No Other Land

Last night I went to see the Academy Award winning documentary No Other Land at the Broadway and, no matter where you stand on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, you cannot help but feel devastated and heartbroken after seeing firsthand the fate of people who have been displaced from land owned by their families for generations and who now have no place to go.  In 1980 the Israeli government declares that Masafer Yatta, a collection of 20 rural villages on the southern edge of the West Bank, will now be used for military training.  After a protracted legal battle fighting against expulsion, the Israeli high court rules against the villagers and the army begins demolishing homes with bulldozers.  Basel Adra, inspired by the activism of his parents against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, decides to to start documenting the destruction in 2019 with the hope that people might be moved by what they see and do something to help.  He gains the attention of an Israeli journalist named Yuval Abraham, who disagrees with what the Israeli government is doing in the West Bank, and together they shoot footage with Hamdan Hallal, a Palestinian filmmaker, and Rachel Szor, an Israeli cinematographer and editor.  The images they capture are visceral and very difficult to watch.  I was in tears when a mother begs the soldiers to stop the bulldozers from tearing down her house because her two daughters are still inside and they tell her that they don't care, when the soldiers shoot a man because he won't give them his generator, when the mother of this man tearfully wishes that he would die because she doesn't have a house in which to care for him now that he is paralyzed, and when a family goes looking for any of their chickens that might still be alive after the soldiers bulldoze their chicken coop but the scene that affected me the most is when a group of crying children watch their school bulldozed to the ground.  I was really struck by the attitude of the Israeli soldiers, which ranges from callous indifference to outright cruelty, towards the villagers in the name of following the law.  However, I was also struck by the growing friendship between Basel and Yuval, contemporaries who have very different lives simply because they were born 30 miles apart, in scenes where they discuss the ongoing conflict because it gives some hope that Israelis and Palestinians might eventually be able to work together for peace despite the events of October 2023 depicted in the epilogue.  This is one of the most powerful and important documentaries I've seen and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to see it (it still does not have a distribution deal in the U.S. so independent theaters like the Broadway are screening it on their own).

The Alto Knights

Last night I went to see The Alto Knights with my nephew.  I was very intrigued by the idea of having the same actor play the two main characters but I eventually found this gimmick to be incredibly tedious.  Frank Costello and Vito Genovese (Robert De Niro) were once childhood friends who got their start in the criminal underworld as bootleggers.  The hotheaded Genovese is forced to flee the country in order to avoid a double murder charge and this leaves the more diplomatic Costello in charge of their organization.  While World War II keeps Genovese trapped in Europe, Costello legitimizes much of their business, which makes him and members of their organization very wealthy, and he also takes an interest in politics and the charities organized by his wife Bobbie (Debra Messing).  When Genovese eventually returns, he wants to go back to business as usual and to expand into narcotics but Costello strenuously objects to this.  They each vie for control of their organization until Genovese orders an unauthorized hit on Costello, which he survives.  The rest of the narrative, which is convoluted and moves at a glacial pace, focuses on how Costello attempts to leave organized crime and retire.  This is a true story that culminates in a raid that brings organized crime to the attention of the FBI but I didn't find it very compelling.  I actually found it very confusing because there are a lot of secondary characters and they are not developed very well (one very important character is assassinated in a barber shop and I didn't know who he was or why his death had such an impact on the organization until I researched it after the movie).  Even though De Niro does a good job differentiating the two characters (it is amusing to see him play off himself several times when the two characters sit down for meetings), I found it very distracting because I always had to wait until the character spoke to determine who was who.  The best thing about this movie is the 1950s production design, especially all of the cars, but the archival footage does get a bit old.  I would only recommend this to fans of gangster movies but there are definitely better ones out there to watch instead.

Note:  My nephew told me that he could tell I was bored watching this because I kept fidgeting.

Jazz vs. Celtics

Last night I went to another Utah Jazz game with my friend Angela and I had a lot of fun even though the Boston Celtics beat them pretty soundly.  I think there were twice as many Celtics fans than Jazz fans (a conservative estimate) at the Delta Center and that made it really interesting because they were very vocal whenever their team scored (and that happened often).  The Jazz won the opening tip off and Collin Sexton scored with a jump shot.  One minute later he got a nice three-point shot to put the Jazz ahead 5-0.  I joked that this would be the only lead the Jazz would have during the whole game and, sadly, I was right!  Boston went on to score six three-point shots out of their first seven baskets and they ended the first quarter firmly in control leading Utah 35-18.  The Jazz really struggled with offensive rebounds but they stayed competitive in the second quarter to end the first half down 60-51.  The Jazz battled back in the third quarter with three three-pointers from Sexton and a nice shot from Keyonte George to cut Boston's lead to 71-69.  Then Jayson Tatum (a lot of people sitting near us were wearing his jersey) scored 19 seconds later and that sparked a 13-0 run to put the Celtics up 89-75 at the end of the quarter.  Sexton, who ended the night with an impressive 30 points, and George tried to keep it close in the fourth quarter but Payton Prtchard scored 10 points to lead the Celtics to a 121-99 victory.  It seemed like the only fans in the arena at the end of the game were wearing green!  It has been hard to be a Jazz fan this season (we have the worst record in the entire NBA) but it is always fun to go to games with Angela!

Snow White

I was really interested in the new live-action remake of Snow White because I wanted to determine for myself if the online furor about it was warranted.  Now that I have seen it I can say that some, but definitely not all, of the criticism is unfair and I actually liked it.  A young Snow White (Emilia Faucher) is taught by her parents, the King (Hadley Fraser) and Queen (Lorena Andrea), to be kind and fair to the people of the kingdom but darkness comes when her mother dies and the King marries a temptress (Gal Gadot).  She becomes an Evil Queen after the King is lost in a faraway war and keeps Snow White (Rachel Zegler) locked in the castle as a servant.  The Evil Queen becomes jealous when her Mirror (voiced by Patrick Page) tells her that Snow White is now the fairest one of all so she commands her Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) to kill her and bring back her heart.  He releases her in the forest, instead, where she meets seven dwarfs and a bandit named Jonathan (Andrew Burnap).  When the Evil Queen learns of this deception, she attempts to kill Snow White herself with a poisoned apple but the spell is broken by Jonathan and love's first kiss.  The seven dwarfs as well as Jonathan and his bandits help Snow White become the leader the King knew she could be and she defeats the Evil Queen.  In my opinion, the story is quite faithful to the original (more so than I was led to believe) but I did really like the updates, including the development of the romance between Snow White and Jonathan before the kiss happens and the defeat of the Evil Queen by Snow White's kindness to the people.  I loved Rachel Zegler's charismatic performance and I really enjoyed the new songs, especially "Waiting on a Wish," "Princess Problems," and the romantic "A Hand Meets a Hand" (fun versions of "Heigh-Ho" and "Whistle While You Work" are also included).  The CGI animals are absolutely adorable and the scene where Snow White meets them in the forest is enchanting.  However, the GGI for the seven dwarfs is really creepy!  Their eyes are realistic but their faces are cartoonish and I couldn't get past how weird that combination looked whenever they were on screen.  Gal Gadot is terrible because some of her line readings made me want to laugh (not in a good way) and her singing is even worse (although I did like special effects in her transformation into a hag).  This is not the best live-action remake I've seen (Cinderella holds that title) but it is not as bad as people are saying and I recommend giving it a chance.

