Strictly Ballroom at HCT

I don't know if there is anyone out there who loves the movie Strictly Ballroom as much as my sisters and I do! We have probably watched it over one hundred times (not an exaggeration) and we can quote the whole movie to each other at will (and we often do). When HCT announced the 2020 season, the three of us could hardly contain our excitement over the U.S. premiere of the musical based on this cult classic. I was able to see it last night (I am seeing it again next week with both of my sisters and my Mom) and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the production. Scott Hastings (Noah Bradford) and his ballroom dancing partner Elizabeth Holt (Alexa Knutzen) are on their way to winning the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Open Amateur Old Time, New Vogue, and Latin Championship but, after an incident on the dance floor with another couple, Scott resorts to his own flashy crowd-pleasing steps. The Australian Federation President Barry Fife (Zac Freeman) denounces them so Liz decides to dance with Ken Railings (Brandon Perry) instead.  His mother Shirley (Claire Kenny) and his coach Les (Bryan Dayley) try to find him another partner, including the Champion Tina Sparkle (Alexis Burton), but Fran (Serena Kozusko), a beginning student, tells him she wants to dance with him using his steps. They train in secret with her father Rico (John Graham), who teaches them a more authentic version of the Paso Doble.  However, Shirley, Les, and Barry Fife all try to convince him to dance Federation steps with Liz to win the Pan-Pacific Championship. His father Doug (Benjamin J. Henderson) ultimately convinces him that he will live his life in fear if he doesn't follow his heart and dance his own steps with Fran. The musical follows the movie pretty well, with the addition of a master of ceremonies named Wally Strand (Quinn Dietlein) who narrates the action and provides the music. All of the songs from the movie, including "Time After Time," "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps," and "Love is in the Air," are included but I really enjoyed the dance-themed pop songs that are interspersed throughout, such as "Let's Dance" by David Bowie, "Dancing With Myself" by Billy Idol, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston, and "Dancing in the Streets" by Martha & and the Vandellas. The ballroom dancing in this show is absolutely fabulous and so much fun to watch. Bradford and Kozusko, in particular, are amazing dancers and have so much chemistry with each other! I loved the costumes, especially Fran's Paso Doble dress which is incredible, but I have one tiny complaint and that is that Liz's dresses should be yellow. The set is mostly comprised of a large stage with spotlights and cabaret tables all around (patrons can sit at these tables during the show) with Kendall's Dance Studio coming down from the rafters and the Hastings's kitchen coming up from the pit. The disco balls hanging from the ceiling and the red metallic door curtains at every entrance provide the perfect atmosphere for a dance competition. This show is just so much fun and, if you are a fan of the movie, you are sure to love it!  Go here for tickets.

Note:  I can't wait to see it again with my sisters. I just hope that we can control ourselves (I apologize in advance to anyone sitting near us!).

Downhill

The movie Downhill was screened at Sundance this year but I didn't have a chance to see it.  I was very intrigued by the premise so I decided to check it out yesterday now that it is in wide release.  Pete (Will Ferrell) and Billie (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) Staunton are on a ski holiday in the Austrian Alps with their two sons.  After they are caught in a controlled avalanche, the two of them have different reactions which puts them at odds with each other.  This incident hangs over them for the rest of their trip and the tension builds and builds until the two of them must decide what they want from their marriage.  I am always up for a good dark comedy but I didn't like this movie as much as I thought I would.  Despite a relatively short 85 minute runtime, I found this movie to be incredibly boring at times.  There are many long and sustained shots of the family riding the ski lift and skiing down the mountain and the skiing sequences are not even that exciting.  The avalanche sequence is even pretty anticlimactic.  As much as I like Louis-Dreyfus, I really disliked the character of Billie.  I found her to be incredibly bossy and overbearing before the incident happened and, in my opinion, her reaction to what happened was just an excuse to treat Pete badly.  I honestly didn't understand why he was working so hard to gain her forgiveness because he seemed pretty checked out of their marriage before the incident happened.  Also, the resolution seemed very abrupt and not at all earned.  This movie either needed to be more dramatic with a real emotional connection between the characters or it needed to be funnier (the talents of both Ferrell and Louis-Dreyfus are squandered here).  I recommend giving this one a miss.

Note:  Downhill is based on the Swedish film Force Majeure and many believe that it is an inferior remake.  I haven't seen Force Majeure (I missed it when it screened at the Broadway) but now I really want to!

