Author: Angela Lin

Angela is a senior studying English and the Environment. The only thing she loves more than writing and the arts are wombats.

PREVIEW: Cabaret

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Cabaret is the 1966 musical that focuses on the Kit Kat Klub in 1931 Berlin. Young American writer Cliff Bradshaw and English cabaret performer Sally Bowles navigate a relationship during this tumultuous time. Meanwhile, German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor, come to grips with their doomed romance.

Even though it takes place during the rise of the Nazi Party, this musical is timeless, so come out in 2018 and watch MUSKET put on a performance that remains powerful today. Tickets are on sale at MUTO (in the Michigan League Underground) or can be purchased online. Shows are November 16 and 17 at 8pm and November 18 at 2pm at the Power Center.

PREVIEW: Weaving

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“Stay true to yourself” seems to be the advice of the century as society becomes more accepting of different identities and supportive of individual aspirations. However, what happens when that advice starts to affect your closest relationship? Weaving, a new play by Hodges Adams, follows the friendship of Vero and Bastian, as well as their inner lives, as they each come to terms with their identities and the turmoil that comes with it. This LGBT coming-of-age story about books, love, feminism, and friendship is being performed by the RC Players on November 9 and 10 at 8pm in East Quad’s Keene Theater with a suggested ticket price of $5.

REVIEW: Whose Live Anyway?

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I could barely contain my excitement as I sat in the Michigan Theater, processing that I was in the same room as Ryan Stiles and Jeff Davis, comedic legends who I have grown to love after watching them on Whose Line Is It Anyway, one of my favorite tv shows of all time. After spending months looking forward to this event, Whose Live was finally happening, and it did not disappoint.

Jeff Davis, Greg Proops, and Ryan Stiles were just as funny live as they are on Whose Line, proving that the television show really is improv comedy driven by audience suggestions. While Joel Murray is not a regular on the tv show, his comedic timing and improv was up to par with the rest of the more established improv comedians.

Classic improv games such as “Options” and “New Choice” were played, resulting in an interesting Dr. Seuss nihilism scene. Celebrity Jeopardy was also clever, with responses such as “What comes after Hamil-nine” in response to “Hamilton” and “What do you call a drunk grizzly” in response to “Beer.”

Music was present throughout the entire night, completely improvised by the musical director Bob Derkach, who was also musical director for Second City Toronto for 25 years. Jeff Davis sang a song for Stephanie, an avid fan of the show who was asked onstage at a previous show. He tried to serenade her in the style of Diana Ross but her love for Cathy, her partner, won out over her love for Jeff. The greatest hits infomercial about hairdressers resulted in wonderful duos by Jeff and Ryan in the style of country western, folk, and rock.

Audience participation was crucial, as always, to an improv show. In addition to all the suggestions shouted out as prompts for scenes, there was more direct participation in certain games. Ryan and Greg acted out the soap opera, “The Secrets of Saginaw”, with scripted lines written by audience members. The four comedians reenacted the first date of Karen and her partner of 17 years with a very similar name. The Polish and Macedonian couple kept the comedians honest in their improved reenactment by honking a horn when they got something wrong and ringing a bell when they got it right. Many truths were humorously exaggerated as their story played out onstage. “Sound Effects” was a game with two volunteers who provided the sound effects for Jeff and Joel, who were steel miners. Finally, for the encore, they invited Cathy, Stephanie’s partner, onto the stage. Ryan conducted a story of Cathy’s sick horse by pointing to each of the comedians and Cathy to continue the story, which ended in a injured and dead horse and zero sympathy from Cathy.

Many jokes were made about Saginaw and the Lions, probably because there are many jokes that can be made there. Stabs were also made at Canada, and Columbus, Ohio was booed, making this a true Ann Arbor show. The comedians also walked away enlightened about Michigan culture. Greg Proops learned the correct way to use his hands as a map of Michigan and about the delicious reputation of Zingerman’s. I couldn’t control the hearty and genuine laughter that escaped from my mouth, and getting to see Whose Live was definitely something I’ve always dreamed of and finally got to experience.

