Mammoth vs. Avalanche

When SLC got an NHL team I was so excited because it meant that I could see my favorite team, the Colorado Avalanche, without having to travel to Denver.  I first saw them play the Mammoth during a preseason game two years ago and, even though I wanted the Avs to win at the beginning of the game, I was a Mammoth fan by the end of it!  I still love the Avs and I root for both teams except when they play each other.  Yesterday, they met in a preseason game at the newly renovated Delta Center (I was sitting in the new north end of the arena and the sightlines are much improved) and I had so much fun because Utah won and it has been a long time since I've seen that happen in person!  I really liked their improved forecheck because Utah was a lot more physical near the net and this aggressive style of play led to both of their goals, one from Jack McBain (with an assist from my favorite player Dylan Guenther) and one on the powerplay from Logan Cooley in the first period.  I was also really impressed with Karel Vejmelka in net because he stopped 25 shots for the shutout.  Both teams were a bit sloppy because there were a lot of penalties (Colorado went eight for nine on the penalty kill and Utah killed all four of their penalties).  Ultimately, I think Utah will only improve as the new forwards Anders Lee and Vincent Trocheck (who I think are great additions to the team) develop more chemistry with their lines. As with all of the other Mammoth games I've seen, the atmosphere was absolutely insane (even for a preseason game) and I loved being a part of it!  The Mammoth got the 2-0 win to finish the preseason 2-1-1 (which is not too bad).  I can't wait for the 2026-2027 season to begin!

Note:  This game made me miss my dad because I kept trying to decide which team he would root for if he was there with me.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Eccles

I had so much fun seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Eccles last night.  Even though I have seen it twice (the two-part version in San Francisco and the national tour in Los Angeles) I was still beyond excited to see it again because it is absolutely magical (pun intended). Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter (Nick Dillenburg) now works for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his wife Ginny Potter (Abbi Hawk) writes for The Daily Prophet, Hermione Granger (Rachel Leslie) is the Minister of Magic, and her husband Ron Weasley (Matt Harrington) manages Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Their children Rose Granger-Weasley (Nadia Brown) and Albus Potter (Adam Grant Morrison) are on their way to Hogwarts for their first year when the story begins. Albus soon forms an unlikely friendship with Scorpius Malfoy (David Fine), the son of Harry's nemesis Draco (Ryan Hallahan), because they are both unpopular and bullied. Albus is bothered by his father's notoriety and feels that he is a disappointment while Scorpius is plagued by unfounded rumors that he is really the son of Lord Voldemort. Thinking that they have something to prove, they enlist the help of Delphi Diggory (Emily Schulheis) and steal a time-turner from the Ministry of Magic in order to go back in time to the Tri-Wizard Tournament to save Cedric Diggory (Josh Bates) from his fate.  This has unintended consequences and now Scorpius, Hermione, Ron, and Severus Snape (Larry Vando) must go back in time to change the future back. However, Delphi has her own reasons for wanting Cedric to return and compels Scorpius and Albus to use the time-turner once again to restore the alternate timeline which leads to an epic confrontation in Godric's Hollow. The story is really clever with lots of call-backs to the original series and I love the messages about friendship and father-son relationships. The performances are a lot of fun and I especially loved Fine (Scorpius is my favorite character), because he is even more overwrought than I have seen this character before, and Mackenzie Lesser-Roy as Moaning Myrtle, because she is hilarious and very acrobatic. Harry Potter fans will immediately recognize the sets and costumes, including the iconic robes, the Gothic arches with House Banners, the moving staircases, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch, and the Owlery. However, what makes this show a must-see are the amazing special effects when the characters use magic! Seeing the students run through Platform 9 3/4 made the audience gasp out loud and seeing them drink polyjuice potion brought spontaneous applause! I also loved the staging whenever the characters use the time-turner, when Harry and Draco duel each other, when Albus and Scorpius jump off the Hogwarts Express, when the Dementors attack Hermione and Ron, and when Harry is Transfigured. Even the choreography as the ensemble bring set pieces on and off the stage is impressive because it is so dynamic. I love this show so much and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) during the run which continues through October 11.

Note: I represented House Ravenclaw in full regalia because I am a total nerd!

American Doctor

I watched the documentary American Doctor as part of my double feature at the Broadway last night and, even though it is extremely difficult to sit through at times, I think it is very important that everyone watch it.  It follows Dr. Mark Perlmutter, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, three American doctors with diverse backgrounds, as they travel to Gaza both before and after the 2025 ceasefire to provide medical aid to the civilian casualties of the genocide.  It includes compelling footage of them treating patients, mostly children, in challenging conditions and with very few resources at the Nassar Hospital in Khan Younis only to have the hospital targeted by an Israeli strike (the images of the strike as it happens are absolutely devastating).  The most poignant moment comes when a child they just fought hard to save is killed by the bombing.  We also see their interactions with the media upon their return to the United States, in which the veracity of their accounts is challenged by the pro-Israeli news outlets, and their advocacy in favor of ending military aid to Israel (at one point Sidhwa calls their efforts futile after visiting with a number of senators).  There were several moments that particularly caught my attention.  The first is when the director Poh Si Teng tells Perlmutter that she will probably pixelate some of the more disturbing images and he vehemently opposes this because he feels that people need to see what is happening in order to believe it.  Another is when Perlmutter, who is Jewish, says that you can love Israel without supporting the current regime and you can be Jewish without being a Zionist.  The next is when Sidhwa wonders aloud if he paid for the mortar round that injured his patient with his tax dollars (this was especially upsetting to me).  The last is when the epilogue states that over 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed during the conflict simply for trying to render aid.  This is an incredibly powerful reminder of what is still going on in the region and I highly recommend it.