Last Breath

My sister recommended the movie Last Breath very highly to me so I braved a snowstorm to see it last night.  I really enjoyed this riveting true story about a group of saturation divers who repair underwater pipelines in the North Sea.  Veteran Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson), taciturn and unemotional David Yuasa (Simu Liu), and rookie Chris Lemon (Finn Cole) are deployed 100 meters beneath the surface for routine repairs when their support vessel loses power, and the dynamic positioning system fails, during a storm.  This causes the vessel to drift away from the dive site while David and Chris are underwater.  David is able to make it to safety on the diving platform, known as the "bell," but Chris's umbilical cord is snapped leaving him untethered without a communications link to the surface, power for his light, and, more importantly, air to breathe.  He is left with only ten minutes of air from his auxiliary tank while David, Duncan, and the crew on the ship mount a desperate attempt to rescue him.  This is very straightforward without a lot of embellishment but it is still incredibly tense, almost unbearably so, and there were several times when I was on the edge of my seat and holding my breath.  The hand-held underwater cinematography, atmospheric lighting, and dramatic sound design add to the sense of claustrophobia and terror.  The performances are solid and I really enjoyed seeing all of the technical aspects involved in this highly dangerous job, particularly the pressurized pods the divers must live in for the entire duration of their rotation.  I definitely recommend this taut thriller, especially now that it is available to stream.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Los Angeles

Over the weekend my sister Kristine and I went on a quick road trip to Los Angeles to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Pantages Theatre and we had so much fun!  I saw this show several years ago in San Francisco when it was performed in two parts so I was really intrigued to see the new production and my sister, who is a huge Harry Potter fan, was even more excited to see it for the first time.  We both loved it because it is absolutely magical!  It is nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts and Harry Potter (John Skelley) now works for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his wife Ginny Potter (Trish Lindstrom) writes for The Daily Prophet, Hermione Granger (Ebony Blake) is the Minister of Magic, and her husband Ron Weasley (Matt Mueller) manages Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.  Their children Albus Potter (Emmet Smith) and Rose Granger-Weasley (Naiya Vanessa McCalla) are on their way to Hogwarts when the story begins.  Albus soon forms an unlikely friendship with Scorpius Malfoy (Aidan Close), the son of Harry's nemesis Draco (Benjamin Thys).  They are drawn together 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.  They feel that they have something to prove so, with the help of Delphi Diggory (Julia Nightingale), they steal a time-turner from the Ministry of Magic in order to go back in time to save Cedric Diggory (Caleb Hafen) from his fate.  This has unintended consequences and now Scorpius must enlist Hermione, Ron, and Severus Snape (Larry Yando) to help him 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.  Even though this new version is close to three hours long, there are obviously some elements that have been removed from the earlier one but I honestly didn't miss anything.  The biggest changes I noticed were that the Dementors appear on stage rather than fly through the audience (I was a bit disappointed but my sister still thought they were really cool) and the relationship between Albus and Scorpius is more romantic than I remember.  I really loved the touching story about father-son relationships, the fun performances (my favorite was Close and my sister's was Mackenzie Lesser-Roy as Moaning Myrtle), and the iconic costumes and sets (fans of Harry Potter will immediately recognize the Gothic architecture, the House Banners, and the moving staircases at Hogwarts) but the way the magic is staged is what makes this show so amazing!  Seeing the students run through Platform 9 3/4, use their wands, travel by flue powder, and drink polyjuice potion caused the audience to gasp out loud but the duel between Harry and Draco and the transfiguration scene received spontaneous applause!  The staging of other scenes is also very clever, particularly when Albus and Scorpius jump off the Hogwarts Express, when they emerge from the lake, and when they are separated by the moving staircases.  Even the choreography used by the ensemble to move set pieces on and off stage is incredibly dynamic!  The show is absolutely spellbinding (pun intended) and I am so glad that I had the chance to see it again, especially with my sister!  It will be on tour in various cities through 2026 (I hope it eventually comes to SLC) and I highly recommend getting a ticket if you have the opportunity.

Note:  I had to drive through a severe snow storm and my sister had to drive in Los Angeles traffic.  I'm not sure which was worse (although we still had the best time on this trip).

Black Bag

My nephew and I went to a Thursday preview of Black Bag last night.  We were both really looking forward to it and we were not disappointed.  When George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), an intelligence agent who specializes in administering polygraphs, is given a list of five agents who might be responsible for allowing a cyber worm capable of destabilizing a nuclear facility, code name Severus, to fall into the wrong hands, he is dismayed to see that his wife, fellow agent Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett), is one of them.  He has a week to find the traitor so he invites the other agents, Freddie Smalls (Tom Burke) and Clarissa Dubose (Marisa Abela), who are a couple, and James Stokes (Rege-Jean Page) and Zoe Vaughan (Naomie Harris), who are also a couple, to an elaborate dinner at his home with Kathryn whereupon he provokes them into revealing intimate details about themselves (in a fabulous tension-filled scene).  He eventually zeroes in on Kathryn and initiates surveillance on her black bag activities (anything too sensitive to be revealed even to a spouse) but is his motivation to expose her or to protect her?  This is a slick and stylish spy thriller but it focuses more on the loyalties and betrayals that happen within three relationships more than those that happen between countries and, in my opinion, that makes it even more compelling.  It also focuses more on dialogue than on action (although there is a great sequence involving a drone), especially in a brilliantly edited scene involving polygraph tests because the answers to the questions posed reveal everything (if you are paying attention).  It is so much fun watching Fassbender and Blanchett spar with each other while delivering the witty dialogue and the rest of the cast is also excellent (Burke is so good at playing a cad).  I love intelligent thrillers and this is a good one.  Go see it!