The Gentlemen

Last night I finally had the chance to see The Gentlemen and I had an absolute blast watching this movie!  American ex-patriot Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) has amassed a multi-million dollar business growing marijuana on the estates of cash poor aristocrats in England but now wants to retire with his wife Rosalind (Michelle Dockery).  He decides to sell the business to Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong), a fellow American, for $400 million.  However, Dry Eye (Henry Golding), the underboss for a Chinese gangster, offers to buy it instead and doesn't take kindly to being refused, a group of amateur MMA fighters trained by the Coach (Colin Farrell) raid one of his farms and film the escapade, some of his henchmen accidentally kill the son of Russian gangsters while doing a favor for one of the aristocrats, and a newspaper editor (Eddie Marson) who has been snubbed by Mickey hires a private investigator named Fletcher (Hugh Grant) to get the dirt on him and he, in turn, attempts to blackmail his right hand man Raymond (Charlie Hunnam).  Chaos ensues as Mickey tries to take back control of his empire.  This movie is wildly entertaining because Guy Ritchie is back to doing what Guy Ritchie does best.  He has created a group of eccentric characters, assembled an all-star ensemble cast who look like they are having the time of their lives, especially Grant (this is a side of him that I have never seen before and he is hilarious), and devised a plot with enough twists and turns to keep audiences guessing until the final scene.  Ritchie is known for his fast cuts and stylized action sequences and there are some great ones here!  I especially loved the raid on one of Mickey's farms and the scene where a group of henchmen must track down all of the phones used to film the incident with the Russian boy.  I laughed out loud through the whole movie and, if you like Ritchie's previous gangster movies, I highly recommend this!

Ballet West's Giselle

Last night I went to see the ballet Giselle at Capitol Theatre.  It is one of my favorites and Ballet West's production was absolutely beautiful!  Giselle is a young peasant girl who meets a handsome man named Loys (who is really Albrecht, the Duke of Silesia, in disguise).  She falls in love with him much to the dismay of Hilarion, a peasant boy who loves her.  Loys leaves when he hears the horns of a hunting party coming near and Hilarion discovers his identity when he finds his sword.  The hunting party is comprised of the Duke of Courland and his daughter Bathilde, who becomes fond of Giselle.  The two of them speak of love and confess that they are both engaged (it turns out that they are engaged to the same man).  Later, Loys returns and Hilarion confronts him with his sword.  Giselle, upon learning the truth, goes mad and takes her own life.  When Albrecht visits Giselle's grave, he is confronted by the Willis, the spirits of young maidens who were betrayed before their wedding day and seek revenge against those who deceived them.  The Willis force Albrecht to dance until he dies but Giselle forgives him which frees him from the spell.  The main roles, Beckanne Sisk as Giselle, Chase O'Connell as Albrecht, and Allison DeBona as Myrthe the Queen of the Willis, are danced beautifully.  I especially loved the scene where Loys woos Giselle because the business with the flower to determine if he really loves her is very sweet.  The Pas de Deux between Albrecht and Giselle's ghost is incredibly tender and beautiful and I really loved the music, especially the harp.  The dance between Myrthe and the rest of the Willis is otherworldly and ethereal and DeBona is very powerful in the role.  I loved their costumes of white, with just a touch of green, because they are so striking against the backdrop of the almost sinister woods.  I love this ballet because the story of forgiveness is so poignant and I enjoyed this production so much!  Unfortunately, last night was the final performance but go here for the rest of Ballet West's season.

Women Rock

Abravanel Hall was rocking last night as the Utah Symphony was joined by vocalists Cassidy Catanzaro, Katrina Rose, and Shayna Steele to pay tribute to the powerful female singers and songwriters who influenced rock and roll.  I have been looking forward to this concert for a long time and it was even better than I hoped it would be!  Katrina Rose come on stage first to perform the Janis Joplin classic "Piece of My Heart" and she set the tone for the rest of the concert with an exuberant performance that got the crowd going!  Next on stage was Shayna Steele who performed "Dancing in the Streets" by Martha & The Vandellas with a lot of soul.  Then Cassidy Catanzaro performed a lovely rendition of Carole King's "So Far Away" and she sounded so much like her.  Rose continued with "What a Feeling" from the movie Flashdance, followed by Catanzaro singing "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell, and then Steele singing her version of Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love."  One of my favorite songs by James Taylor is "Up on the Roof," which was written by Carole King, and Catanzaro's version rivaled his!  A highlight of this concert came next.  When I got to Abravanel Hall and looked at the program I just about lost my mind because I saw that they would be performing "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar!  I absolutely loved that song back in the day and I would watch MTV for hours just hoping to see the music video.  Rose performed it as a ballad and just about blew the roof off Abravanel Hall.  It gave me goosebumps!  All three vocalists took the stage to end the first act with a powerful version of King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."  After the intermission, the orchestra played "Pick Up the Pieces" by Average White Band and the horn section was fantastic!  All three vocalists performed Joan Jett's classic "I Love Rock 'n Roll" which was a big hit with the audience.  Next came another highlight for me when Rose sang "These Dreams," which is one of my favorite Heart songs.  Steele sang a fantastic version of Tina Turner's "The Best" and then Catanzaro sang two more classics by Carole King:  "I Feel the Earth Move" and "You've Got a Friend."  Rose continued with "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar which featured another incredibly exuberant performance (I loved her).  Steele performed a sultry version of Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It" and then she was joined by Rose and Catanzaro for "Proud Mary" which was an epic way to end an amazing concert!  I loved every minute of it and I highly recommend getting a ticket to see this program tonight (go here).