Chess at PTC

A few years ago PTC created a series featuring rarely performed musicals in concert format.  The actors use scripts and there are minimal costumes, sets, and props in order to let the music take center stage.  They began with The Rocky Horror Show (which was so popular that PTC presented it two years in a row) and this year they continued with Chess, the musical that Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba wrote before Mamma Mia.  Even though I only knew one song from the show, the wildly popular radio hit "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head (Freddie from the original West End production), I have always wanted to see it.  I am so glad I had the chance last night because it pretty much blew me away.  Against the backdrop of an international chess tournament between the United States and the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, a member of the U.S. delegation and the Soviet champion fall in love but become pawns (pun intended) in the political intrigue of their respective governments.  This tension makes for a fantastic rock opera filled with anthemic (I couldn't resist) pop songs which I absolutely loved, especially the aforementioned "One Night in Bangkok," "Where I Want to Be," "Someone Else's Story," "Nobody's Side," "Anthem," "Heaven Help My Heart," and "I Know Him so Well."   The three main leads, Matthew Hydzik as Freddie, Coleen Sexton as Florence, and Michael Halling as Anatoly, are absolutely incredible!  I was particularly blown away by Hydzik because he has the type of voice that I find to be very appealing, what I like to call a powerful rock and roll tenor.  In fact, he reminded me so much of Adam Pascal (I bet Hydzik would be phenomenal as Roger in Rent or Radames in Aida) who, incidentally once played Freddie in a concert version of Chess at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008, but I digress.  My favorite moment of the show was Hydzik's rendition of "Pity the Child."  All I can say is, "Wow!"  I highly recommend this concert but there are only two more performances so get your tickets quickly (go here).

Note:  Next year's concert musical was announced last night and it will be In the Heights.  I will get to see two Lin-Manuel Miranda musicals in 2018!

Kong: Skull Island

Late last night (early this morning?) I saw an early screening of Apocalypse Now Kong: Skull Island and it was quite the spectacle.  At the end of the Vietnam War, a team of scientists (John Goodman and Corey Hawkins) armed with satellite images mount an expedition to an uncharted island to prove the existence of heretofore unknown monsters.  Along for the ride is a military escort led by an officer bitter that the war is over who may or may not be insane (Samuel L. Jackson), a tracker (Tom Hiddleston), and a photojournalist (Brie Larson).  Helicopters, with speakers blaring music (not the only reference to Apocalypse Now), begin dropping explosives on the island in order to draw out the monsters and are immediately attacked by a giant primate known as Kong.  These scenes are absolutely relentless, with unbelievable effects, and I was holding my breath as Kong swatted helicopters out of the air, broke them in two, and stomped on soldiers as they fled.  Several scattered groups survive and one of them encounters a pilot who has been marooned on the island since World War II (a hilarious John C. Reilly who provides much comic relief).  As Jackson's character vows revenge on Kong for killing his men, Reilly's character informs them that there are other monsters (in the form of these strange lizard-like creatures) on the island and Kong is their only protection which leads to conflict and then to an epic battle.  I have to admit that, while these scenes are also pretty exhilarating, I was less engaged because they seem to go on forever.  Just when I think Kong has finally gotten the better of the lizard, it crawls back for more.  Also, I really had to suspend a lot of disbelief to buy that Kong could tell the difference between those who meant to harm him and those who who wanted his help.  Having said that, I thought this movie was a lot of fun which is something that I didn't necessarily expect (I despised Peter Jackson's version).  Reilly and Jackson are great (although Hiddleston's and Larson's characters are a bit one-dimensional) and the action scenes are spectacular (I saw it in IMAX 3D).  I loved the music, especially "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath as the helicopters storm the island and "Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival as the soldiers, well, run though the jungle.  I liked it and I am sure that fans of monster movies will love it (the group of twenty-something guys that I walked out of the theater with discussed their plans to see it several more times over the weekend).

Note:  There is an end of credits scene setting up the sequel in the so-called MonsterVerse.

