Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

Did you wake up early on Saturday mornings to watch the great Warner Bros. cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner when you were a kid?  If so, you have probably heard the works of Wagner, Rossini, Strauss, Smetana, and Liszt without even realizing it because many of those cartoons feature classical music!  I loved Bugs Bunny and, to this day, I can't hear Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries without thinking "Kill the Wabbit, Kill the Wabbit, Kill the Wabbit" in my head!  Last night's concert at Abravanel Hall was so much fun because all of those fabulous Warner Bros. cartoons were projected on a giant screen above the stage while the Utah Symphony played the accompanying music live.  My favorites were "Rhapsody Rabbit" which featured "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by Franz Liszt and "What's Opera, Doc?" featuring the aforementioned Die Walkure by Richard Wagner.  The program also featured two new Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons commissioned specifically for this program called "Rabid Rider" and "Coyote Falls" with music by Christopher Lennertz.  These were very different from the classic cartoons and conductor George Daugherty mentioned that a total of ten people worked on the former while hundreds animated the latter!  I think I prefer the classic cartoons!  The orchestra even played the Merrie Melodies "That's All, Folks" credit at the end!  This concert brought back great childhood memories of Saturday mornings and I absolutely loved it!

Note:  There were lots of children in attendance at the concert and I hope this exposure to classical music makes them fans for life!

Ballet West's The Nutcracker

Seeing a performance of The Nutcracker is a cherished holiday tradition for me and I look forward to it all year. It simply wouldn't be Christmas without it.  I saw the beloved classic last night and I think I enjoyed it even more than I usually do! This year marks the 60th Anniversary (I haven't been attending for that long) of William Christensen's brilliant choreography set to the incomparable score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky so there was definitely a degree of nostalgia as I watched all of the familiar scenes. Yet, there was also an unexpected thrill of excitement because I got to see some new interpretations (I am so used to Christopher Ruud and Christiana Bennett performing the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, either individually or together) of some iconic roles.  The Grand Pas de Deux performed by the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier is my favorite moment in the entire ballet (I think Tchaikovsky's music for this scene is the most romantic in the entire classical cannon) and I thought Emily Adams and Rex Tilton danced it beautifully.  It gave me goosebumps!  Even though I have seen this ballet countless times, I still get caught up in the excitement of the party scene as the Christmas tree is unveiled for the children, I marvel at the transformation of the nutcracker into a handsome prince, and I take delight in the various divertissements arranged by the Sugar Plum Fairy for Clara and the prince (especially the Arabian variation and the Russian variation). It was a lovely evening made even more so by a large group of teenagers sitting near me who were absolutely enchanted by it.  If you haven't experienced this holiday tradition for yourself, I highly encourage you to do so.  Go here for tickets.  The Nutcracker runs at Capitol Theatre until Dec. 27.

Note:  This year Ballet West cast Katlyn Addison as the first African-American Sugar Plum Fairy in the organization's history. I was thrilled by this news because my niece is a dancer and she might play the Sugar Plum Fairy some day!  I wish that I could have seen her!

Gingerbread Houses 2015

Every year, usually on the Sunday before Christmas, we make gingerbread houses with Sean and Tashena.  This tradition started the year that Tashena joined our family and we always look forward to it!

Sean usually eats more frosting than he puts on his house!

A goatee often makes an appearance, as well!

Various stages of construction!  We buy kits and then use a hot glue gun to put them together because we never eat them and we like to get to the fun part, which is decorating, as soon as possible!  The kits come with candy but we always buy more!

I think Sean's goal was to cover every inch of his house with candy!  He is so much fun!

Tashena worked very diligently on her house and was the last to finish!  She used the glue gun to attach all of that coconut!

Marilyn with her house.

My house.

Sean with his house.

Tashena with her house.

The whole village.

A few more views.  I love this tradition because I love spending time with Sean and Tashena.  We laughed so hard while making these gingerbread houses and I hope they always remember the fun times we had together!  After making our houses we watched Christmas movies for the rest of the night.  Sean and Tashena have every word memorized to the movie Elf and we thought it was adorable.  Marilyn and I have every word memorized to A Christmas Story and they thought it was annoying!

Note:  Here is Tashena's first gingerbread house!

Temple Square 2015

Every year there are hundreds of thousands of visitors to Temple Square to see the lights.  I like to complain about this because the traffic downtown gets really crazy in December but, really, the lights are beautiful!

I decided to see the lights last night even though it was a Saturday night and I don't really enjoy crowds.  As predicted, it was very crowded but I actually didn't mind it so much.  All of the snow that we have had this week made the lights seem even more magical.

