When I realized that the Hollywood Bowl was hosting La La Land in Concert a mere three days before Book of Mormon opened at Pantages, I told Nene. Both she and Steven came down for what turned out to be a magical long weekend filled with the best that Southern California has to offer. While waiting for the concert to start at the Bowl, we talked about how 3.5 times the 2016 population of Colville could fill the 17,000 seats.
La La Land in Concert is touring, and if you get the chance, go see it. It was phenomenal. Basically, Justin Hurwitz stands before the orchestra, baton frozen mid-air, watching the score-less movie play behind them and says “Okay … now!” at the exact millisecond to make the live music blend seamlessly with the on-screen images. Plus they had some of the film’s minor characters on stage repeating their singing/dancing from the film. And it never hurts to attend in the place the film is about. Dozens of women wore dresses from the film. The actual film costumes were on display at the entrance. Damien Chazelle made an on-stage appearance. The best part of it all, however, was that the movie (which included two new songs) was punctuated by fireworks.
Sabbath lunch!
Banners line Hollywood Blvd. for whatever is coming up at Pantages. The Book of Mormon is better than I thought possible, and I had the soundtrack memorized by the time I saw it live.