Rule Breakers

I am a sucker for inspirational movies so I went to see Rule Breakers last night and I really enjoyed this true story about one woman's quest to empower young girls in Afghanistan through science and technology education.  After she was denied the opportunity to use the computers at her school because of her gender, Roya Mahboob (Nikohl Boosheri) eventually teaches herself how to code using a computer in a local cafe, campaigns for computer classes for women at her university, becomes an entrepreneur in the tech field, and establishes computer classes at high schools for girls.  However, she wants to do more and, with the support of her brother Ali (Noorin Gulamgaus) and an Indian tech entrepreneur (Ali Fazal), she decides to sponsor a girls robotics team with the hope of taking them to international competitions and recruits four highly qualified girls, including Taara (Nina Hosseinzadeh), Esin (Amber Afzali), Haadiya (Sara Malal Rowe), and Arezo (Mariam Saraj).  They face many obstacles (so many obstacles!), experience personal tragedy, and receive backlash from the Taliban before they eventually triumph through dedication and determination.  This is incredibly moving and there were moments when I had tears in my eyes over what these girls had to go through in order to achieve their dreams.  I also think this is an important story to tell about the power of knowledge to change the world, particularly now that girls in Afghanistan no longer have access to education beyond the sixth grade.  The performances are all outstanding but I do wish that the movie had developed the characters, especially the girls on the team, more fully because I wanted to know more about them.  My only other complaint is that the scenes at the robotics competitions focus more on the party atmosphere (are robotics competitions really like this?) rather than on what the teams are actually doing and how they are being judged.  The heartwarming story definitely overcomes these minor issues and I highly recommend it!

Les Miserables at the Eccles

The first time I saw Les Miserables while on a study abroad trip to London, I was almost overcome when I heard those dramatic opening notes and, even though I have now seen it more times than I can count, I was still still incredibly moved when I heard them again at the Eccles Theatre last night.  I always wait with great anticipation for all of my favorite numbers and I loved every one of them in this production because it has one of the best casts I've ever seen!  As expected, Nick Cartell (who also played Jean Valjean that last time this show was in town) gives a highly emotional performance of "Bring Him Home" but I was actually moved to tears during Valjean's "Soliloquy" because his transformation is palpable.  I don't think I have ever had such a strong reaction to this song before but I was an absolute mess after Cartell's beautiful rendition.  Lindsay Heather Pearce, as Fantine, is heartbreaking in her version of "I Dreamed a Dream" because you can really feel her disillusionment.  Nick Rehberger, as Javert, is incredibly powerful during "Stars" because he just about blows the roof off of the Eccles Theatre.  Christian Mark Gibbs, as Enjolras, is especially stirring in "Red and Black" and "Do You Hear the People Sing" because I wanted to stand up and cheer (I really loved his voice).  Jake David Smith, as Marius, is absolutely devastating in his performance of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" because I was reduced to tears once again by his anguish during this scene.  I was also really struck by Andrew Marks Maughan, as Combeferre, because I loved both his physicality (he is very tall) and his voice in "Red and Black," "Do You Hear the People Sing," and "Drink with Me to Days Gone By."  Finally, I always judge every production by how Eponine sings "On My Own" (my favorite song in the show) and Mya Rena Hunter absolutely delivered.  She imbues this song (as well as "A Little Fall of Rain") with a vulnerability that is in sharp contrast to her previous interactions with Marius and I loved this characterization.  I love the new staging without the turntable because the sets are more elaborate and truer to the events in the novel, especially in "Look Down" and "At the End of the Day," and the new backdrops feature Victor Hugo's original illustrations which are very striking.  The only element that I miss from the original staging is when the turntable slowly rotates to reveal Enjolras upside down on the barricade with the flag (he is now shown with the flag on a dogcart but it isn't as dramatic).  I love this show and I love that it still has the power to affect me in such a profound way every time I see it.  There are still tickets available for the five remaining performances (go here) and I highly recommend it!

Utah Opera's Pagliacci

Last night I went to Utah Opera's wonderful performance of Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo and, even though it is very short (the last production I saw was part of a double bill), it is filled with emotion and I loved it.  A traveling commedia dell'arte acting troupe arrives in a small town to give a performance, much to the delight of the crowd.  The troupe consists of Canio (Jonathan Burton) who plays Pagliacci, his wife Nedda (Lydia Grindatto) who plays Columbina, Tonio (Darren Drone) who plays Taddeo, and Beppe (Aaron McKone) who plays Arlecchino.  Canio is worried that Nedda might be having an affair but he is persuaded to drink at the pub with the townspeople and leaves Nedda alone.  Tonio finds her and professes his love but she refuses his advances mercilessly.  Nedda is actually having an affair with Silvio (Eleomar Cuello) and, when Tonio sees them together, he informs Canio in order to punish her for her harsh treatment of him.  Canio is devastated but, singing what is arguably one of the most famous arias in the repertoire, he says that he will drown his sorrows with laughter when he plays Pagliacci on stage.  Art imitates life as Columbina flirts with Arlecchino while Taddeo stands guard but, when Pagliacci comes home early to find the lovers, Canio's reaction is real and he declares that he is no longer Pagliacci.  The crowd is impressed by the passion his performance but they are soon horrified when he dramatically kills both Nedda and Silvio, who is in the audience.  Canio tells the crowd that the performance is over as he stands forlornly in the middle of the stage.  I was very impressed by the entire cast!  Burton's emotional performance of the aforementioned aria "Vesti la giubba" is so heartbreaking that I had tears in my eyes.  I was also very moved by Grindatto's rendition of the aria "Stridono lassu" as Nedda yearns to be as free as the birds she sees in the sky (the Utah Symphony, under the baton of Joseph Coloneri, performs this beautifully because it is so light and airy that it really sounds like birds) and I loved her interactions with Cuello in the duet "Silvio! a quest'ora" because he also has a beautiful voice and the two of them have tremendous chemistry.  In addition, the Utah Opera Chorus and the Choristers of the Madeleine Choir School are captivating and add a lot of energy as excited townspeople eager for a performance.  Finally, I loved the colorful costumes and set (the set within a set for the troupe's performance is really clever) because they really bring the Italian countryside to life.  I'm so glad I decided to get a ticket and I recommend that you get one (go here) for one of the three remaining performances.

Novocaine

Last night my nephew and I went to an early access screening of Novocaine and we both had a blast with it.  Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is a mild-mannered assistant bank manager with a rare genetic disorder, called congenital insensitivity to pain, that causes him to lead a very lonely existence.  When he begins a relationship with a co-worker named Sherry (Amber Midthunder), he thinks that he has found the love of his life.  Three criminals dressed as Santa Claus (Ray Nicholson, Conrad Kemp, and Evan Hengst) rob the bank where they work and take Sherry hostage so Nate decides to go after them to get her back and uses the fact that he can't feel any pain to his advantage.  This has a clever premise with action sequences that are brutal and unrelenting (the gory images might be too much for some) but also very amusing, especially a scene where Nate pretends to react to being tortured by one of the bank robbers.  Quaid is really appealing as a nerdy introvert who becomes an unlikely hero and his interactions with Midthunder and Jacob Batalon, who plays Nate's online gaming friend who is called upon to rescue him in real life, are incredibly charming.  He excels at playing these kinds of goofy roles but he also does a good job in the action sequences and has great comedic timing.  There is a really obvious plot twist but it hardly matters because it is just so much fun.  I recommend seeing with it a group of friends and a big tub of popcorn.

