Remembering My Mom

My Mom passed away very peacefully in the early morning hours of May 6 after a long and hard-fought battle with dementia.  This loss is especially difficult for me and my sisters because it comes so soon after losing our Dad but it is actually a blessing because she is now free from the disease that destroyed her mind.

Last night we held a visitation for family and friends and it was such a lovely evening.  My Mom's wish was to be cremated and we were able to find the perfect mother of pearl urn for her.  The flower arrangement we picked out for the display was also really beautiful.

It was nice to see so many family and friends pay tribute to my Mom and support me and my sisters (once again I wish I had taken more pictures).  The consensus was that my Mom was a gentle soul who touched the lives of everyone with whom she came in contact and these kind words were such a comfort to us!

Jesus Christ Superstar at the Eccles

I was able to see the Broadway touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ted Neeley as Jesus and Corey Glover (lead singer of the band Living Colour) as Judas with my friend Dana several years ago.  The experience of seeing the show was more memorable than the show itself because my friend, who is quite a bit older than me, had a massive crush on Ted Neeley and I was completely starstruck by Corey Glover (I loved Living Colour) so we were both a bit giddy!  Luckily, I had the chance to see it again, this time the 50th Anniversary Tour, at the Eccles Theatre last night and I loved it!  This is a rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.  It tells the story of the Passion of Jesus Christ from the perspective of Judas as he grows dissatisfied with Jesus' popularity and fears that his cult of personality is taking away from his mission to help the less fortunate.  The show features contemporary sensibilities and Jesus is portrayed as a sort of rock star with a guitar and microphone.  This particular production has been completely reimagined with new sets, costumes, and choreography and I literally could not take my eyes off the stage because it is so dynamic!  The set features multi-level steel towers, that look a bit like scaffolding, on either side of a large platform in the shape of a cross.  It is very dramatic!  The costumes are very contemporary and quite subdued (except for King Herod's) in different shades of gray.  The choreography is absolutely amazing and almost seems frenetic with synchronized movement and dazzling light displays.  I especially loved how "Hosanna" incorporates stylized palm leaves and how "The Temple" uses glitter.  The three leads, Aaron LaVigne as Jesus, Omar Lopez-Cepero as Judas, and Jenna Rubah as Mary Magdalene, are outstanding and have beautiful voices.  I particularly enjoyed Rubah's rendition of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" (my favorite song in the show) and LaVigne's version of "Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)."  Lopez-Cepero does a very good job in portraying Judas' psychological torment, especially in "Damned For All Eternity/ Blood Money."  I found the whole show to be exhilarating and very moving but it might not be for everyone because "Trial By Pilate/ 39 Lashes" and "Crucifixion" are difficult to watch.  It runs at the Eccles Theatre through May 15 (go here for tickets).

Utah Opera's The Pirates of Penzance

Utah Opera is closing out the 2021-2022 season with Gilbert & Sullivan's comic operetta The Pirates of Penzance and I had a chance to see this delightful production last night at the Capitol Theatre.  Frederic (John Reisen) has reached his 21st birthday and wishes to leave the band of pirates to whom he has been mistakenly apprenticed.  After leaving the pirates, Frederic meets Major-General Stanley (Hugh Russell) and his daughters, falls in love with the youngest daughter Mabel (Madison Leonard), and enlists the Sergeant of Police (Kevin Nakatoni) and his constables to arrest the pirates.  Chaos ensues when the Pirate King (Craig Irvin) and Ruth (Meredith Arwady), Frederic's former nursemaid, tell him that he was born during a leap year and, since he has only had five birthdays, he must continue to serve his apprenticeship.  The staging of this show is so much fun and I laughed out loud during the scene where the pirates attempt to seduce the Major-General's daughters and when the constables and the pirates both hide from the Major-General in the graveyard.  Reisen is incredibly engaging as Frederic and, not only does he have a fantastic voice, but he has great comedic timing as the straight man in the show.  I especially enjoyed his interactions with Ruth when he tries to find out if she is beautiful when compared with other women.  Leonard has a beautiful voice as Mabel and I loved her rendition of "Poor wand'ring one."  Russell is absolutely hilarious in "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" and I loved the choreography involving his umbrella.  Irvin also has great comedic timing and I especially enjoyed his fancy footwork in "Oh, better far to live and die."  The large chorus, performing as pirates, daughters, and constables who sing and dance, is outstanding and so much fun to watch.  I loved all of the costumes, especially all of the colors and patterns used for the daughters' dresses and the argyle socks worn by the Major-General.  The set is quite simple consisting of a ship, the seaside, and a graveyard, but the proscenium is meant to look like a vaudeville theatre and is very effective at creating an amusing mood even before the show begins.  Hurrah for this production because I loved everything about it and I highly recommend it to anyone, even children, who might be intimidated by opera because it is very accessible.  There are only two more performances (go here for tickets) so act quickly.

