Arts & Culture

Yeah, he looks more like a punk rocker than a world class athlete. We suspect he likes it that way. But in 1988, Mark Twight climbed to the top of a 3,000-foot high frozen waterfall in the Canadian Rockies. That feat has never been equaled. His athletic prowess is legendary—Twight made first ascents in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For 20 years, his life was climbing.

Well, and music. The punk look isn’t an act—Mark Twight loves punk music—and a yellow Walkman always accompanied him on his journeys.

Along with the ecstasy, comes the extreme agony from years of perilous climbs and Twight decided to stop climbing, leaving a potentially huge void in his life which he immediate filled with other adventures like writing and instructing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, his post-alpine life even led to professionally train actors like Jason Momoa, while filming “Aquaman.”

But Twight reached another peak with his photography. You can take a peek (haha) this weekend in Salt Lake City.

The Salt Lake Gallery Stroll announces a one-night gallery reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2019, at Wildwood Productions, 972 South 300 West featuring photographs from Mark Twight newest book, REFUGE, along with a multi-media (expect some punk tunes) presentation from the man himself at 7 p.m.

Go ahead, claim you bought FanX passes because the “kids want to go.” In truth, you’ve wanted to meet Lynda Carter (TV’s Wonder Woman) since you first saw her kick butt on that TV with the bunny ears your dad fixed with tin foil in ’76. Now, she’s set to meet fans at Salt Lake’s twice-annual pop culture convention, your golden opportunity. Don’t be embarrassed; FanX has grown-ups in mind. Along with Carter, you can meet stars from The Office, Garrett Wang (Star Trek: Voyager) and Alice Cooper (yes, really). Panels cover topics like the Rocky films, 3D printing and writing novels. Clearly, like us, you’re going for you, but that doesn’t mean kids can’t have fun too. Cue KidCon.

FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention, changed from Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience following a legal battle with San Diego Comic-Con, will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center, April 19–20, 2019. KidCon, the part of FanX reserved for kids, has been a staple since 2014. “It was just our second event, and we were looking at doing something different,” says Dan Farr, FanX co-founder. “The KidCon idea came up, and I have to tell you, it’s one of those things that’s taken on a life of its own.”

Past KidCons had superhero, wizard and space themes. This spring, it’s pirates! “Our plan is to have a giant pirate ship that kids can get pictures on and pirate-themed activities,” says Marshall Williams, KidCon director. “It will be a giant pirate party,” Volunteers will unsurprisingly dress as pirates for the occasion. Yar.

Along with the Pirate fun kids can experience:

• Princess tea party
• Grit League (a military-type obstacle course for kids)
• Toddler play area
• Face painting
• Storytellers and magicians
• Balloon art
• Activities with The Leonardo and Utah STEM Action Center
• Star Wars cosplay group Saber Guild
• Kid-sized Star Wars character models

Celebrity guests have been known to make appearances at KidCon as well. “Last time, we had Evangeline Lilly; she came in and read her book for us,” Williams says. Laraine Newman (Saturday Night Live), Renee O’Connor (Xena: Warrior Princess) and Zachary Levi (Shazam!) have also stopped by to greet the kids.

For Williams, who has volunteered with KidCon from the start, it’s about more than pirates and celebrities though. “We wanted to make an environment where the kids are really the goal, the purpose; they’re the important ones,” he says. “We’ve had children who have felt a little timid and don’t think they can do the activity, but we’ve been there to help them realize they can do this activity. It opens a light in their eye, and they realize, ‘Hey, I can do this. This is so cool.’ I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to witness this many times.”

And umm, KidCon is NOT a daycare. Parents are expected to stay with their kids and, you know participate too.

Outside of KidCon, kids will enjoy posing for photos with costumed fans and meeting celebrities like Jess Harnell (Transformers), Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2), Tom Felton (Harry Potter film series) and Zachary Levi (Shazam!).

KidCon will be held in room 255 on the north end of the Salt Palace Convention Center. Admission is included with FanX passes. Children under 8 years old can get into FanX free with the purchase of an adult pass. Discounted student passes are available for kids who are 9 years old through high-school age. Passes are available at fanxsaltlake.com.

Read more of our family content in our Kid-friendly blog roll.