Mickey 17

Last night my nephew and I saw Mickey 17 with a large crowd at the Broadway and it is the most fun I have had at a movie this year!  Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) and his friend Timo (Steven Yeun) are on the run from a loan shark and decide that their only option is to join a crew leaving Earth to colonize the planet Niflheim under the leadership of a failed politician named Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo) and his scheming wife Ylfa (Toni Collette).  Timo signs up as a pilot but, because he has no skills, Mickey signs up as an "expendable" which means that he is given lethal assignments and is reprinted with his memories intact every time he dies.  On the voyage to Niflheim, Mickey begins a relationship with a security guard named Nasha Barridge (Naomi Ackie) and is reprinted seventeen times.  Once on Niflheim, Mickey 17 is assigned to capture one of the native lifeforms, insect-like creatures dubbed "creepers."  When he falls into a crevasse and is swarmed by the creepers, he is presumed dead and is reprinted again but the creepers rescue him resulting in two iterations which is forbidden.  Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 fight each other for control but they ultimately join with Nasha to save the creepers, and the planet, from Marshall's tyranny.  This is a hilarious satire with commentary on the evils of authoritarianism, religion (one of the funniest scenes is when Marshall's religious advisor, played by Daniel Henshall, leads a group in song), and colonialism as well as the ethics of cloning, the fear of death, and the futility of guilt.  Admittedly, there is a lot going on and the narrative does become a bit unwieldy with lots of subplots and unnecessary characters but the theme that resonates the most is the economic disparity found in a post-capitalist society (which is popular with director Bong Joon Ho).  Pattinson gives an absolutely bonkers performance (with two more silly voices to add to his repertoire and an impressive physicality) that is both highly sympathetic and fun to watch.  Ruffalo and Collette are completely over the top but I suspect that people will either love or hate what Ruffalo does with the character.  The production design and visual effects are distinctive and add to the overall dystopian tone and I loved the ponderous score.  This will not be for everyone but the dark humor really worked for me and I had a blast watching it with a crowd who laughed out loud every time I did.

Fiddler on the Roof at Hopebox Theatre

I first learned about Hopebox Theatre at the SCERA gala (they were also honored for their contribution to the arts) and I was really impressed by their mission of bringing hope to someone in the community who is battling cancer (they donate a portion of the ticket sales during the run of a show to a nominated recipient) so I knew that I wanted to support them. Their current production is Fiddler on the Roof and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it last night. It tells the well-known story of Tevye (Jacob Draper), a poor Jewish dairyman living in the small Russian village of Anatevka at the turn of the century, and the traditions he clings to in order to guard against the harsh realities of life until his three oldest daughters, Tzeitel (Sidney Brown), Hodel (Abby Rubin), and Chava (Rachel Stephenson), push against them when finding a match. The performances by the talented cast are all outstanding and I had a smile on my face during all of my favorite songs, especially "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" by Brown, Rubin, and Stephenson, "If I Were a Rich Man" by Draper, and "Far From the Home I Love" by Stephenson. The Hopebox Theatre features a small thrust stage and this production has a large cast so I was particularly impressed by the dynamic choreography in "Tradition," "To Life," "Sunrise, Sunset," and "The Bottle Dance" because it makes very good use of the space and I absolutely loved "Tevye's Dream" because Fruma-Sarah (Andrea Whootton) appears very simply by running out on stage but it is still quite dramatic because of the costumes and lighting design (I am always intrigued by how she appears because I once played her and I came up through the bed). I was also impressed by lots of little details that make this production stand out from the many that I've seen before, most notably the extended interactions between Tevye and the Fiddler (Jennifer Ostermiller) during his monologues, the care taken with the authenticity of the religious ceremonies (it is incredibly moving when Tevye removes the mezuzah from the doorpost before leaving Anatevka), and the dance sequence between Chava and Tevye before Fyedka (CJ Rawlins) steps in during "Chavaleh (Little Bird)." The elaborate set features a house and barn made of weathered wood with objects such as benches, blocks, and doors that are cleverly moved and configured to become the village inn, Motel's tailor shop, the railway station, and other locations. This is a great production for an even greater cause (go here to read about Wendy Thurman) and I definitely recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 15.

The Monkey

The second movie in my double feature at the Broadway last night was The Monkey.  I was really looking forward to this and, even though a lot of liberties are taken with the original short story by Stephen King, I enjoyed it.  Petey Shelburn (Adam Scott) attempts to get rid of a toy monkey before abandoning his twin sons Bill and Hal (Christian Convery) but they eventually find it in a closet of his belongings.  They wind a key, which makes the monkey play its drum, and their babysitter Annie (Danica Dreyer) is decapitated in a freakish accident soon after.  Hal attributes Annie's death to the monkey and, after Bill bullies him in a cruel incident at school, he turns the key hoping that Bill will be its next victim but it is his mother Lois (Tatiana Maslany) who dies.  They are taken in by their aunt Ida (Sarah Levy) and uncle Chip (Osgood Perkins) who live in a small town in Maine but, when Chip becomes the next victim, Bill and Hal throw the monkey in a well.  Decades later, the brothers (now played by Theo James) are estranged and Hal is horrified when he realizes that the monkey has mysteriously reappeared after Ida dies in another unusual accident.  Terrified for his young son Petey (Colin O'Brien), from whom is is also estranged, Hal returns to Maine in order to find the monkey but he finds more carnage and an even bigger threat.  This is absolutely bonkers with some really wild and gruesome scenes (my favorites are when someone is electrocuted in a swimming pool and when someone's head is smashed by a swinging bowling ball) but I think this absurdist tone works because it emphasizes the irrational fear of death that keeps both Hal and Bill from living.  James gives a great performance, as both the sympathetic Hal and the villainous Bill, because it is his reaction to the almost comical deaths that creates the tension.  I also enjoyed several hilarious cameos, particularly Nicco Del Rio as a clueless priest and Elijah Wood as young Petey's stepfather.  Finally, the design of the monkey is really unnerving and I found the eyes to be especially malevolent.  A lot of horror movies that I've seen in the past year begin with an intriguing premise and then unravel as they go on, including Longlegs which was also directed by Osgood Perkins, but I actually loved the ending of The Monkey because it reiterates the theme that death is inevitable and you have to find a way to live anyway.  I highly recommend this to fans of horror.

