Grease at PTC

When I saw the Broadway touring production of Grease a number of years ago, I have to admit that I was really disappointed because the stage musical is so different from the iconic movie.  I love the movie (I have seen it more times than I can count, even on the big screen) so I just couldn't help but compare it, often unfavorably, to the musical.  I wondered if I would have the same reaction to PTC's current production last night.  Unfortunately, despite great performances from a talented cast and really fun choreography, it just fell flat for me.  I couldn't turn off the voice inside my head which kept pointing out the differences from the movie (I had a similar reaction to the stage version of The Sound of Music).  Like the movie, Rydell High School during the 1950s is the setting for the romance between bad boy Danny Zuko (Pascal Pastrana) and good girl Sandy Dumbrowski (Emma Hearn), but, unlike the movie, the characters hardly spend any time together before the big finale.  Danny has more scenes with Patty Simcox (Lindsie Kongsore) and Betty Rizzo (Alex Kidder) than with Sandy and she doesn't even go to the sock hop where he wins the dance competition with Cha-Cha DiGregorio (Ashley Marinelli).  Many of the songs in this version are different from the movie.  It was very jarring to me when I would anticipate a particular scene and a different song would be performed such as "Rydell Alma Mater" at the beginning of the show, "Freddy, My Love" during the sleepover, "Alone at the Drive-In Movie" when Sandy walks out on him, and "All Choked Up" when Sandy's transformation is revealed.  All of these songs are performed very well but I was expecting to hear "Grease," "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" (which is performed in a different scene), "Sandy," and "You're the One That I Want" (which is added after the bows).  The song "Mooning" is a lot of fun but I didn't really care about the romance between Roger (Michael Schimmele) and Jan (Kate Cassidy Ryan) and "Shakin' at the High School Hop" and "Rock and Roll Party Queen" go on for too long making the second act really drag.  Also, I didn't really care for how "Beauty School Drop-Out" is staged because it is very incongruous and played merely for laughs.  Having said that, I loved "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightnin'," and "Born to Hand Jive" because they are staged very much like in the movie!  To be fair, the actors do a great job with the material and the sets and costumes evoke a fun nostalgic vibe, especially The Burger Palace.  Most people will really enjoy this production which runs through May 25 (go here for tickets).  I think I will just stick to the movie from now on.

Note:  This is truly petty but it even bothered me that Rydell's colors are blue and yellow in this show because they are red and white in the movie!

Snow Patrol at The Depot

I love the band Snow Patrol!  I have been a fan for a really long time and I try to see them whenever they come to town.  The last time they came to SLC was, however, quite a while ago.  Last summer they released a new album called Wildness and I absolutely love it.  It is one of those rare albums where I love every single song and I play the whole thing on repeat, especially on long road trips.  I really hoped that Snow Patrol would tour with this album and I was cautiously optimistic when they started playing dates in Europe and around the world.  I was thrilled when they announced a U.S. tour and I got a ticket for the SLC show before they even went on sale!  The show was last night and I was able to join my friends Bobby and Esther (ironically I met Esther for the first time the last time Snow Patrol was in SLC).  They played quite a few songs from the new album, including "Empress," "Don't Give In," "Life on Earth" (which is my favorite from the album), "Heal Me," and "What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?"  They played my very favorite song, "Run," in the middle of their set and Gary Lightbody dedicated it to their two opening acts, Ryan McMullan and Billie Marten, and joked that the song was older than they are!  He also joked about all of the phones during the song and that he would watch all of the videos on social media later and hear all of his mistakes.  I loved it and I didn't hear any mistakes!  They played a nice variety of their earlier hits, including "Chocolate," "Take Back the City," "Crack the Shutters," "Open Your Eyes," "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" (which they rarely play live), "Make This Go On Forever," "Shut Your Eyes," "Called Out in the Dark," "The Lightning Strike," "Chasing Cars," and "You're All I Have."  They ended the evening with "Just Say Yes" which is one of their most upbeat songs and it got the crowd jumping.  They had some great lighting effects and video projections like you would see at an arena show, particularly with "Life on Earth" and "The Lightning Strike," but their performance felt intimate and Lightbody was very engaging with the crowd.  I really love Lightbody's voice (it is so haunting) but I also find him to be strangely appealing in a slightly nerdy and spastic sort of way.  It was a fantastic show!  I loved seeing them again and it was so much fun to hang out with Bobby and Esther!

