The Peanut Butter Falcon

Yesterday I crossed another new release off my long list by seeing The Peanut Butter Falcon.  This contemporary retelling of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a heartwarming movie that put a huge smile on my face!  Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a young man with Down syndrome, has spent most of his life in a nursing home because his family is unable to supervise him and there is nowhere else for him to go.  As a huge fan of a wrestler named Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church), Zak escapes hoping to make it to his wrestling school in rural North Carolina.  He meets up with Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a down-on-his-luck fisherman in the Outer Banks, who is on the run from a rival fisherman with an ax to grind (and his own demons).  Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), who works at the nursing home, is sent to retrieve Zak but she is eventually persuaded to join them on their way to the wrestling school.  The three of them form a bond as they go on a journey of discovery (literally and figuratively) where Zak is reborn as a wrestler named Peanut Butter Falcon.  I loved this movie because the story about an unlikely friendship and living life to the fullest on your own terms really touched my heart.  It also made me laugh out loud, particularly a scene where Tyler tells Zak the rules for traveling with him and the scenes where Salt Water teaches Zak to wrestle.  The performances are wonderful! Gottsagen, who actually has Down syndrome, is incredibly endearing and LaBeouf gives an emotional performance that is one of his best.  The two of them have great chemistry and I really enjoyed watching them play off each other.  The soundtrack, which features bluegrass and folk music, and the beautiful cinematography are also outstanding!  I cannot recommend this movie enough!

Brian Banks

The movie Brian Banks is another recent release on my list and I was able to see this inspirational true story last night.  In 2002 Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge) is a sixteen year old high school student and an All-American football player committed to play at USC after he graduates.  He meets a fellow student named Kennisha Rice (Xosha Roquemore) in secret in a hallway and, when he rejects her, she falsely accuses him of raping her.  He is tried as an adult and pressured into taking a plea bargain to avoid going to jail.  However, he is sentenced to six years, which he serves, and then three years of parole.  His parole officer won't let him play football as a walk-on at a community college and he has difficulty finding a job as a convicted felon so, in desperation, he turns to Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear) of the California Innocence Project.  Thinking that there are too many obstacles to getting his conviction overturned, Brooks is initially hesitant to take the case but is eventually won over by the sheer force of Banks' character.  Overcoming unbelievable odds, Banks is finally able to achieve his goal of playing in the NFL.  Before I discuss the movie I need to confess that the exoneration of people who have been wrongly convicted has always been a topic that I am incredibly passionate about and it always pushes my buttons (it was a frequent subject for me as a debater in high school) so it is inevitable that I would find this movie powerful and moving.  Some may find the story to be emotionally manipulative but I found it to be very compelling with affecting performances by both Hodge (I really liked him in the movie Clemency, which has a similar theme, at the Sundance Film Festival this year) and Sherri Shepherd who plays Banks' mother.  I was moved to tears several times and I really appreciated seeing a movie with such a positive message about perseverance.  I would highly recommend this feel-good movie!

Hello, Dolly!

I had never seen the movie Hello, Dolly! before (I saw the stage musical at HCT years ago) so I was really excited to see it yesterday as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series.  It is simply delightful and I absolutely loved it!  At the turn of the century, the irascible Horace Vandergelder (Walter Matthau) wants to get married so that he will have someone to do all of the chores at his Hay & Feed store in Yonkers, New York.  His niece Ermengarde (Joyce Ames) wants to marry the artist Ambrose Kemper (Tommy Tune) but her uncle objects because he doesn't have a steady income.  His clerk Cornelius Hackl (Michael Crawford) is longing for an adventure in New York City and doesn't want to come back to Yonkers until he has kissed a girl.  He convinces his fellow clerk Barnaby Tucker (Danny Lockin) to come along with him.  Irene Molloy (Marianne McAndrew) owns a millinery shop in NYC but tells her assistant Minnie Fay (E.J. Peaker) that she wants a rich husband to take her away because she hates hats!  An enchanting and recently widowed matchmaker named Dolly Levi (Barbra Streisand) is hired to find a wife for Vandergelder but she decides that she wants to marry him herself.  She just needs to convince him!  She arranges for all of the couples to meet for a memorable evening at the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant in New York City and merriment ensues.  This is like one of those old fashioned classic movie musicals that I remember watching at my Grandma Anderson's house so I am not entirely sure why I had never seen it before.  The story is a little weak but I loved the big song and dance numbers.  My favorites are "Put on Your Sunday Clothes," "Dancing," and "Hello, Dolly!" because they are incredibly elaborate and involve a large ensemble!  I also really love the songs "Before the Parade Passes By" and "It Only Takes a Moment" because they both have poignant messages about life and love.  The sets are spectacular, especially the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant, and each costume worn by Streisand is more lavish than the one before!  Streisand is very charismatic in the role and sings every song brilliantly but my only complaint is that she doesn't lip-sync very well.  This is a fun and lighthearted musical that absolutely delighted me and I recommend seeing it on the big screen (go here for tickets).

The Kitchen

There are quite a few movies hitting theaters this weekend that I really want to see and I decided to start with The Kitchen last night.  The Irish mob rules an area of New York known as Hell's Kitchen in the 1970s.  When three of the mobsters (Brian d'Arcy James, James Badge Dale, and Jeremy Bobb) are arrested in an FBI sting operation and sent to prison, their wives Kathy (Melissa McCarthy), Ruby (Tiffany Haddish), and Claire (Elisabeth Moss) decide to take over their criminal enterprise by negotiating new contracts with the business owners with the help of a psychopathic assassin (Domhnall Gleeson).  They soon run afoul of the rest of the Irish mob who don’t like being upstaged, some intransigent Hasidic businessmen who don't like dealing with women, a rival crime family in Brooklyn, and the FBI.  However, they ruthlessly deal with their enemies to eventually become incredibly successful...until their husbands are released from prison.  Each of the women has a different motivation for taking action:  Kathy is rebelling against the stereotypical role of wife and mother, Ruby is lashing out against the racism within the community (especially by her Irish mother-in-law), and Claire is exacting revenge for the abuse she has suffered at the hands of her husband for years.  Of course there are some wild twists and turns, some of which I was able to predict and some I wasn't.  All three actresses do a really good job with the material that they are given but I did find the tone to be all over the place.  It is extremely violent but there are also lots of comedic moments that seem really incongruous.  I liked the 1970s aesthetic with the costumes and the soundtrack featuring Heart, Fleetwood Mac, and Kansas.  Honestly, I think Widows does a better job of telling the same story but I found The Kitchen to be entertaining enough.

