La Cage aux Folles at PTC

Several 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 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 continued with Chess and In the Heights.  I am a huge fan of this concept and I was excited to learn that this year's show was La Cage aux Folles because I've never seen it before.  I saw it last night and it was so much fun!  Georges (James Patterson) is an impresario of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring performers in drag and Albin (Jamison Stern) is his partner and star attraction.  Chaos ensues when Georges's son Jean-Michel (Patrick Ryan Castle) announces that he is engaged to Anne (Barbara Camara), the daughter of a conservative politician (former Utah senator Jim Dabakis) who wants to meet his family.  This show is full of laughs and big song and dance numbers (this has the most extensive choreography I've seen in PTC's concert versions) but it is also very heartwarming because it is, ultimately, about the importance of family.  The entire cast is very strong but Patterson has an incredible voice, especially in "Song in the Sand," and Brandon Contreras steals every scene he is in as Albin's "maid."   Stern is also fantastic, especially when he performs as the drag queen Za Za with the Cagelles.  I thought the scene where Georges tries to teach Albin how to be more masculine was the funniest thing I had ever seen until Senator Jim Dabakis appeared in drag at the end of the show.  That alone was worth the price of admission!  I enjoyed this show so much and I can't wait to see what the concert production will be next year.

Note:  One of the characters in this show is named Phaedra!  I can't think of a better name for a drag queen!

Utah Opera's The Magic Flute

Even though The Magic Flute is not one of my favorite operas (I much prefer the tragedies to the comedies), I have seen it several times because the Utah Opera programs it often.  You might think, then, that I would have no interest in Utah Opera's current production but two things compelled me to attend a performance last night.  First, Thierry Fischer, Director of the Utah Symphony, is the conductor and, second, Celena Shafer, a Utah fan favorite, plays the Queen of the Night.  The story, essentially, is a simple one in which the main character goes on a journey of discovery but it does contain some very powerful themes including light vs. dark and good vs. evil.  The Queen of the Night (Shafer) persuades Prince Tamino (Andrew Stenson) to rescue her daughter Pamina (Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez) from the clutches of the high priest Sarastro (Matt Boehler) but she really just wants Sarastro's power.  The Queen's bird-catcher Papageno (Joo Wan Kang) accompanies Tamino and her three ladies (Abigail Rethwisch, Melanie Ashkar, and Anne Maguire) give them a magic flute, silver bells, and three spirits (Oliver Laughlin, Theodore Hyngstrom, and Liam Khor-Brogan from the Madeleine Choir School) to help and guide them.  Tamino has fallen in love with Pamina but Sarastro requires him to undergo trials of initiation involving fire and ice (which are dramatically staged) before he can be with her and, using the magic flute, he prevails which banishes the Queen of the Night.  Papageno fails his trials but, by using the silver bells, he is rewarded with his ideal match, Papagena (Grace Khal), anyway.  The libretto may be fantastical but the music is absolutely glorious.  Thierry Fischer has such a light touch so his interpretations of Mozart are always beautiful and last night was no exception.  I had goosebumps multiple times.  Shafer was brilliant as the Queen of the Night, especially in the famous aria "Der Holle Rache."  It was received with cheers and an extended round of applause from the audience.  In addition to Shafer, I was really impressed with the entire cast, particularly Lopez-Hernandez as Pamino and Boehler as Sarastro.  I also really enjoyed the physical comedy (more than I usually do) and the gorgeous costumes.  There is only one performance left but I would recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Captive State

