The Force Awakens

I was nine years old when Star Wars: A New Hope was released and I distinctly remember watching it on the big screen.  I loved Princess Leia and I was terrified of Darth Vader.  I had the action figures and a model of the Millennium Falcon (which I foolishly removed from the box to play with) and I also spent most of my money buying packages of gum to collect all of the playing cards which, when pieced together, created the movie poster (I never actually finished it because I could never find a few of the more elusive cards).  I have such great memories of watching all of the movies in the franchise so, when I heard that the seventh film was in the works, I could hardly contain myself!  Christmas 2015 couldn't get here soon enough!  Tickets to the early screenings were a hot commodity in my neck of the woods but I managed to snag one seat in the middle of a row for the 10:35 show last night.  Star Wars: The Force Awakens could not be more aptly titled because I felt just like I remember feeling back in 1977 when I was first introduced to Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3P0.  You could say that my affection for these characters was reawakened and I clapped, as did the entire audience, when they each appeared.  I cheered when I heard that dramatic first note in the instantly recognizable fanfare by John Williams during the opening crawl and I was completely captivated by a new group of characters:  Finn (John Boyega), a stormtrooper with a conscience, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a daring Resistance pilot, Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger who gets drawn into an adventure when she meets a droid carrying a secret, and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a former Jedi apprentice struggling between the forces of good and evil.  All of the mythology is there and the story of a new threat to the Galaxy by the evil First Order is a believable continuation of the plot.  I loved every second of this movie, which made me cheer, laugh, cry, and remember all of the magic felt by a nine year old girl.

Kurt Bestor Christmas Concert

I am completely obsessed with listening to Christmas music performed live right now so I spontaneously decided to get a ticket to Kurt Bestor's Christmas concert last night.  Kurt Bestor is a Utah-based composer known for his beautiful arrangements of Christmas music and he has performed a series of Christmas concerts at Abravanel Hall for the past 28 years (next year he is moving to the new Eccles Theater).  I've gone to a few of his concerts in years past but I think last night's was his best one yet!  He began with "Carol of the Bells" with the Wesley Bell Ringers and continued with "Joy to the World," "What Child Is This," "Christmastime Is Here," and "I'll Be Home for Christmas."  He had an amazing vocalist named Lexie Walker perform a beautiful rendition of his most well-known song, "Prayer for the Children," and it brought tears to my eyes. One of Kurt Bestor's most beloved traditions is to write an original carol each year.  This year he was inspired by the tragedy in Paris and wrote "Carol of the Lights" because Paris is known as the City of Lights.  I loved it and the message of peace on earth and good will toward man.  He ended the first act with a "Christmas Concerto" featuring many different Christmas carols with dueling soloists on violin and electric guitar.  After the intermission, he brought back the Wesley Bell Ringers for "Let It Snow"  and performed his own version of "Twelve Days of Christmas" featuring all of the instruments on stage.  He brought back Lexie Walker for lovely renditions of "Toyland," "When a Child is Born," and "Angels We Have Heard on High."  Walker has such a beautiful and powerful voice!  Next, Bestor performed "While By My Sheep, I Watched at Night," which I had never heard before, and "I Wonder as I Wander."  It just isn't Christmas to me until I hear a live version of my very favorite Christmas song "O Holy Night" and it happened last night with a wonderful version featuring Bestor on flugelhorn.  It gave me goosebumps!  Continuing one of his long-standing traditions, Bestor selected an audience member to narrate 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to his original accompaniment.  Last night's narrator was Chad and he was an absolute hoot.  The concert ended with a beautiful rendition of "Silent Night" with audience participation.  For an encore, he performed a Celtic version of "Ding Dong Merrily" which I loved because I sang it in college!  I am so glad I got a ticket because I thoroughly enjoyed this concert.