Note:  I found it odd that the members of the Irish mob didn't seem very Irish...

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at CPT

Last night I had so much fun at CPT's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I really love this show because, not only is it absolutely hilarious, it is unexpectedly poignant (I have seen the Broadway touring company and a fabulous production at PTC several years ago) and CPT did a great job with it. The spelling bee is moderated by Rona Lisa Peretti (Alexandra Rae Kalaher), the best realtor in Putnam County and a past spelling champion who frequently reflects on her experience ("My Favorite Moment of the Bee"). She is aided by Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Brandon Green) who is returning after a five year absence due to an unspecified incident. His main function is to give the definitions of the words and use them in highly amusing sentences ("The Spelling Rules"). Mindy Mahoney (Katelyn Johnson), an ex-con doing her required community service, hands out juice boxes to the losing contestants ("The Prayer of the Comfort Counselor"). The first contestant is Chip Tolentino (Jake Heywood), a baseball player defending his title as champion of the bee last year who spends most of his time flirting with a girl in the audience ("My Unfortunate Distraction"). The second contestant is Logainne SchwartzandGrubenniere (Savanna Hansen), the president of the gay/straight alliance in her elementary school who wants desperately to please her two fathers who have been coaching her for this moment for years ("Woe is Me"). The third contestant is Leaf Coneybear (Trevor Hansen), a home-schooled free spirit who makes his own clothes and is at the bee because the winner and first runner-up had to attend a bat mizvah ("I'm Not That Smart"). The fourth contestant is William Barfee (Aaron Linford), an uptight asthmatic who had to pull out of last year's bee because of an allergic reaction. He frequently has to remind the moderators how to pronounce his name (it's Bar-FAY) and uses an innovative method to help him spell ("Magic Foot"). The fifth contestant is Marcy Park (Emily Woods), a transfer student at Our Lady of Intermittent Sorrows Parochial School who placed ninth at last year's national spelling bee.  She is an overachiever who skipped two grades ("I Speak Six Languages") but now just wants to have a little fun. The sixth contestant is Olive Ostrovsky (Taneesa Wright), who hasn't yet paid the entrance fee because her mother is at an ashram in India and her father has not claimed the seat that she has been saving for him ("The I Love You Song").  Which of these six painfully awkward misfits will be crowned the winner? I really loved everything about this show: the cast, the set, the costumes, the choreography, and the random audience members who participated in the bee (they were responsible for many of the funniest moments). Several of the people around me said that they didn't know anything about this show before they came but they ended up loving it! I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to this delightful show.

Kristin Chenoweth at Deer Valley

Last night I got to hear Kristin Chenoweth perform with the Utah Symphony as part of the Deer Valley Music Festival.  She was supposed to perform with the orchestra last summer but she had to cancel due to an injury but she promised to return.  It seems like I have been waiting all year for this concert and I almost didn't go.  As I was driving through the canyon, a torrential rain started pouring down along with lots of thunder and lightning.  As much as I wanted to see Kristin Chenoweth, I didn't really want to sit in the rain but I decided to wait in my car for a little while to see if it would stop before the concert started.  Luckily it did and, even though my blanket got a little bit soggy, I managed to stay relatively dry.  Chenoweth came out wearing a giant orange rain poncho and that set the tone for the rest of the evening.  She was absolutely hilarious!  She mentioned that she had an album of standards coming out in the fall and sang a few songs from it, including "I Get Along Without You Very Well" which she said was her favorite song.  When she sang "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," she sat on the laps of and kissed several of the musicians saying that no one on the stage was safe from her!  She sang a lovely rendition of "Desperado" with the full orchestra and then finished her first set with "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables which was amazing!  She frequently pointed out several of her friends in the audience and admonished us not to bother them during the intermission!  When she returned to the stage she performed "Popular" from Wicked (she originated the role of Glinda on Broadway) and she asked everyone to get out their phones to film her, pulled someone up to the stage for a selfie, and then live streamed on Instagram.  It was so funny!  She brought a musical theatre student from BYU ("I'm a cougar, too!") to the stage to sing "For Good" from Wicked with her and this girl was amazing.  Chenoweth loves mentoring young performers and she told her that she had a feeling she would make it big!  Next, she sang "The Man That Got Away" from her forthcoming album and then a mash-up of "You Were Always on My Mind" and "Losing My Mind" from Follies which featured a lovely solo by principal cellist Rainer Eudeikis.  She wondered aloud if Willie Nelson and Stephen Sondheim had ever met!  She sang a stirring rendition of "How Great Thou Art" after talking about the importance of her faith and, for the encore, she sang a sultry version of "I Will Always Love You."  This was a wonderful concert and I am so glad that the rain stopped so I could enjoy it!

