Sarah Brightman at Abravanel Hall

I love Sarah Brightman (she originated the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera) and I have had the chance to see her twice at the Delta Center.  When I found out that she would be appearing at Abravanel Hall I couldn't wait to see her in a more intimate setting with better acoustics.  I went to the concert last night with my Dad and my sister Kristine and it was every bit as theatrical as the big arena shows but the sound was absolutely amazing!  She had a band, an orchestra, and a choir backing her with lots of lights and other visual effects.  She had nine different costume changes (the sponsor of her tour is Swarovski so you can imagine what her costumes looked like) and every move, look, and gesture was intricately choreographed!  I loved every minute of this concert and I am pretty sure that it will be one of the highlights of this year!  Favorites from the first act include "Stranger in Paradise," "Anytime, Anywhere," which is my favorite Sarah Brightman song, "Misere Mei," and "Figlio Perduto" from Beethoven's 7th Symphony (which was almost unbearably beautiful).  She sang an ethereal rendition of Queen's "Who Wants To Live Forever" which brought a tear to my eye.  I've heard her sing it live before but it was especially poignant for me after watching Bohemian Rhapsody so many times.  She wore a flowing white gown which made her look like an angel and at the end of the song she was enveloped by a cloud of fog.  It was quite emotional. After the intermission she sang several songs from her latest album Hymn, including the title track, "Sogni," my favorite song from the album, with Vincent Niclo, "Better Is One Day," "Fly to Paradise," "Canto Per Noi," and "Tu Che M' Hai Preso Il Cuor."  She also sang "Pie Jesu" from Requiem, which is a piece I love because I sang it in choir when I was in college, and a simplified more intimate version of "Time To Say Goodbye" with her on piano.  The choir sang "Masquerade" from The Phantom of the Opera and then she and Niclo performed "The Phantom of the Opera" which brought the audience to their feet (not for the first or last time)!  She ended the set with a beautiful rendition of "Running."  For the encore, she performed "Deliver Me," "Ave Maria," and a rousing rendition of "A Question of Honour."  The show was simply spectacular and I am so glad that I got to see her in such an wonderful venue (especially with my Dad and sister)!

Note:  Over the years I have been lucky enough to see many powerful singers grace the stage at Abravanel Hall, including Rosemary Clooney, Betty Buckley, Elaine Paige, Sissel, Audra McDonald, and Renee Fleming.

Apollo 11

Apollo 11 was on my list of possibilities for Sundance this year but, by the time I was able to purchase tickets, every screening was sold out.  I hoped that it would eventually be released in theaters and, luckily, it has a limited run in IMAX and I was able to see it yesterday afternoon.  It is simply stunning!  This documentary shows us every aspect of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, from wheeling the launchpad into position on an enormous platform with caterpillar wheels to the splashdown of the capsule in the ocean, using previously unseen footage taken by NASA for a documentary that never came to fruition.  It is structured in chronological order as if we are watching this event happen in real time.  There is no narration; rather, the audio comes from the the NASA announcers, the technicians in the control room speaking into headsets, the astronauts in space, and the contemporary news commentary from Walter Conkrite.  I was a one-year-old child at the time of this mission so, of course, I don't remember anything about it but this documentary made me feel some of what it must have been like to watch it unfold!  There are some incredibly dramatic moments, such as the lift-off, the landing on the moon, the lift-off from the moon, and the re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.  Even though I knew the outcome of these events, I found myself holding my breath in suspense and that is due, in large part, to the brilliant pulse-pounding score by Matt Morton used in these moments.  As much as I enjoyed these dramatic scenes, I was absolutely fascinated by the more mundane moments that are also chronicled.  For some reason, I never really knew how long the mission was (I always think of it as taking place in a day or two).  It was so interesting to see the different color-coded teams who supported the astronauts around the clock and I loved hearing them check-in with the astronauts at the beginning of their shifts.  I was so surprised to see how primitive the technology was by today's standards and to see the giant binders with check-lists of tasks that had to be accomplished for the mission to succeed.  It really is overwhelming when you think about everything that had to go right to make it to the moon!  The images on the screen are simply breathtaking, especially the views in space and the images on the moon, but one of my favorite moments is when the screen is split to show all of the different departments giving the "go" for launch.  This is easily the best film that I have seen in 2019 and I urge you not to miss this incredible experience!

