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Utah Shakespearean Festival 2009

This year at the festival has been the best year yet. The first day (October 8) my group and I attended the Randall L. Jone's Theater's production of The Woman in Black. First off: it was quite possibly the most brilliant performance of any show I have ever seen. It was also probably the most horrifying show I have ever seen...

The show starts of in a theater were the aged and withered Mr. Kipps begins reading a manuscript he wrote explaining in detail of the harrowing events he had as a youth involving the mysterious woman in black. Hoping that reciting his story to an audience will end his nightmares he hires an actor who strongly believes it would be best to perform the story rather than read it (which will bore the audience).

The actor than portrays the young Mr. Kipps and Mr. Kipps portrays the other people of the English village of Crythin Gifford. Mr. Kipps travels to this village to settle the estate of the late Mrs. Drablow. Upon arrival to her funeral he notices a sickly-looking woman wearing black. When mentioning this to his escort, Mr. Keckwick, his response is silence.

As Mr. Kipps heads to Mrs. Drablow's estate he dicovers some documents and learns of the mysterious history of the house and the family that formerly resided in it. And some secrets are never to be revealed...

The performance of this show was astounding. The actors were all very into character that had I seen them out of character I would think them to be two different people. The show had a lot of special lighting and sound effects and it all played out to be one of the most terrifying experienced of my life. This show is a must-see. If it ever is performing in a theater near you, GO AND SEE IT!

Later, the same day, I was privileged to attend the play Tuesdays with Morrie. This performance had the same two main actors from The Woman in Black. I couldn't even recognize them for they had donned completely different characters.

Tuesdays with Morrie is a beautiful, poignant, play about life. It was very witty and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

The play opens with a college student, Mitch Albom, who then introduces his favorite professor, Morrie Schwartz. The two were great friends and they had classes on Tuesdays. After college ends, Mitch promises to keep in touch with Morrie. Twenty years later and Mitch hasn't seen or heard from Morrie since.

In the meantime Morrie is diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease, which is fatal.

Mitch, who had dreamed of being a pianist, becomes a Detroit sports columnist after his dream didn't pan out. Upon seeing Morrie on Nightline, Mitch meats with Morrie who pleads with Mitch to visit with him every Tuesday.

Mitch visits asking countless life questions each visit and their former friendship rekindles as Mitch learns some very important life lessons.

The acting was, of course, BRILLIANT! And the lighting was also very well done

On the second day of the festival (October 9), my team and I rehearsed for our competition performance of our ensemble scene, from Henry VI, part III, act 5, scene 5. We did very well and our team even took second place for that scene.

In the end the team I was participating in won first for our duo scene, second place for our ensemble scene, and first place overall.

The Utah Shakespearean Festival is a must for thespians. It is so educational, you see brilliant shows, and it is quite possibly the most fun you will ever have in three days.

Cedar City's Shakespearean Festival

In exactly five days, 16 hours, 48 minutes and 25 seconds of the time that I am typing this I will be leaving to the Tony Award winning Southern Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. As you can probably already tell... I AM SO EXCITED!!!! For all of you movie buffs out there who know nothing of Broadway or the Tonys: Tony Award = A-FLIPPIN-MAZING!

Anywho, this will be my third year attending the festival at which I will attend two theatrical performances (Tuesdays With Morrie and The Woman in Black) both I am stoked for. The performances at the festival are always top-notch.

I leave on October 8th, and after I return I shall have a great blog post about the whole thing!

New Movie Review: 9

This last Saturday, I had the opportunity to see the new animated film 9.

First thing first: The art design and animation was beautiful. It really draws you into this dark, sad, lifeless world. The film was very detailed in the art department. The colors were very vivid and it was just a wonderful feast for the eyes to behold.

The plot was very interesting. Not a bad plot, and there was definitely one there, but a plot that is very metaphorical. I have heard so many people tell me that they did not like it because they "didn't get it". It has a very definite plot. I really liked the movie very much.

The voice acting was great from all accounts. Most notably John C. Reilly as 5. I love this guy's voice. He has such an innocent sound with this character that it really makes you feel for him.