The Farewell

I wasn't able to see The Farewell during the Sundance Film Festival so I have been looking forward to its wide release.  I had to wait a few days because I have been so busy lately but I finally saw it last night and I had quite a reaction to this beautiful and poignant movie.  When Billi (Awkwafina), a young Chinese-born writer struggling to find her way in New York City, receives the news that her grandmother Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) is dying of cancer and only has a few months to live, she is bewildered when the rest of her extended family decide not to tell her.  Instead, a wedding is planned for Billi's cousin Hao Hao (Chen Han) and his Japanese girlfriend Aiko (Aoi Mizuhara) in China as an excuse for the entire family to get together to say their goodbyes to Nai Nai.  Billi is incredibly conflicted about this but ultimately has a meaningful visit with her grandmother who encourages her to keep following her dreams.  This movie is so funny because it is such an authentic portrayal of family relationships and I found myself laughing out loud many times at the wry comedic situations.  In my opinion, this movie is also a touching exploration of identity. Billi is constantly told that her objections to the lie they are telling her grandmother are because she is too Westernized but she idealizes the China she remembers from her childhood when she gets angry with her father for talking about the advantages of living in America.  There were several scenes that brought tears to my eyes because they mirrored my own personal experience of moving away from family to another country.  As her family drives around Changchun, Billi recognizes her grandmother's old neighborhood and asks them to take her back because she has happy memories there.  The last time I was in Canada I asked my Dad to drive me to my grandmother's old house for the exact same reason.  In another scene, an emotional Billi lashes out at her mother (Diana Lin) for moving her away from China and her family.  She is especially angry that she was not able to go to her grandfather's funeral because, the next time she visited China, he was gone and it was hard for her to reconcile it.  I felt the same way when I visited Canada after my grandfather died.  There is a beautiful scene near the end of the movie where Billi and her family are leaving to go back to the U.S.  The camera shows Nai Nai in the middle of the street crying as she watches their taxi drive away.  This absolutely gutted me because I have a distinct memory of looking out of the window from the car at my grandmother standing in her driveway and crying as my family drove away.  That is the last time I saw her.  I was openly sobbing for the rest of the movie and I had to sit through all of the credits before I could compose myself enough to leave the theater.  Awkwafina (who is so funny in Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians) gives a wonderful performance that is very subtle but incredibly powerful.  It is one of the best performances I have seen all year!  My reaction to this movie is definitely based on my own personal frame of reference but I think the themes are universal enough for everyone to enjoy it.  I loved it and I highly recommend it!

Summer Reading: Then She Was Gone

The final selection on my summer reading list (where has the summer gone?) was Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. Fifteen year old Ellie Mack is a vibrant girl who enjoys spending time with her boyfriend Theo while earnestly studying for her exams with a math tutor named Noelle Donnelly. She is optimistic and excited for her future but one day she goes missing and is never heard from again. Her mother Laurel is completely devastated and doesn’t believe the police when they conclude that she must have run away.  She spends a decade obsessively trying to find her which destroys her marriage and her relationship with her remaining children. When Ellie's remains are eventually discovered, Laurel tries to put the past behind her and move on with her life. She meets a handsome and charismatic man named Floyd Dunn at a cafe and begins a relationship with him. However, she is soon haunted by a series of coincidences that lead her to suspect that Floyd might be connected to Ellie's disappearance. This novel is incredibly suspenseful because the narrative alternates between Laurel's perspective in the present and Ellie's in the past. Even though Ellie's death is revealed early on, I kept reading well into the night because I had to know what happened to bring it about. You know what happens to Ellie but you don't know why and the answers make for a pretty dark psychological thriller. The characters are very well developed and I found them all to be quite sympathetic. Laurel, especially, is incredibly poignant in her despair over not knowing what happened to her child. Even the characters who are deeply flawed are portrayed with a certain humanity and it is fascinating to see how these damaged people impact those around them. There are some very disturbing elements that I found difficult to read but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this novel. I highly recommend it as a suspenseful character study that will keep you guessing until the end.

Note:  Have you read Then She Was Gone or any of the other selections on my summer reading list?  What did you think?

Les Miserables in Boise

Before I became obsessed with the musical Hamilton, Les Miserables enjoyed a 30 year run as my favorite musical of all time!  It is still a sentimental favorite and I couldn't help myself when I had the chance to see it on Broadway several years ago and I couldn't help myself when I saw that the Broadway touring production would be in Boise (a four hour drive from SLC) this summer!  When I mentioned to my Dad that I would be out of town this week and why, he asked me why I was driving so far to see a show that I have seen so many times.  I know it is a crazy thing to do but I am so inspired by the epic story of Jean Valjean's redemption and I absolutely love the music!  As I always do, I got goosebumps when I heard those dramatic first notes last night!  As I sat in the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, eagerly anticipating every single number and trying desperately not to sing along out loud, I was filled with so much nostalgia for the girl whose biggest dream was to see this show and I felt the magic all over again!  This particular cast is a strong one and, as I anticipated all of my favorite moments, they did not disappoint!  Fantine (Mary Kate Moore) was heartbreaking in "I Dreamed a Dream," Javert (Felipe Barbosa Bombonato) was incredibly powerful in "Stars" (this got the biggest reaction from the crowd all night), Enjolras (Matt Shingledecker) was stirring in "The People's Song," and Valjean (Nick Cartell) brought me to tears in "Bring Him Home."  I wasn't sure if I liked Monte J. Howell's characterization of Marius because he was a little goofy in his interactions with Cosette (Jillian Butler) early on but his rendition of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was amazing!  My favorite moment in the show is when Eponine sings "On My Own."  I sit, impatiently, through the intermission anticipating this song because it is what made me a fan of this musical!  Paige Smallwood gave one of the most emotional performances of it that I've ever heard and I was quite overcome!  This production featured the new staging without the turntable.  I honestly really like it because the sets are much more elaborate and scenes are more true to the events in the novel by Victor Hugo, especially in the Prologue and "At the End of the Day."  I also think that "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" is much more dramatic when the students take away the candles.  The only scene where I miss the turntable is when the barricade turns after the battle to reveal Enjolras upside down holding the red flag.  Him laying in a dogcart with Gavroche isn't as impactful in my opinion.  I really loved seeing this show again and I am so glad that I did it!  It runs at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts as part of Broadway in Boise until August 4 (go here for tickets).

Note:  Broadway in Boise will be performing Bandstand next April and Hamilton the following season so I will be back!