Salt Lake Acting Company proudly announces its 49^th season, following an incredibly well- received string of box office and critical successes. This season is comprised of six works never produced in Utah, two of which will receive world premieres.

The season opener is Death of a Driver an African-set drama work-shopped through SLAC’s Playwrights’ Lab last year.

Next is the first world premiere of the season Form of a Girl Unknown by Charly Evon Simpson, which has been awarded a David Ross Fetzer Foundation Emerging Artists grant.

A professional children’s theater performance will be brought to the Salt Lake audience with Pete the Cat a musical adaptation of the popular book series by James Dean and Kimberly Dean, adapted for the stage.

Starting off the new year with a Utah premiere of the Tony Award-winning A Doll’s House, Part 2, Followed by How to Transcend a Happy Marriage.

Lastly, the season closes with the 42^nd iteration of Utah’s longest-running theater tradition, Saturday’s Voyeur.

SLAC is also making history, for the first time in 49 years the lineup of directors for this season will be entirely female. “This season we examined each of our productions and sought the best storytellers to bring each to its fullest life. It just so happens that these productions will be best served by these fierce females at the helm.”

Mark these dates on your calendar:

• September 11- October 20, 2019 — Death of a Driver
• October 16– November 17, 2019 — Form of a Girl Unknown
• December 6 – 30, 2019 — Pete the Cat
• February 5– March 8, 2020 — A Doll’s House, Part 2
• April 8– May 10, 2020 — How to Transcend a Happy Marriage
• June 17– August 23, 2020 —Saturdays Voyeur 2020

Parents with young kids have a lot to worry about: Will they get along with kids at daycare? Are Arby’s Curly Fries at least slightly nutritious? Is it an ear infection? Please, God, not another ear infection! After a week of cleaning, cooking, play dating and countless other burdens, along with your 9-to-5 at the office, sometimes you just want PAW Patrol to take over during a little “you” time. But first, there’s one more parenting duty to knock off your crayon-covered list: read to your kids.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading to your kids from birth and states that doing so is as important as vaccinations and breastfeeding. “Parents are a child’s first and most-important teacher,” says Paul Schvaneveldt, director of Weber State University’s Family Literacy Program, which teaches low-income families in Weber County strategies for discipline and engaging in literacy with their children.

“We really focus a lot on what we call dialogic literacy, which is where you make reading time interactive; you expand vocabulary and language,” Schvaneveldt says. In other words, don’t just read the book — start a conversation with your kid by pointing out shapes, colors and objects while reading. (Ever notice Pop’s green yoga mat in Hop on Pop, or that one Wild Thing reminds you of Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden?)

Recently, the Family Literacy Program followed up with families that were in the program about a decade ago and found that parents are still reading with their children, who are thriving in school. “They’re at level, above level — oftentimes, they’re the children who are the better performers in their school,” Schvaneveldt says.

Read to your kids to set them on the right path, too.

Margaret Brennan Neville, Kid’s Room Buyer and Manager at The King’s English Bookshop, recommends the following books to get the job done:

How to Babysit a Grandma by Jean Reagan (local author) and Lee Wildish

“Jean’s How To series has a wide audience. Her lyrical rhyming text will please and amuse audiences, because, let’s face it, there are a lot of grandmas and grandpas who need watching,” Brennan Neville says. Reagan’s newest book, How to Scare a Ghost, is also a fan-favorite.

Dude! By Aaron Reynolds and Dan Santat

“This book has one word! Your child will be reading it to you after the first go through,” Brennan Neville says. Dude! follows a platypus and beaver who want to go surfing but have to contend with a shark as well. Santat’s detailed illustrations make the book a perfect go-to for practicing dialogic literacy.

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn and Mark Buehner (local authors)

This author and illustrator team are known for their snowmen books, which Brennan Neville says are “oozing charm” and offer “illustrations that beg for careful examination,” i.e. hidden pictures. The Buehners have also released Fanny’s Dream (a pioneer Cinderella story) and Dex: The Heart of a Superhero (Dex finds out there’s more to being a superhero than having muscles).

Princess in Black series by Shannon and Dean Hale (local authors), and LeUyen Pham

“Magnolia, so pretty in pink, also has to morph into the monster-beating, kingdom-saving Princess in Black whenever there is danger,” Brennan Neville says. Don’t be deterred by the 96 pages. With a lot of fun pictures by illustrator LeUyen Pham accompanying the story, these books work for a wide range of ages.

