The Lady in the Van

Last night I went to see the charming film The Lady in the Van at the Broadway.  It tells the (mostly) true story of how a homeless woman named Mary Shepherd (Maggie Smith) came to park her van in the driveway of playwright Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) for fifteen years and the development of their unlikely friendship.  It is a slow moving film filled with lots of dialogue but, as I said, I found it to be charming, mostly on the strength of Maggie Smith's wonderful performance.  She excels at playing irascible old women!  My favorite device is depicting Alan Bennett as two separate characters: the one who lives life and the one who writes about it.  Alan Bennett, the participant, slowly discovers that Miss Shepherd has had a fascinating life as a world-renowned musician, a nun, and an ambulance driver during the war.  He also discovers the events which drove her to her lowly condition.  Alan Bennett, the writer, makes critical comments about the passivity which has allowed Miss Shepherd to take up residence while simultaneously wishing that he could write about her.  When the two characters, both played by Alex Jennings, argue with each other it is quite amusing.  To be sure, this is a comedy with lots of funny contributions from the ensemble cast playing Bennett's eccentric neighbors and, of course, Maggie Smith doing what she does best, but there is an incredibly poignant moment near the end of the film which had me in tears.  Ultimately, Miss Shepherd helps Bennett figure out who he really is.  The ending is a bit hokey (Bennett, the participant, frequently points out the events which didn't happen to Bennett, the writer) but, overall, I really enjoyed the film.  Fans of Maggie Smith are sure to enjoy it, as well.

Ballet West's Romeo and Juliet

Last night I saw Ballet West's beautiful production of Romeo and Juliet at Capitol Theatre. The story is based on the well known Shakespearean tragedy and features music composed by Sergei Prokofiev and choreography by John Cranko. I loved it! Even though Romeo and Juliet is not my favorite play, Prokofiev's dramatic score gave me goosebumps, especially during the Capulets' ball, and the choreography is absolutely riveting. The ensemble scenes in the marketplace are athletic, playful, and so much fun to watch; the sword fights between the Capulets and the Montagues are tense and passionate; and the three central pas de deux between Romeo and Juliet are incredibly romantic and I frequently found myself holding my breath, especially during the balcony scene and the bedroom scene. I was very impressed with the principal cast. One of the most powerful moments on stage is when Lady Capulet (Katlyn Addison) mourns over the body of Tybalt (Ronald Tilton) and climbs on to his funeral bier. Addison (who has become one of my favorite dancers because she reminds me of my niece, Tashena) gives an incredible performance filled with palpable despair. I also enjoyed Christopher Sellars' performance as Mercutio (he was greeted with thunderous applause during the final bows) because he is so charismatic. I loved it when he kisses a peasant girl as he lays dying. Rex Tilton, as Romeo, and Sayaka Ohtaki, as Juliet, dance their roles beautifully. Their pas de deux are quite acrobatic but they make them look effortless, graceful, and very emotional. This was one of the most ambitious Ballet West productions I've seen (with 75 cast members, 250 costumes, a 50-piece orchestra, and several elaborate sets) and it was quite impressive! I thought it was absolutely lovely!  Unfortunately, the run ended last night but you can go here to see upcoming Ballet West performances.

O.C. Tanner Gift of Music

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the O.C. Tanner Gift of Music concert in the Tabernacle on Temple Square.  It was quite the experience!  Over thirty years ago, Obert C. Tanner and Gordon B. Hinckley created and endowed this concert series as a way to share performances of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony as a gift to the community.  I have been lucky enough to attend several of these concerts (including the 30th Anniversary concert featuring James Taylor in 2013).  This year Thierry Fischer conducted the Utah Symphony, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Choristers of the Madeleine Choir School and soloists Orla Boylan, Celena Shafer, Amy Owens, Charlotte Hellekant, Tamara Mumford, Barry Banks, Markus Werba, and Jordan Bisch in a stirring rendition of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8.  Oh my goodness, it was absolutely spectacular!  I had never heard this piece before and I had goosebumps from the very first note of the magnificent organ to the final crash of the cymbals!  I absolutely loved it.  I can't even describe how beautiful this performance was, especially in such a gorgeous setting, and I am profoundly grateful for the generosity of Obert C. Tanner and his wife Grace in providing such a memorable experience for the community and for the opportunity to have world class organizations like the Utah Symphony and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir right here in Salt Lake City!  This event is free, but all available tickets for tonight's performance have been claimed.  However, stand-by seating is available and the line will begin at the flagpole by the Tabernacle.  I would plan on being there as early as possible (the concert begins at 7:00 pm).  It is well worth the effort for a chance to see this unbelievable performance!