Off to College

Today Tashena is leaving for college!  I don't know how this happened!  When did she get old enough to go to college?  She will be attending Big Bend Community College in Washington to play on the volleyball team.  We will really miss her but we are all excited for this opportunity for her.  Marilyn and I are already planning care packages!  Last night my family went out to dinner to celebrate and Marilyn gave her this awesome quilt that she made out of all of Tashena's sports shirts from high school and junior high.  Isn't it amazing?  Good luck at college Tashena!

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

Last night I finally had a chance to see Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood and it is absolutely brilliant!  It is a beautiful and almost meditative ode to a Hollywood that no longer exists and I loved it (I will definitely need to see it again).  In 1969, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an aging movie star, known mostly for his role in a 1950s TV show called Bounty Law, who has been reduced to making guest appearances on other TV shows and, eventually, to starring in spaghetti Westerns (and in a hilarious midcredits scene, he is further reduced to making commercials).  His stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) has been reduced to driving Dalton around and doing odd jobs at his house in the Hollywood Hills.  Meanwhile, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who lives next door to Dalton on Cielo Drive with her husband Roman Polanski (Rafal Zarwierucha), is an up-and-coming actress enjoying the attention she is receiving from her starring role in The Wrecking Crew.  Eventually, their worlds will collide with members of the Manson Family (several of whom are portrayed by some up-and-coming actors such as Margaret Qualley, Austin Butler, Mikey Madison, Maya Hawke, and Sydney Sweeney) on the fateful night of August 8, 1969.  I loved so many things in this movie.  I loved the juxtaposition between the angst-filled Dalton having an emotional breakdown after forgetting his lines and Tate when she displays unbridled joy as she secretly watches herself on screen.  I loved the scene between the disillusioned Dalton and the earnest young Method actress (excuse me, actor) which prompts him to model his character on an "evil version of Hamlet" and deliver an outstanding performance.  I loved the party scene at the Playboy Mansion with fun cameos of current actors playing former Hollywood stars (my favorite is Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen).  I loved all of the long and sustained shots of characters driving around Hollywood with famous landmarks as they used to appear and period commercials blaring through the radios.  I loved the soundtrack, particularly a sultry cover of "California Dreamin'" by Jose Feliciano.  I loved the performances of both DiCaprio and Pitt who seem like they could have been genuine movie stars in the heyday of Hollywood’s golden era.  Finally, I loved the ending which will probably be very divisive but, to me, it represents the desire to go back to a simpler time before the innocence of the 1960s was irrevocably destroyed (I can't get the haunting final overhead shot out of my mind).  I loved this movie and I highly recommend it with the proviso that it is a Quentin Tarantino movie with the requisite violence and profanity.

Utah Shakespeare Festival 2019

Friday my sister Marilyn and I took a road trip to Cedar City for the Utah Shakespeare Festival.  Marilyn hasn't been able to come with me for the past several years so I'm glad that we were able to make it work this year.

Marilyn hadn't seen the new Englestad Theatre so, as soon as we got there, we walked around the new Beverly Center for the Performing Arts and she was quite impressed.  This is her posing in front of the theatre.  Can you see her?

Me posing with the Bard.  I'm being a little bit forward with my hand on his knee!

Our first play that afternoon was Hamlet in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.  I have been teaching this play for many years so I know it inside and out and, without question, this is the best production of it that I have ever seen!  Brian Vaughn made some very bold choices based on subtext and I loved it, especially with the characterization of Ophelia (Emma Geer) and Gertrude (Jacqueline Antaramian).  Several scenes made me gasp out loud!  Quinn Mattfeld is outstanding in the lead role!  He is absolutely magnetic and you can't take your eyes off him.  He is able to convey so many emotions with just an expression (we were on the second row) and I especially enjoyed his interactions with Polonius (Armin Shimerman) which are surprisingly humorous.  The opulent set is incredible and I loved the use of snow, particularly in an emotional scene between Hamlet and the ghost of his father (John G. Preston), and the river where Ophelia drowns (one of the scenes that made me gasp).  Vaughn set the play in the Edwardian era rather than the Medieval time specified in the text and that usually makes me crazy but it really worked for me in this instance.  The costumes reminded me of Imperial Russia, particularly the military uniforms.  I cannot recommend this production enough!  

In the evening we saw the Greenshow which had a Scottish theme and then Macbeth in the Englestad Theatre.  Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays because it is very intense (especially seeing it right after Hamlet).  What I loved most about this production is the portrayal of the witches (Sarah Hollis, Emma Geer, and Betsy Mugavero).  They had pagan markings all over their bodies and there were some supernatural effects during their scenes which made them riveting any time they were on stage!  I also really liked the interactions between Macbeth (Wayne T. Carr) and Lady Macbeth (Katie Cunningham), especially when she is encouraging him to kill the king.  Some of her speeches seemed like incantations and this was very effective at setting a sinister mood.  The set is very atmospheric with asymmetrical beams and ripped curtains.  I particularly liked a circular stone dais in the center of the stage which, at one point, becomes a cauldron for the witches.  The lighting and special effects are also very atmospheric, especially a scene involving lightning (everyone around me jumped).  This is another production that I would highly recommend.

On Saturday we began with a backstage tour which I loved because we got to see the deconstructed set for Hamlet and I found it fascinating!  I also really enjoyed seeing all of the weapons used in Macbeth.  Our afternoon show was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the Randall L. Jones Theatre.  I suffer from what I call Joseph fatigue because I have seen this show so many times (it is very popular with Utah audiences) but this production restored my love for it.  What I loved most about it is that, while there are a lot of fun elements, there is not a lot of kitsch which can sometimes be very overdone.  The performances are all amazing, particularly Samae Allred as the Narrator, Michael A. Harding as Joseph, and Russ Benton (who steals the show) at the Pharaoh.  The brothers are all fantastic but my favorite was Reuben (Alex Allred) because his rendition of "Those Canaan Days" is hilarious without being over the top.  The set features a backdrop with the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors in stained glass and it is quite spectacular.  The choreography is a lot of fun, particularly in "One More Angel in Heaven" and "Benjamin Calypso."  This show was a welcome bit of fun after the shows on Friday and I especially recommend it for kids.