Riff Raff

Last night I went to a double feature at the Broadway and I started with Riff Raff because I thought it would be a lot of fun with such a great cast.  It wasn't.  A retired hitman named Vincent (Ed Harris) is celebrating the holidays at his vacation home in Maine with his second family, wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union) and stepson DJ (Miles J. Harvey), who know nothing about his former occupation.  However, his carefully crafted new life is disrupted when his son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) unexpectedly arrives in the middle of the night with his pregnant girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini) and his inebriated mother, Vincent's ex-wife, Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge).  Through endless flashbacks, we learn that Rocco is being pursued by Vincent's former partner Lefty (Bill Murray) and Lefty's new associate Lonnie (Pete Davidson) for reasons.  This eventually leads to a violent confrontation in which Vincent must reconcile his past with his present.  The convoluted story unfolds at such a glacial pace that, by the time everything is revealed, I didn't really care any more because I was so bored.  The ensemble cast is stacked but the performances are surprisingly bland because they all just seem to be going through the motions portraying characters they've played before.  Finally, this doesn't work as a crime drama because the scenes of violence happen so haphazardly or as a comedy because it is not funny (the only time I laughed was during a brief scene with Vincent's overly helpful neighbors).  This had so much potential but it is ultimately very disappointing and I recommend giving this a miss.

The Pajama Game at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I had never seen the musical The Pajama Game before so I was really excited to attend a production at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse last night. It is a fun old-fashioned show with lots of songs that I recognized. Romance is in the air at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa but things really heat up when a new Superintendent named Sid Sorokin (Nick Balaich) falls for the leader of the union grievance committee Katherine "Babe" Williams (Clarissa Wykstra). They fall in love but their relationship is tested when Mr. Hasler (Spencer Stevens), the owner of the factory, refuses to give the workers a 7 1/2 cent raise and they find themselves on opposite sides of the dispute. Even though the story takes place in the 1950s, the issues are still just as relevant today and I liked that compromise is used to settle the conflict between management and labor as well as the one between the sexes (although some of the characters behave in ways that are very dated and problematic). I can't decide if it is the dialogue that is stilted or if it is the delivery but sometimes the pacing is very sluggish, particularly a scene that is so awkward it made me think that the actors were ad-libbing in order to stall long enough for a costume change that took longer than usual. However, the actors really shine during the big song and dance numbers. Balaich has a beautiful tenor voice and his performance of "Hey There" (one of the songs I immediately recognized) is incredibly touching and it was the highlight of the show for me, Wykstra is confident and sassy, especially in the song "I'm Not At All in Love," and the two of them are perfect foils to each other in the delightful "Small Talk" and "There Once Was a Man" (the other song I recognized). The ensemble do a fantastic job with the energetic choreography in "Once a Year Day," "Think of the Time I Save," and "7 1/2 Cents" and these numbers are so fun to watch. I also really loved "Racing With the Clock," especially when it is slowed down in the reprise to mimic the slow down in production, the Fosse-inspired "Steam Heat" because it is dazzling, and the sultry "Hernando's Hideaway" because the choreography is so dynamic (the lighting design is very effective in this number). The set and costumes are colorful and nostalgic and I especially loved the retro sewing machines and all of the pajamas during the bows. While there are issues, the cast is enthusiastic and the show is very entertaining. It runs on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays through April 5 (go here for tickets).

Jazz vs. Pelicans

My friend Angela has a Utah Jazz season ticket package and she very graciously lets me pick a few games to attend with her.  Last night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans was my first of the season.  The Jazz have not been doing very well and last night most of the veterans, including Markkanen, Kessler, Collins, Clarkson, and Sexton, were out with injuries.  The Pelicans took an early lead and kept it for three quarters and, honestly, I kind of stopped paying attention to the game and just chatted with Angela (I hadn't seen her for a long time) which was actually a lot of fun.  Then there was a spark when Cody Williams made a three-point shot at the beginning of the fourth quarter to give the Jazz their first lead of the game.  It got really exciting when the Jazz went on a 27-8 run, including five baskets from Oscar Tshiebwe, to go up 100-94.  The crowd got loud and it really seemed like we had a chance to win but then CJ McCollum hit three straight three-pointers for New Orleans to put them ahead 118-108.  This deflated the crowd and the Jazz ended up losing 128-121 despite 28 points from Keyonte George and 21 from Brice Sensabaugh.  This game was dubbed the battle of the two worst teams in the Western Conference but I had a great time despite the loss (and despite seeing my favorite former Jazz player Kelly Olynyk score 26 points for the Pelicans).

Note:  With five seconds left in the game, the Jazz got a delay of game technical foul after Hardy called a timeout. We thought it was really weird but it turns out the Jazz didn't have any timeouts left.

Between the Lines at the Empress Theatre

I had never heard of the musical Between the Lines before but, when I read the description, I knew that it was obviously written for me because I usually prefer fictional characters to real people! I saw it last night at the Empress Theatre and I absolutely loved it! Delilah McPhee (Ashley Bates) is a seventeen year old girl trying to navigate her parents' divorce and a new school where she is bullied by the mean girl Allie McAndrews (Dusti Mulder) and her friends (Connor Alldredge, Talitha Jo Garrison, Tyler Parkin, and Emma Mendisabal). She finds solace in a children's fairy tale called Between the Lines and is drawn to the protagonist Prince Oliver (Alex Parkin). After a particularly stressful argument with her mother Grace (Lisa Shortridge), Oliver appears to Delilah and she tells him that she wishes that she could be part of his world. However, he tells her that things are not necessarily better in a fairy tale because they must live the same story over and over whenever someone reads it. They conspire to be together but Delilah eventually learns that she must write her own story. As someone who spent a lot of time reading during adolescence to escape from reality, I loved this story and I think anyone who has ever felt different will really enjoy it. The songs are a lot of fun and I especially loved "Mr. Darcy and Me" which is sung by the librarian Ms. Winx (Katelyn Johnson) when Delilah asks her if she has ever had a relationship with a fictional character and "Happily Ever After Hour" when the characters in Between the Lines lament the fact that they can never be who they really are because they must perform for the reader. The young cast does a fantastic job and I was really impressed with every performance! Bates is captivating and she sings "Another Chapter," "Between the Lines," and "A Whole New Story" with so much emotion. Parkin is incredibly appealing in the songs "In My Perfect World" with Bates and "Something to Hold On To" and I loved all of his physical comedy. The ensemble, who play characters in both worlds, is really strong and I enjoyed the songs "Inner Thoughts," especially when the dumb jock Ryan steps forward to sing but doesn't have any lines, and "Out of Character" because I always appreciate tap dancing. The set is one of my favorites at the Empress because it focuses on books with bookcases, book covers, and book pages located all around the theatre. Whenever the characters from Between the Lines appear, they enter from a bookcase that rotates to become a page from the book and this is such a clever way to denote which world we are in. This is an enchanting production and I highly recommend it! There were a lot of empty seats last night and I would love for more people to see this (go here for tickets). It runs at the Empress Theatre through March 15.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at PTC

