San Andreas

I was unsure what I was getting into when I sat down to watch this film, and boy did I get an adventure! I have not seen a movie this tense, so full of non-stop action from beginning to end since "Speed."

Dwayne Johnson leads an incredible cast in a film that is frightening, intense, as well as full of honest human emotion and drama. I was riveted to my seat the entire time and I found myself very quickly relating to the characters and rooting for them.

The real stand out though in this film has to be Paul Giamatti as Professor Lawrence. His performance was so heartbreaking and touching! It made the entire film for me. I have always loved this actor, but I feel this is one of his best performances yet to date! As well, the lovely young Alexandra Daddano as Blake, Dwayne Johnson's character's daughter. What an incredible performance by a fresh new talent! I highly recommend this film to everyone!

Tomorrowland

When I'd heard about this film coming out I thought to myself, "Oh not another Disney movie based on a theme park attraction!" But this film turned out to change my mind as well as turning out to be one of the most intriguing and clever films of the year so far.

George Clooney gives one of the best performances of his career in this film. The script was well done, and it was also a fun adventure. The two breakout performances by the young ladies of this film: Britt Robertson (Casey Newton) and Raffey Cassidy (Athena). Both young ladies delivered strong performances for their respective ages and they both added so much to the enjoyment of the film.

Suffice it to say, the film entertains and enlightens. I loved the message of this film particularly. Empowering the youth of this world to look in the mirror and be the change they want to see in the world. I personally feel we all need to do this! Our world would be a better place for it! Don't miss this charming film!

Big Fish

I have been so looking forward to seeing this brand new musical and I am so happy that HCTO are the first ones to produce it in Utah. What an incredible production! Kudos to Chris Clark and the production team for a job well done! This musical is based on the Tim Burton film of the same name but adapting it into a musical has added such heart, love, and beauty to an already wonderful story! Thanks to the screenwriter for adapting his film on to the stage and Andrew Lippa for one absolutely breathtaking score! This show brings back a lot of memories for me of my late father, and so my experience Tuesday evening was bittersweet, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Ben Henderson gives an incredible performance as the lead character, Edward Bloom. Ben is a dear friend, and he gives 110% to every role he plays, and this incredible performance is no exception. My dear friends, Jacob Theo Squire gives a heartful performance as Edward's son, Will; Riley Branning as Will's wife, Josephine; Dan Anderson as Amos Calloway, the circus owner; Cleveland McKay Nicoll as Carl the Giant; and last but not least, the incredible Amanda Crabb as Edward's wife, Sandra. The entire ensemble were wonderful and I cried all the way home after the show. I was incredibly moved by this beautiful show and I highly recommend everyone to see it! Don't miss it!

Cinderella

I wasn't sure what to expect when I entered the movie theatre, but when I had seen that Kenneth Branagh was at the helm of this film I decided to give it a chance. I am so glad I did. What an incredibly beautiful piece of film making! From beginning to end, was pure heaven on earth! Wonderful care, love, and passion went into this film and you could tell on every frame of it! Kudos to Mr. Branagh for a job well done! The performances were magnificent. Downtown Abbey actress, Lily James is magnficent as Cinderella. Beautiful, smart, kind, loving, and absolutely beautiful to watch in every scene she's in. Richard Madden as Prince Charming was equally handsome, regal, and kind. He is not your typical prince as in other version's of this story, but he is wonderful! Cate Blanchett is magnificently evil as Madame Tremaine, her wicked stepmother. You could tell that Cate was having such fun with her role, and it made it all the more fun to hate her! Cate is one of my all-time favorite actresses from across the pond, and I have loved her in everything she's ever done, and this is no exception! The entire ensemble were incredible! And I must say that Dante Ferreti's Production Design and Sandy Powell's incredible Costume Design added so much to this incredible film. Absolutely breathtaking from beginning to end!

Company

Here is a review I wrote back in December about the Silver Summit Theater's production of Stephen Sondheim & George Furth's musical, "Company." The review was published on Front Row Reviewer's website. Click here to link to the published review.

Company, with music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, premiered on Broadway on April 26, 1970 at the Alvin Theatre. It was highly successful and ran a total of 705 performances; it won the 1971 Tony award for Best Book of a Musical, Best Score, Direction (Harold Prince), Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson) and Best Musical.
The basic story involves a series of vignettes involving a bachelor named Robert, Bobby to all of his friends (played by Rick Rea) and how he learns about the joys and perils of love, marriage, dating and divorce from his married friends. This show radically changed musical comedy when it premiered. It is not plot driven, but psychologically driven; in a nutshell, it brought existentialism to the American musical. Existentialism was basically a philosophical movement focused on the existence of the individual. It is a musical examination of the institution that is matrimony, which is both piercing with its psychological clarity, and buoyed by the comic appreciation of human frailty. This musical includes some of the best and most beloved songs by Sondheim including “Another Hundred People,” “Not Getting Married Today,” “Sorry-Grateful,” “Ladies Who Lunch,” and “Being Alive.”

