Bye Bye Birdie at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse

I have very fond memories of watching a VHS copy of the musical Bye Bye Birdie at my Grandma Anderson's house when I was young but I had never seen the stage version before. I had the opportunity at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse last night and it is definitely one of the best productions I have seen there!  Songwriter Albert Peterson (Tyler O'Bagy) is upset when his biggest client, Conrad Birdie (Boyad Hollingshead), is drafted into the Army because he is heavily in debt. His secretary and on-again off-again love interest, Rosie Alvarez (Natalie Peterson), comes up with a publicity stunt to have Birdie record a song called "One Last Kiss" and sing it to a fan on The Ed Sullivan Show before he leaves for the Army. Rosie hopes that this plan will allow Albert to make enough money to quit show business, become an English teacher, defy his disapproving mother Mae (Meredith Carlson), and finally marry her. Kim MacAfee (Aurora Nelson), the President of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club in Sweet Apple, Ohio, is selected and chaos ensues when Birdie disrupts life in Sweet Apple by driving the teen girls crazy, irritating Kim's father Harry (Steve Peterson), and coming between Kim and her steady boyfriend, Hugo Peabody (JC Wansgard), and when Mae comes to Sweet Apple to separate Albert from Rosie! I loved the young enthusiastic ensemble cast, one of the strongest I've seen at this theatre, because they perform the choreography really well, especially in the big numbers "Telephone Hour," "A Healthy, Normal, American Boy," "Honestly Sincere," and "A Lot of Livin' To Do." O'Bagy is adorably dorky and his version of "Put On a Happy Face" is really fun because it is so awkward, Hollingshead is channeling Elvis Presley with all of his moves (and his slicked back pompadour) in "Honestly Sincere" and "One Last Kiss," Nelson has a beautiful voice and she is sweet and earnest with her renditions of "How Lovely to Be a Woman" and "One Boy" and a bit rebellious in "What Did I Ever See In Him" and "A Lot of Livin' To Do," Steve Peterson is hilariously overwrought in "Kids," and Natalie Peterson absolutely shines in a dynamic performance of "Spanish Rose."  However, Carlson steals the show in a completely over the top performance and I laughed out loud when she flirts with Conrad and when she rolls around on the ground (in her fur coat!) to stop Albert from marrying Rosie! This show is set in the 50s so the costumes, with all of the pedal pushers, skirts, cardigan sweaters, scarfs, jeans, leather jackets, and letterman jackets, are so much fun and I loved the over-sized "I Heart Conrad Birdie" badges. The small space is used very effectively with Kim's bedroom and the Ice House located on platforms on either side of the stage and a train station (with actual train tracks!) located up stage with set pieces brought on for the MacAfee house and Maude's Roadside Retreat. My favorite set piece was a series of boxes lit with colored lights used in "Telephone Hour" because it reminded me of this same scene in the movie.  I had so much fun watching this show because there were so many young people in the audience, presumably to see their friends in the cast, and the energy was electric! This, along with The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Addams Family, is one of my favorites at this theatre and I highly recommend it (go here for tickets).

Beau Is Afraid

I am a huge fan of Ari Aster's previous films, Hereditary and Midsommar, so I was already planning to see Beau Is Afraid but, when my nephew expressed a strong interest in it as well, I got tickets for both of us to see it last night at the Broadway.  This might not be the best movie to see with your 18-year-old nephew but it certainly gave us plenty to talk about on the drive home!  Beau Wasserman (Joaquin Phoenix) is a middle aged man who is in an almost constant state of anxiety.  He goes on an epic (literally) journey to get home so that his recently deceased mother, Mona Wasserman (Patti LuPone), can be buried in a timely manner according to Jewish custom.  Once he arrives home, however, he must confront his mother over the years of psychological abuse that she inflicted on him and then ultimately be judged, by her and the audience, for his response.  The reviews have been very divisive for this surrealistic black comedy and, although I really loved the allusions to Odysseus in the second act and to Oedipus in the third, I did sometimes find the pacing to be incredibly tedious (it has a three-hour runtime and, in my opinion, it could have achieved the same end in two).  It is extremely thought-provoking (which is something I will always appreciate in a movie) and my nephew and I had very different interpretations of certain scenes (I am sure that Aster intended it thus).  As previously mentioned, we had a very spirited discussion afterwards and he actually changed my mind about something with a vigorous defense of his thesis!  I also really enjoyed the world-building because one is never really sure if what is happening is real or a product of Beau's imagination and the images on the screen reflect this, whether it is the urban hellscape of Beau's daily life, the despair under the facade of suburban domesticity found with his surrogate family, the gorgeous stop-motion animation depicting his journey, or the spacious modern architecture (which actually represents a claustrophobic nightmare for Beau) of Mona's estate.  Finally, both Phoenix and LuPone give brilliant and riveting performances which kept me invested in the chaos (several in the audience left the theater before the end).  Needless to say, this will not be for everyone (especially if you are not a fan of Aster's previous work) but I liked it for the most part (as did my nephew) and I definitely respect Aster's ambitious swing for the fences!