I had the best time I've ever had walking around Temple Square.  I didn't have an agenda and I didn't have any time constraints so I just wandered wherever I wanted to go.  It was a really stressful week at school, for various reasons, and I felt more peaceful than I've felt in a long time.  It was almost as if there weren't any people around me at all.

I ended up at the Assembly Hall for one of the many free concerts (go here for a schedule) there every evening, usually featuring community and high school choirs.  When I got there, a group had just started performing so I sat down and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I didn't even know what school was performing (I found out later that it was Rigby High School) but I love hearing Christmas music performed live so much.

It was a lovely evening.

A Christmas Carol at HCT 2015

I can't think of a better way to start winter break than by seeing HCT's wonderful and magical production of the beloved holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. It is one of my most favorite traditions and I have been attending this show for years and years. I really love the tale of one man's redemption and its message of caring for the welfare of mankind is particularly salient right now during these troubling times. I love seeing familiar faces return year after year, such as David Weeks as Ebeneezer Scrooge, but it is also fun to see new actors take on iconic roles.  I can't remember seeing anyone but Brad Charon play the role of Bob Cratchit or Adam Dietlein play the role of Fred so it was interesting to see Ryan J. Poole and Spencer Bean take on those parts, respectively, last night. Poole's characterization of Cratchit was very tender and I was particularly moved by a scene where Cratchit tearfully thanks Scrooge at the end of the play. I also really loved Ric Starnes as Fezziwig. Actually, all of the performances were great and, as ever, I was very impressed with the Victorian costumes and opulent sets.  I think my favorite part of Hale's production is the use of Christmas carols throughout the play.  I especially love it when the cast sings "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" which is one of my favorites. Even though I have seen this production countless times I always sit on the edge of my seat and anticipate every scene, every song, and every line of dialogue (I honestly think I could fill in for any part).  It never gets old and I always leave the theatre full of Christmas spirit.  I recommend that you experience it for yourself!  Go here for tickets.

The Force Awakens

I was nine years old when Star Wars: A New Hope was released and I distinctly remember watching it on the big screen.  I loved Princess Leia and I was terrified of Darth Vader.  I had the action figures and a model of the Millennium Falcon (which I foolishly removed from the box to play with) and I also spent most of my money buying packages of gum to collect all of the playing cards which, when pieced together, created the movie poster (I never actually finished it because I could never find a few of the more elusive cards).  I have such great memories of watching all of the movies in the franchise so, when I heard that the seventh film was in the works, I could hardly contain myself!  Christmas 2015 couldn't get here soon enough!  Tickets to the early screenings were a hot commodity in my neck of the woods but I managed to snag one seat in the middle of a row for the 10:35 show last night.  Star Wars: The Force Awakens could not be more aptly titled because I felt just like I remember feeling back in 1977 when I was first introduced to Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3P0.  You could say that my affection for these characters was reawakened and I clapped, as did the entire audience, when they each appeared.  I cheered when I heard that dramatic first note in the instantly recognizable fanfare by John Williams during the opening crawl and I was completely captivated by a new group of characters:  Finn (John Boyega), a stormtrooper with a conscience, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), a daring Resistance pilot, Rey (Daisy Ridley), a scavenger who gets drawn into an adventure when she meets a droid carrying a secret, and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a former Jedi apprentice struggling between the forces of good and evil.  All of the mythology is there and the story of a new threat to the Galaxy by the evil First Order is a believable continuation of the plot.  I loved every second of this movie, which made me cheer, laugh, cry, and remember all of the magic felt by a nine year old girl.

Kurt Bestor Christmas Concert

I am completely obsessed with listening to Christmas music performed live right now so I spontaneously decided to get a ticket to Kurt Bestor's Christmas concert last night.  Kurt Bestor is a Utah-based composer known for his beautiful arrangements of Christmas music and he has performed a series of Christmas concerts at Abravanel Hall for the past 28 years (next year he is moving to the new Eccles Theater).  I've gone to a few of his concerts in years past but I think last night's was his best one yet!  He began with "Carol of the Bells" with the Wesley Bell Ringers and continued with "Joy to the World," "What Child Is This," "Christmastime Is Here," and "I'll Be Home for Christmas."  He had an amazing vocalist named Lexie Walker perform a beautiful rendition of his most well-known song, "Prayer for the Children," and it brought tears to my eyes. One of Kurt Bestor's most beloved traditions is to write an original carol each year.  This year he was inspired by the tragedy in Paris and wrote "Carol of the Lights" because Paris is known as the City of Lights.  I loved it and the message of peace on earth and good will toward man.  He ended the first act with a "Christmas Concerto" featuring many different Christmas carols with dueling soloists on violin and electric guitar.  After the intermission, he brought back the Wesley Bell Ringers for "Let It Snow"  and performed his own version of "Twelve Days of Christmas" featuring all of the instruments on stage.  He brought back Lexie Walker for lovely renditions of "Toyland," "When a Child is Born," and "Angels We Have Heard on High."  Walker has such a beautiful and powerful voice!  Next, Bestor performed "While By My Sheep, I Watched at Night," which I had never heard before, and "I Wonder as I Wander."  It just isn't Christmas to me until I hear a live version of my very favorite Christmas song "O Holy Night" and it happened last night with a wonderful version featuring Bestor on flugelhorn.  It gave me goosebumps!  Continuing one of his long-standing traditions, Bestor selected an audience member to narrate 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to his original accompaniment.  Last night's narrator was Chad and he was an absolute hoot.  The concert ended with a beautiful rendition of "Silent Night" with audience participation.  For an encore, he performed a Celtic version of "Ding Dong Merrily" which I loved because I sang it in college!  I am so glad I got a ticket because I thoroughly enjoyed this concert.