Our final show of the festival was Twelfth Night in the Engelstad Theatre.  This was a really fun show to end on because I laughed and laughed through the whole thing!  This production features a lot of physical comedy and it is extremely well done!  Some of my favorite moments include Duke Orsino (Rene Thornton, Jr.) dropping to the ground while languishing over his unrequited love for Olivia (Betsy Mugavero), Sir Toby Belch (Todd Denning) finding flasks hidden all over the set in unexpected places, Malvolio (Chris Mixon) practicing his smile, Viola (Sarah Hollis) and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Josh Jeffers) fighting a duel, and Malvolio revealing his yellow stockings and cross garters!  I also loved all of the interactions between Sir Andrew, Sir Toby, Maria (Katie Cunningham) and Feste the Fool (Trent Dahlin) because the actors have such great comedic timing!  Another aspect of this production that I enjoyed was the use of pop songs played on traditional instruments by a trio of musicians (Samae Allred, Ben Cano, and Isabella Giordano) during transitions.  This show is incredibly entertaining and I highly recommend it!

Both Marilyn and I had such a great time at the festival this year (I may be back soon to see Hamlet again).  Go here for more information about the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Summer Reading: The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Ruth Ware has become one of my favorite authors (I read In a Dark, Dark Wood as part of my summer reading list a few years ago, I read The Lying Game in one day while I was camping in Hanna, and I am currently reading The Woman in Cabin 10). These books are all intense psychological thrillers involving vulnerable young women isolated in dangerous locations and I find them to be incredibly suspenseful. This is especially true of The Death of Mrs. Westaway, the next selection on this year's summer reading list. Ever since her mother died in a tragic car accident, Harriet "Hal" Westaway has been living a hand-to-mouth existence reading Tarot cards at her mother's stall on the pier at Brighton. She has more bills than she can possibly pay and is threatened by a loan shark wanting the money she owes. Soon she receives a letter from a solicitor informing her that she is a beneficiary in her grandmother's will. She knows that this cannot be true as she was told by her mother that her grandparents died before she was born, but she is so desperate that she decides to travel to the funeral and use her Tarot reading skills to pretend to be the heir. She finds herself at Trepassen House, an imposing and somewhat menacing estate, with all of the rightful heirs, who have dangerous secrets, and discovers that she herself is part of the biggest secret of all. Hal is one of Ware's most vulnerable characters (although I really appreciated the fact that she is not an unreliable narrator) but she has a powerful instinct for survival so she is one of her most interesting characters. I found her situation to be very compelling and I was very invested in the resolution which I found to be quite satisfying. I loved Ware's descriptions of Trepassen House. The atmosphere is so ominous and mysterious and the tension builds and builds until the dramatic final confrontation. The use of Tarot card readings adds to the sense of dread. There are lots of twists and turns and, just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was completely thrown off by the ending. This is an incredibly suspenseful Gothic thriller that I enthusiastically recommend!

Note:  Have you read The Death of Mrs. Westaway?  What did you think?

Beethoven & Dvorak at St. Mary's Church

I really enjoyed seeing members of the Utah Symphony perform at St. Mary's Church in Park City as part of the Deer Valley Music Festival last year so I decided that I needed to add it to my list of fun things to do in the summer (the list is getting really long).  St. Mary's Church has amazing views of the mountains through the plate glass windows in the sanctuary and, when you add beautiful chamber music performed by the Utah Symphony, it is a wonderful experience to attend a concert there.  Last night's concert began with Beethoven's "Serioso" String Quartet arranged by Gustav Mahler for the string orchestra.  I thought is was very moody and atmospheric and I loved it!  Next, Associate Concertmaster Kathryn Eberle joined the orchestra as the soloist for Beethoven's Romance No. 2 for Violin and Orchestra and Dvorak's Romance for Violin and Orchestra.  Both of these pieces were very, well, romantic and I really enjoyed Eberle's performance because she makes it look so effortless.  After the intermission, the orchestra played "Pavane for a Dead Princess" by Maurice Ravel and this was definitely my favorite piece of the evening.  It was beautiful and melancholy and I loved the themes played the harp and the woodwinds.  The concert concluded with Mozart's Linz Symphony which was very dramatic.  I especially loved the timpani!  This concert was so lovely and I highly recommend attending one of the remaining performances at St. Mary's Church (go here for information and tickets).

The Art of Self-Defense

Last night I found myself at yet another dark comedy!  This time it was The Art of Self-Defense and I thought it was an incredibly original social satire that is destined to become a cult classic.  Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), a mild-mannered accountant, is brutally attacked one night and decides to learn karate as a form of self-defense.  The mysterious sensei (Alessandro Nivolo) of his dojo improves his self-confidence and teaches him to, literally, become what he fears.  However, all is not what it appears to be at the dojo.  This movie is a scathing indictment of toxic masculinity that is often very brutal to watch but it is also hilarious!  I laughed out loud many times, especially when the sensei tells Casey to listen to metal music instead of adult contemporary, to get a German Shepherd instead of his Dachshund, and to start learning German instead of French (because the French are known primarily for surrendering).  The ending is absolutely bonkers and took me completely by surprise but everyone in my audience cheered out loud!  Jesse Eisenberg is very hit or miss with me (I often grow weary of the twitchy-talk-as-fast-as-you-can-in-a-monotone-voice characterization that he employs for many of his roles) but, in my opinion, this is one of his best performances.  He fully commits to the absurdity, especially as Casey becomes more and more aggressive.  I had a lot of fun watching this movie but it is definitely not for everyone!

