The Unsinkable Molly Brown at HCT

Many years ago I had the opportunity to see the Broadway touring production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown with Debbie Reynolds in the title role. I don't really remember much about the show except for the fact that I was incredibly star-struck by Reynolds! Last night I saw a brand-new production at HCT that is more historically accurate than the original version and I enjoyed it even though it has a few issues.  This musical tells the story of Margaret "Molly" Tobin Brown (Kelly Coombs) and her life in the mining town of Leadville, Colorado, her marriage to the miner JJ Brown (Kaden Caldwell), her life in Denver after striking it rich with the discovery of gold in her husband's mine, her work as a social reformer, a champion of women's rights, and a labor organizer, and her ill-fated voyage on the Titanic. Brown's story is compelling and Coombs gives an energetic performance but I found the character to be incredibly static because she is the same irrepressible figure from the moment we meet her testifying before a Senate committee on the Titanic disaster to the final scene where she advocates for immigration reform after several Titanic survivors are refused entry into the United States. Her first big song and dance number is "I Ain't Down Yet" and absolutely nothing gets her down, even when Denver society rejects her and when her husband is unfaithful to her, for the entire duration of the show and I found it to be very one-note and exhausting to watch. The revised book by Dick Scanlan places all of the action during Act I in Leadville as Brown interacts with characters drawn from real life and I think it gets really bogged down (my mind sometimes wandered in between musical numbers). Conversely, I think events in Act II are rushed and I would have liked to see more about her time in Europe. Having said that, every aspect of the production itself is outstanding. As previously mentioned, Coombs is delightful and so is Caldwell, especially when he gets exasperated with Molly. My favorite songs are "I Ain't Down Yet," "Belly Up to the Bar, Boys," "Beautiful People of Denver," and "Share the Luck." The choreography in these songs is so much fun and the large ensemble execute it well. I was very impressed with how the sinking of the Titanic is staged because it features dramatic sound and light design. The costumes are wonderful, particularly all of Molly's highly embellished dresses in Act II. As is often the case with HCT, the set is amazing with elaborate pieces coming in from the wings, up from the pit, and down from the rafters. I especially enjoyed the mine and cabins in Leadville, the garden in Denver, the Brown mansion, and the lifeboat. Finally, the projections featuring historical photos and documents are fascinating and very well done. Having a postcard of the Titanic move from one LED screen to another to show the progress of the ship and then rip in half when it sinks is so clever! HCT does a great job with this show and, even though it has a few minor character development and pacing issues, I would definitely recommend it.  Go here for tickets but act quickly because many shows are already sold out.

Alice in Chains at USANA

I really love Alice in Chains (I listened to their album Dirt just about every time I got in my car for at least a year) and I have always wanted to see them in concert.  I finally had the chance to see them, in a triple bill with Bush and Breaking Benjamin, at USANA Amphitheatre last night and it was the perfect end of summer concert!  It was a lot of fun because everyone around me was there to see a different band (I think it is really funny that so many people around me initiated conversations with me for some reason) but cheered for all of them.  I was, of course, there for Alice in Chains but I enjoyed the other sets, as well.  I also used to be a big fan of Bush back in the day and I was happy to hear "Machinehead," "Everything Zen," "Glycerine," and "Comedown" which were favorites of mine.  They also played "Flowers On a Grave," a song from their latest album which I was not familiar with but really liked, while Gavin Rossdale ran through the crowd.  I didn't know very many Breaking Benjamin songs (the girls next to me were huge fans) but I really liked "Sooner or Later," "Breath," "Give Me a Sign," "Until the End," and "I Will Not Bow."  They also performed an amazing cover of Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" which I loved (and the girls next to me had never heard before).  Alice in Chains took the stage at about 9:30 and they played all of my favorites including "Them Bones," "Dam That River," "Angry Chair," "Man in the Box," "No Excuses," "Down in a Hole" (my very favorite AIC song), and "Would?"  I had wondered how the band would sound with William DuVall on lead vocals after the tragic death of Layne Staley but these songs sounded amazing!  DuVall sounds a lot like Staley but has his own distinct style and I think he is a great fit with the band.  They did play several songs from their last three albums with DuVall, but I have to admit that I loved the hits and sang every word (I amused the girls next to me to no end).  A really touching moment came when the band dedicated "Nutshell" to Staley because the audience lit up their phones and it looked so cool.  I was hoping that they would play "Rooster," another favorite of mine, and, luckily enough, they ended their set with it!  This was such a great concert and I am so glad that I got to cross Alice in Chains off my list of bands that I want to see (Pearl Jam is still at the top).