The Pirate Queen at HCT

When HCT announced their 2016 season, I think I was most excited to see The Pirate Queen. After all, it is composed by Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil (better known for a little show called Les Miserables). I couldn't wait to see it and I got my wish last night.  It is, essentially, the story of two women who are enemies yet face the same limitations as women and ultimately triumph. Queen Elizabeth I (Cecily Ellis-Bills) has just assumed the throne of England and needs to prove herself by conquering the Irish barbarians. Grace O'Malley (Heather McDonald) becomes the chieftain of the O'Malley clan after proving herself in battle on her father's ship The Pirate Queen and fights to keep her people from submitting to the English Crown. It is an incredible story and, of course, the music is absolutely magnificent! I loved McDonald's voice (I thought she was a hoot as Ado Annie in Oklahoma) and I especially loved how her voice blended with Jacob Theo Squire's, as Tiernan, in the songs "Here On This Night" and "If I Said I Loved You" and with Ellis-Bills' in the songs "She Who Has It All" and "Terra Marique Potens." There are so many powerful scenes in this show but my favorites are "Dubhdara's Farewell" when Grace's father is given his final send-off to sea (the candles and the torches are incredible), the scene between Grace and Queen Elizabeth where the woman in the regalia of a monarch wants what the woman in chains and rags has in her life, and "I'll Be There" when Tiernan has to watch the woman he loves marry someone else to unite the clans. The show is staged very well, especially all of the battle scenes.  It is always so amazing to me what they can do on such a small and intimate stage and the battles are very realistic, especially in the song "Surrender." The choreography is so much fun to watch, particularly the Irish dancing during the wedding and the christening and I absolutely loved the staging of the song "Boys'll Be Boys." (Nathan Gibb Johnson is very easy on the eyes as Donal O'Flaherty, even if he does betray Grace to the English).  Brad Schroeder, the fight choreographer, and Alan Scariff, the Celtic choreographer, are to be commended. The costumes are fantastic, especially all of the over-the-top gowns worn by Queen Elizabeth and her attendants.  I love stories about powerful women and this story is told very well by HCT.  I highly recommend getting a ticket!

Deadpool

I was on the fence about seeing Deadpool because Ryan Reynolds is hit or miss with me (I hated The Green Lantern).  However, my officers raved about it when we decorated for the dance (one of them has seen it three times) so I decided to see it last night.  It is an irreverent satire of the superhero genre filled with sex, violence, and profanity.  I loved it!  Oh how I loved it!  I started laughing during the opening credits and pretty much didn't stop throughout the whole movie.  I don't think I've ever written a review focused on the opening credits before but, in this movie, they are brilliant.  With Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning" underneath, the opening features a super slow-motion sequence from the movie with credits that do not show names but, rather, tongue-in-cheek descriptions of the cast and crew.  It is distributed by Douchebag Films, it stars God's Perfect Idiot, a Hot Chick, a British Villain, Comic Relief, a CGI Character, a Sullen Teenager, and a Gratuitous Cameo, it is directed by an Overpaid Tool, it is produced by Asshats, and is written by the Real Heroes Here.  I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe and the credits set the tone for the rest of the movie which continually makes self-deprecating references to superhero movies from mocking the superhero landing (hard on the knees) to a quip about meeting Charles Xavier ("McAvoy or Stewart? The timeline is so confusing.")  Wade Wilson (Reynolds) is a wise-cracking former member of the Special Forces who now works as a mercenary.  When he meets call girl Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), his wise-cracking equal, they fall in love and decide to get married.  When Wilson discovers that he has late-stage cancer which has spread to the liver, lungs, prostate, and brain (all organs he doesn't need), he leaves her because he doesn't want to subject her to watching him waste away.  He eventually decides to undergo a treatment which will cure his cancer by unlocking dormant mutant abilities.  However, Ajax (Ed Skrein) and Angel Dust (Gina Carano), former patients themselves, have little regard for the torture they put him through and finally resort to a procedure which disfigures him.  Wilson creates the persona of Deadpool, with a mask to cover his face, and goes after Ajax and Angel to get revenge with the help of Colossus (Stefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) who are trying to recruit him to the X-Men.  The action sequences are fantastic but it is so funny with great physical humor, references to popular culture (I laughed so hard about the Sinead O'Connor reference to Warhead which many in my audience didn't get), and lightning fast dialogue!  Reynolds frequently breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience with hilarious results ("Fourth wall break inside a fourth wall break?  That's, like, sixteen walls!")  With all of the sanitized PG-13 action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I give a lot of credit to the filmmakers for going all out with this character.  It's a great movie but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to everyone.

Note:  Stay for a post credits scene spoofing Ferris Beuller's Day Off.  It's hilarious!