A Little Book of Sloth by Lucy Cooke

“We didn’t know that we were so interested in sloths until this book came out,” Brennan Neville says. “Great way to explore a species in trouble, and the pictures are darling.”

You can pick up any of these books at The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, SLC. To learn more about the Family Literacy Program or to participate, visit weber.edu/familyliteracy.

Read more of our family content in our Kid-friendly blog roll.

Odyssey Dance Theatre performed its Shut Up and Dance season finale and it was a wonderful way to end the 2018/19 season. The finale debuted three dance performances on from Feb. 27 thru March 9, 2019. I was fortunate to go to all the three performances on the last week of the season finale.

First Night

The first evening was a look back on the 25 years that ODT has been performing. Derryl Yeager Founder and Artistic Director started the evening by reading some thoughts that he had put together on the past 25 years and what this company has meant to him. You can tell that this has been his project of love—creating a space where talented dancers who want to stay in Utah can show their skills and abilities.

The evening proceeded with a performance stunning performance of “Traditional Illuminations” choreographed by Mia Michaels of So You Think You Can Dance. Laura Brick-Kempski was a standout as the lead for this number. She was grounded, strong and you could feel the emotion. The second number of the night was the first number that Derryl Yeager ever choreographed for ODT set to Kurt Bestor’s “Prayer of the Children.” I personally have always loved this song and the dance number was beautifully paired with the music. The evening continued with four more dance pieces:

“Between Disconnect” choreographed by Christian Denice a former ODT dancer who has gone on to do some amazing work around the country. He was in the audience that evening. This number had very cool technical music with precise, intricate and often angular movements.

“SoundTrax” by Eldon Johnson who has choreographed a number of pieces over the years for ODT. It featured wonderful music that makes you feel like you are watching a movie; along with incredible transitions and use of space.

“Meraki” was an all-male number that has never been performed here in Salt Lake City. The men of ODT perform with strength, power and agility, (along with some pretty amazing gymnastic moves).

“Rain” was the last number for this part of the evening. A jazz number that ends up with the ODT dancers, dancing in actual water coming from spouts in the ceiling. Kingsbury Hall smelt like it had rained after the number was done.  A very effective, cool and original dance number to end this half of the evening.

The second half of the evening was all about disco with “Dance Fever,” choreographed by Darryl Yeager, Allison Thornton and Jessica Holker. Holker was in the audience and the performance was dedicated to her sister, Allison who has appeared on So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with The Stars. For me this was the highlight of the evening, it took me back to the days of Saturday Night Fever and disco nights. (I met my husband while dancing at the disco.) The costumes were perfect renditions of the style of era. Standing out were Brandon Glass, Bailey Evan, and Madee Kunz who proved they could get down and boogie. Brandon danced in 6-inch heels!

The “Fifth of Beethoven” number (disco-style) featured some ballet moves and unfortunately one of the couples struggled with the lifts. With only six dancers on the stage it is pretty apparent when someone doesn’t execute the moves. But then came “Boogie Shoes” a remarkable tap number by Ryan Moguel and Samantha Jo Ruotsi. 

At the end of the evening Darryl Yeager asked all the former dancers from ODT come to the stage and dance with the company. Many of the dancers remembered the number and those who didn’t helped encourage all those dancing.

Second Night

The second evening a performance of Romeo + Juliet conceived and directed by Darryl Yeager. Costumes by Cheryl Yeager and choreographed by Eldon Johnson, Ashleigh and Ryan Di Lello (of So You Think You Can Dance fame.) Alan Salazar, Thayne Jasperson (one of the original cast members of Hamilton), Veronica Cabling, Gev Monaoukian, and Natalie Reid. The performance sets Romeo and Juliet in modern times with the Montagues (Montes) and Capulets (Caputans) as rival gangs.

