The Imitation Game

When I was in junior high and high school, I had quite a penchant for reading the spy novels of Robert Ludlum, John LeCarre, Frederick Forsythe, Ken Follett, and Jack Higgins. I especially loved spy novels dealing with World War II and my Dad joked that I would read anything that had a swastika on the cover!  When I got to college I became even more interested in spycraft and started reading non-fiction accounts from World War II.  I loved the book Seizing the Enigma by David Kahn and I was fascinated by the enigma machine used by the Germans to encrypt secret messages (I am such a nerd).  Obviously, I have really been looking forward to the film The Imitation Game which depicts the life of Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he works against time to create a machine capable of deciphering the enigma code used by the Germans.  I saw the movie yesterday and I thought it was absolutely brilliant!  Not only does it portray the intensity of trying to crack the code against the backdrop of war where every minute results in death, but it also tells the story of Turing's tortured existence.  It flashes back to his unhappy days at boarding school when he realizes that he is gay and chronicles the charge of gross indecency leveled against him after the war.  It is an incredible character study with the overwhelming theme that being different should be celebrated rather than vilified.  I have been a fan of Cumberbatch ever since the PBS series Sherlock began airing several years ago.  In my opinion, he is so skillful at portraying complex and eccentric characters and this may be his most nuanced performance yet (there is a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding him).  Keira Knightley (who is hit or miss with me) also gives a solid performance as Joan Clarke, the only female codebreaker who must contend with prejudices against her own unconventional behavior (it is, of course, indecorous to live and work with a group of men as an unmarried female).  I highly recommend this movie for its interesting and suspenseful plot, compelling message, and outstanding performances.

Note:  On a trip to France, I saw an actual enigma machine at the War Museum in Caen.  I literally hyperventilated when I saw it.  Yep.  Total nerd!

Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker

It has been a long and difficult week.  It is always hard to go back to school after having two weeks off for winter break but I have also been fighting one of the worst colds I've ever had!  I actually stayed home for two days and I really should have stayed home more but it is the end of the term and I've been trying to finish Hamlet with my seniors and Night with my sophomores.  The only thing that got me through the past couple of days was knowing that I had this lovely Utah Symphony concert featuring the music of Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky on Friday night to look forward to!  The first piece was Symphony No. 15 by Dmitri Shostakovich.  Before the orchestra began, guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth (who is adorable) gave the audience some background information saying that it is very autobiographical, chronicling Shostakovich's difficulties living in the Soviet Union under Stalin.  I loved this piece, particularly the second movement which begins with the brass playing a theme that sounded quintessentially Russian to me.  Interspersed with this theme is a solo cello representing Shostakovich's struggle for individuality within the Soviet machine.  It is hauntingly mournful and Rainer Eudeikis, Principal Cellist, played it beautifully.  After the intermission, the orchestra played Act II from The Nutcracker by Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky.  I have seen this ballet many, many times and I've always enjoyed the music.  This was a really nice opportunity to concentrate on the music without the "distraction" of the dancing.  I quite enjoyed watching the orchestra, who are usually hidden in the pit, and I noticed so many things!  I loved watching the woodwinds in the Arabian Dance and the harp in the Waltz of the Flowers.  I also particularly enjoyed the Russian Dance.  I've always been so impressed with the sheer athleticism of the dancers but the orchestra gets quite a workout as well because it is so fast!  I've never really noticed that before because I've always been so enamored with the leaping Russians!   Even without the dancers, I still feel like the music for the Pas de Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier is one of the most romantic pieces I've ever heard.  Tchaikovsky had to be filled with so much emotion to write something so beautiful.  Mark Wigglesworth conducted this section with so much passion and he isn't even Russian!  Finally, I learned that the instantly recognizable notes in the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy are played by a celesta!  Who knew?  It was such a wonderful concert and, luckily, it will be repeated again tonight!  Go here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Is He Dead at HCT

Hale Theatre always likes to ring in the new year with a comedy and this year they certainly picked a good one!  Is He Dead? is an absolutely hilarious farce and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it last night!  I can't remember when I've laughed so hard!  In the mid-1800s, Jean-Francois Millet is a destitute painter living in Paris.  He, along with his fiancee's father, is in debt to his coniving art dealer, Bastien Andre. Millet tries to sell his paintings to pay the debt but soon realizes that his work isn't worth much because he is still alive. Millet's fellow painters, Agememnon "Chicago" Buckner, Hans "Dutchy" Von Bismarck, and Phelim O'Shaughnessy, convince him to fake his own death and pretend to be his fictitious twin sister, the widow Daisy Tillou. Chaos ensues! All of the characters are completely over-the-top, the dialogue is fast-paced, and the physical comedy is so much fun to watch. I laughed out loud when Dutchy and Phelim try to teach "Daisy" how to sit properly!  I really enjoyed the entire cast (for some reason the performers last night were a mix of the MWF and THS casts) but I had a few favorites. Ben Abbott is brilliant as Jean-Francois Millet/Daisy Tillou! His comedic timing is perfect and I loved all of his facial expressions. David K. Martin is absolutely frenetic as Chicago and there is never a dull moment with him leaping around the stage. I am a huge fan of Brandon Green (he played the sinister Jonathan Brewster in HCT's production of Arsenic and Old Lace) and it is equally fun watching him mince around as Phelim.  I loved all of Daisy's costumes ("Do you know how much equipment I am wearing under here?") and, as usual, the sets (both Millet's garret apartment and Daisy's opulent Parisian drawing room) are spectacular!  I loved this show and I highly recommend it as a fun night out (especially during the long winter months).  Go here for tickets and information.

Quarters for Christmas

This year the HHS student body officers chose KSL's Quarters for Christmas as the recipient of their school-wide holiday service project.  For one week they went around to fourth period classes and sold paper links for 10 cents.  Not only did Hunter High look quite festive with red and green paper chains in every classroom, but the SBOs were able raise $1500 to donate!  I am really proud of that total because it is all from students!  We did not have corporate sponsors or receive large parent donations.  In fact, most of the money came in the form of crumpled dollar bills and coins.  KSL invited us to make an on-air donation on the first day of winter break and it was a great experience!  Here are some pictures of our visit.

In the lobby of KSL Broadcast House.

We got to go right on the floor during a broadcast.

We got a tour of the newsroom.  Whenever we walked through an area, our guide would announce our donation and people would clap for us! Everyone treated us as if we had donated a million dollars!

Getting ready for the broadcast.

It was really fun to go behind the scenes to see what goes into a news broadcast.

During the broadcast.  Vincent and Evelyn did such a great job on the air!

The HHS graphics teacher made us this large check to present to KSL.  It was a big hit. (We gave them a real one, too!)

Posing with Deanie Wimmer!  She was so nice and very genuine.  I was quite impressed with how much time she took with us in the middle of a live broadcast!  KSL is definitely a class act!

I am so proud of my SBOs for all of their hard work in making Quarters for Christmas such a success this year!  You can go here to find out more about KSL's Quarters for Christmas program.

Ice Skating Downtown

On Friday I took Sean and Tashena ice skating at Gallivan Plaza.  It has become one of our winter break traditions (but I think they like the hot chocolate more than the skating).

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