Singin' in the Rain in Concert

I am such a big fan of Utah Symphony's Films in Concert series and going to these concerts has become one of my favorite things to do!  Having the orchestra play the score while the movie is shown on the screen above them adds so much to the experience because it makes the music come alive!  I have especially enjoyed the movies in the Harry Potter and Star Wars series (they are continuing next season) but I have been giddy with anticipation ever since Singin' in the Rain was announced because I really love this movie and I think it is perfect for this format!  It is filled with big song and dance numbers, including "Fit as a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)," "Make 'Em Laugh," "You Were Meant for Me," "Beautiful Girl," "Moses Supposes," "Good Morning," "Singin' in the Rain," "Would You?," "Broadway Melody," and "You Are My Lucky Star," and hearing the orchestra play these songs live was amazing (I would sometimes catch myself watching the musicians instead of the action on the screen)!  The audience applauded after each number as if it was traditional concert and it was so much fun!  I had a huge smile on my face as soon as Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds appeared on the screen with rain coats and umbrellas.  That smile stayed on my face as silent film stars Don Lockwood (Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) have a hard time transitioning to talking pictures and must use an aspiring actress named Kathy Seldon (Reynolds) to dub all of Lina's lines.  This movie is filled with comedy, romance, and wonderful performances from Hollywood legends (and the Utah Symphony).  It was just delightful and, whether you are a fan of the movie or a fan of the Utah Symphony (or both if you are like me), I highly recommend getting a ticket to tonight's concert (go here for tickets if there are any to be had).

Note:  I would sometimes see the musicians looking up at the screen to watch the movie when they weren’t playing.  This made me smile even wider!

Bright Star at HCT

Last night I went to Hale Centre Theatre for the second time in a week (Monday night I saw Strictly Ballroom on the Main Stage again with my sisters and we had so much fun)! This time I was there to see Bright Star on the Jewel Box Stage. Several years ago I had the opportunity to see PTC's production of this incredibly moving musical and I absolutely loved it so I was really eager to see HCT's version! I loved it just as much! The story takes place in North Carolina in the 1920s and just after World War II and features incredible bluegrass music by Edie Brickell and Steve Martin. After the war, Billy Cane (Dallin Suman) briefly returns to his small town and his childhood friend Margot (Morgan Western) but he eventually decides to try writing for a magazine in Asheville where he meets the uptight editor, Alice Murphy (Donna Loudon), who once made Hemingway cry. When the magazine staff teases Alice about her boring existence, we see her (literally) transform into a wild and rebellious teenager who is in love with the Mayor's son, Jimmy Ray Dobbs (Adam Dietlein). The narrative goes back and forth between the two timelines as Alice learns about love, loss, and redemption. Since I already knew the major plot twist this time around, I found the story to be even more emotional and the ending to be even more triumphant! Loudon is simply amazing as Alice! I saw Carmen Cusack, who originated the role on Broadway, in PTC's production but Loudon (who understudied Cusack on the national tour) is able to make the role her own and I was very impressed with what she did with it (her voice reminded me a lot of Dolly Parton). Her renditions of "Please, Don't Take Him" and "I Had A Vision" are incredibly powerful and brought me to tears (I was not alone). The rest of the cast is also very strong and I enjoyed Western's version of "Asheville," Suman's version of "Bright Star," and Dietlein's version of "Heartbreaker." I particularly enjoyed the choreography in Hale's version, especially in "Way Back in the Day," "What Could Be Better," and "Another Round." The staging of this show is extremely clever with a set that looks like an old and weathered barn with various pieces, such as Margot's bookstore, Alice's office, the Mayor's office, and the cabin in the woods, moved on and off stage seamlessly by the ensemble. A key scene involving a train was the only disappointment for me because I couldn't tell that the Mayor was on a train (to be fair my seat was to the right of the stage so I couldn't see any of the projections) and the action seemed rather clumsy. The insanely talented bluegrass band (featuring Kelin Gibbons on banjo, Josh Ogden on cello, Becca Moench on violin, and Kelly DeHaan on piano) is located on stage in the rafters of the barn and they add so much to the overall feel of the show. I loved this production and I cannot recommend it highly enough!  It runs through May 2 on the Jewel Box Stage (go here for tickets).

Note:  One of my former students is in the ensemble and I was thrilled to be able to see him last night!  He is usually in the MWF cast but he had to go on for his double at the last minute!