Macbeth

If I had to pick a favorite Shakespeare play, Macbeth would definitely be at the top of the list (along with The Merchant of Venice) so I have been looking forward to Justin Kurzel's latest adaptation of the Scottish play for what seems like the longest time!  I got to see it last night and I was mesmerized by it.  When it comes to Shakespeare, I am definitely a purist (Hello, I am an English teacher!) and I do not like it when directors get too artistic and do things like set Julius Caesar during World War I or Romeo and Juliet during the 1950s.  While the filmmakers did take a few liberties with the source material (more about that later), I loved the fact that they remained unfailingly true to the time and place, medieval Scotland, with some of the most realistic medieval warfare I have ever seen (more about that later, too).  The bloody tale of ambition and guilt begins when Macbeth (Michael Fassbender), victorious in battle for King Duncan (David Thewlis), is confronted by three apparitions on the battlefield who reveal that Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor and then the King of Scotland.  When the King grants him the title of Cawdor, he is spurred on by his ambitious wife (Marion Cotillard) to kill the King and take the crown, thereby fulfilling the prophecy.  Eventually, they are both undone by their paranoia and guilt over their bloody deeds.  This adaptation focuses on the fact that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are childless as motivation for many of their actions (which Shakespeare hints at but does not explicitly state), beginning the film with the burial of their dead child and having Lady Macbeth's "sleepwalking" soliloquy directed to the ghost of the child, and I found this to be highly effective.  The "weird sisters" are portrayed as spectral figures and much of their dialogue is omitted (no cauldrons with the eye of a newt, either) but they are terrifying, nonetheless.  Other changes include having Malcolm (Jack Reynor) witness the death of his father before fleeing in fear, having Lady Macbeth witness the deaths of Macduff's (Sean Harris) family, and having the Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane as ashes (which is absolutely brilliant).  Fassbender is astonishing in this role, giving an incredibly nuanced performance as Macbeth becomes more and more tortured by guilt.  I was especially impressed with the scene with Lady Macbeth after his coronation when he first mentions his guilt.  The one tear rolling down his face just about killed me.  Cotillard is also amazing as Lady Macbeth and I was particularly struck by her strength in the Ghost of Banquo scene (with her eerie blue eye paint) and her absolute vulnerability in the "sleepwalking" scene.  These two performances make this movie a must-see, in my opinion.  The cinematography is incredible, with many of the battle scenes suffused with a red glow which is quite unnerving.  In fact, much of the film's impact is visual, as quite a bit of Shakespeare's original text is condensed.  I loved the immediacy of the battle scenes, almost as if the audience is a part of the action.  It is gruesome, to say the least, but you cannot look away. The stark beauty of the Scottish highlands is used to full effect, the costumes are surprisingly sparse but very appropriate for the time period, and the score is atmospheric and intense.   I loved it!  To be sure, this adaptation does not follow the source material as much as I would have liked, but I was captivated by the performances and would highly recommend it.

Note:  One of the employees at the Broadway told me (yes, I go there so much that all of the employees know me and talk to me) that reactions were mixed on opening day.  People either loved it or hated it!

Lower Lights Christmas Concert

The Lower Lights are a Utah-based supergroup of incredibly talented vocalists and musicians known primarily for their folk-gospel sound.  Every year they perform a series of Christmas concerts and I have always wanted to go to one.  In years past the concerts were held at the Salt Lake Masonic Temple, which is a really small venue, so by the time I got my act together enough to buy tickets they were usually sold out.  This year, due to their growing popularity, they moved to Kingsbury Hall and I was finally able to get a ticket to last night's concert.  It was such a wonderful evening and I loved every minute of it.  Some of my favorite songs included "I Saw Three Ships," "Away in a Manger," "Silver Bells," "In the Bleak Midwinter," "The Holly and the Ivy," "The First Noel," and a rocking version of "Once in Royal David's City."  Every time I attend a Christmas concert, I am always really nostalgic for the Christmas concerts I performed in when I was in college.  My choir really loved to sing "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" and "Still, Still, Still" and the Lower Lights performed both of them beautifully!  I also really loved the instrumental versions of "What Child Is This?" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem."  They gave me goosebumps!  There were two moments which actually brought tears to my eyes.  The first was an incredibly heart-felt rendition of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."  The times we are living in right now seem so dark with vitriol spewed everywhere I turn but this song gives me hope that some day we can have peace on earth and good will toward men.  The other moment was during the encore when they had the audience join them for "Silent Night" with just a guitar as accompaniment.  It was a lovely moment, to say the least!  Honestly, I don't really know what I believe any more but at this time of year, I find so much comfort in the music of Christmas.  I loved this concert so much that I hope to make it a yearly tradition.  Their final concert is tonight at Kingsbury Hall and I highly recommend that you get a ticket by going here (if there are any tickets to be had!).

Note:  Apparently the "Twelve Days of Christmas" sing-along on Tuesday was a mere warm-up for the "Go Tell it on the Mountain" sing-along last night!  I was in fine form!

It Happened One Christmas at PTC

I am not a fan of revues but, since I enjoyed It Happened One Christmas at PTC last night a lot more than I thought I would, maybe Christmas revues are an exception.  This original production was conceived by PTC Artistic Director Karen Azenberg and Kenneth Jones (who wrote the wonderful play Alabama Story performed at PTC last season) and features just about every Christmas song and story you can imagine.  The show takes place in an old and abandoned theatre in SLC on Christmas Eve.  Legend has it that all of the ghosts of Christmas shows past get together to perform for an imaginary audience and, if Santa Claus likes the show, it will snow on Christmas Day.  All of the musical numbers are a lot of fun to watch with dazzling choreography, coordinating costumes (someone sitting near me mentioned that it seemed like one long Gap commercial), magical sets, and incredibly talented performers (the children in the cast are adorable).  I especially loved the high energy opening number, Sparklejollytwinklejingley, featuring the entire company.  I feel that the second act lost a little bit of momentum but my favorite moment came near the end and included a reading from the New Testament about the birth of Christ followed by the song "Seasons of Love" from RENT.  This was an incredibly powerful moment and highlighted, for me, what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.  Of course, the show ended with a heart-warming rendition of "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!" with the requisite snow falling on stage (and in the audience) so I guess that Santa Claus enjoyed it.  I certainly did and I think you will, too, because there is definitely something for everyone in this Christmas extravaganza!  Go here to purchase tickets and give yourself a big dose of Christmas spirit!

Note:  I loved the audience sing-along of the "Twelve Days of Christmas!"  I think my section nailed four calling birds!