Macbeth

If I had to pick a favorite Shakespeare play, Macbeth would definitely be at the top of the list (along with The Merchant of Venice) so I have been looking forward to Justin Kurzel's latest adaptation of the Scottish play for what seems like the longest time!  I got to see it last night and I was mesmerized by it.  When it comes to Shakespeare, I am definitely a purist (Hello, I am an English teacher!) and I do not like it when directors get too artistic and do things like set Julius Caesar during World War I or Romeo and Juliet during the 1950s.  While the filmmakers did take a few liberties with the source material (more about that later), I loved the fact that they remained unfailingly true to the time and place, medieval Scotland, with some of the most realistic medieval warfare I have ever seen (more about that later, too).  The bloody tale of ambition and guilt begins when Macbeth (Michael Fassbender), victorious in battle for King Duncan (David Thewlis), is confronted by three apparitions on the battlefield who reveal that Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor and then the King of Scotland.  When the King grants him the title of Cawdor, he is spurred on by his ambitious wife (Marion Cotillard) to kill the King and take the crown, thereby fulfilling the prophecy.  Eventually, they are both undone by their paranoia and guilt over their bloody deeds.  This adaptation focuses on the fact that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are childless as motivation for many of their actions (which Shakespeare hints at but does not explicitly state), beginning the film with the burial of their dead child and having Lady Macbeth's "sleepwalking" soliloquy directed to the ghost of the child, and I found this to be highly effective.  The "weird sisters" are portrayed as spectral figures and much of their dialogue is omitted (no cauldrons with the eye of a newt, either) but they are terrifying, nonetheless.  Other changes include having Malcolm (Jack Reynor) witness the death of his father before fleeing in fear, having Lady Macbeth witness the deaths of Macduff's (Sean Harris) family, and having the Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane as ashes (which is absolutely brilliant).  Fassbender is astonishing in this role, giving an incredibly nuanced performance as Macbeth becomes more and more tortured by guilt.  I was especially impressed with the scene with Lady Macbeth after his coronation when he first mentions his guilt.  The one tear rolling down his face just about killed me.  Cotillard is also amazing as Lady Macbeth and I was particularly struck by her strength in the Ghost of Banquo scene (with her eerie blue eye paint) and her absolute vulnerability in the "sleepwalking" scene.  These two performances make this movie a must-see, in my opinion.  The cinematography is incredible, with many of the battle scenes suffused with a red glow which is quite unnerving.  In fact, much of the film's impact is visual, as quite a bit of Shakespeare's original text is condensed.  I loved the immediacy of the battle scenes, almost as if the audience is a part of the action.  It is gruesome, to say the least, but you cannot look away. The stark beauty of the Scottish highlands is used to full effect, the costumes are surprisingly sparse but very appropriate for the time period, and the score is atmospheric and intense.   I loved it!  To be sure, this adaptation does not follow the source material as much as I would have liked, but I was captivated by the performances and would highly recommend it.

Note:  One of the employees at the Broadway told me (yes, I go there so much that all of the employees know me and talk to me) that reactions were mixed on opening day.  People either loved it or hated it!