Stockholm

I love a quirky dark comedy, especially if it stars Ethan Hawke, so I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Stockholm for months.  This movie tells a fictionalized version of the 1973 bank robbery in Stockholm from which the term "Stockholm Syndrome" originated.  An ex-con named Lars Nystrom (Hawke) shoots a gun in the lobby of a bank with the goal of getting Gunnar Sorensson (Mark Strong), his former partner in crime, released from prison.  He takes several hostages, including Bianca Lind (Noomi Rapace), Klara Mardh (Bea Santos), and Elov Eriksson (Mark Rendall), and demands money and a getaway car (like the one Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt) in addition to Sorensson's release.  The incident becomes a media frenzy and the Swedish Prime Minister, Olof Palme (Shanti Roney), refuses to comply with his demands and the Chief of Police (Christopher Heyerdahl) seems more concerned with his own reputation than the welfare of the hostages. As law enforcement becomes more and more desperate and erratic in their attempts to resolve the situation, the hostages, especially Bianca, begin to cooperate with Nystrom.  Besides being an entertaining heist movie that becomes increasingly more bizarre, it is an interesting psychological study that explores the unusual relationship that can develop between captive and captor.  The tone is a little bit uneven but I enjoyed it mainly because of Ethan Hawke, who gives another brilliant performance (I think he is so underrated).  It is so much fun to watch him become completely unhinged!  Rapace also gives a strong performance, especially in a scene where she nervously gives her husband instructions on how to make dinner for their children when she is briefly allowed to speak with him.  I also really liked the 1970s aesthetic and the use of Bob Dylan in the soundtrack.  I had a lot of fun watching this movie and I suspect fans of dark comedies will enjoy it, as well. 

Glory

I have always loved the movie Glory but seeing it again yesterday as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series reminded me of why!  It is incredibly powerful and moving!  Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is the son of wealthy abolitionists in Boston serving in the Union army when he is wounded during the Battle of Antietam.  While recuperating at home he is offered a colonelcy to lead the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment made up of black freemen and runaway slaves, including John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman), Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher), and Silas Trip (Denzel Washington).  At first he is skeptical about their ability to fight and trains them relentlessly.  Eventually, Shaw comes to respect his soldiers and they him, especially when he and his second-in-command, Major Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes), refuse their pay until the black soldiers receive the same amount as their white counterparts  After their training, the 54th is used mainly for foraging and for manual labor until Shaw advocates for them to be allowed to fight.  They acquit themselves with honor in their first battle and then Shaw volunteers the regiment to lead the charge on Ft. Wagner in an important campaign to secure Charleston Harbor in South Carolina.  They know that they will suffer serious casualties but Shaw leads them himself and their bravery inspires many other black men to enlist, turning the tide of the war.  I think Denzel Washington is a tremendous actor and he is absolutely brilliant in the role of an embittered former slave who doesn't know what he is fighting for.  I found myself with tears in my eyes several times, especially during the scene where he is being flogged for deserting and a single tear rolls down his cheek and the scene where he picks up the flag from a fallen soldier to continue taking it up the ramparts of the fort.  He is definitely deserving of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, in my opinion.  I was also very impressed by Broderick's performance.  I tend to think of him more as a comedic actor but he conveys so much emotion in his eyes as Colonel Shaw!  The battle sequences are intense, especially the Battle of Antietam, and the attention to period detail is impressive.  Finally, I was incredibly moved by James Horner's stirring score, particularly the haunting voices of the Harlem Boys Choir.  It was an emotional experience watching this movie again and I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen!  You have one more opportunity on Wednesday (go here for tickets).

Renee Elise Goldsberry at Deer Valley

Another favorite summer tradition is to see a Utah Symphony concert at Deer Valley as part of the Deer Valley Music Festival.  I love coming to these concerts because it is so beautiful and relaxing up in the mountains and I really enjoy bringing a picnic and listening to music under the stars.  I usually try to see at least one concert every summer (this year I picked two of them) and last night's concert featured the amazing Renee Elise Goldsberry, who originated the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton (Have I mentioned that I saw the original Broadway cast of Hamilton?  Oh, I have?  Several times?  Just checking.).  I have been looking forward to this concert for months because I loved her as Angelica and it was wonderful!  She began with a medley of "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)" and "I Can See Clearly Now" which got the audience cheering!  Then she mentioned how impressed she was the the Utah Symphony could play the blues and sang very sultry versions of "People Get Ready" and "I've Got to Use My Imagination."  Next, she performed an arrangement of "We Can Work It Out" by the Beatles that I really enjoyed.  She thought it would be appropriate to sing "Up to the Mountain" in such a beautiful setting and then turned Deer Valley into an old time revival by singing "Tell the Lord I'm Coming Home Someday."  She had her backup singers (who were fabulous) join her for an a capella version of "We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest" that was incredibly powerful!  She spoke about wanting to have children for a long time and dedicated Bob Dylan's "Lord Protect My Child" to all of the children who are here and who are on their way.  She ended her first set by singing an incredibly beautiful version of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters."  After the intermission she sang "Beat Out Dat Rhythm on a Drum" from Carmen Jones, "How Glad I Am," "Misty," and "Peter Gunn."  My favorite part of the concert came next when she sang the Broadway hits.  Her first starring role was in The Lion King and she sang the most beautiful version of "Shadowlands," which is my favorite song from the show, that I have ever heard!  In fact, it reduced me to a sobbing mess!  Of course, she sang a few songs from Hamilton, including "Satisfied" and "The Schuyler Sisters," and I noticed that just about everyone in the audience was singing along.  It was incredible!  She also starred in the musical RENT and she ended her second set with moving renditions of "Without You" and "No Day But Today."  For the encore she performed "It's Quiet Uptown" from Hamilton which I have never been able to sit through without crying and this was no exception.  Her final song was "You'll Never Walk Alone" because she wanted to go out on a happy note!  I loved every minute of this concert and I can't wait to come back to Deer Valley in two weeks to see Kristin Chenoweth!  Go here to see the rest of the lineup at the Deer Valley Music Festival.

Note:  I was also able to see Leslie Odom, Jr., who originated the role of Aaron Burr in Hamilton, with the Utah Symphony a few years ago.  I think everyone in the whole original cast should come perform a concert at Deer Valley!