Also, Christopher Plummer as 1, was also very exceptional. He just has that voice of an over controlling character. Perfect voice casting all-in-all. No complaints here.

Overall, I believe the movie was a success. Very intelligent, visually stunning, great story.

My rating:
[4/5]

Coming Soon

Ok, so this week 9 comes out and I plan on seeing it so expect a review soon.

Also this month I plan on seeing Fame which I will also be reviewing.

Ideas for Auditions

School season has come again, and with school comes the school musical.

And, thus, this list came into existence.

This is a list of suggestions for auditioning!

Male:
'Pity the Child' from Chess, tenor.
- There is so much emotion and power in this song. And if you can pull off the incredibly high belting, I'm sure the casting director will be very impressed.

'This is the Moment' from Jekyll & Hyde, tenor.
- This song is so... cheesy. But that's okay for an audition. It is very showy and will definitely use your range and breathe power.

'Epiphany' from Sweeney Todd, bass/baritone
- This would only be an option if you were auditioning for a part involving these emotions. And don't scream it. I am certain that that would not impress anyone.

'You Should Be Loved' from Side Show, baritone.
- For any of you men who could sing this song well: I am very envious of you. This song is amazingly written and would impress anyone if you performed it well.

'Why God Why' from Miss Saigon, tenor.
- You have no idea how I wish I could sing this song for an audition. So amazing. Perfect for anyone going for a lead role, that it, if you can sing it.

Female:
'How Did We Come to This' from Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party, Alto
- Such a beautiful piece with so much emotion. Perfect audition song for any alto.

'Someone Else's Story' from Chess, Alto
- I honestly think that this is the ultimate alto audition piece. Incredibly beautiful.

'And I am Telling You I'm Not Going' from Dreamgirls, Alto
- If you can belt like this lady can, you'll probably make it in the show. However, this probably wouldn't be a good idea if you were auditioning for something classical.

'Once Upon a Dream' from Jekyll & Hyde, Soprano
- Possibly too simple for an audition, but some directors like that.

New Music Review: Chess in Concert

I have recently purchased the amazing new recording of the 80s musical Chess. This recording has more songs than any other recording of the show, and has some pretty amazing new orchestrations giving it a more raw and modern feel to it.

Bringing in Broadway veterans Adam Pascal and Idina Menzel as Freddy Trumper and Florence Vassy and Josh Groban as Anatoly Sergievsky, Chess in Concert is a CD not to be missed.

The show, with music and lyrics by Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Tim Rice, originally came to Broadway in 1988 and closed after the short run of eight weeks. Prior to Broadway Chess opened in West End in 1984 and ran for three years. The success it had in London, unfortunately, did not follow it to Broadway.

After constant changing of the plot and adding new songs, Chess just never seemed to achieve much fame in America.

The story is mainly about the cold war using a chess tournament between American chess champion, Freddy Trumper, and Russia's champion, Anatoly Sergievsky, to explain the tension between the two sides during the war.

I have not only seen the concert's DVD, but I have also seen the show live. It is a truly stunning show deserving a good run.

This recording of the music brings back all the Chess hype for me. Idina Menzel is perfect as Florence and really belts out every note with precision. Adam Pascal's rendition of 'Pity the Child' brings more emotion to the song than in any previous performance I have ever heard. Truly amazing.

Other notable performers are Kerry Ellis, who portrayed Svetlana, Anatoly's wife. She has a beautiful, clear voice that is ultimately refreshing to listen to. Josh Groban does great as Anatoly, but the Anatoly on the original Broadway recording is much better.

Chess in Concert is a must for any Broadway or ABBA fan. Truly astounding!

My rating:
[4.5/5]

Movies that I am way excited for

This year has been pretty good with movies, but there are some even better ones coming up that I can not wait for. Namely:

9
For any of you who have seen the visually stunning trailer probably share my excitement. Produced by on of my faves, Tim Burton, and featuring voice acting from actors like Elijah Wood, Crispin Glover, and Christopher Plummer, this is going to be a pretty amazing movie.