The Broadway touring production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical was the first show I saw at the Eccles Theatre when it opened and, because I loved it so much, I was really excited to see it again last night at PTC. This version is definitely on par with the Broadway production and, once again, I really loved it. Beautiful is a jukebox musical describing how Carole King rose to stardom in the 1970s using the songs she wrote, such as "So Far Away," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Up on the Roof," "It's Too Late," "You've Got a Friend," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and "I Feel the Earth Move" among others, to inform her story. Act I begins when a sixteen year old King (Sara Sheperd) decides to go to Manhattan to sell one of her songs to producer Don Kirshner (Jason Andrew Hackney) and continues with her development as a hit songwriter with her husband Gerry Goffin (Anthony Sagaria) and with their rivalry with the songwriting team of Cynthia Weil (Lee Alexandra Harrington) and Barry Mann (Stephen Christopher Anthony). Act II details the disintegration of King's marriage to Goffin and how she finds the courage to stand on her own, both personally and professionally, which results in the writing and recording of her seminal album Tapestry. King's legendary concert at Carnegie Hall in 1971 is used as a framing device. Many of the musical numbers begin with King and Goffin or Weil and Mann singing a song as they write it, usually around a piano, and then continue with the artist who made it famous singing it as a big production number with fabulous choreography. I really loved seeing "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" with the Shirelles (Elexis Morton, Tyler Symone, Hannah Camille Hall, and Kianna Kelly-Futch), "Up on the Roof" with the Drifters (Travis Keith Battle, Chris Richie, Nathan Andrew Riley, and Cory Simmons), "The Locomotion" with Little Eva (Grace Ellis Solomon), "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" with the Righteous Brothers (Jordan Briggs and Nate Ginsberg), and "One Fine Day" with Janelle Woods (Elexis Morton). The music is incredible (I had to stop myself from singing along and I was definitely not alone as I watched the people around me instantly recognize a song) and all of the performances are brilliant. Sheperd, especially, is amazing because she not only embodies King in the musical numbers (her rendition of "A Natural Woman" gave me goosebumps) but she also shows so much vulnerability in portraying King's journey to self-acceptance (I really love the message of empowerment in this show). The minimal set pieces are moved and configured into various locations very effectively by the ensemble and the hair, makeup, and costumes do a great job evoking the 1960s and 1970s. I had such a good time watching this and I heard nothing but positive comments from the audience as I walked out. Do yourself a favor and get a ticket (go here) for one of the three remaining performances.

Note:  The crowd last night was the biggest I've seen all season!

Jesus Christ Superstar at the Grand Theatre

I have seen two different Broadway touring productions of Jesus Christ Superstar but I think the version I saw last night at the Grand Theatre might be my favorite.  I loved everything about it!  This rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice tells the story of the Passion of Jesus Christ from the perspective of Judas as he becomes dissatisfied with Jesus's growing popularity and fears that it is taking away from their mission to help the less fortunate.  It features contemporary sensibilities and I've seen Jesus portrayed as a rock star with an electric guitar and a microphone in other productions but in this one he creates a cult of personality and whips crowds into a frenzy with just his presence.  All of the costumes are contemporary, as well.  Jesus is dressed casually in athletic wear (and an orange jumpsuit during his trial), his followers are dressed as punk rockers (I loved Judas's red leather jacket), King Herod is dressed as a sleazy lounge singer in a pink lamé suit, and Pilate is dressed as a 19th century gentleman with a brocade waistcoat and frock coat.  The set, which consists of multi-level metal towers (that look like scaffolding) with a large cross at the top, the dramatic lighting design, and the dynamic choreography are all dazzling and my attention never wavered from what was happening on stage.  I love the music in this show (I had to try really hard not to sing along to every song) and the three leads, Michael Scott Johnson as Jesus, Aaron Naylor as Judas, and McKenna Kay Jensen as Mary Magdalen, have beautiful voices.  I really enjoyed Jensen's version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" (my favorite song in the show) and Johnson's rendition of "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)" gave me goosebumps but Naylor blew me away with his performance of "Damned for All Time/ Blood Money" because you can really feel his escalating torment.  I was also impressed by "This Jesus Must Die" by Ricky Parkinson as Caiaphas because he has an incredible bass voice and "Pilate's Dream" by Keefer Glade as Pilate because having him play the guitar while standing in a spotlight during this song is very powerful.  I think this show is brilliant but the song "Trial By Pilate/ Thirty-Nine Lashes" is extremely difficult to watch, particularly in this version because it is staged very realistically with blood dripping from Jesus's wounds.  However, the staging of "John Nineteen: Forty-One" is incredibly tender and I think it makes up for the scenes preceding it.  This production is so good and I cannot recommend enough!  It runs at the Grand Theatre on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through March 22 (go here for tickets).

The Prince of Egypt at HCT

I have always regretted that I didn't make more of an effort to see The Prince of Egypt when it was at Tuacahn in 2018 so I was very excited when it was included in the 2025 season at HCT. I had the chance to see it last night and I really enjoyed it. A baby named Moses is set adrift on the Nile by his Hebrew mother Yocheved (Sophia Morrill Mancilla) in order to save his life. Queen Tuya (Mack) rescues him and then raises him alongside her son Ramses in the court of Egypt. Ramses (Ren Cottam) and Moses (Ethan Kelso) form a close bond as they vie for the attention of the Pharaoh Seti (Danté J. L. Murray) but Ramses eventually marries Nefertari (Annakaitlyn Burningham) to unite two kingdoms and, when Moses learns his true identity from his biological sister Miriam (Jaden Chandie Nandkeshwar) and biological brother Aaron (Spencer Anapol), he flees to the desert.  Moses is taken in by Jethro (Aioleoge Lesa) and falls in love with his daughter Tzipporah (Rebecca Burroughs) before realizing that his destiny is to free the Hebrew slaves. Moses must return to Egypt and to Ramses, who is now the Pharaoh, for a confrontation that culminates with the parting of the Red Sea and a new understanding between the brothers. I was absolutely dazzled by the staging of the well-known biblical events. The basket carrying the baby Moses floats above the stage on a river made of silks, the burning bush is depicted by a series of ropes that represent the bonds that keep people enslaved (this symbolism is very powerful), the plagues are shown with different projections on gauzy fabric covering the stage and members of the ensemble (this is particularly effective), and the parting of the Red Sea is depicted with blue scrims that circle the stage (it is really cool). I also really loved the many elaborate set pieces (most of which are moved on and off stage by the ensemble) that bring ancient Egypt to life, including the chariots that race above a traditional market and a temple, the throne room, a secret room in the palace, a royal barge on the Nile, a well in the desert, Jethro's tent, and various construction sites and ruins. The costumes are gorgeous and feature muted colors for the Hebrews, vibrant colors and patterns for Midianites, and luxurious fabrics for the Egyptians.  However, I was especially impressed by how director Dave Tinney was able to find the perfect balance between the spectacle and the intimate story being told. The technical wizardry is fun but, in my opinion, the story is at its best whenever it focuses on the relationship between Moses and Ramses, especially in the songs "Faster," "Make It Right," and "Always On Your Side."  The main cast is outstanding but Kelso's renditions of "Footprints on the Sand" and "For the Rest of My Life" are incredibly poignant and Nandkeshwar and Burroughs sing "When You Believe" so beautifully. The multicultural members of the ensemble, most of whom play multiple roles (Hebrews, Egyptians, and Midianites), do a great job with the choreography and I especially loved "Deliver Us" because it is very powerful and "Through Heaven's Eyes" because it is so exuberant. There is definitely a focus on the human relationships rather than the divine and some might not like that but I did and would highly recommend this beautiful production. It runs on the Young Living Centre Stage through April 12 but almost all of the performances are sold out so act quickly (go here for tickets).

