C'mon C'mon

As a big fan of Joaquin Phoenix, I was really excited to finally have the opportunity to see C'mon C'mon last night.  It took me some time to get fully on board with the vibe of the narrative but, once I did, I found it to be an incredibly moving story about what kids can teach adults and how adults can help the kids in their lives.  Johnny (Phoenix) is a radio personality who is currently traveling around the country interviewing children about their views on the state of the world and their future place in it.  He receives an unexpected call from his sister Viv (Gaby Hoffman), from whom he is somewhat estranged, with a request to watch her nine-year-old son Jesse (Woody Norman) while she travels to care for Jesse's father Paul (Scoot McNairy) who is having a mental breakdown.  Johnny is completely unprepared to care for such a precocious and imaginative child and, even though he makes his living asking questions, he becomes uncomfortable when Jesse asks him pointed questions about his personal life.  They eventually form a bond and, through their relationship with each other, Johnny is able to process his emotions and forge a reconciliation with his sister and Jesse is able to express his fears for his father.  As I mentioned, the pacing is incredibly slow (it almost feels like a documentary about a family) and there were times when my mind wandered a bit until I suddenly became completely invested in the characters during one particular moment (it mirrored an experience I had with my own nephew).  Once I finally figured out the concept (and it is a very low concept film), I basically fell in love with it.  Phoenix gives such a warmhearted performance and his chemistry with Norman, who is extraordinary, feels really honest and natural.  At first I found the black and white cinematography to be a bit hazy and out of focus but I eventually realized that it represents the way in which children might view the world so it is highly effective and I loved the use of ambient sound.  I also really enjoyed the integration of Johnny's interviews with the children.  Not a lot happens but this is a beautiful film about human connection and it is one that I definitely want to watch again.

Elf The Musical at PTC

Last night I went to see Elf The Musical at Pioneer Theatre and it gave me another big dose of Christmas cheer!  This musical is based on the popular movie starring Will Ferrell and it is a lot of fun.  Buddy (Max Chernin) has been raised as an elf at the North Pole because he crawled into Santa's bag when he was a baby.  After discovering that he is really a human instead of an elf, he decides to travel to New York City to find his Dad, Walter Hobbs (Christopher Gurr), and he ends up bringing Christmas cheer to his new family, his new girlfriend Jovie (Antoinette Comer), and all of the people of New York City.  The choreography is fantastic and I especially enjoyed "Happy All The Time" as the elves at the North Pole make the toys for Santa, "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" as Buddy helps the tap dancing employees at Macy's decorate the store, and "A Christmas Song" as Buddy takes Jovie ice skating in front of Rockefeller Plaza (it is really clever how this is staged).  I also liked having a curmudgeonly Santa Claus (Jason Simon) narrate the story as if he was reading from a book while sitting in an arm chair.  He was the source of much amusement with lots of fun references to popular culture.  Chernin is really endearing as Buddy and I loved his exuberance in "Just Like Him."  Comer is also strong as Jovie and I liked that she showed a bit of vulnerability in "Never Fall In Love (With An Elf)."  However, my favorite performances were by Mary Fanning Driggs as Emily Hobbs and Grant Westcott as Michael Hobbs.  Their voices blended really well together in the songs "I'll Believe In You" and "There Is A Santa Claus."  The costumes for Santa, Buddy, the elves at the North Pole, and the employees at Macy's are elaborate and colorful and the sets, which look like they are inside of a giant snow globe, are impressive.  I also noticed the lighting design (which doesn't always catch my attention) because it is used very effectively to create shadows and outlines to tell the story.  You would have to be a cotton-headed ninny-muggins not to enjoy this production and I recommend it for the whole family.  It runs at PTC through December 18 (go here for tickets).

Ballet West's The Nutcracker 2021

One of my favorite holiday traditions is attending Ballet West's annual production of The Nutcracker.  I had the opportunity to see it last night and I think it was even more magical than usual (probably because I missed it so much last year).  I love everything about this ballet and I await every scene with great anticipation, especially the party scene where the Christmas tree is revealed to all of the children and Clara is given a nutcracker by Dr. Drosselmeyer, when everything is magically transformed to an enormous size and the nutcracker defeats the Mouse King with Clara's help, when the nutcracker becomes a handsome prince and takes Clara to the land of the Snow Queen and the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and all of the various divertissements arranged for Clara's entertainment.  My favorites are the Arabian dance because it is so exotic and the Russian dance because of the sheer athleticism of the leaps and spins (this dance received the loudest applause).  My favorite scene in the entire ballet is the Grand Pas de Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.  The choreography is so iconic and Emily Adams and Adrian Fry danced it beautifully last night.  I love every bit of Tchaikovsky's incomparable score but the music during this dance is so romantic it gives me goosebumps (I especially love the harp).  The costumes and sets were updated a few years ago and I love the addition of the jewel tones in the party scene and the pastels in the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy (the set looks very tropical).  The young dancers in the cast are fantastic and I especially enjoyed Frtiz and all of his antics (he seemed even more mischievous than usual) and Mother Buffoon's children.  The special effects in this production are absolutely enchanting, most notably the falling snow during the Snow King and Queen's Pas de Duex (some of the flakes were really big), the fireworks after all of the divertissements, and Clara's flying sled.  No matter how many times I see this show it always puts a huge smile on my face and I definitely recommend getting a ticket.  There are evening and matinee performances at the Capitol Theater through December 26 (go here for tickets).