If I Go Will They Miss Me

Last night I had another double feature at the Broadway (these are becoming a regular occurrence on Tuesdays) starting with If I Go Will They Miss Me.  This is an incredibly lyrical examination of the sometimes fraught relationship between fathers and sons and I really enjoyed it.  Anthony "Little Ant" (Bodhi Dell) lives in the Nickerson Gardens housing project in Watts, California, which is in the flight path of LAX so he has an obsession with flying as a result.  His father Anthony "Big Ant" (J. Alphonse Nicholson) has been in and out of prison most of his life so the only information he has about him comes from the embellished stories that his mother Lozita (Danielle Brooks) tells him.  When Big Ant returns home from his most recent incarceration, he struggles to reconnect with his son.  Little Ant is studying Greek mythology in school so he rationalizes his father's absences by thinking of him as Odysseus trying to return to Ithaca.  He also views himself as Pegasus because of his love of flying which makes his father Poseidon.  Big Ant is uneasy with his son's hero worship because he doesn't really know how to be a good father.  It is only when Little Ant sees his father for who he is that Big Ant is able to work to repair the relationship.  This uses magical realism to tell the story and it is filled with beautiful images.  In addition to the scenes evoking Greek mythology, there are many shots of the airplanes flying overhead (which represent adventure to Little Ant and the desire to escape to Big Ant) as well as shots of the current inhabitants of Nickerson Gardens to ground the fantastical narrative in reality.  Both Nicholson and Brooks give highly nuanced and powerful performances as flawed parents who are trying to break the cycle of generational trauma (their scenes together crackle with electricity) but I was most impressed with newcomer Dell because I found his sensitive performance to be very compelling (I had tears in my eyes several times).  I also liked a monologue by Myles Bullock, as Big Ant's best friend from childhood, in which he tells Big Ant to be the hero his son believes him to be.  This is a slow burn with a resolution that might be too ambiguous for some but I highly recommend it.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I love the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame and, even though I have seen it many times by now, I always look forward to a new production, especially one that has received rave reviews like the one currently playing at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse. I got to see it last night and it is now among my favorite productions at this theatre! Quasimodo (Jake Haywood) is a physically deformed orphan being raised in isolation in the bell tower of Notre Dame by his hypocritical guardian, Archdeacon Claude Frollo (Blaine Hickman). Desperate to see the outside world, Quasimodo defies Frollo and attends the Feast of Fools where he is attacked by the crowd before he is rescued by the gypsy Esmeralda (Olivia Lusk-Garibay). Frollo, Quasimodo, and Phoebus de Martin (Nicholas Balaich), the Captain of the Cathedral Guard, are all captivated by Esmeralda but Frollo becomes obsessed by his lust for her which eventually leads to a dramatic confrontation in the bell tower. I enjoyed everything about this show starting with the four amazing leads. My favorite song is "God Help the Outcasts" and Lusk-Garibay sings it beautifully with so much pathos. Hickman's version of "Hellfire" is incredibly powerful and dramatic (I also loved the staging). Haywood has an innocent childlike wonder in "Out There" and "Top of the World" but his version of "Heaven's Light" brought tears to my eyes and his palpable anger in "Made of Stone" gave me goosebumps. Balaich shows a bit of vulnerability in the middle of his spirited performance of "Rest and Recreation" and he is impossibly romantic during "Someday" with Lusk-Garibay. I was also very impressed by the sheer size of the ensemble and I loved all of the intricate patterns they create in the choreography for "Olim" (this also gave me goosebumps), "The Bells of Notre Dame," "Topsy Turvy," "The Tavern Song," "Esmeralda," "The Court of Miracles," and "Kyrie Eleison." I also loved the clever staging for some key moments, including having Esmeralda dance tantalizingly out of reach during the aforementioned "Hellfire," the use of a moving staircase when Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda from the pyre, and some ingenious choreography when Quasimodo stops the guard from advancing on the cathedral and when he finally confronts Frollo. The set is incredibly immersive with bricks of stone and a large illuminated rose window (which changes color to reflect the mood) dominating the main stage. Quasimodo's bell tower, complete with ringing bells and a trapdoor, and Frollo's chamber are on platforms located on either side of the stage with moving staircases that connect them (I loved the attention to detail because Gothic arches are used in all of the designs). Finally, the colorful costumes worn by the gypsies add to the spectacle but my favorites were the ones worn by the gargoyles because they are the most elaborate I've seen. I am always nervous when I walk into a theatre with high expectations (there has been a lot of hype for this show) but they were more than met and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). There are only three more performances left and tickets are going fast but I guarantee that it is well worth the effort!