My friends Greg and Kyle invited me to join them and our mutual friend Francesca to see & Juliet at the Eccles Theater for the production's final matinee. We found it to be a clever, energetic, and entertaining musical that explores themes of identity, acceptance, and self determination. & Juliet is a "jukebox musical" that... Continue Reading →
Idiosyncratic. Quirky. Off-beat. Those adjectives best describe Wes Anderson's new movie The Phoenician Scheme, and those characteristics explain why critics and movie-goers either love the film or hate it, resulting in unpromising reviews online. I had been on the fence about whether or not to see it, based on the reviews, yet the trailer looked... Continue Reading →
The Utah Symphony finished its regular season this Thursday and Friday with violin soloist Clara-Jumi Kang playing Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 under the direction of conductor emeritus Thierry Fischer. That was enough to motivate me to purchase a ticket for Thursday evening's performance because this violin concerto is incredibly stirring,... Continue Reading →
UPDATE I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Hadestown on Saturday, June 7, so I decided to see the production one more time before it ended. With three different casts to choose from, I intentionally chose to see a different cast the second time so that I could experience the breadth of talent that Jaks Theatre Company offers.... Continue Reading →
I first saw Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia when Lyrical Opera Theater staged it in February of 2024. I thoroughly enjoyed that performance and looked forward to having an opportunity to see a professional company produce it. Consequently, I was thrilled to learn that it was in the Metropolitan Opera's lineup to be livestreamed in movie... Continue Reading →
I have a second performing arts confession to make. (You can read about my first confession here.) Despite its immense popularity over the past 20 years, I had never seen a stage production of Wicked until two weeks ago. Seeing and enjoying the movie version that was released in November of 2024 motivated me to... Continue Reading →
Utah Opera's production of Madame Butterfly opened Saturday night at Capitol Theatre. I was excited and intrigued to attend because I hadn't seen this classic opera before. Madame Butterfly is a problematic opera for companies to stage because its premise relies on racist, sexist stereotypes and practices that reduce Japanese women and culture to "exotic"... Continue Reading →
I had a fantastic lunch experience today that warrants recognition on The Good Life blog. I was in Murray for an appointment around lunchtime, and when my appointment finished, I deliberated about where to stop for lunch. South to Fashion Place Mall, across the street to Cafe Rio, or east to Millcreek? While walking and... Continue Reading →
I need to begin this review with a confession. I had never seen Les Misérables prior to Wednesday night. Gasp!! I realize that is a surprising admission from an avid lover of the arts. To make matters worse, I studied French in junior high and high school, and I minored in French in college. I... Continue Reading →
Utah Opera's production of Pagliacci opened Saturday night at Capitol Theatre, and I was pleased to attend. I first saw Pagliacci in 2018 when I was a relatively new opera-goer and initially familiarizing myself with the genre's classics, so I looked forward to this opportunity to see it again and reacquaint myself with the music... Continue Reading →
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