Anastasia at the Eccles

I have always been fascinated by Russia and the rumor that the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov may have survived the slaughter of her family during the Russian Revolution is incredibly compelling (even though it has been debunked by DNA evidence).  The musical adaptation of this story has been at the top of my list for a long time and I finally had the chance to see Anastasia last night at the Eccles Theater.  I really loved it!  Young Anastasia (Marley Sophia) is given a music box by her grandmother the Dowager Empress (Gerri Weagraff) before she leaves to live in Paris.  Several years later the Imperial family is arrested and executed by Bolsheviks but there is a rumor in St. Petersburg that Anastasia somehow survived.  Two conmen named Dmitry (Sam McLellan) and Vlad (Bryan Seastrom) want to find someone to impersonate her in order to demand money from the Dowager Empress.  They find an old music box once owned by the Romanovs and eventually encounter a young woman named Anya (Kyla Stone) who is suffering from amnesia.  As they try to teach her about the Grand Duchess, she recognizes the music box and starts remembering the Imperial family.  They escape the clutches of a Bolshevik general named Gleb (Brandon Delgado), who vows to finish the job of executing the Romanovs begun by his father, and eventually arrive in Paris.  With the help of Countess Lily (Madeline Raube), a lady in waiting, they introduce Anya to the Dowager Empress but is she really Anasatsia and does she want the life of a Grand Duchess?  I was really impressed by Stone as Anastasia and I loved her songs "In My Dreams," "Once Upon a December," and "Journey to the Past."  I also really enjoyed her facial expressions as she moves from saying the lines given to her by Dmitry and Vlad to remembering the events they describe.  I was absolutely blown away by the set, which consists of a series of columns, and the use of projections to bring the cities of St. Petersburg and Paris to life.  St. Petersburg is one of my favorite cities so it was really fun for me to recognize the Winter Palace, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Nevsky Prospect, the Neva River, and the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.  Several of the musical numbers are staged so brilliantly!  The use of red lighting in "The Last Dance of the Romanovs," which shows the transition from the Romanov family waltzing inside the Winter Palace to their eventual overthrow by the Bolsheviks, is incredibly powerful, the ghosts of the Romanov family dancing around Anya in "Once Upon a December" and "A Nightmare" is absolutely otherworldly, and the staging of Swan Lake is quite impressive because it includes the actual ballet (with Lauren Teyke as Odette, Taylor Stanger as Prince Siegfried, and Dakota Hoar as Von Rothbert) while Anya, Dmitry, Gleb, and the Dowager Empress sing "Quartet at the Ballet" in gold box seats on each side of the stage.  So many moments took my breath away and I am really happy that I was finally able to check this show off my list!  It runs at the Eccles Theater through February 20 but every performance is sold out!

Death on the Nile

I enjoyed Kenneth Branagh's version of Murder on the Orient Express so I was excited when I found out he was adapting Death on the Nile next.  It seems like I have been waiting forever to see it and I finally had the chance last night.  Like the first movie, it is stylish and entertaining with a bit of added poignancy.  Heiress Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) is on her honeymoon with her new husband Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer) in Egypt but Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey), her former friend and Simon's former fiancee, pursues them wherever they go.  To escape her, they spontaneously decide to take the wedding party on a river cruise of the Nile.  Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is also vacationing in Egypt when he runs into his old friend Bouc (Tom Bateman) and his mother Euphemia (Annette Bening), who are part of the wedding party, and they invite him along.  When Jackie boards the cruise during a stopover at Abu Simbel, Linnet confesses to Poirot that she fears for her safety.  However, it seems that everyone on board has a grudge against Linnet: her longtime maid Louise Bourget (Rose Leslie), her former fiance Linus Windlesham (Russell Brand), her cousin and lawyer Andrew Katchadourian (Ali Fazal), her godmother Marie Van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders), Van Schuyler's nurse and companion Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French), her former classmate Rosalie Otterbourne (Letitia Wright), and Rosalie's aunt Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okenedo).  When Linnet is found dead with a gunshot wound to the head, it is up to Poirot to solve the murder.  As with the previous movie I really enjoyed the all-star cast, particularly Mackey, who all have a moment to shine as they are interrogated one by one.  I also enjoyed Branagh's portrayal of the famous Belgian sleuth because he expands on Poirot's backstory in a compelling prequel about a doomed relationship with a woman named Katherine (Susannah Fielding), a theme hinted at in the first movie, as motivation for his actions.  I think his performance in this movie is more nuanced and less affected.  However, while I loved the glamorous costumes and opulent production design, the sub-par visual effects are very distracting because it is glaringly obvious that this was filmed on a set with green screens.  There are also some pacing issues because it takes much too long to establish all of the characters and relationships before the murder happens and the resolution feels rushed as a result.  Finally, I found the suggestive dance sequence between Simon and Jackie to be very uncomfortable in light of what we know about Hammer's personal life.  This movie is not without its faults but I had a great time watching it as a bit of escapist fun and I recommend it to those who enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express.