Taking place in a post-apocalyptic earth, robots with numbers for name try to ensure their own continuity.

Looks pretty exciting!

Fame
A remake of the well-known 80s musical, this movie looks to behold dazzle, dancing, singing, and amazing performing from the cast.

This film is about students at a performing arts school in New York City. Each student suffers through strenuous training and practice in order to become the best they can and to achieve fame.

Nine
Woah! Wait?! There are two movies titled 9??? No, this one is called Nine, as in N-I-N-E. Not 9... Just thought I'd point that out because every time I mention Nine people respond with, "The really rad-looking cartoon?"

No.

This is the "really rad-looking" musical.

Based off the winner of Best Musical in 1982, directed by Rob Marshall, and with a cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, and even Furgie, this is bound to be the best musical-film since Sweeney Todd.

The Lovely Bones
The director of the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson, steps up to direct the new fantasy/murder mystery/suspense/thriller film version of the touching book, The Lovely Bones.

The story mainly consists of a 14 year old girl who gets raped and murdered on her way home from school one day. After she enters heaven she watches her family down on earth as they grieve her lost and her murderer continues to murder.

The cast includes Susan Sarandon, Mark Wahlberg, and Rachel Wiesz.

Sherlock Holmes
Not knowing much about this film at the moment, I am still way excited to see this one.

Robert Downey, Jr. plays the detective with Jude Law as his sarcastic sidekick, Watson.

Looks pretty cool!

501 Must See Movies

501 Must See Movies, a book with reviews of selected films, would probably be better titled "50 Must See Movies and 451 that You Might Enjoy". Maybe that just did not ring quite right to the publicist.

The reason I think the book is flawed is because a lot of the films within are most definitely not "must sees". For example: The Little Shop of Horrors, the adaptation to the famous Off-Broadway musical, is fun, energetic, has good music, good actors, good sets, and good effects. But it lacked in plot. Not a must see.

Also, I was incredibly upset that I couldn't find A Beautiful Mind in there anywhere. Now that is a must see!

Overall, the book is fun to leaf through and reminisce on the movies you watched as a child, growing up, and still enjoy now.

However, don not live by this book. You will miss out on a ton of amazing movies if you do.

My rating:
[3/5]

Theatre... AT LAST!

I figured, this is a theatre/movie blog and all I have on here is about movies. So, I'm going to post my first theatre related blog entry.

First off, I would like to give a list of some of my favorite performers.

Alice Ripley.
She is just spectacular. She has done performances on Broadway from many shows including: Side Show (Violet Hilton), The Rocky Horror Show Revival (Janet Weiss), and, her most recent performance, Next to Normal (Diana).

First off: Alice is fierce! ([title of show], anyone?) She really throws her whole spirit into anything she does. Her characters are so vivid and alive and her voice is phenomenal.

I could listen to her sing all day... And most of the time, I do!

George Hearn
Anyone who is familiar with Sweeney Todd, have most likely heard this name.

George Hearn has performed in the Touring company of Sweeney Todd and originated as Sweeney Todd in the Concert version of the show. He has also performed in La Cage Aux Folles as Albin/Zsa Zsa.

He has an amazing operatic voice and hearing him sing 'Epiphany' truly astounds me every time.

Norm Lewis
Norm is... just AMAZING! Period.

His voice is so smooth an he is just so energetic in his roles. My personal favorite Norm role was when he played Jake in Side Show. 'You Should Be Loved' is the best song he has ever performed... EVER!

Gavin Creel
If you have heard him sing then you will feel the same. He is fantastic!

He has played Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, and performed in the Actor's Fund Concert edition of Hair. Hearing him sing 'What Do I Need With Love' or 'Going Down' will astound you.

He has a truly amazing voice.



Here is one of my favorite performances ever:

New Movie Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

I just saw the new movie, The Time Traveler's Wife.

It was an interesting movie, to say the least, about a man with a gene that causes him to travel through time. The problem? He can't control when and where he goes.

Eric Bana played the part of Henry (the time traveler) well, but at moments he almost seemed lazy in the role. During the entire movie he kept well in character, he just didn't push it to the limits.

