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Show LET THE GRINCH STEALYOUR CHRISTMAS BY AARON CLARK /STAFF WRITER PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGIC SPACE ENTERTAINMENT W ■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■ ith Halloween out of the way and the smell of turkey and stuffing teasing your nostrils, it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas. Unless, of course, you happen to have a heart that's two sizes too small, shoes that are too tight or a head that isn't screwed on just right. So assuming you don't suffer from these seasonal symptoms, you might be thrilled to know that the hit musical based on the Dr. Seuss classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas is sweeping down the steep slopes of the Wasatch Range faster than a dog-led sled into Salt Lake City's Capitol Theatre for a limited engagement. The musical version of "Grinch" has steadily increased in popularity since it made its debut in 1994 on the main stage of Minneapolis's Children's Theatre Company and quickly made the transition to Broadway. Since 2008, "Grinch" has embarked on a series of national tours that have been selling out in cities all across the country. The musical builds on the original story by Dr. Seuss and expands on characters like the Grinch's pet dog Max, who gets a more lively role in the stage production. Andreas Wyder, who is returning for his second year with the tour as Young Max, brings a youthful energy to an expanded role that includes singing, dancing and tumbling around the stage as a faithful companion to the Grinch while trying to convince him to embrace the Christmas spirit. "This show is, technically, just beautiful. The costumes, the makeup, the set, the props, everything is right out of the Dr. Seuss world, and it brings Whoville to life in a cool new magical way," Wyder said. "The show is about love, acceptance and finding the real meaning of Christmas, which really touches people emotionally. It really is an amazing spectacle of a show with a beautiful, truthful story" Wyder's role of Young Max is a challenge. Not only is he creating a character that has the expanded role of being the moral AT'S A WRAP Despite beautiful visuals, "Interstellar" fails to wow BY STEVE STAFSHOLT /STAFF WRITER ii nterstellar" is Hollywood's latest space exploration epic. With Christopher Nolan at the helm, I hoped for something on par with his other successes, such as "The Prestige," "The Dark Knight" or "Inception," but unfortunately, it was not written in the stars. Courtesy of the U's Department of Physics and Astronomy, a full house of Utes attended a private screening of "Interstellar" earlier this month. Although I showed up late and was consequently relegated to the second row of the theater, my seat didn't dampen my enjoyment of the stunning visuals that almost managed to distract me from the contrived dialogue and limping storyline. "Interstellar" has it all: a comic relief robot, a gravity slingshot that saves our intrepid space explorers and an unashamed theft of the multi-dimensional navigation scene from "2001: A Space Odyssey." I was surprised there were no disproportionate green men and that the robot didn't betray humankind in the end because the film pegged every other cliché sci-fi trope I can think of. In contrast to all its hackneyed glory, though, the central conflict — man vs. time — was a breath of originality that I enjoyed. Suddenly drafted to save humanity by exploring potentially hospitable worlds on the other side of a wormhole, Cooper (Matthew caretaker of the Grinch, but it also requires an incredible amount of physicality as well. "It's so much fun, it's really incredible. With this role I get to do everything I could ever want to do. I'm doing acrobatics, cartwheels and rolling around on stage, all while singing and dancing," Wyder said. "The physicality of the role is demanding, and a big part of the rehearsal process for me was learning to build up my stamina of singing while dancing like a crazy man all over the stage." Another exciting aspect of being part of the "Grinch" cast is the opportunity for Wyder to work with Stefan Karl, who plays the Grinch, and has played the role since the show began touring in 2008. "A fun part about this show is working with Stefan Karl because he will keep you on your toes," Wyder said. "He is an improv comedy master, so getting to always be on stage with him throughout the show is so fun for me. He keeps it fresh every day, so it's like, I can't go on auto pilot because he never does." Karl's role was made popular most recently by Jim Carrey in the 2000 big screen version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" However, much like any accomplished actor, Karl goes to great lengths to give the stage version of the Grinch his own personal touch. "What Stefan does can't be compared to anything because he has done the role from the musical's inception;' Wyder said. "The role is so close to his heart and soul. He really is the Grinch on stage, and he brings it to life in a way that no one has ever seen it before" Wyder also relates that one of the most magical aspects of the show is seeing how the audience responds to the story. "If you love a spectacle, you're going to get a spectacle. The Grinch is a hilarious, lovable character, it's a lot of fun, the music is great, the dancing is awesome and the costumes are incredible," Wyder said. "If you loved the Jim Carrey movie or the cartoon, you're going to love this show. It's just the Grinch in a way you have never seen him before, and its just so much fun for