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 →
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 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 →
For two years running, January 20th has found me at Capitol Theatre enjoying a Utah Opera production. Last year, I was there to see Portman and Wright's The Little Prince. This year, I went to see Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. I found the production to be a delightful adaptation of the fairytale --- featuring a... Continue Reading →
I had an absolutely magical experience attending Ballet West's 2023 production of The Nutcracker, so I eagerly anticipated attending again this year. My friend Mony and I coordinated our plans so that we were able to attend Saturday afternoon's matinée performance together. Still magical, this year's production also embodies intensity, energy, and expressiveness --- from... Continue Reading →
Words are not required to tell a compelling story. A perfect fusion of music and movement is capable of conveying a convincing narrative. Such is the case with Ballet West's 2024-2025 season opener, Jekyll and Hyde, a new work by choreographer Val Caniparoli that enjoyed its first run at Capitol Theatre, having first premiered in... Continue Reading →
Utah Opera opens its 2024-2025 with Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd. This is one of two works in the company's season line-up that I was excited to see because I hadn't seen it before. It is a work that challenges the distinction between musical and opera, having elements of both genres, so both... Continue Reading →
The Good Life 
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