Last night I went to see a Thursday preview of Captive State and, while it was not quite what I was expecting, I really enjoyed it.  In fact, I am still thinking about it!  Ten years after an alien invasion of Earth, a group of insurgents are trying to spark a rebellion against the aliens who control the city of Chicago and a group of collaborators are trying to stop them.  One of the insurgents, Rafe Drummond (Jonathan Majors), was involved in a former rebellion that failed and is presumed dead but he resurfaces to organize a new cell with members who communicate with each other through an elaborate sequence of messages (everyone has implants which monitor their actions) and create an intricate plot to bomb a unity rally at Soldier Field.  Police Detective William Mulligan (John Goodman), the former partner of Rafe's father who was killed during the initial invasion, sees signs around the city that Rafe has resurfaced and attempts to quash the rebellion.  Gabriel Drummond (Ashton Sanders), Rafe's younger brother, is the unwitting pawn in both sides of the rebellion as he is used as a courier by the insurgents to get a message to his brother and he used by Mulligan to infiltrate the cell.  The most intriguing, and often the most frustrating, aspect of this movie is that you never really know anyone's true motivation because the audience is dropped in the middle of things without a lot of explanation of who the characters are.  There were many times when I wasn't sure what was going on but felt intuitively that every detail would eventually lead to something very important.  That proved to be the case with a reveal in the third act that pretty much blew my mind.  This movie is not really about the aliens but, rather, the humans who collude with them to create a totalitarian state and what a small group of people are willing to do to end the oppression.  It is gritty, fast-paced, and exciting with hand-held camera work that puts the audience in the middle of the action.  I found it to be compelling, if sometimes confusing, and very entertaining.

Five Feet Apart

Last night I went to an advance screening of Five Feet Apart and while I do love a good adaptation of a YA novel, if I am honest, the main reason I wanted to see this movie was Cole Sprouse.  When I was watching the trailer I thought the brooding love interest was really cute and when the names of the actors were revealed at the end I was really surprised to see Cole Sprouse.  Wasn't he one of the twins from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody?  I watched many episodes of that show with Tashena when she was a little girl and, apparently, the twins are all grown up!  Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is a cystic fibrosis patient in the hospital trying to get healthy enough for a lung transplant and she is obsessed with following her extensive daily regimen of drugs and treatments.  Will Newman (Sprouse), another cystic fibrosis patient in the hospital for a drug trial to combat a serious infection that makes him ineligible for a lung transplant, has a fatalistic view of his illness and is very lackadaisical about following his regimen.  Even though they are forced to to stay six feet apart to prevent cross-infection, they manage to elude their ever vigilant nurse Barb (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) and eventually develop feelings for each other.  She pushes him to follow his daily regimen and he helps her to loosen up (her act of rebellion is to allow him to come one foot closer to her).  Richardson and Sprouse give touching performances and have lots of chemistry together, which is quite the accomplishment because their characters cannot touch each other, and their love story is very poignant.  However, while most movies about doomed relationships between teens with terminal illnesses can't help but be emotionally manipulative, the melodramatic plot twist at the end of this movie is incredibly contrived and far-fetched.  I did really enjoy this movie (and I had a tear in my eye during some of the more emotional scenes) but the ending kept it from being great.  I suspect teenagers will absolutely love it!

Captain Marvel

Is there anything more thrilling than sitting in the middle of a large and rowdy crowd in a darkened theater with a big tub of popcorn waiting for a much-anticipated blockbuster to start?  I was so excited to see Captain Marvel last night and it did not disappoint!  On Hala, the home planet of the Kree, Vers (Brie Larson) is a member of the Starforce eager to prove herself to her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) who tells her that she must keep her emotions in check and control her mysterious powers.  She is selected for a mission to rescue an undercover operative who has infiltrated the Skrulls, shapeshifters with whom the Kree have been at war for years, but the Kree are ambushed and Vers is captured by the Skrulls and subjected to a memory probe which reveals some unsettling details about her past.  She manages to escape and takes a pod which crashes on Earth.  She attracts the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), survives an attack by a group Skrulls who have followed her, and has recurring images of life as USAF test pilot Carol Danvers.  With Fury's help, Vers goes on a journey to discover who she really is, intervenes in the conflict between the Kree and the Skrulls, and ultimately becomes Captain Marvel.  I loved this movie so much!  Carol Danvers is such a great character and her arc is so satisfying, particularly when she realizes, in a series of flashbacks to her childhood, that her greatest weakness is really her strength!  I loved the dynamic between Carol and Nick Fury and some of their scenes together are absolutely hilarious!  I also enjoyed the relationship between Carol and her best friend and fellow test pilot Marie Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) because they are so supportive of each other.  Larson is fantastic in the role, giving Danvers some emotional heft while being completely kick-ass in the fight sequences. The visuals are dazzling (I saw it in 3-D) and I loved all of the fun 90s references, especially the music!  The story does a clever job of fitting into the MCU and setting up Avengers: Endgame (I can't wait!).  Definitely see this powerful and entertaining movie!