Note:  I think that USANA Amphitheatre is a great venue for concerts but it can be extremely difficult to get out of the parking lot after the show (unless you are my brother-in-law).  This time I decided to get VIP parking which is a bit expensive but worth every penny because I was out of the parking lot in less than ten minutes!

National Theatre Live: Henry V

Once again the Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah is joining with Salt Lake Film Society to bring National Theatre Live performances to the Broadway.  I was able to see my first production, William Shakespeare's Henry V starring Kit Harington filmed live from the Donmar Warehouse, yesterday and I loved it!  This play, where a once wayward prince earns his crown with blood, is incredibly compelling (it is one of my favorites) and this production has a contemporary setting making it even more powerful.  After succeeding to the throne of England, Henry (Harington) is informed that he has a tenuous claim to the French throne and, knowing that a foreign conquest will solidify his popularity with the people, he begins a war with France.  Outnumbered five to one, Henry rallies his troops for battle with the famous St. Crispin's Day speech (Harington's delivery gave me goosebumps) and, despite the overwhelming odds, achieves a decisive victory.  He wins the throne of France and the hand of the reluctant Katherine (Diany Samba-Bandza) thus beginning his reign as of one of England's most notable kings.  What I found intriguing about this production, aside from the contemporary setting, is that Henry is not portrayed as a patriotic hero as is usually the case.  Rather, he is incredibly ruthless and is as addicted to power as he used to be to alcohol.  There were so many memorable moments, including the opening scene when Henry enters a nightclub to meet Falstaff (Adam Maxey) and literally vomits on the floor, when Henry descends from above to inspect his troops ("Once more into the breach"), when Bardolph (Claire-Louise Cordwell), a former friend, is hanged for looting (this is unbelievably shocking), when the executed French prisoners (this is usually portrayed off stage) leave their boots on the stage and then exit while a requiem is sung, when Henry coerces a kiss from Katherine, and when the Chorus (Millicent Wong) accuses Henry in the final scene.  The staging of the Battle of Agincourt, which includes the sound of machine guns and helicopters as well as the use of smoke and strobe lights, is highly effective at portraying the brutality of war because it is almost overwhelming.  I liked having the courtiers of both England and France wear tailored suits (black for England and grey for France) and the soldiers wear camouflage fatigues with machine guns rather than swords and I absolutely loved the minimal set which features three large steps and a wall that opens to become an illuminated St. George's Cross.  Harington gives a phenomenal performance but I also enjoyed Olivier Hubbard as the cocky Dauphin as well as the women who portray many of the English and French Dukes.  I would have loved to have been a part of the actual audience for this brilliant production but this is the next best thing because the cameras captured the action so well.  I will definitely be attending more National Theatre Live performances in the future (go here for more information).