Romeo, danced by Casey Peterson, and Juliet, danced by Darby Jones, with Mercutio danced by Diego Ballesteros and Benvolio danced by Sage Swenson. The stand outs for me were the “Pas de Deux” of Romeo and Juliet performed with such innocence and feelings of young love. The scene when Romeo thinks that his Juliet is dead and he dances with her “lifeless” body was danced with such sorrow and heartache. This is technically difficult piece to maneuver and he pulled it off. The most moving part of the whole evening was when Mercutio and Benvolio are killed in the gang fight. The heartbreaking movements brought me to tears. And in a surprise ending, the audience gets to decide if Romeo and his Juliet get to live or die.

I voted for them to live but the audience gave them a thumbs down. This story has always tugged at me heart and I often wonder as many years ago that this was written and we really haven’t grown or changed that much as societies have we? Sad. All in all it was a very powerful performance.

Third night

The third evening of the season finale was Chicago Nights. This performance was set in the 1920s during Al Capone’s reign of Chicago. Conceived and Directed by Derryl Yeager, choreographed by Veronica Cabling and costumes by Cheryl Yeager. Great music throughout this performance and a good variety of dance styles, including tap, hip-hop, contemporary and jazz. Roxie Hart was danced by Amber Morain and she danced the part very well. She was believable as a dumb but not-so-dumb blonde. Velma was danced by Amanda Kier, Al Capone danced by Casey Johnson, Matilda Carse danced by Laura Brick-Kempski and Amos by Sage Swenson. Some of the stand outs for me were the Charleston and flapper number, the tap number in the Speakeasy and Mr. Cellophane which was a great hip-hop number with a lot of isolated movement. It was an evening that was full of gangsters, Christian temperance union, drunkards and murderesses.

Bottom line: I wish that the community was more supportive of this great company. I was surprised by the sparse audience. C’mon tickets are reasonable and they really do a good job. Shut up and get tickets to keep this company going for another 25 plus years!

See all of our Dance coverage here. 

First, stop watching trailers immediately. If you’re already interested in “Captain Marvel,” then just go see it; watching any more trailers may spoil certain surprises and plot points for you.

Second, go in recognizing that “Captain Marvel” has a lot to do in 128 minutes: introduce a brand-new and obscure titular character (Brie Larson) who has a very deep and complicated back story; introduce a new race of shape-shifting alien Skrulls while expanding on the Kree, an alien race audiences are somewhat familiar with; and reunite us with well-known franchise characters like Nick Fury and Agent Coulson (digitally de-aged Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg, respectively) while introducing new supporting characters.

Toss into that meaty recipe a heaping helping of subtext on feminism and American colonialism and you’ve got yourself a stew! Be sure to sprinkle it liberally with fan service, easter eggs, `90s references, and some jokes to go along with all the whiz-bang that comic-book audiences have come to expect. Oh; and make sure it ties into the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) while setting up the next installment, “Avengers: Endgame.”

Finally, it has to appeal to a massive audience comprised of people from virtually any age, race, color and sex, with many of them being highly critical fans of the source material. Easy peasy!

With that extensive list, it’s impressive that “Captain Marvel” is as good as it is; not that it’s perfect, nor the second coming of “Wonder Woman.” Then again, “Wonder Woman” had less to do, considering most people were pretty familiar with her.

The wide age spread of its audience may account for much of the dialog being repetitive or over-explanatory, resulting in a possibly lethal drinking game if you took a shot every time someone said Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers was too “emotional.” I know the filmmakers didn’t want the 8-year olds in the audience to miss any of the feminist messages, but the rest of us got it the first 7 times.

With Marvel’s penchant for using jokes to undercut any real drama, some of the humor or light-heartedness was unwelcome; meanwhile, there were genuinely touching moments supplied by a tribute to recently deceased Stan Lee, and more so by Danvers’ earth-bound buddy, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) who shows Larson how to do it, frankly… because the odd ingredient in the mix is Larson herself.

She revealed in junket interviews that she was unsure about taking on the role of Captain Marvel, saying it was not only very different from anything she’s ever done before but even a different kind of movie as well. The closest she ever got to this level of blockbuster scrutiny was 2017s “Kong: Skull Island” (again, opposite Jackson), but her character wasn’t on the marquee.