Inmo Yang Plays Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto

I always love starting the weekend with a Utah Symphony concert and the one last night was amazing!  The orchestra began with Le chant du rossignol (The Song of the Nightingale) by Igor Stravinsky.  I have heard this piece performed before and I love it because it is so dynamic.  Stravinsky originally intended it as an opera but it was eventually used as the basis for a ballet by George Ballanchine (I definitely imagined movement in my mind as I listened).  The story follows a nightingale who sings for the Emperor of China but is forgotten when the Emperor favors a mechanical one given to him as a gift.  The nightingale flies away but feels pity when the Emperor is near death and returns again in order to restore him to health.  The nightingale is represented by a solo flute while the mechanical bird is represented by a solo oboe and it was really interesting to try to distinguish between the two of them.  Next, the orchestra was joined by soloist Inmo Yang to perform the Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn.  This piece is incredibly romantic and atmospheric and I especially loved the sustained note played by the bassoon to transition from the first to the second movement.  Yang gave a thrilling and passionate performance and it was so much fun to watch his bow flying across the strings of the violin with seemingly impossible speed.  The appreciative audience leapt to their feet at the end of the concerto and Yang rewarded us with a beautiful encore.  The concert concluded with Symphony No. 3 by Johannes Brahms.  This piece is very dramatic and emotional and I particularly enjoyed the third movement because, to me, it sounded like the movie score of an epic historical romance that ends tragically.  I loved all of the back-and-forth themes played by the horns, the oboe, and the violins in the third movement and I also loved the muted ending of the final movement after all of the intensity that preceded it.  This concert was so beautiful and, in my opinion, it was the perfect way to unwind after a long week.  The same program will be performed again tonight and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Mean Girls at the Eccles

I have to admit that I wasn't very enthusiastic when Broadway at the Eccles announced that the musical Mean Girls would be making a stop in SLC.  However, after hearing a live performance of "World Burn," I changed my mind and I've actually been looking forward to seeing it ever since.  I had the chance last night and, as a former high school teacher, I absolutely loved it!  Cady Heron (Danielle Wade) has recently moved to Chicago from Kenya, where she was home schooled, and is finding North Shore High School to be as brutal as the African plains.  Two social outcasts, Damian Hubbard (Eric Huffman) and Janis Sarkisian (Mary Kate Morrissey), attempt to help her fit in and advise her to avoid The Plastics, a clique made up of Regina George (Nadina Hassan), Gretchen Wieners (Megan Masako Haley), and Karen Smith (Becca Peterson).  Regina shows an interest in Cady and allows her to sit with her and her friends at lunch until she discovers that Cady likes her former boyfriend, Aaron Samuels (Adante Carter), and takes him back.  Cady devises a plan for revenge against Regina and, when it is successful, she takes her place as the leader of The Plastics.  However, she eventually alienates her real friends Damian and Janis, angers Aaron, disappoints her Calculus teacher Ms. Norbury (April Josephine), and loses her identity.  When she decides to participate in a math competition, she shows all of the students that it is much better to be yourself than to pretend to be someone else to fit in.  This show has such a great message and I honestly wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did!  I especially loved the songs "Where Do You Belong?' as Damian describes all of the cliques (my favorite is the show choir) at school to Cady, "Apex Predator" where Janis compares Regina to an animal at the top of the food chain, "Fearless," during which Gretchen and Karen stand up to Regina, and the aforementioned "World Burn" where Regina distributes her Burn Book to make Cady look bad.  I really enjoyed the use of projections to depict the classrooms (complete with subject specific bulletin boards), hallways, bathrooms, cafeteria, and gym at the school and the choreography involving moving desks and cafeteria tables is incredibly clever.  I liked the entire cast but Hassan (as Regina) was my favorite because she can really belt out a song and she has such an attitude as the ultimate mean girl.  I think the narrative loses a bit of momentum in the second act and some of the songs, especially "Sexy," might be too risque for some but I highly recommend this show!  It runs at the Eccles Theater until Dec. 5 (go here for tickets)