Note:  My family had VHS copies of Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Death on the Nile (1978), and Evil Under the Sun (1982).  I often binge-watched them together when I was a teenager so I am hoping that Branagh adapts Evil Under the Sun next so that I can recreate that experience!

Ballet West's Romeo and Juliet

When I subscribed to Ballet West's 2021-2022 season, Romeo and Juliet was the ballet I was most excited to see and it certainly lived up to my expectations last night!  It was absolutely beautiful!  This ballet tells the well-known story of star-crossed lovers by William Shakespeare with music composed by Sergei Prokofiev and choreography by Michael Smuin.  I loved everything about it starting with the music.  The themes played during the Capulet's ball are incredibly dramatic and the variation played when Romeo and Juliet first see each other is haunting.  The choreography is absolutely riveting, especially the ensemble scenes on the streets of Verona because they are so playful and fun to watch, the sword fights between the Montagues and Capulets because they are tense and passionate, and the pas de deux between Romeo and Juliet because, not only are they incredibly romantic, they are also quite acrobatic (she leaps into his arms multiple times and at one point he lifts her effortlessly above his head).  The performances are simply brilliant!  I was particularly struck by the death of Tybalt (Rex Tilton) because Lady Capulet (Emily Adams) is filled with palpable despair and climbs on to his funeral bier as it is taken away.  It is a powerful scene.  I also enjoyed Hadriel Diniz as Mercutio because he is so charismatic, especially when he kisses a girl as he is dying.  Chase O'Connell, as Romeo, and Beckanne Sisk, as Juliet, dance their roles beautifully and their chemistry is off the charts (they are a real-life couple).  The balcony scene is beautiful and I loved it when he would fall at her feet and clutch her skirt to his face.  So romantic!  The sets and costumes really add to the drama.  I let out an audible gasp when the Capulet's crypt was revealed because it is so dramatic with gray marble, an iron gate, and black robed dancers carrying lanterns all around Juliet's bier.  I also liked the chapel where Romeo and Juliet are married because it looks like a Renaissance painting.  The Capulets are all dressed in various shades of red while the Montagues are in blue and this is especially impressive when the two families collide with each other.  This is a stunning production that kept me captivated from beginning to end and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).