Imagine at Sandy Amphitheater

I had so much fun last night because I got to see Imagine, a fantastic Beatles cover band, at Sandy Amphitheater.  At this show they styled themselves as Imagine + because they performed with an orchestra and it was amazing!  I loved every minute of it!  Imagine consists of Tom Coburn as John Lennon, Bryan Hague as Paul McCartney, Brad Armstrong as George Harrison, and Mark Robinette as Ringo Starr and they look and sound a lot like the Fab Four complete with the mop-top haircuts and Liverpudlian accents.  During their first set they wore the black suits and Cuban-heeled boots the Beatles wore on the Ed Sullivan Show and performed "I Saw Her Standing There," "All My Loving," "Please Please Me," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "I'll Follow The Sun," "A Hard Day's Night," "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "And I Love Her" (one of my favorite Beatles songs), "Help," "Yesterday," "Drive My Car," "Eleanor Rigby," "She Loves You," and "Something in the Way."  I loved all of the witty banter in between all of the songs!  After the intermission, they returned to the stage wearing the iconic Sgt. Pepper's uniforms and started this set, of course, with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "With a Little Help From My Friends."  They continued with "Here Comes the Sun," "I Am the Walrus," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "Yellow Submarine," "Penny Lane," "Come Together," "Get Back," "Day in the Life" (which was my favorite performance of the evening), and "Got to Get You Into My Life."  I was hoping that they would play "Hey Jude" and they did during the encore (including the requisite audience participation during the extended chorus which made me positively giddy) followed by a rousing rendition of "Lady Madonna."  I really love the Beatles and I would give anything to have been able to see them in concert (alas, I was born too late) but cover bands like Imagine let me at least pretend that I am at a Beatles concert.  It was a great show and the temperature was actually really pleasant (my last concert at Sandy Amphitheater was so hot) so I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  There are a few summer concerts at Sandy Amphitheater left (go here for tickets) and I recommend listening to some great music under the stars.

Note:  I have one more outdoor concert at Sandy Amphitheater and one at USANA left this summer!

Disenchanted at the Grand Theatre

Last night I went to the Grand Theatre to see a production, in partnership with On Pitch Performing Arts, of Disenchanted.  I was not at all familiar with this musical but it is absolutely hilarious!  Masters of Ceremonies, Snow White (Christy Rolfe), Cinderella (Cariel Goodwin), and Sleeping Beauty (Chelsea Morris), along with their accompanist (Jennifer Morgan), present a vaudeville show telling how it really went down with all of the princesses before Walt got a hold of their stories!  Belle (Amy Shaffer) describes how crazy it is to live with objects that talk to her all of the time in "Insane," Hua Mulan (Jason Sin) explains why she really dressed like a man (spoiler alert: she's a lesbian) in "Without The Guy," the Little Mermaid (Andrea Del Mar Santiago) regrets her decision to give up her tail in "Two Legs," Pocahontas (Erin Dawson) points out all of the historical inaccuracies in her portrayal in "Honestly," the Princess Who Kissed a Frog (Quesley Bunch) wonders why it took so long for her to become a storybook princess in "Finally," and Princess Badroulbador (Allegra-Bree Mooreno) laments the fact that her name was changed to Jasmine and that she was relegated to a mere love interest in "Secondary Princess."  The ensemble speaks out about the fact that they were all drawn by men in "Big Tits," that they did not receive any compensation for their life stories in "Not Von Red Cent" featuring Rapunzel (Jenn Tate), that they are forced to starve themselves to keep their figures in "All I Wanna Do Is Eat," and the fact that the princes get all of the credit in the expletive laden "A Happy Tune."  They end the show with the message that they are all good enough as they really are in "Perfect" and a request that you forget the princesses you know in "One More Happ'ly Ever After."  I laughed and laughed at this show and I loved all of the funny little details such as when a stage hand brings out a leaf blower during Pocahontas' song and when Cinderella exchanges her glass slippers for Mickey Mouse slippers because her feet hurt!  Some of the cast members are better singers than others (Bunch was my favorite) but all of their characterizations are brilliant.  Their sparkly costumes incorporate the iconic elements that the Disney Princesses are known for but they have been adapted to be more appropriate for a stage show at a nightclub and they are so much fun.  The audience is sitting right on the stage so it has the feel of an intimate cabaret show and even features audience participation (I was singled out because I was sitting away from everyone else).  I had so much fun watching this musical spoof and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).

Note:  This show features humor and language that some might find inappropriate.