The Last Rider

My sister Kristine has always been a fan of the Tour de France but my whole family eventually became invested in the 1989 race because of her excitement over Greg LeMond and his underdog story.  When I saw the trailer for The Last Rider, which chronicles LeMond and his uphill journey (both literally and figuratively) to win that race, I knew she would love it!  We both went to see it at the Broadway yesterday afternoon and to say that she loved it would be an understatement (I loved it, too).  The documentary briefly describes his childhood in Lake Tahoe, his beginnings in cycling as a way to train for skiing in the off season, his early successes in the sport, his pro contract with a European team, and his Tour de France win in 1986.  Then the narrative delves into the near fatal hunting accident in which LeMond was shot by his brother-in-law.  He was hit by approximately 60 pellets and suffered a collapsed lung and extensive internal bleeding.  Because of the location of some of the pellets an estimated 30 of them had to be left in his body and his recovery was long and painful and he was dropped by his racing team.  He eventually gets back on his bike and, after joining a less competitive team and riding in a few European races, he decides to enter the Tour de France without any realistic prospects of winning.  The rest of the documentary incorporates thrilling footage from the 1989 race as LeMond, two-time winner Laurent Fignon, and the heavily favored Pedro Delgado battle for the yellow jersey with interviews with LeMond, his wife Kathy, Delgado, and his former coach Cyrille Guimard interspersed.  I am a huge fan of feel-good sports stories and, even though this is a very conventional documentary, it is one of the most compelling ones I've seen!  I knew the outcome of the race and I was still on the edge of my seat at the beginning of the final stage along the Champs-Elysees (the filmmakers do a great job of building suspense by emphasizing the rivalry between LeMond and the trash-talking Fignon) and I even cheered out loud at the finish line!  Fans of cycling are sure to love this but I think it is accessible for everyone because of the inspiring story and I highly recommend it!

Note:  I was in France right before the 1990 race (which LeMond also won) and my sister asked me to try and find her some merchandise.  I couldn't find anything until I was on a coach on the way to the airport to come home.  I saw a store window full of Team Z (LeMond's team) jerseys but I couldn't stop to get one for her!

The Force Awakens in Concert

Last night I got to see The Force Awakens while the Utah Symphony played the score by John Williams live and it was so much fun!  Seeing this on the big screen again brought back memories of the excitement I felt when it was first released and hearing the music performed by the orchestra was such an immersive experience!  The First Order has risen from the ashes of the Empire and a new group of Resistance fighters emerges to defeat them, including Finn, a stormtrooper with a conscience, Poe Dameron, a daring pilot, and Rey, a scavenger who gets drawn into an adventure when she meets a droid carrying a secret.  They are helped by Han Solo, Chewbacca, and General Leia Organa but their actions are thwarted by Kylo Ren, a former Jedi apprentice struggling between the forces of good and evil.  The near capacity crowd at Abravanel Hall exploded in cheers and applause when the first dramatic note of the instantly recognizable fanfare played during the opening crawl and the applause continued when Finn, Poe, Rey, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Leia (and the Millennium Falcon) appeared on screen for the first time.  I may or may not have screamed in an embarrassingly loud voice when Kylo Ren removed his helmet!  I really love the music in this movie because it incorporates a lot of the well-known themes from the previous movies, including the ones for Luke, Han, and Leia, but also includes new themes for Kylo Ren, Rey, and Snoke.  I especially love it when the score transitions back and forth between Kylo Ren's theme and Rey's theme during their light saber duel on Starkiller Base.  I also really like the thrilling themes when Rey and Finn escape from Jakku in the Millennium Falcon, when the Resistance arrives on Takodana, and when the Resistance attacks Starkiller Base.  I enjoyed every minute of watching the movie and listening to the music and, if you have never attended a film in concert with the Utah Symphony, I highly recommend it.  The movies for next season are Black Panther, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Frozen, and Casablanca.  Go here for information on subscribing to the Films in Concert series.

Asteroid City

I am a huge fan of Wes Anderson so I have been looking forward to Asteroid City for a long time.  I had the chance to see it last night at the Broadway and it was so much fun because there wasn't an empty seat in the theater and the audience laughed out loud the whole time (so did I).  Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman), a war photographer mourning the recent death of his wife (Margot Robbie), arrives in the desert town of Asteroid City where his son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) is being honored at the Junior Stargazer Convention hosted by General Grif Gibson (Jeffrey Wright), his aide-de-camp (Tony Revolori), and an astronomer named Dr. Hickenlooper (Tilda Swinton).  He soon meets the actress Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson) who is also attending the convention with her daughter Dinah (Grace Edwards), another honoree.  A romance begins between Augie and Midge and between Woodrow and Dinah but an astrological event disrupts the convention.  A quarantine is declared and everyone, including Augie's father-in-law Stanley Zak (Tom Hanks) and his three daughters; the other honorees Shelley Borden (Sophia Lillas), Ricky Cho (Ethan Josh Lee) and Clifford Kellogg (Aristou Meehan) as well as their parents Sandy Borden (Hope Davis), Roger Cho (Stephen Park), and J.J. Kellogg (Liev Schreiber); a teacher named June Douglas (Maya Hawke) who is at the convention on a field trip with her students; and a group of singing cowboys (Rupert Friend, Jarvis Cocker, and Seu Jorge) just passing through town, is detained but given accommodation by a hotel manger (Steve Carrell).  This is a hilarious take on the ultimately futile search for the meaning of life but it is also about the power of art to explain the unexpected because the events in Asteroid City are eventually revealed to be a play.  Since this is a movie by Wes Anderson, the narrative also includes a television show (in black and white and Academy aspect ratio) about the making of the play with a host (Bryan Cranston), the playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton), the director Schubert Green (Adrien Brody), the revered acting coach Saltzburg Keitel (Willem Dafoe), and all of the actors (playing roles within roles).  This movie doubles down on everything Wes Anderson is known for and I especially loved the stylized and elaborate production design, the pastel color palette, the symmetrical shot composition, the deadpan delivery which belies deeper emotions (Schwartzman and Johansson are brilliant but the rest of the cast is also outstanding), the subtle humor (the astronomical ellipses made this former English teacher laugh so hard), and all of the title cards. It is a masterpiece (one of Anderson's best) and I loved it but I don't think anyone who is not already a fan of Anderson's idiosyncrasies will enjoy it.