Note:  I can also highly recommend Little Women which is currently on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through April 23 (go here for tickets).

2025 Star Awards

Last night I attended the Benefit Gala for SCERA's Endowment for the Arts as a recipient of one of the Star Awards.  I was honored as a Friend of the Arts and it was an incredible event that I won't soon forget!

The theme was the Wild West and all of the decorations were so fun!

The evening began with a silent auction (there were some cool items to bid on) and then we had a dinner in the lobby provided by the UVU Culinary Arts Institute which included a salad of crisp frisee, grape tomatoes, a blue cheese wedge, bacon lardons, and shallot vinaigrette, a main course of herb & goat cheese stuffed chicken breast, creamy mashed potatoes, broccolini, baby carrots, and crispy red onion, and for dessert there was an amazing chocolate peanut butter cake.

After dinner there was a live auction (I wanted the Jazz tickets but they were way out of my price range) and then we moved into the theatre for the program and the Star Awards.

There was a beautiful slide presentation narrated by radio and TV personality Casey Scott for each of the recipients before we received our awards (and then we had to give a speech!).

Both of my sisters, my brother-in-law, my nephew, and a dear friend were there to support me and that really meant a lot to me.  There were also some lovely tributes from several of my friends and former colleagues printed in the program and these actually brought tears to my eyes when I read them.  I am so grateful to SCERA for all of the preparation and care that went into such a wonderful evening and I want to thank them for giving me an award for simply doing what I love!

Note:  The program included entertainment between the awards and we got a sneak peak of The Wizard of Oz (SCERA's next production).  Both of my sisters were so impressed they want to come see it with me!

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella at The Ruth

Last night I saw the Rodgers & Hammerstein version of Cinderella at The Ruth.  This is the first production in the more intimate Lindsay Legacy Theater and, as with the Scott & Karen Smith Grand Theater, I was really impressed with this wonderful new venue (lots of leg room).  This show features a contemporary update to the well-known fairy tale with a social reforming Cinderella (Hailey Bennett Sundwall) who rescues Prince Topher (Jeff Sundwall) from the Lord Protector (Kyle Harper) who is deceiving him about the conditions in his kingdom, a feminist Fairy Godmother (Michelle Sundwall) who tells Cinderella that it's up to her to make her own dreams come true, and a Stepsister (Jaymie Lambson) who eventually becomes a sympathetic conspirator with her own romance with the revolutionary Jean-Michel (Brock Harris).  I am not a huge fan of this version because I think it is very contrived with messages, however laudable, that are shoehorned into the story but there is so much to love about this production.  The set is absolutely magical!  There is a backdrop that looks like an illustration from a storybook with vines covered in lights that blink on and off and change color to coincide with all of the transformations (the effect is spectacular).  There are beautiful set pieces, which have an autumn color palette, that are moved on and off the stage by the ensemble and my favorites are the trees used in the pursuit of Cinderella after the ball.  The costumes are gorgeous!  I loved Cinderella's sparkly ball gown as well as the Fairy Godmother's gown (the transformations into these gowns are a lot of fun) but I was also impressed by the uniforms worn by Topher and his guards.  The puppets used for the Fox and Raccoon (with puppeteers Maggie Scott and Emily Runyan Manning, respectively) are clever as are their transformations and the portrayal of Topher's horse Buttercup is quite humorous (every production I've seen has portrayed the horse in a different way).  The performances are amazing!  The three leads (who are husband and wife and mother and son) do a lovely job with "In My Own Little Corner," "Impossible," "It's Possible," "Ten Minutes Ago," "There's Music in You," and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful" and I also really enjoyed "Stepsister's Lament" by Karlena Nielson because her rendition is really funny.  Finally, the choreography is dazzling!  I particularly enjoyed the patterns created in "Now Is the Time/ The Prince is Giving a Ball," the romance in "Ten Minutes Ago," and the chaotic energy in "The Pursuit."  This may not be my favorite show but I enjoyed what The Ruth did with it and would recommend getting a ticket (go here).  It runs through May 3.

Ballet West's Cinderella

I was really excited to see Ballet West's production of Cinderella last night because, not only is it incredibly beautiful, it is also really funny!  It tells the well-known story of Cinderella (with a few differences from the Disney version) and features music by Sergei Prokofiev, choreography by Frederick Ashton, and all new costumes and sets.  The stepsisters, who are portrayed by male dancers (Dominic Ballard and Jonas Malinka-Thompson), are absolutely hilarious and I loved the scenes where they are getting ready for the ball (their gowns are very elaborately embellished), having a lesson from a dance master, and dancing at the ball with Wellington (Robert Fowler) and Napoleon (Vinicius Lima, who is a hoot).  I can't imagine how difficult it must be for trained ballet dancers to appear so awkward and to dance so badly!  The Fairy Godmother (Anisa Sinteral) has the Fairies of Spring (Kristina Pool), Summer (Victoria Vassos), Autumn (Rylee Ann Rogers), and Winter (Nicole Fanney) give Cinderella gifts before she transforms her into a princess and I really enjoyed these dances (and the young dancers who appear as their attendants).  The costumes and backdrops for the fairies evoke each of the seasons perfectly and I especially loved the falling leaves for Autumn and the fog for Winter.  Lexi McCloud is a beautiful Cinderella and her dance with a broom as a partner is really endearing, her entrance to the ball is stunning (seeing her descend the stairs on pointe was quite impressive and gave me goosebumps), and the Grand Pas de Deux with the Prince (Jordan Veit) is incredibly romantic with intricate choreography that is dazzling to watch (I also loved the music during this dance because it is very dramatic, especially the timpani).  Cinderella's costume for the ball is gorgeous but I was really impressed by her transformation back to a scullery maid at the stroke of midnight because it happens so quickly.  The dances at the ball with the Prince's attendants (I loved that their costumes matched the fairies) and the courtiers are charming but I was blown away by the athleticism of the Jester (William Lynch).  The final scene as Cinderella and the Prince dance with glitter falling all around them is absolutely magical.  I had a wonderful time watching this ballet and I highly recommend it but only one performance remains (go here for tickets).