Logan

Well, I did it.  After deciding that I didn't really want to see Logan and turning down an opportunity to see an advance screening on Thursday night, I went to see it last night (in IMAX, no less) because it got such great reviews.  I didn't expect to love it but I did!  Let me say at the outset that it is not your typical stylized superhero movie with sanitized violence.  It is laden with profanity and the violence is shocking and bloody (Logan uses those adamantium claws to decapitate someone).  But, in a way, it is a real and very raw portrayal of a tortured man living with regrets who, ultimately, finds redemption.  In 2029 mutants have all but been destroyed.  A grizzled and weary Logan (Hugh Jackman) is holed up in an abandoned silo in Mexico with Caliban (Stephen Merchant) and an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart).  He is still pretty lethal in a fight but it takes him much longer to recover.  There has definitely been a cost.  He eventually meets a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) who also has adamantium implants.  She was genetically engineered (using Logan's DNA) as a weapon by the Transigen Project but she escaped and is now on the run from Transigen's cybernetically enhanced mercenaries.  Logan reluctantly agrees to take her on a cross-country journey to find an elusive safe haven for mutants in Canada.  This eventually leads to an epic showdown with Logan, Laura, and all of the other surviving genetically engineered children against the mercenaries.  What I liked most about this movie is that it is very character-driven.  Logan is flawed, to be sure, and he is broken and angry but he is unbelievably sympathetic, especially in his interactions with Charles.  Jackman's portrayal is highly nuanced and more affecting than in any of the other X-Men movies and Keen is remarkable as the newest mutant in the franchise (could we see her again?).  While the tone is somber, the message, in my opinion, is incredibly hopeful and the ending is so moving that I had tears in my eyes.  I am surprised by how much I liked this movie but it is definitely not for everyone.

Note:  There is no end of credits scene (so don't wait like almost everyone in my theater did) but there is a hilarious Deadpool teaser before the movie which made me laugh out loud.

The Red Turtle

Yesterday I decided to go to the Broadway to see the Academy Award nominated film The Red Turtle and I am so glad that I did!  It is absolutely brilliant with a simple yet profound narrative about life, love, and fate.  A man is washed ashore on an uninhabited island.  After discovering a plentiful supply of bamboo, he makes a raft and attempts to leave the island.  The raft is broken up by a red turtle not far from shore and the man is forced to return to the island.  After several more attempts with the same result, the man sees the red turtle wash up on shore and, in an act of revenge, he turns it upside down.  Feeling remorse the next day, he tries unsuccessfully to revive the turtle.  When the turtle's shell cracks, it is transformed into a beautiful woman.  Years go by and the man and woman eventually have a son with an unusual connection with turtles.  When their son decides to leave the island with a group of turtles, the couple remains to live out their lives in a series of beautiful vignettes.  After the man dies, the woman is, once again, transformed back into the red turtle and it slowly swims away from the island.  The story is incredibly beautiful and affecting and even though there is almost no dialogue (aside from a few exclamations) the characters are able to convey genuine emotion.  I also loved the distinct portrayal of the animals on the island.  My favorite "characters" are the crabs which become the man's constant companions in some amusing situations.  The animation is absolutely stunning and even the gray and sepia tones of the ocean in a storm are somehow vibrant.  I loved this film and I highly recommend it!

Note:  Speaking of Academy Awards, I am so glad that Moonlight won Best Picture.  It is such a beautiful film and I highly recommend it, too!

Brahms' Symphony No. 4

Last night, for the second weekend in a row, I found myself at Abravanel Hall eagerly anticipating another Utah Symphony concert.  In my opinion, you can't go wrong when you start the weekend with the Utah Symphony.  Last night's concert began with Introduction, Theme and Variations by Johann Nepomuk Hummel.  I was not at all familiar with this composer (to me, Hummels are the figurines that my Aunt June collected) but I absolutely loved this piece because it reminded me a lot of Mozart.  It featured an oboe and the soloist, Francois Leleux, was incredible.  He played with so much passion and exuberance and it looked like he was having so much fun.  It was certainly a lot of fun for the audience to watch his dramatic expressions and gestures.  Who knew that the oboe was so cool?  Next, Leleux joined the orchestra once again for the U.S. premiere of Aquateinte by Michael Jarrell, a piece commissioned by the Utah Symphony.  It is brilliant and I really liked that it featured so many instruments.  I was particularly fascinated by the myriad of percussion instruments (played by just two musicians).  After the intermission, the orchestra played Symphony No. 4 by Johannes Brahms.  I actually recognized much of this piece (maybe it has been programmed by the Utah Symphony before?) and I liked it because, even though it is quite lively,  it is a bit melancholy.  It was another lovely evening at Abravanel Hall and I highly recommend spending part of your weekend there, too.  This program will be performed again tonight (go here for tickets).