Region Champion

After her best performance ever at the BYU Invitational last week, Tashena took first place in discus (with a throw of 120.5) and third place in javelin (with a throw of 104.6) at Region yesterday!  I am so proud of this girl and I can't wait to see what she does at State next week!

O.C.Tanner Gift of Music 2019

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the O.C.Tanner Gift of Music concert featuring the Tabernacle Choir, the Utah Symphony, and special guests Brian Stokes Mitchell and Megan Hilty.  This year the concert was in commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike that united the Transcontinental Railroad from east to west so it featured a patriotic program that was very stirring and uplifting.  I have been looking forward to this concert for weeks because of Brian Stokes Mitchell.  I was first introduced to him when he performed with the Utah Symphony several years ago as part of a Bravo Broadway concert.  He performed the best version of "Stars" from Les Miserables that I have ever heard and I have been a huge fan ever since!  Last night he performed a rendition of "Shenandoah" that was simply stunning.  He also performed "On the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe" from The Harvey Girls and "The Flag Song" from Assassins.  He was joined by Megan Hilty for "So in Love" from Kiss Me, Kate, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" from Shall We Dance, and a lovely song called "Thankful" by Carol Bayer Sager, David Foster, and Richard Page.  Hilty performed a delightful medley from Annie Get Your Gun.  The Utah Symphony played a medley of American classics called "American Salute" by Morton Gould and a beautiful rendition of "John Henry" by Aaron Copeland.  The Tabernacle Choir sang "America the Beautiful," "Bound for the Promised Land," and "America, the Dream Goes On" by John Williams.  The choir was as spectacular as always and they gave me goosebumps multiple times!  The concert concluded with "Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime performed by Mitchell (he was Coalhouse Walker, Jr. on Broadway), Hilty, the Utah Symphony, and the Tabernacle Choir. It was incredibly powerful and brought a tear to my eyes!  I enjoyed this concert so much!  There were even fireworks out on the Plaza afterwards!

Note:  The O.C.Tanner Gift of Music was created and endowed by Obert C. Tanner and Gordon B. Hinckley as a way to share the music of the Utah Symphony and the Tabernacle Choir with the community.  I have been lucky enough to attend several of these concerts, including the 3oth Anniversary Gala with James Taylor and the Mahler Symphony No. 8 several years ago.

Star Wars in Concert

Last night I had more fun than should probably be allowed on a Thursday because I got to see Star Wars: A New Hope on the big screen while the iconic score was played live by the Utah Symphony!  It was amazing!  I am a huge fan of the Utah Symphony's Films in Concert series (I have seen every one since they began with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) but last night was my very favorite performance.  First of all, I love this movie so much!  It is still my favorite movie in the whole saga.  I haven't seen it on the big screen since I saw it in its first release as a nine year old little girl so it was thrilling, to say the least, to see it how it was meant to be seen again!  It brought back so many memories of watching it for the first time (I was terrified of Darth Vader as a nine year old).  Second, the score by John Williams is one of the best, in my opinion, and every theme is instantly recognizable.  I especially love "Imperial Attack," "Princess Leia's Theme," and "The Return Home" (I own the soundtrack on vinyl and know the names of the themes because I am a nerd).  The orchestra played it brilliantly and hearing the music live enhanced the experience of watching the movie so much!  Finally, the crowd at Abravanel Hall was quite rowdy!   When the orchestra played the fanfare during the opening crawl everyone went absolutely crazy!  We cheered out loud when Darth Vader, Leia, Luke, C-3PO, R2-D2, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, and Han Solo appeared for the first time on the screen but I think the biggest applause came when we saw the Millennium Falcon for the first time!  Lots of people were in costume and a little boy sitting in the first tier had a light saber which he wielded at key moments!  It was so much fun!  If you are a fan of this movie I highly recommend getting a ticket for one of the two remaining performances (go here).

Note:  Fingers crossed that they will eventually perform all of the movies in the franchise!