Mamma Mia at Sundance

One of my very favorite summer traditions is to see a musical at the Sundance Mountain Resort performed in conjunction with the UVU Theatre Department.  I have been coming for years and I absolutely love it!  The setting could not be more beautiful with the smell of the pine trees and the fresh mountain air.  It is so nice to feel a cool breeze when the temperature is so hot in the valley.  They always do a really great job with whatever show they are performing and this year is especially fun because the show is Mamma Mia!  How can you resist listening to the music of Abba up in the mountains?  Sophie Sheridan (Rylin Gardner) is getting married and wants to have her Dad walk her down the aisle.  The only problem is she doesn't know who he is!  After reading her mother's diary, she finds three possibilities:  Sam Carmichael (Shawn Stevens), Bill Austin (Matt Dobson), and Harry Bright (Sanford Porter).  Without telling her mother Donna (Dianna Graham), she invites all three of them to her wedding and, when they all show up, chaos ensues!  I really enjoyed Graham as Donna and Stevens as Sam and they are especially strong in their songs together, including "One of Us," "SOS," and "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do."  Jocelyn Hansen, as Rosie, and Kerilyn Johnson, as Tanya, are also a lot of fun and I enjoyed their renditions of "Chiquitita" and "Dancing Queen."  Hansen steals the show with her performance in "Take a Chance on Me" with Dobson and hoots of laughter greeted their antics!  I thought that Gardner faltered a little bit as Sophie in the beginning of the show but she finished strong, particularly with "I Have a Dream" at the end.  The choreography in this show is fantastic and I particularly liked it when the male ensemble danced with fins in "Lay All Your Love on Me" and I thought the dream sequence in "Under Attack" was quite innovative (it's one of my favorite numbers in the show).  The costumes are a hoot and feature lots of spandex and sequins!  I had so much fun watching this show and I may or may not have sung along with some of the songs!  I highly recommend it.  Mamma Mia runs at the Eccles Outdoor Theatre on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through August 10 (go here for tickets).

The Lion King

When I saw the first trailer for the live action remake of The Lion King, I thought the images were absolutely stunning (they reminded me of the safaris I took in Africa) and I have been looking forward to seeing it all summer!  I dismissed the negative reviews as critics who are too attached to the narrative that Disney should not be remaking their animated classics to give the movie a chance and I fully expected to love it as I walked into the theater last night.  I didn't love it.  The script is very faithful to the 1994 version and includes an almost shot-for-shot recreation with photorealistic CGI.  To be sure, the images are absolutely beautiful and I really loved the opening scene when all of the animals assemble for the presentation of Simba (the baby elephants!) and when a piece of Simba's fur travels back to the Pride lands to give Rafiki proof that he is still alive.  The animals look incredibly life-like but when they talk and sing, which are human characteristics, their expressions are, well, lifeless.  The photorealistic CGI loses a lot of the emotion that the animated version, which is more anthropomorphic, has so it wasn't quite as magical as I thought it would be.  I also had problems with the pacing of this movie.  It seemed so much longer than the original and I found my mind wandering quite a bit.  It might be because everything is so similar to the original so I was anticipating everything that happened before it did.  Despite an all-star voice cast, I found the performances to be a bit bland because there is such a disconnect between the characters and the voices.  I hope that the Beyhive won't track me down and kill me but I thought that Beyonce was basically portraying herself.  I saw her every time she spoke rather than Nala.  I did, however, love her rendition of "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?" with Donald Glover but it seemed more like a music video featuring documentary animal footage rather than a song sung by two lions falling in love with each other.  I also really liked her new song "Spirit."  An exception to the bland performances would be Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar because his portrayal is much more menacing than the campy villainy of Jeremy Irons and I really enjoyed his version of "Be Prepared" because there is a dangerous energy to it.  I really wanted to love it but, after so much anticipation, I was honestly a bit disappointed with this movie.  I recommend watching your VHS copy of the original, instead.

Summer Reading: The Witch Elm

The next selection on my summer reading list, The Witch Elm by Tana French, is an intense psychological character study that challenged me to think and that is the best kind of book, in my opinion! Toby Hennessy has always thought of himself as lucky. He is good-looking, intelligent, and charismatic enough to talk himself out of any tricky situation. He has a group of loyal friends, a devoted girlfriend, and a supportive extended family of means. However, after a night of drinking with his mates, his luck changes because he is attacked during a burglary attempt on his flat and suffers a catastrophic brain injury. He takes refuge at his family's ancestral home on the outskirts of Dublin with his uncle Hugo and cousins Leon and Susannah to care for him. While he is recuperating there, a body with connections to everyone in the house is found buried in the wych elm tree in the garden. As the murder is investigated, Toby comes to question everything he thought about himself, his family, and his upbringing. The narrative starts very slowly as Toby struggles to overcome the physical and psychological trauma he has endured but this becomes very relevant as the murder mystery unfolds. It was difficult to plod through the beginning but once the action gets going I was absolutely riveted. Toby is the ultimate unreliable narrator because his charmed existence made him oblivious to events surrounding the murder of his former classmate and his brain injury makes his own memories suspect. This adds greatly to the suspense. French's writing style, in this particular novel, is very cerebral with long meditative passages so it might not be for everyone. I enjoyed it because it made me think about how we view ourselves compared to how others view us, what role memory plays in our view of ourselves, and how our actions have consequences that reverberate far more than we imagine. It is a brilliant character study that takes some effort to get thorough but is ultimately worth the trouble.

Note:  Have you read The Witch Elm?  What did you think?

Detour to the Grand Canyon

Yesterday I decided to take the scenic route home from Phoenix which, ironically, is actually faster than driving on the freeway through Las Vegas.  I found myself on Highway 89 on the way to Page, Arizona when I started seeing signs for the Grand Canyon.  Even though I was really tired (I was too keyed up from the concert the night before to go to sleep) and eager to get home, I spontaneously took the exit to go to the South Rim!  I spent a little more than an hour there and I only visited the viewpoints near the East entrance (I knew from experience that they wouldn't be as crowded as other areas) but it was pretty spectacular!