Bravo Broadway

Last night I went to the Bravo Broadway concert featuring the Utah Symphony and guest vocalists Scarlett Strallen, Dee Roscioli, and Hugh Panaro.  It was wonderful!  Before the show, guest conductor John Gennaro Devlin told the audience that the first half would feature classic Broadway standards and the second would include songs from popular shows on Broadway today and I'm not sure which I enjoyed more!  The orchestra began with the Broadway Tonight Overture and then all three soloists came to the stage for "Lullaby of Broadway" from 42nd Street.  Strallen, who has a beautiful coloratura soprano voice, continued with a lovely version of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady, Panaro sang an incredibly moving version of "Not While I'm Around" from Sweeney Todd (all of the lights on stage turned red during this song), and then Roscioli just about blew the roof off Abravanel Hall with her version of "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl.  Next came a romantic performance of "Stranger in Paradise" from Kismet and then the orchestra continued with a medley from West Side Story (which included audience participation).  All three soloists performed an amusing version of "Getting Married Today" from Company, Panaro gave a spirited rendition of "Ya Got Trouble" from The Music Man, and then everyone performed "Before the Parade Passes By" from Hello, Dolly! to conclude the first half.  After the intermission, Panaro sang "You'll Be Back" from Hamilton (complete with a crown) and this was obviously my favorite  performance of the night but Roscioli's rendition of "Memory" from Cats gave me goosebumps!  I love that Panaro and Strallen included "The Song That Goes Like This" from Spamalot next because it is such a spoof of Broadway musicals and the fact that they sang it so seriously was hilarious.  The orchestra played a really fun medley from Mamma Mia that got the audience cheering and then Strallen and Roscioli (who has had the longest run playing Elphaba on Broadway and on national tours) sang "For Good" from Wicked.  Roscioli continued with "Defying Gravity" (her dress was pink so she joked that she was wearing the wrong color but at least all of the lights on stage were green) and this was another favorite moment.  A Bravo Broadway concert just isn't complete without Phantom of the Opera so Panaro and Strallen sang "Phantom of the Opera" and then Panaro gave an incredible performance of "Music of the Night" that brought the house down!  For the encore, they performed a medley of love songs for Valentine's Day (my favorites were "Love Changes Everything" from Aspects of Love and "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar).  I enjoyed this concert so much and, if you love musical theatre as much as I do, I highly recommend getting a ticket to tonight's performance of the same program (go here) but act quickly because there were very few empty seats last night.

Captain America: Brave New World

Last night I went to a Thursday preview of Captain America: Brave New World and, while it is not the best entry in the MCU, I liked it.  Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) is elected President of the United States and, because of his problematic behavior in the past, he wants his legacy to be a treaty in which the adamantium discovered on Celestial Island is shared between several nations including Japan.  However, Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) holds Ross responsible for his incarceration after the events in The Incredible Hulk and uses his superhuman intelligence to disrupt the treaty negotiations.  Sterns uses mind control to compel the veteran and super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) to attempt an assassination of the president as he addresses international leaders.  Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) works with Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas), an ex-Widow who is now a government agent, to clear Bradley's name but more manipulation from Sterns forces Captain American and the Falcon to intervene in order to prevent a war with Japan and a threat from Ross.  The story is a bit unwieldy and convoluted (there is also a plot involving Giancarlo Esposito as the Sidewinder and some stolen adamantium) but once it gets going I really enjoyed seeing a president try to be a better man and a new hero grappling with comparisons to an old one before finding his true strength.  I loved Mackie's more stoic performance (it is appropriate and I didn't miss the wisecracking usually found in the MCU at all) and I found his portrayal of Sam's relationships with Isaiah and Joaquin (Lumbly and Ramirez are also great) to be very affecting and a great way forward for the character.  Ford is outstanding as a man trying to reconcile his past mistakes but I feel like Esposito is wasted in role that is not fully realized.  The biggest problem with this movie is the way it looks.  Some of the CGI in the action sequences is really chaotic and the confrontation with the Red Hulk, especially in the cherry trees, is so obviously in front of a green screen that it is laughable.  There are definitely issues but I had fun with it and I am now eager to see more of the character in the upcoming Avengers movies.

The Play That Goes Wrong at West Valley Arts

Last night I went to see The Play That Goes Wrong at the West Valley Performing Arts Center and, since I am very familiar with this show, I was really intrigued to see how it would be staged in the round. They actually pulled it off because it is one of the funniest versions I've seen! The titular play is The Murder at Haversham Manor by Susie H. K. Brideswell and it is being performed by the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society. It stars Max (Dan Radford) as Cecil Haversham/ Arthur the Gardner, Chris (Adam Packard) as Inspector Carter, Jonathan (John Valdez) as Charles Haversham, Robert (Bryan Dayley) as Thomas Colleymore, Dennis (Samuel Wright) as Perkins the Butler, and Sandra (Britty Marie) as Florence Colleymore. The Director is Chris, the Stage Manager is Annie (Jillian Joy), and the Sound and Lighting Director is Trevor (Armando Serrano Huerta). The set is slowly falling apart, the props malfunction or go missing, the sound designer accidentally plays Duran Duran instead of the sound cues, a missing dog is not found until bows, one actor cannot stay still while playing the murder victim, one actor cannot remember his lines, one actor is overly dramatic and then milks the audience for applause, and the leading lady is injured halfway through the show and must be replaced by Annie (and then Trevor) with script in hand but the show must go on! The staging (which I won't spoil here) is absolutely brilliant because, since it is in the round, everything happens in front of the audience! I especially loved the visible backstage area and all of the stage crew members (more than are usually used in this show) who are shown running around in a panic. The set is one of the most elaborate I've seen at West Valley Arts and I particularly loved the second floor study, which eventually collapses spectacularly, and the elevator, which is hand-cranked to great comedic effect. The physical comedy is so much fun to watch and my favorite moments are when Florence, Thomas, and Inspector Carter get stuck in a loop which involves drinking paint thinner instead of whiskey because Perkins can't remember his next line, when Cecil and Thomas have to answer the phone (with the help of an audience member) while holding the set together, when Perkins and Thomas walk through the audience because they can't open the door, when Cecil cannot bring himself to kiss Florence, and when Annie and Sandra have a long and drawn out fight over who gets to play Florence. The entire cast is fantastic but the standouts for me are Dayley because he is so hilariously exasperated (he was often standing near me and his facial expressions made me laugh out loud), Radford because his gestures are so over the top, and Joy because she is an absolute hoot once she gets into character while playing Florence. I don't think I stopped laughing all night and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) for a really fun night out!  It runs at the West Valley Center for the Performing Arts through Mar 1.

Note:  If you go (you should!) try to get to your seat as early as you can because there are hijinks before the show even begins!