Lower Lights Christmas Concert

The Lower Lights are a Utah-based supergroup of incredibly talented vocalists and musicians known primarily for their folk-gospel sound.  Every year they perform a series of Christmas concerts and I have always wanted to go to one.  In years past the concerts were held at the Salt Lake Masonic Temple, which is a really small venue, so by the time I got my act together enough to buy tickets they were usually sold out.  This year, due to their growing popularity, they moved to Kingsbury Hall and I was finally able to get a ticket to last night's concert.  It was such a wonderful evening and I loved every minute of it.  Some of my favorite songs included "I Saw Three Ships," "Away in a Manger," "Silver Bells," "In the Bleak Midwinter," "The Holly and the Ivy," "The First Noel," and a rocking version of "Once in Royal David's City."  Every time I attend a Christmas concert, I am always really nostalgic for the Christmas concerts I performed in when I was in college.  My choir really loved to sing "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" and "Still, Still, Still" and the Lower Lights performed both of them beautifully!  I also really loved the instrumental versions of "What Child Is This?" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem."  They gave me goosebumps!  There were two moments which actually brought tears to my eyes.  The first was an incredibly heart-felt rendition of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."  The times we are living in right now seem so dark with vitriol spewed everywhere I turn but this song gives me hope that some day we can have peace on earth and good will toward men.  The other moment was during the encore when they had the audience join them for "Silent Night" with just a guitar as accompaniment.  It was a lovely moment, to say the least!  Honestly, I don't really know what I believe any more but at this time of year, I find so much comfort in the music of Christmas.  I loved this concert so much that I hope to make it a yearly tradition.  Their final concert is tonight at Kingsbury Hall and I highly recommend that you get a ticket by going here (if there are any tickets to be had!).

Note:  Apparently the "Twelve Days of Christmas" sing-along on Tuesday was a mere warm-up for the "Go Tell it on the Mountain" sing-along last night!  I was in fine form!

It Happened One Christmas at PTC

I am not a fan of revues but, since I enjoyed It Happened One Christmas at PTC last night a lot more than I thought I would, maybe Christmas revues are an exception.  This original production was conceived by PTC Artistic Director Karen Azenberg and Kenneth Jones (who wrote the wonderful play Alabama Story performed at PTC last season) and features just about every Christmas song and story you can imagine.  The show takes place in an old and abandoned theatre in SLC on Christmas Eve.  Legend has it that all of the ghosts of Christmas shows past get together to perform for an imaginary audience and, if Santa Claus likes the show, it will snow on Christmas Day.  All of the musical numbers are a lot of fun to watch with dazzling choreography, coordinating costumes (someone sitting near me mentioned that it seemed like one long Gap commercial), magical sets, and incredibly talented performers (the children in the cast are adorable).  I especially loved the high energy opening number, Sparklejollytwinklejingley, featuring the entire company.  I feel that the second act lost a little bit of momentum but my favorite moment came near the end and included a reading from the New Testament about the birth of Christ followed by the song "Seasons of Love" from RENT.  This was an incredibly powerful moment and highlighted, for me, what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.  Of course, the show ended with a heart-warming rendition of "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!" with the requisite snow falling on stage (and in the audience) so I guess that Santa Claus enjoyed it.  I certainly did and I think you will, too, because there is definitely something for everyone in this Christmas extravaganza!  Go here to purchase tickets and give yourself a big dose of Christmas spirit!

Note:  I loved the audience sing-along of the "Twelve Days of Christmas!"  I think my section nailed four calling birds!

Brooklyn

The film Brooklyn premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year and it got so much buzz that I really wanted to see it.  The only way I could get a ticket was to see it in Ogden, about an hour away from my house, on a school night.  It was worth it!  I liked it so much that I wanted to see it again now that it is in wide release.  Marilyn and I went Saturday night and she liked it just as much as I did.  Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) is a young girl living in a small town in Ireland in the 1950s with no prospects for the future.  A priest arranges for her to emigrate to America and finds her a boarding house and a job in a department store in Brooklyn.  At first she is almost debilitated by homesickness but she eventually meets Tony (Emory Cohen), starts a course in bookkeeping, and begins to make a life for herself.  When a tragedy occurs, she goes back to Ireland for a visit.  She is viewed as a glamorous American in her small town, a young man (Domhnall Gleason) begins to pursue her, and her bookkeeping qualification lands her a job.  She must decide whether her home is in Ireland or Brooklyn.  It is a sweet and sentimental story and Saoirse Ronan gives an affecting performance.  She is simply luminous on screen.  Emory Cohen is incredibly endearing as Tony and I loved Julie Walters as Mrs. Kehoe, the no-nonsense owner of the boardinghouse, especially when she warns her boarders against being  "giddy girls."  Marilyn and I laughed and laughed at that because we have been accused of being giddy once or twice!  The cinematography is beautiful and I loved the use of light.  The scenes in Ireland before Eilis goes to America are all very dark and dreary but when she returns the scenes are dazzling.  I also loved all of the period costumes and vintage cars.  I definitely recommend this lovely film.

Note:  After Brooklyn premiered at Sundance, there was a bidding war for the distribution rights.  Fox Searchlight eventually won in one of the biggest deals to come out of Sundance.  Good stuff!