The Color Purple

I have only seen the movie version of The Color Purple on cable TV so I was happy that it was a part of the TCM Big Screen Classics Series this year.  I had the opportunity to see it yesterday and I had forgotten how powerful this movie is!  Celie (played as young girl by Desreta Jackson and as an adult by Whoopi Goldberg), a young black girl living in the rural South in the early 1900s, has already had two children by her abusive father who have been taken away from her.  Eventually, she is forced to marry an older man known to her only as Mister (Danny Glover).  He beats her and forces her to cook, clean, and take care of his three children but, worse than that, he separates her from her beloved sister Nettie (Akosua Busia) and he hides all of Nettie's letters to her.  After several years of this treatment her spirit is entirely broken but it is her relationships with Sofia (Oprah Winfrey), the wife of Mister's son Harpo who teachers her that she can stand up for herself, and Shug Avery (Margaret Avery), Mister's mistress who teaches her to love herself, that give her the strength to overcome the adversity in her life.  The treatment that Celie endures is sometimes difficult to watch but it is worth it for the triumphant ending which always brings a tear to my eye.  There are so many scenes where Celie, almost wordlessly and almost without any change in facial expression, submits to the indignities of her life but Goldberg delivers an affecting performance that is both somehow sympathetic and compelling.  Her transformation is incredibly powerful, especially when she confronts Mister which, in turn, helps Sofia (a strong debut performance from Winfrey) find her voice again.  I wanted to cheer out loud during that scene.  I loved the message about the importance of female relationships and about finding the beauty in life when it seems so bleak.  I think the movie is more hopeful and inspiring than Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize winning novel (mostly because it is so beautifully shot in a bucolic setting filled with wildflowers) and I highly recommend checking it out!

The Call of the Wild

Yesterday my Mom and I went to see The Call of the Wild, a heartwarming adaptation of Jack London's classic tale of adventure and friendship, and we both enjoyed it.  Buck is a large and high-spirited dog belonging to a prominent judge in Santa Clara, California when he is stolen and transported to the wilds of Alaska during the gold rush of the 1890s because dogs are needed and top dollar is paid.  He is sold to Perrault (Omar Sy) and Francoise (Cara Gee), French-Canadian mail carriers who use him as a sled dog on their route along the Yukon trail.  Buck is challenged by the lead dog Spitz and, after defeating him, he becomes the lead dog and makes the trip to Dawson in record time.  Eventually the Canadian government determines that the mail route is no longer needed and the dogs are sold to a cruel gold prospector named Hal (Dan Stevens), his sister Mercedes (Karen Gillan) and her husband Charles (Collin Woodell).  They are inexperienced in the wild and abuse the dogs.  Buck is eventually saved by John Thornton (Harrison Ford), a man trying to escape his tragic past by hiding out in the Yukon, but it is Buck who really saves John.  Together they go on the adventure of a lifetime where Buck finds his true place in the world.  I may be biased because I love dogs but I found this movie to be incredibly touching.  I loved the relationship between John and Buck and I really enjoyed Ford's earnest performance as a grief-stricken man brought back to life by a dog.  The Alaskan and Canadian scenery is breathtakingly beautiful and I loved all of the action sequences, especially an avalanche, an incident on a frozen lake, and a canoe going down a waterfall.  Much has been made about the CGI used in creating the dogs but I honestly didn't find it distracting at all (there were a few moments when Buck's size in comparison to John is a little bit inconsistent but that is the extent to which I noticed anything amiss).  While there are a few scenes involving animal cruelty, I think this is a thrilling action adventure with a great message that the whole family would enjoy.  I highly recommend it!

Beethoven's Symphony No. 7

I love having a Utah Symphony concert to go to on a Friday night because, in my opinion, it makes the work week so much better to have something wonderful to look forward to at the end of it!  I have been looking forward to last night's concert for a long time because it featured Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, which is one of my favorites, and it didn't disappoint!  The orchestra also played two movements from Olivier Messiaen's epic piece, Des canyons aux etoiles, which he wrote after visiting Southern Utah.  The concert began with "Bryce Canyon and the Red-Orange Rocks" and the orchestra continued after the intermission with "Cedar Breaks and the Gift of Awe."  I enjoyed both of these pieces because I love the red rocks of Southern Utah and I imagined myself there as I listened.  They both featured a lot of percussion, including a few unusual instruments such as a large hoop filled with sand that was swirled around (does this "instrument" even have a proper name?).  Both pieces were often very discordant and jarring but these sounds evoked the powerful forces that created these formations and it was brilliant.  The orchestra was joined by pianist Francesco Piemontesi for Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto.  I really loved this piece because it was incredibly wild and dramatic.  It almost seemed as if Piemontesi was attacking the piano and it was very entertaining to watch!  I also really loved the long timpani roll at the end of the piece.  Piemontesi received a thunderous standing ovation and favored us with an encore (I didn't recognize the piece).  The concert concluded with Symphony No. 7 by Ludwig van Beethoven and this piece gave me goosebumps!  I especially love the second movement because of the repetition of the main theme by the various string sections followed by the woodwinds and the orchestra played it beautifully.  The rest of this symphony is incredibly exuberant and triumphant but I find this movement to be a bit more solemn and melancholy and it really appeals to my dark soul.  It was a wonderful evening and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to tonight's concert featuring the same program.