everyone." "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" will be showing in Salt Lake City from Nov. 18 to 23 with four performances on Saturday, Nov. 22 as well as two showings on Sunday, Nov. 23. Tickets can be purchased at the Capitol Theatre box office and online at arttix.org . a.clark@chronicle.utah.edu @ChronyArts McConaughey) leaves behind his teenage son Tom (Timothee Chalamet) and his 10-year-old daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy). Reluctant to have his children grow up without him, Cooper vows to not only save his children's future from the blight, but also save them from growing up fatherless. The one-way correspondence that Cooper receives from his children as they age back on Earth is heart-wrenching. Earth is portrayed as a Grapes of Wrathesque dust bowl whose only viable crop is corn. The visual juxtaposition between deep space and the neo-depression-era landscape works well, but the aesthetics of the film were frequently undermined by Hans Zimmer's deafening soundtrack that would have been quite good if it wasn't mixed loud enough to penetrate the stratosphere. Although the writing and the audio left much to be desired, the acting was decent. McConaughey toed the line between emotion and melodrama at times but still did rather well. 10 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014 } Anne Hathaway's performance was passable while Jessica Chastain's made an impression. It goes without saying that veteran actors Michael Caine and John Lithgow were superb. Beyond that, no one was particularly memorable. For all of this film's faults, I think the worst was its ending. Following an obvious plot twist that felt hastily tacked onto the end, the film stages a staggering case of deus ex machina that shatters the emotional build and the dark realism the film otherwise cultivates. It was a rather frustrating cop-out that tipped my estimate of the movie from mediocre to bad. Clocking in at just under three hours, "Interstellar" may have you checking your watch or stifling yawns. I recommend this film only to the most diehard sci-fi fans or the Nolanoids that are too biased to see fault in any of his work. s.stafsholt@chronicle.utah.edu @ChronyArts ALCOHOL pi• HIN LINE BETWEEN RECREATION AND ALCOHOLISM E Om Om Om veryone knows the stereotype: the young university student who attends class during the week and blacks out on the weekends — "weekend" being a fluid term due to the fact that for some people, the weekend could begin on Thursday, or, for the most tenacious, may never end. While it may seem like good fun, it is also characteristic of destructive or alcoholic behavior. According to leading professionals, binge drinking (which classifies all drinking where men consume more than five drinks, and women more than four drinks, on any single occasion), blacking out, having a high tolerance and even enjoying or looking forward to drinking shenanigans, increase one's tendency toward alcoholism. At this point, many of you are probably asking yourselves, "Am I an alcoholic or just a college student?" Unfortunately, the answer is not universal, but if you possess any of the previously mentioned traits or behaviors, you may want to evaluate your drinking habits. Most experts agree there are four basic stages of substance use, culminating in stage four: full-blown alcoholism. Stage one is classified as alcohol use and experimentation.This includes casual or occasional social drinking, never resulting in any undesirable legal, social or physiological consequences. Stage two is classified as "misuse." By this stage, alcohol use has increased measurably, social relationships may suffer, and other consequences may begin to occur, such as receiving a DUI or a drinking ticket. Stage three, substance "abuse," is characterized by tenacious drinking habits, not swayed by persistent or multiple negatively consequential experiences. Tolerance and use frequency has further increased then. We arrive at stage four: full blown alcoholism or "alcohol addiction and dependency:' If you are an alcoholic, you have a compulsive desire to use and abuse alcohol; frequent blackouts and loss of self-control inevitably occur. You have developed not only a psychological dependence on alcohol, but also a physical dependence, which means you are causing damage to both your physical and mental health. The series of classifications is ominous considering the fact that, in Utah, binge drinking becomes common by the 10th grade. By college, most "funloving" people (especially underagers) tend to find themselves in stage three, or potentially stage four. Does this mean predominant social structures are causing us all to become alcoholics? Are we all doomed to develop beer bellies and lose everything important in our lives not named whiskey? Maybe. Once a physical dependency on any substance is formed, it's difficult and often painful to stop putting the substance in your body. It's not hard to imagine how your life could slowly (or quickly) go downhill due to a physical dependency on alcohol. This does not necessarily mean we ought to immediately stop drinking forever. But it is important to be aware of risky propensities involving alcohol consumption. Furthermore, we all possess the power of free will and can decide how severely alcohol influences our decisions. As autonomous adults, we have the ability to make our own decisions and the responsibility to be accountable for those decisions. It can't be too hard to make a conscious effort to keep ourselves out of the dangerous categories of alcohol consumption. letters@chronicle.utah.edu 11 |