The pictures don't really do justice to how amazing the canyon really is!  It is quite awe-inspiring!  Even though it added about two hours to the drive home, I'm really glad I decided to visit the Grand Canyon.  Unexpected detours like this are one of the reasons I love taking road trips!

Note:  My last visit to the Grand Canyon was not as pleasant.  Apparently, I used quite a bit of profanity while dealing with the large crowds and lack of parking (or so my nephew tells me frequently!)

Queen + Adam Lambert in Phoenix

When my madness over the movie Bohemian Rhapsody was at its apex, I found out that Queen + Adam Lambert would be touring this summer!  I actually deliberated about getting a ticket for a little while because I knew it wouldn't be the same without Freddie Mercury but I ultimately decided to see them in Phoenix (the city closest to me) because I knew I would love hearing these songs played live!  I am so glad that I did because the concert last night was absolutely epic!  The show began with "Now I'm Here," "Seven Seas of Rhye," "Keep Yourself Alive," "Hammer to Fall," and "Killer Queen" one after the other.  Then Adam Lambert, who was absolutely fantastic, told us that he was clearly not Freddie Mercury and that nobody could take his place but he would do the best he could to honor him and the music he created.  The audience went crazy and they were with him the rest of the night!  He was in full diva mode, wearing a gold suit and black ruffled blouse (the first of six outfits), saying that he might not be Freddie Mercury but he was definitely a queen!  He then sang "Don't Stop Me Now" which got the arena rocking!  Then he gave an incredible vocal performance for both "Somebody to Love" and "The Show Must Go On."  The latter gave me goosebumps!  Next Roger Taylor sang "I'm in Love With My Car" (It's a metaphor Brian!).  Adam returned to the stage in leather from head to toe on a motorcycle to sing "Bicycle Race" then sang "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Radio Ga Ga" with lots of audience participation with the claps!  One of my favorite moments of the evening happened when Brian May went to the end of the catwalk and played an acoustic version of "Love of My Life."  The audience held up the lights on their phones and sang along so it was very reminiscent of a scene in the movie.  It was simply magical!  Then he sang "'39" and was joined by Roger and Adam for "Doing All Right" with a lovely three-part harmony!  Adam sang "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and was joined by Roger for "Under Pressure" and then sang "I Want to Break Free."  Another favorite moment was during "Who Wants to Live Forever" because Adam sang it so beautifully that I had tears in my eyes!  Brian stood on a giant platform behind a screen which looked like a meteor surrounded by floating planets (he has a PhD in astrophysics) to play a guitar solo featuring Dvorak's New World Symphony.  It was amazing!  Adam came back to sing "Tie Your Mother Down" and then "Dragon Attack."  I was so excited that they played "Dragon Attack" because I had forgotten how much I used to love that song back in the day!  They finished their set with "Another One Bites the Dust," "I Want It All," and a very theatrical version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" which just about did me in!  Before the encore,  a video of Freddie leading the crowd through "Ay-Oh" during Queen's Wembley concert in 1986 appeared on the screen and we all joined in!  Of course they played "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" during the encore and they took their bows while "God Save the Queen" played!  This is a concert that I don't think I will ever forget and I am so glad I decided to get a ticket!  Even though it was a ten hour drive from SLC to Phoenix, it was definitely worth it!

Note:  I've driven to Phoenix just to see a concert once before but next time I think I'll fly!

Wild Rose

I didn't have a lot of interest in seeing the big new releases over the weekend so I opted, instead, for an independent film at my favorite art house theater.  I ended up seeing Wild Rose yesterday and I absolutely loved it!  Rose-Lynn Harlan (Jessie Buckley) is a working class Scottish girl who has recently been released from prison.  She is trying to reconnect with her two young children, Wynonna (Daisy Littlefield) and Lyle (Adam Mitchell), who barely know her but she also wants to pursue her dream of becoming a country singer in Nashville.  Her disapproving mother, Marion (Julie Walters), wants her to forget about her music and take responsibility for her life and children.  She gets a job as a cleaner for a bored and wealthy woman named Susannah (Sophie Okenedo) who likes her voice and attempts to help her but Rose must ultimately decide what is most important to her.  One of the things that I liked the most about this film is that, while it involves a flawed character finding redemption (one of my very favorite themes), Rose finds her redemption in an unexpected way which makes a familiar story fresh and engaging.  Buckley is absolutely riveting in the role (I loved her in last summer's Beast) and I was especially impressed with her singing because she really lights up the screen when she performs.  Her performance at the end of the film is so poignant that I actually had a tear in my eye.  I also really enjoyed Walters as a mother who wants her daughter to avoid the mistakes she made but doesn't want to take away her hope.  I am not a huge fan of country music but I really enjoyed the music of Patsy Cline, Wynonna Judd, Tricia Yearwood, Bonnie Raitt, and Kacey Musgraves used throughout.  This is a feel-good movie that I highly recommend with the proviso that there is a lot of profanity (it is set in Glasgow, after all).

A Drive-In Double Feature

Sean and I have a fun summer tradition of seeing a movie at the drive-in.  We have been doing this for a few years and it is so much fun!  I have very fond memories of going to the drive-in with my parents when I was a kid and I'm glad that I can take Sean to one of the few remaining drive-ins in the country!  Last night we picked Spider-Man: Far From Home and Men in Black: International then got drinks, treats, and a ginormous bag of popcorn (we didn't even eat one fourth of it).  Sean really liked Spider-Man: Far From Home and I liked it even better the second time!  I still laughed when Peter thinks "Back in Black" is by Led Zeppelin!  Sean fell asleep during Men in Black: International and, while I liked it the first time I saw it, I was pretty meh about it the second time around.  It was a really fun night (we didn't have any weirdos around us this time) and I recommend seeing a movie at the drive-in if you have the opportunity!

Note:  Whenever I would go to the drive-in with my parents, I would try so hard to stay awake for the second feature but I would almost always fall asleep (like Sean did).  To this day, I have no idea how the movie Murder By Death ends!