There’s a lot more riding on her shoulders this time, and it shows. She doesn’t have much chemistry with anyone onscreen, and many of her lines fall flat since she’s unable to deliver the obvious applause-lines like a more seasoned Jackson can. Some have suggested it’s part of her character to be awkward and feel out of place, and that’s possible but unwise. Remember, we were subjected to acting powerhouse Natalie Portman sleepwalking as Queen Amidala in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” because we found out it really wasn’t Padmé saying those lines, it was a servant pretending to be her! So naturally, she couldn’t be convincing as the Queen. OK, fine; but we were still stuck with Portman’s stiff-as-a-board performance for most of the movie.

Or maybe Larson’s wooden performance was part of the feminist subtext: women are chided for not smiling enough, but then are told get a grip when showing emotion. Again; fine, could be. But then we’re still stuck with an Oscar-winning actress seeming uneasy in her own movie.

Larson’s performance may be the biggest issue I have with “Captain Marvel” but it’s not the only one. The script is clunky and spends time on chase scenes when we could be exploring Danvers’ past. Big name actors with big-league roles (like Annette Bening or Lee Pace) get short shrifted. Its first act is somewhat choppy and its second tends to lag, but “Captain Marvel” gets on track just in time to end well, and sometimes a movie is its ending.

The subtexts may be its strongest suit. Sure it has all the entertainment value and cool soundtrack cues you’ve come to expect from a Marvel movie, but to personify in Jude Law’s character Yon-Rogg how men have subjugated women by physically holding them back because they feel threatened by their power? And how men further gaslight women into thinking that whatever power they have has been given to them, and can be taken away at any time if they step out of line? And to further demand that Danvers deal with him on his own terms and not by using her own individual abilities? Such gaslighting takes on sky-high, sci-fi heights when the Kree alter Danvers own memories so she recollects only the times she failed, and not the times she gotten back up after she had fallen.

Add to that its messages on America’s current stance on immigration, with the Kree thinking they’re the good guys as they separate and scatter Skrull families around the galaxy in their quest to enforce their borders. Meanwhile, the immigrant Skrulls are painted as bad guys — infiltrating our earthly society and literally taking our places — but they’re just looking for a home, a haven away from Kree injustice. Those are bold and potent messages for a popcorn comic-book movie, and I applaud them and “Captain Marvel,” warts and all.

—

• Captain Marvel (2019)
• PG-13 | 2h 8min
• Directed by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
• Writing Credits (WGA): Anna Boden (screenplay by) & Ryan Fleck (screenplay by) & Geneva Robertson-Dworet (screenplay by), Nicole Perlman (story by) & Meg LeFauve (story by) and Anna Boden (story by) & Ryan Fleck (story by) & Geneva Robertson-Dworet

Get your corned beef and cabbage ready, because St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and so are the many celebrations that have turned this holiday into a classic American tradition. One of the very first St. Patrick’s Day celebrations happened in Boston over three centuries ago in 1737. Since then, the holiday has been celebrated primarily as a secular holiday here in the United States. We get excited here for St. Patricks because it signals that we are close to Spring and Winter is pretty much over! Here are 4 things happening in the Salt Lake area for St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

The Hibernian Society of Utah will be hosting their 41st annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 16th at 10AM. Rain or shine, we’re hoping for shine, the parade will go on. Make sure to wear your best green outfit, and if you don’t have a green outfit grab a shamrock button, and if you don’t have that we don’t know what to tell you. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come out and celebrate at this years parade.

St. Cody’s Magical Pub Crawl

The holiday wouldn’t be complete with out a proper pub crawl and Beehive Sports and Social Club is here to save the day. Similar to last year, they will be hosting a bar scavenger hunt. You will have to do your best to find all of the clues while enjoying drinks along the scavenger route. So, assemble your squad and get ready for a day full of drink, clues, stumbling, and great memories with friends. RSVP today.

4th West Fest

Mountain West Hard Cider will be there after the parade is over to keep the fun going and to keep everyone hydrated (beer, cider, and whisky). Local vendors and live music will be providing food and entertainment that will keep the celebrations going throughout the day. The legendary triple distilled Irish whiskey, Tullamore Dew, will also make a special appearance so you won’t want to miss this after-party. Visit their event page for more information.

Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum

This year you can celebrate St. Patrick’s day traditions at the Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum. Make sure to wear your favorite green outfit and celebrate all things St. Patty’s. Some of the activities include origami joke tellers, leprechaun beards, hats, rainbow binoculars, and more. Visit Discovery Gateway for more information.