REVIEW: A R I Z O N A with Electric Guest and Mikky Ekko

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On a spooky Saturday night on Halloweekend, three wonderful artists and musical groups pumped Hill Auditorium up with some electronic pop and rock music

Mikky Ekko started the night with his synthy retro, rock music that made my heart pound as he danced around onstage. He got so into it that during one song, he unfortunately broke a very expensive bracelet. However, that just proves how much of a show he was putting on for us.

Mikky Ekko ended his set with the hit song he co-wrote and performed with Rihanna, “Stay.” His beautiful solo rendition of it was tender and raw as he walked among the audience of the main floor, hugging people as his voice, so emotional and pure, carried throughout the auditorium, echoed by everyone else singing along. His new album comes out in a few days in November, so you can be sure to check that out soon.

Then, Electric Guest took the stage, Asa Taccone being led out as a colorful mask covered his face for the first song. More people were dancing along to the electronic pop that was lighter than the previous set. While their soulful indietronica was a slightly different vibe from Mikky Ekko, the two openers had their own style that made the entire show cohesive and enjoyable.

Finally, the crowd was fully energized and when A R I Z O N A came out, everyone was on their feet and dancing as the main act performed all their hit songs, including “I Was Wrong”, “Oceans Away”, “Cross My Mind”, “Let Me Touch Your Fire”, “Summer Days”, “Freaking Out”, and more.

Despite a PA system problem during their third song, the band carried on with poise, whether it was by playing guitar and singing despite no one being able to hear, playing on with the drums since that’s the only thing people can hear, or just dancing around on stage, making the best out of an unfortunate situation for a live music concert.

In between songs, lead singer Zachary Charles went into a long monologue about their struggles and perseverance as a band who followed their passions. He urged everyone to follow their dreams and do something they love because otherwise, they are wasting their lives. The amount of fun and joy the members of A R I Z O N A, as well as Electric Guest and Mikky Ekko, had onstage was proof enough that listening to what you truly enjoy doing, even if other people are doubtful or discouraging, will result in you being happy and content, and in this short life, there’s nothing more important than that.

The night was filled with dancing and passion and singing and joy and inspiration, and what more could you want from a concert on Halloweekend?

REVIEW: Luzinterruptus: “Literature vs. Traffic”

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After hundreds of volunteer spent hours putting lights into 10,000 used and discarded books, the books found their way onto the aptly-chosen Liberty St., paving a section of the road with the illuminated written word demonstrating the power of free thought.

Unfortunately, I missed the actual art installment of the books opened up, peacefully resting on the road. By the time I arrived, a giant crowd of people was pushing their way through the street that was blocked off, on a giant Easter egg hunt for used books. I think it is interesting to think about the installment and how it went from a project people admired from a distance to one they actually got to bring home with them, taking a piece of this major art installation with them to read and remember forever, or until the the words fade from memory, if the words even get read in the first place. Many people walked away with armful of new books ready to be read. I wonder how many people will actually read every book they picked up.

This art installment made me rethink our interaction with art and how we engage with it. As a volunteer who spent three hours taping the lights into the books and having fun looking at all the books floating through my hands, it was kind of painful watching people trample over the open, illuminated books carelessly as they searched for a book that appealed to them. The event title “Literature vs. Traffic” seems very appropriate. People would pick up an open book, look at the title, and then throw it back down onto the ground. While the installation demonstrated the power of the written word, it also showed that some words are valued more than others.

I’m sure seeing the books untouched and just chilling on Liberty St. was a powerful and cool thing to witness. And I’m glad people got to enjoy the wide variety of books that was donated for this project and give them to new eyes. However, I definitely think I got more out of this project by volunteering than by walking through the streets, and I thank Luzinterruptus and the University of Michigan Humanities department for bringing this to Ann Arbor.