Company at the Empress

While I am very familiar with the music (the songs "Being Alive" and "The Ladies Who Lunch" are staples for vocalists who perform with the Utah Symphony), I have never actually seen a production of Company before!  I was so happy to finally be able to do so last night at the Empress Theater (it has been on my list for so long).  Robert (David Nichols) is facing his 35th birthday and the prospect of living the rest of his life alone when he reflects on the relationships of his friends, including Susan (Sara Murphy) and Peter (Nate Kemp), Sarah (Merilee Adams) and Harry (Michael Ricks), Jenny (Jessica Benson) and David (Matthew Davids), Amy (Alyssa Powers) and Paige (Jenn George), and Joanne (Fawna Jones) and Larry (Jim Dale), and the relationships he has with three of his girlfriends, April (Cassie Hurt-McLarty), Kathy (Emily Jameson), and Marta (Brandwynn Michelle).  Every relationship has problems but he ultimately realizes that life is better lived with someone else rather than alone.  I really appreciated being able to hear all of the brilliant songs that I've loved for so long in the context of the story and I found them to be even more meaningful.  I particularly enjoyed Powers' rendition of "Getting Married Today" because the panic she feels at the thought of having to commit to someone else is palpable, Jones' version of "The Ladies Who Lunch" because her delivery is intense without being overpowering, and Nichols' interpretation of "Being Alive" because the turning point when his arguments against a relationship suddenly become the desire for one is so powerful.  I also liked the staging of "The Little Things You Do Together," "You Could Drive a Person Crazy," "Side By Side By Side," and "What Would We Do Without You?" because the choreography is really dynamic and fun.  The set is very simple but effective with modern furniture that is moved and reconfigured into the various apartments of the characters and the use of large screens with images of New York City do much to add context (smaller screens that show text messages between characters are highly amusing).  I sometimes found the pacing to be a little slow but I'm sure this was a deliberate decision to create a more reflective mood and it didn't detract from my enjoyment.  I loved this production and I am so happy that I finally had the opportunity to cross this show off my list!  Unfortunately the run ended last night but the rest of the season looks really good (go here for tickets and information).

Chevalier

Yesterday I finally had the opportunity to see Chevalier, one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and I absolutely loved it!  It tells the true story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.), the son of a slave and a plantation owner who rose and fell from prominence in 18th century France.  He is brought to Paris as a child by his father to encourage his musical abilities but also as a way for his father to abandon him with the admonition that he must be better than everyone else in order to survive.  He emerges as a champion fencer and brilliant violinist and composer who attracts the patronage of Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton).  He begins writing an opera in pursuit of an appointment as the next conductor of the Paris Opera.  However, a slight to established opera star Marie-Madeleine Guimard (Minnie Driver) and an affair with his leading lady Marie-Josephine de Montalembert (Samara Weaving) cause the aristocracy to turn against him and Marie Antoinette to renounce him.  He realizes that things must change and begins to support the call for revolution espoused by his friend the Duke of Orleans (Alex Fitzalan) at great personal cost.  This is, essentially, a fairly conventional biopic but the story is both compelling and incredibly moving, especially the final act, and I found myself wanting to know more about Joseph Bologne and his music (much of which was lost and is only now being rediscovered).  Harrison gives a passionate performance which highlights both Bologne's confidence (the opening sequence when he challenges Mozart to a violin-off is worth the price of admission alone) and vulnerability (in the scene where he sees his mother for the first time in years he expresses more emotion with just a look than most actors do with pages of dialogue).  Boynton and Weaving are also outstanding.  The costumes and sets are gorgeous (I am a sucker for period dramas) and the music is sublime.  I love it whenever a forgotten historical figure is highlighted so I highly recommend this!

Sibelius' Symphony No. 5

Last night's Utah Symphony was so much fun because, not only did the program feature Sibelius (one of my favorite composers), but I was able to meet up with my friend Angela and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  When I was on a tour of Scandinavia several years ago I kept seeing statues of a man all around Helsinki so I decided to ask our bus driver who it was (we had bonded over a Finnish hockey player named Teemu Selanne who played briefly for the Colorado Avalanche).  He said it was Jean Sibelius and, when I didn't recognize the name, he was shocked and appalled that I didn't know about Finland's national treasure so he played Finlandia for me.  I absolutely loved it and, when the Utah Symphony programmed it the following season, I made sure to get a ticket and I always try to see it every time it is performed.  The orchestra began with this piece last night and I found it just as stirring as the first time I heard it!  This piece was composed to rouse Finnish patriotism against Russian control and it features epic themes by the brass, woodwinds, and timpani and ends as a hymn of triumph.  Next the orchestra was joined by Emmanuel Pahud for the U.S. premiere of a flute concerto called Lux Stellarum by Erkki-Sven Tüür (the front man of one of Estonia's most popular rock bands).  This piece is incredibly cool because it is meant to evoke the expansive nature of space.  The flute represents falling stars and the rest of the orchestra represents the explosion of faraway galaxies.  I really enjoyed themes played by the brass, because they reminded me of whispers, and the themes played by the piano, because they sounded like wind.  The use of lots of different percussion instruments (my favorites were the gong and chimes) sounded to me like the ripples of energy through space.  The themes by the solo flute are incredibly ethereal and I loved watching Pahud play because he moved his body with the music almost as if he was dancing with his flute!  He received a boisterous standing ovation which is really impressive because Utah Symphony audiences sometimes have a tepid response to more modern pieces!  After the intermission, the concert concluded with Symphony No. 5 by Sibelius.  This piece was commissioned by the Finnish government in 1915 to commemorate the composer's fiftieth birthday and it is incredibly majestic.  I loved the themes played by the horns and echoed by the woodwinds during the first movement because it is meant to depict a sunrise and also the so-called "swan's song" in the final movement played first by the horns and then the trumpets because it mimics the sound of sixteen swans taking flight at once.  The six chords separated by silence that end the piece are incredibly dramatic!  This was another wonderful concert in a season full of brilliant performances and I highly recommend getting a ticket for tonight's concert featuring the same program (go here for tickets).