Bravo Broadway: A Rodgers & Hammerstein Celebration

I could hardly contain my excitement all day yesterday in anticipation of the Utah Symphony concert last night!  I always really enjoy the Bravo Broadway series but last night's program featured the music of Rodgers & Hammerstein (and a few of their close collaborators) so it was especially good!  The orchestra was joined by conductor Jerry Steichen (I love it whenever he returns to SLC because he is so charming and charismatic), Broadway stars William Michals, Hugh Panaro, and Scarlett Strallen, as well as the Utah Opera Chorus.  The orchestra began with the Overture to The King and I and then they were joined by all three vocalists and the chorus for, rather appropriately, "It's a Grand Night for Singing" from State Fair. Panaro, who I have seen perform before, sang a beautiful version of "Where or When" from Babes in Arms (a collaboration between Rodgers and Hart) and this was definitely a highlight for me.  Sigh!  Strallen performed "The Sound of Music," the first of several songs from The Sound of Music, and then was joined by Michals and Panaro for a really fun version of "The Lonely Goatherd."  This was followed by "Edelweiss" performed by Michals.  He had the audience join him for the last few verses which reminded me of when the same thing happened at the Salzburg Festival in the movie.  All three performed an incredibly powerful version of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" to conclude the first set.  After the intermission, the orchestra performed the Waltz from Carousel followed by a rousing rendition of "A Wonderful Guy" from South Pacific by Strallen.  Another highlight for me was "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific by Michals.  I think this is an incredibly romantic song and Michal's rendition is one of the best I've ever heard performed live (he played Emile De Becque in the revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center).  Strallen returned for a lovely performance of "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music with Steichen accompanying her on piano (Hammerstein was an influential mentor to Sondheim).  This gave me goosebumps!  Panaro joined her for "Shall We Dance?" from The King and I and this included some fabulous choreography!  Next Michals performed "Soliloquy" from Carousel and this was quite dramatic.  The concert concluded with several selections from Oklahoma including "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," "People Will Say We're In Love," and "Oklahoma."  For the encore, the three of them, along with the chorus, performed an incredible version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel.  I love all of the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals so I enjoyed every minute of this concert (and was even a little bit sad when it was over).  If you are also a fan, I highly recommend getting a ticket to tonight's performance of the same program (go here).

Daddy Long Legs at the Empress

I fell in love with the musical Daddy Long Legs when I saw it at HCT last year so, when I learned that it was being performed at the Empress Theatre, I immediately bought a ticket!  I saw the show last night and it was absolutely delightful!  At the turn of the century, Jerusha Abbott (Maura Monson) is the oldest orphan at the John Grier Home but a young and wealthy Trustee named Jervis Pendleton (Bryan Buhler), impressed by one of her essays about living at the orphanage, decides to send her to college so she can become a writer.  He will pay her tuition and all of her living expenses on the condition that he remain anonymous and that she writes him a letter each month to inform him of her progress.  Not knowing his name, she decides to call him Daddy Long Legs in reference to the tall shadow she saw as he left the orphanage.  Her letters are enchanting to Jervis so, against his better judgment, he meets her without revealing that he is her benefactor and falls in love with her.  Jerusha also falls in love with Jervis but, when she pours her heart out about him to Daddy Long Legs in her letters, it creates much confusion as he struggles to decide whether to reveal himself to her.  I really love the character of Jerusha because I identify with her so much.  She has such a thirst for knowledge and new experiences and I really enjoyed Monson's characterization because she imbues her with such a sense of wide-eyed wonder.  I also enjoyed Buhler's portrayal of Jervis because he visibly comes undone over Jerusha's letters, especially whenever she mentions the brother of one of her classmates.  They both have incredible voices and I was so impressed by their performances because the two of them literally carry the show entirely by themselves and do not miss a beat with the demanding songs, rapid-fire dialogue, and imaginative blocking.  The set is really clever and highly effective because it consists of an elaborate study for Jervis, to show how set in his ways he is, and a minimal space full of movable boxes filled with props which become multiple settings for Jerusha, to show her transformation throughout the show.  A live band, featuring Martha Haddock on piano, Risa Bean on cello, and Spence Kellog on guitar, performs on a platform above the stage and they are fantastic.  I love all of the music in this show but my favorite songs are "Like Other Girls," "Things I Didn't Know," "I'm a Beast," and "The Secret of Happiness."  I had a huge smile on my face from beginning to end and, even if you don't know anything about this show, I highly recommend getting a ticket because it might just become one of your favorites.  This is a limited engagement with only a few shows left so act quickly (go here for tickets).

Note:  I first discovered the Empress Theatre several years ago when they produced See How They Run.  I played Miss Skillon in high school so I just had to see it and it was so much fun!