Playing opposite him, Rachel McAdams, was very real in the role of Claire Abshire. She was able to bring her emotions through her character with much talent. Every thought seemed clear to me as her character developed. Very well done performance.

Overall the supporting cast was good. Nothing special to report on anyone in particular.

The film itself was enjoyable, but lacking.

There was not many special aspects about this film that would set it apart from any other film. It was enjoyable, I enjoyed it. It just was not anything special. I could not really feel for any of the characters or situations, and there were many little scenes that were filler.

If you just want to see a movie for the heck of seeing a movie, this is good for you. However, if you want to see something that will move you, try someplace else.

My rating:
[2.5/5]

My Second Blog! Hooray!

Okay, to get my blog rolling I'm gonna start off with listing my top 10 favorite performances in a movie by a certain actor.

Kathy Bates, Annie Wilkes Misery.
What can I say? Even if you are not a fan of horror I would have to tell you to see this movie simply for Bates' eerily real performance as the psychotic nurse, Annie Wilkes. She plays the character to the life and it is most satisfying to witness.

Meryl Streep, Sister Aloysius Doubt.
Having read the play Doubt I must say I was somewhat worried that the movie would have to add a lot of filler in order to reach longer than the 45 minutes that the play was. But with Meryl Streep in the role of Sister Aloysius there was never a dull moment to the film. Streep's dry humor mixed with her very serious charcter blends wonderfully and the film was great because of it (along with many other contributing factors).

Nicole Kidman, Grace Stewart The Others.
Nicole Kidman's performance in this film is miraculous, to say the least. Kidman plays Grace so well, that you feel for the character at many points in the film and by the end of the movie, she absolutely captivates you. Period.

Jack Nicholson, The Joker Batman (1989).
Nicholson struts in this role better than any actor ever has or ever will. He plays The Joker with such crazy insanity that no one could ever parallel. Jack Nicholson is, and will forever be, The Joker.

Miranda Richardson, Lady Van Tassel Sleepy Hollow.
I love her in this role. She is so convincingly mysterious that you can't help but to fall in to her spell. This was her best role. Towards the climax as Ichabod, Katrina, and the young Masbeth run into the windmill she says "watch your head" which actually was not in the script. All improv. Perfect!

Helena Bonham Carter, Mrs. Lovett Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Carter was perfect in the role of Mrs. Lovett. She played her so well, that you could see her every move was a character choice, rather than a Helena choice. My favorite moment in the entire film is when she is saying to Todd that they could have a life of there own, and how it wouldn't be like it used to be for him, but they could get by. And then the annoying sailor boy bursts throught the door and ruins the perfect moment in the movie!

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Velma Kelley Chicago.
Ms. Jones absolutely steals the show as the hardened, provocative Velma Kelley. Her acting in this movie is so good, that it actually cures my depression when I'm depressed. She just plays the character with such percision it makes me happy.

Martin Landau, Bela Lugosi Ed Wood.
He is most definitely the best part of Ed Wood. While the movie was terrific, it just wouldn't have been the same without Mr. Landau. He was so dead on with his character, that I believed he was Bela Lugosi. Also, his constant bashes on Boris Karloff were a nice, comical touch.

Claire Danes, Juliet Capulet Romeo + Juliet.
Ms. Danes played Juliet with such simple innocence and naivity. It was perfect. Her grace as she just wondered what was in a name was the highlight of the film for me.

And the final performance on my list...

Anthony Perkins, Norman Bates Psycho.
This is one of the best roles ever performed. EVER. Mr. Perkins is Norman Bates and little Mr. Vince Vaughn can eat that for breakfast until he scourges himself for ruining the role. Mr. Perkins created. Perkins' Bates was fantastic! He was creepy and towards the beginning of the film I even felt bad for him. Now he haunts me...

Intro to My Blog

Hello, and welcome to my blog.

This blog, as the title implies, it is all for moviegoers and thespians. I plan to write reviews on movies and plays/musicals and to provide as much information as possible.

I hope you enjoy this blog!