Les Miserables at the Eccles

When I was in high school I wanted to see the musical Les Miserables more than anything I have ever wanted.  I finally had the chance on a study abroad trip to London in college and hearing those opening notes played live for the first time was an experience I will never forget!  I have now seen it at least 30 times (a conservative estimate) and I still get goosebumps when I hear those opening notes.  I had the opportunity to see it again last night since the Broadway touring production is currently at the Eccles Theatre and I loved it as much as I did the first time I saw it.  The story of Jean Valjean's redemption is so inspiring and the music is glorious (I really have to stop myself from singing every single word).  I always anticipate my favorite moments and this cast definitely did not disappoint me!  Haley Dortch (the best Fantine I have ever seen) was so beautiful and heartbreaking in "I Dreamed a Dream" that I had tears running down my face, Preston Truman Boyd (Javert) was incredibly powerful in "Stars," Devin Archer (Enjolras) made me want to stand up and cheer in "Do You Hear the People Sing," Nick Cartell (Valjean) gave a highly emotional performance of "Bring Him Home" which elicited the biggest response from the crowd all night, and Gregory Lee Rodriguez (Marius) reduced me to tears once again in "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."  My favorite moment in the show is when Eponine sings "On My Own" and I always sit impatiently through the intermission waiting for it!  Christine Heesun Hwang gave a highly nuanced performance full of so many different emotions and I was very moved by it.  I also really enjoyed Christina Rose Hall (Madame Thenardier) because her characterization was a little different than what I have seen before.  This production features the new staging without the turntable and I actually prefer it because the sets and are much more elaborate and true to the events in the novel by Victor Hugo, especially the Prologue and "At the End of the Day."  I only miss the turntable in the scene where the barricade slowly turns after the battle to reveal Enjolras upside down holding the flag because that was so dramatic.  The projections in this newer production are also very effective and I particularly liked the different perspectives when Valjean carries Marius through the sewers and the visual effects used in Javert's "Soliloquy."  Even after seeing this show so many times I had an incredible experience last night (I will be on a high for days) and highly recommend getting one of the very few tickets available for the remaining shows (go here).  I would see it again if I could!

Oliver at HCTO

Last night I saw an absolutely wonderful production of Oliver, the musical adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel, now playing at HCTO.  It follows the exploits of an orphan named Oliver Twist (Oliver Bingham) who is raised in a workhouse run by Mr. Bumble (Michael Young) and the Widow Corney (Katherine Trent), is sold to an undertaker named Mr. Sowerberry (Aron Cain) and his wife (Sarah Maxwell Neipp), escapes to London where he meets the Artful Dodger (Bingham Ker) and other members of a gang of pickpockets run by an elderly criminal named Fagin (Jeff Thompson), runs afoul of a vicious burglar named Bill Sikes but is rescued by his lover Nancy (Emma Wadsworth), and is finally reunited with his long lost grandfather Mr. Brownlow (Charles Eads).  All of the big production numbers are fantastic with dynamic and energetic choreography and I especially loved "Food, Glorious Food" with the orphans, "Consider Yourself" with the Artful Dodger, You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two" with Fagin and the pickpockets, "It's a Fine Life," "Oom-Pah-Pah," and "I'd Do Anything" with Nancy, and "Who Will Buy? with the vendors.  This is the biggest cast I've seen at HCTO and the staging is very innovative with so many people on the small and intimate stage.  Speaking of which, the stage is one of the most elaborate ones I've seen at HCTO and is configured with lots of different levels depicting alleys, bridges, streets, pubs, shops, and a proper Victorian mansion.  The period costumes are beautiful and I especially loved Nancy's dress and Fagin's top coat.  Finally, I loved all of the performances!  Bingham melts you heart as Oliver and I actually had a tear in my eye during his sweet rendition of "Where Is Love?" and Wadsworth shows a lot of vulnerability in "As Long As He Needs Me" while blowing the roof off the theatre.  However, Ker steals the show as the Dodger and I was unbelievably impressed with the orphans (Tate McBeth, Travis Hanson, Nat Paxman, Tyson Russell, Leo Smith, and Clara Norris) because they are insanely talented singers and dancers.  I loved everything about this production (the kids sitting near me loved it, too) and I can't say enough about it except that you should definitely get a ticket (go here).  It runs through August 5.