Note:  Utah Opera recently announced the 2022-2023 season and it includes The Flying Dutchman, The Daughter of the Regiment, Rigoletto, and The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.  I am incredibly intrigued by the last one.

The Duke

Last night I went to my favorite art house theater, for the second night in a row, to see the charming British comedy The Duke.  It is based on the true story of the theft of Francisco de Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in 1961.  Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), a retired bus driver from Newcastle who is also an aspiring playwright, feels tremendous guilt over the death of his daughter several years earlier and is compelled to do something for the good of mankind to assuage that guilt.  His chosen cause is a campaign against making pensioners and war veterans pay for a license to watch television.  His long suffering wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren) begs him to stop all of his nonsense but he requests one last trip to London to bring attention to his message.  When he is turned away from the BBC, The Daily Mirror, and Parliament, he impulsively steals the painting in order to blackmail the government into exempting the less fortunate from paying for a license as a condition to get it back.  He enlists the help of his son Jackie (Fionn Whitehead) to hide it but, after a few misadventures, he decides to return it after which he is arrested.  When his trial at the Old Bailey begins, his barrister (Matthew Goode) tells him that his case is hopeless but he unexpectedly becomes a hero to the common man.  The narrative has a few twists and turns to keep it from being completely predictable and both Broadbent and Mirren give stellar performances full of wit and charm.  I found many scenes to be highly amusing and I laughed out loud several times (I love British humor).  I also really enjoyed the retro vibe in the cinematography because it looks like actual footage from the 1960s.  This is a lighthearted feel-good movie and watching it was a delightful experience (I was in a theater full of people twenty years older than me).

Petite Maman

I absolutely loved Portrait of a Lady on Fire so I was very eager to see the latest from Celine Sciamma, Petite Maman.  It seems like I have been waiting forever for it to get a wide release but it is finally playing at the Broadway and I had a chance to see it last night.  Sciamma is two for two with me because I loved Petite Maman just as much as Portrait of a Lady on Fire!  After the death of her maternal grandmother, eight year old Nelly (Josephine Sanz) travels with her mother (Nina Meurisse) and father (Stephane Varupenne) to her mother's childhood home to clear it out.  Nelly asks her mother questions about her childhood, including the location of the fort she once made out of tree branches, but she is too upset to answer her and eventually leaves in the middle of the night without saying goodbye.  While her father clears out the house, Nelly explores the nearby woods and finds a young girl named Marion (Gabrielle Sanz) building a fort out of tree branches.  Nelly begins spending all of her time with Marion building the fort, playing games, and acting out plays.  Marion ultimately helps Nelly understand her mother and helps her say goodbye to her grandmother.  This is such a beautiful film!  It is very slow and deliberate and, at times, it is unclear what is happening but if you are patient you will be rewarded with a beautiful message about love, grief, and the evanescence of childhood.  There are so many scenes that seem really simple, even mundane, on the surface but end up fraught with meaning and I found myself with tears in my eyes on more than one occasion.  The images on the screen are gorgeous, especially when the natural light bathes the fall foliage in the woods with a golden glow.  Finally, Josephine and Gabrielle Sanz give captivating performances and I couldn't take my eyes off of them even when they are simply walking together.  I was incredibly moved by this simple film and I cannot recommend enough!