Greta

Last night I went to see a late night screening of Greta because I was really intrigued by the trailer.  I love a good psychological thriller but, unfortunately, this movie is not that.  Frances McCullen (Chloe Grace Moretz) finds an expensive handbag on the subway and decides to return it to its owner who turns out to be Greta (Isabelle Huppert), a middle-aged French woman who gives piano lessons in her home.  Having recently lost her mother, Frances befriends the lonely woman who becomes a sort of surrogate mother to her.  When Frances finds out a disturbing secret about Greta, she tries to end the relationship.  However, Greta won't let the friendship end and begins stalking Frances, becoming more and more aggressive until she eventually kidnaps Frances.  Two-thirds of this movie is really good.  It is intense and full of suspense.  Greta is such a fascinating character because at first she is very sympathetic as a lonely woman looking for a friend but then she becomes more and more menacing as her motivation is revealed.  The scenes between Greta and Frances are fraught with tension, especially when Greta visits the restaurant where Frances works, and both Huppert and Moretz give great performances.  Huppert is suitably creepy as the villain and Moretz really makes us feel Frances' desperation.  Regrettably, the final act descends into the absurd as a series of underdeveloped secondary characters enter the action to try and save Frances.  There is one scene in particular, when a private detective (Stephen Rea) visits Greta, that is so absolutely bonkers that I laughed out loud because I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  Apparently, all of the acting budget was spent on Huppert and Moretz because every other actor in this movie is abysmal, especially Maika Monroe who plays Frances' roommate.  Finally, I found the final resolution to be be very campy, and not in a good way, which would have been fine had it been marketed as a B-movie rather than a spine-tingling thriller.  I was quite disappointed because, like so many movies I have seen this year (go here and here), it could have been so good if it had kept its focus on the dynamic between the two main characters.  Give this a miss.

Casablanca In Concert

I absolutely love the Utah Symphony Films In Concert Series!  Last night the film shown on the big screen with the score played live by the Utah Symphony was Casablanca, widely considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, and it was simply amazing!  Casablanca is one of my favorites and I've seen it many times, even on the big screen, but last night is definitely the best viewing experience I’ve had!  Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is a hard-drinking club owner who is only out for himself in Casablanca, a haven for European refugees desperate for exit visas to escape the Nazis during World War II.  He ably navigates the the world of black marketeers, corrupt officials, and German officers until Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) walks into his club with her husband Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a hero of the resistance in need of safe passage.  Ilsa was once Rick's lover in Paris but she abandoned him, and even though he has documents that will ensure safe passage for her and her husband, he is bitter and refuses to help her.  Ilsa loves Rick but she admires and respects her husband and will do anything to help him continue his work with the resistance, even sacrifice her own happiness, but is Rick willing to sacrifice his own happiness to help them?  I have to admit that I am usually so riveted by the action on the screen that I don't pay much attention to Max Steiner's score.  However, hearing it played live by the orchestra brought the music to the forefront and it added so much to the story!  I noticed that elements of the song "As Time Goes By" by Herman Hupfeld are incorporated beautifully throughout the score as a leitmotif for Rick and Ilsa's doomed relationship, adding to the poignancy of their scenes.  One of my favorite moments in the film is when "La Marseillaise" is sung to drown out a German drinking song and, once again, I noticed that elements of this anthem are used throughout to highlight the political intrigue.  I loved this concert and I highly recommend getting a ticket for tonight's screening (go here).

Muse at the Vivint Arena

I have seen Muse perform live many times and every show is a light and sound extravaganza.  Last night, when the band was in town in support of their latest album Simulation Theory, was certainly no exception.  It was an awesome concert!  I really love Simulation Theory and I was happy that they played quite a few songs from it.  They began the show with the Alternate Reality version of "Algorithm" and then played "Pressure," "Break It to Me," "Propaganda," "The Dark Side" (my favorite song from the album), a rousing version of "Thought Contagion" which got the Vivint Arena rocking, and the Acoustic Gospel version of "Dig Down."  Every song was accompanied by incredibly theatrical lights, lasers, visuals, and choreographed performers in various LED light up suits.  I loved it!  They also played the hits, and some more obscure tracks, including "Psycho," "Uprising," "Plug In Baby," "Supermassive Black Hole," "Hysteria," "Madness," "Mercy," "Time Is Running Out," and an epic version of "Take a Bow."  They ended their set with "Starlight," which is my favorite Muse song, and the obligatory confetti and streamers.  For the encore they played "Algorithm," a kick-ass medley of "Stockholm Syndrome," "Assassin," "Reapers," "The Handler," and "New Born" complete with a giant cyborg skeleton looming over the stage, and "Knights of Cydonia."  Matt Bellamy was in full rock-star mode wearing leather pants, neon shutter shades, and a variety of leather jackets (including several with LED lights) and he spent much of the evening shredding while on a runway extending into the crowd.  It was quite the spectacle and I absolutely loved it!