the personification of the inner chaos created by her trauma and fame as revealed in the opening manifesto, "The Art of Personal Chaos").  Act 1, Of Velvet and Vice, began with Lady Gaga inside a towering red Tudor gown singing an operatic version of "Bloody Mary" after which the skirt opened to reveal a steel cage filled with her backup dancers.  She emerged to perform "Abracadabra," with shortened versions of "Judas," "Aura," and "Scheiße" as an outro, and "Garden of Eden” with her on guitar.  This set concluded with "Poker Face" as Lady Gaga and the Mistress of Mayhem played a game of chess with dancers as pieces on a chessboard of lights on the runway jutting into the audience.  During Act II, And She Fell Into a Gothic Dream, Lady Gaga cavorted in a burial ground while performing dramatic renditions of "Perfect Celebrity" and "Disease" with skeletons all around her.  She then climbed out for "Paparazzi" (so symbolic) with an iridescent veil trailing her down the runway and then "LoveGame."  This set ended with atmospheric versions of "Alejandro" and "The Beast."  Act III, The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name, featured Lady Gaga dressed in a long black frock coat covered in black satin roses and a large headdress singing "Killah," "Zombieboy,"  and "LoveDrug" with a giant skull on stage and concluded with a burlesque performance of "Just Dance" with "Applause" as an intro.  Act IV, Every Chessboard Has Two Queens, included "Shadow of a Man," "Kill for Love," "Summerboy," and a very powerful performance of "Born This Way."  The Mistress of Mayhem pursued her during "Million Reasons" (also very symbolic) and then rowed her in a gondola down the runway for a solo version of "Shallow" (my favorite moment in the show because it was so cool).  She stayed on the secondary stage at the end of the runway to perform a solo version of "Die With a Smile" on piano and then gave a heartfelt thanks to her fans for supporting her throughout her career before going out into the crowd for "Vanish Into You."  For the Finale, Eternal Aria of the Monster Heart, Lady Gaga had her backup dancers perform surgery on her heart (her costume had a bloody incision that was stapled together) while she sang "Bad Romance" and this was followed by a recorded speech called "Monsters Never Die" which signified her victory over the Mistress of Mayhem.  For the encore, Lady Gaga sang "How Bad Do U Want Me," which is my favorite song from MAYHEM, starting from backstage.  I loved both the storytelling and the theatricality of this show and I was beyond impressed by Lady Gaga's incredible vocals (she is the ultimate performer).  I also liked her selection of songs because she sang almost everything from MAYHEM but also included the hits and a few deeper cuts that haven't been performed in a long time.  This is one of the best concerts I've seen and I am so glad that I was able to go!