This particular production is being staged at the Sugar Space Arts Warehouse in downtown Salt Lake City. It is basically an old warehouse that has been converted to a theatre space, quite nicely I might add. Michelle Rideout, founder of The Silver Summit Theatre Company, has done a nice job of converting this space into a theatre. I have only seen one other production in this space and that was their joint production with Utah Repertory Theatre Company of August: Osage County. At first it may seem like a huge space, but it grows on you and I personally am very comfortable there. This is their very first musical and I feel it is a triumph.

Director Kate Rufener states in her director’s notes that her approach to this piece is based on the notion that even though we crowd ourselves with love, relationships, and gain comfort in those, we yearn for a life where nothing is missing, no empty spaces, basically avoiding the voids in our lives. Ironically and unfortunately, those relationships often end up focusing on all that is missing in our lives, causing us to fill the void with all “the little things.” We need to go after what we really want in life. Know what we really want. As one of the characters at the end of the show tells Bobby, “Want something. Want something.” This is a very nice jumping off point for this particular musical and it served it well in this production. We watch as Bobby jumps through three relationships throughout the course of the show and how he tap dances between them, looking to fill that void but not willing to fully commit to someone. His friends’ lives and relationships are all at different levels of dysfunction, but at the same time, there is much love there in those relationships.

I really loved the personal touch that Rufener brought to this piece. During moments of personal reflection with Bobby, she featured all of these couples on stage showing their relationships with each other and how being with someone, “Company,” can enhance a person’s life tremendously when pursued with a personal passion and vigor. The other personal touch was at the end of Act One, when Bobby goes through a personal epiphany and realizes he is ready for marriage but doesn’t want to fully commit. The director has this reflection, the song “Marry Me A Little,” being sung during individual dates with the three girls he is currently going out with. This added a very personal flavor to the portrayal of Bobby and supported the song very well. I really felt as if I was in Bobby’s head.
Bobby, portrayed by Rick Rea, did an outstanding job in portraying a lost young man in the prime of his life searching to fill that void. I felt for him and was rooting for him from the very beginning. This is solely due to Rick’s very honest portrayal of Bobby. By the time we near the end of the show with his final realization of “What he really wants,” portrayed in one the of the most famous songs of the show, “Being Alive,” we feel a sort of catharsis with Bobby and we come out of this production better people and understanding of knowing what we want in life and going after it.

The rest of the ensemble was outstanding. The ensemble consisted of: Sarah (Eve Speer) & Harry (Brandon Rufener); Peter (Ricky Parkinson) & Susan (Lindsay Bateman); Jenny (Natalie Easter) & David (Natalie Easter); Amy (Ali Bennett) & Paul (Mason Holmstead); then the three girlfriends, Kathy (Rachel Schull); April (Heather Shelley); and Marta (Natalia Noble). Each couple only has brief moments to portray their respective stories, but each of them was unique and completely honest in their portrayals. There was never a false moment in the show. I fell in love with each of these couples and that is not an easy thing to do, but it is what makes the difference between a mediocre production and an exciting, fresh look at a classic, which is what Kate Rufener’s production does very well. The pinnacle of the show comes at the end when Bobby is out for dinner and drinks with the oldest couple of the group, Larry (Brian Gardner) and Joanne (Marcie Jacobsen). When after a long time friendship with this couple, Joanne offers to have an affair with Bobby, it forces Bobby to really look at himself and his life, and Marcie Jacobsen’s performance of Joanne beautifully provides the catalyst for that change in Bobby. I have seen Marcie Jacobsen deliver powerhouse performances before, but this one was truly a showstopper. Anyone familiar with the show knows about the most famous song from this show, “The Ladies Who Lunch.” Marcie knocks this number out of the ballpark in a heartbreaking rendition that left me totally speechless. There was no applause at the end of the song, which I personally feel is a huge compliment to this wonderful actress.

I love this musical with all of my heart. I love Stephen Sondheim. I keep asking myself every time I see one of his shows, “How does he know what it’s like?” “How does he know what I’m struggling with in my life?” “How does he know so much about the human condition?” He just does. This incredible piece of musical theater is living proof that Stephen Sondheim is one of the greatest living composers of the American Musical Theater. Congratulations to director Kate Rufener, her incredible cast, the wonderful Anne Puzey (Musical Director), and Michelle Rideout and Silver Summit Theater Company for putting on a wonderful testament to Stephen Sondheim’s genius alongside George Furth’s incredibly touching and insightful script. I truly walked away from this production, moved and my mother and I couldn’t stop talking about it all through the drive home. Everyone needs to see this production!