Author: musicalsoup

Hello! I’m musicalsoup, a senior in SMTD. The majority of what I cover is theater in the greater Ann Arbor area, although I tend to write about whatever is particularly inspiring in the moment. Thanks for reading!

REVIEW: William Hill III at the Blue Llama

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November 30 | 10:30pm | Blue Llama Jazz Club

 

 

No better place in Ann Arbor to see live jazz than under the magenta-blue lights of the Blue Llama Jazz Club. These dimly lit corners have housed some of today’s most esteemed jazz players since its opening in 2019, featuring all-star players from our own Detroit and beyond.

Tonight’s late-night set featured the spunky William Hill III, a pianist and composer currently based in Manhattan. Hill’s trio included Detroit-based players Dylan Sherman on the bass and drummer Sam Melkonian. I have seen a few of his sets at the Llama now, where he performs standards from the Great American Songbook along with his original tunes. And to celebrate December 1st’s icy debut, he wove in some holiday favorites.

It’s easy to return to Hill’s sets—he is overflowing with creativity and vibrancy in his playing. His improvisational language is deep and complex, with nods to the great Red Garland and Oscar Peterson (favorites of mine). Combined with his technical virtuosity allows for a really interesting exploration of the Songbook tunes we all know and love. He released his debut album “Three’s Company (Live)” this past July, recorded live at Detroit’s historic Cliff Bell’s Jazz Club.

The sound in The Llama is the second best reason to go (the first being the fantastic musicians, obviously), but the space resonates nicely for such an intimate setting and allows for both a beautiful visual and aural experience (at least from the tables along the back wall). A piano trio fills the stage and the sound in the room super nicely.

The very first tune included a tight bass feature from Sherman. He’s got a pliable sound, with light, effervescent improvisational ideas, making his interaction with Hill such fun to encounter. Never underestimate a swingin’ bassist.

I couldn’t catch the name of every tune but a few caught my ear: A striking version of John Coltrane’s “Moments Notice”, the Strayhorn classic “Take the A-Train”, and “Chant” which seems to be an original composition of Mr. Hill’s. He also included a favorite of mine from his record: “Jilly”, a sweet tune, one that captured the audience amidst its meditative waltz-i-ness.

Holiday tunes included: Duke Ellington’s “Sugar Rum Cherry” (a la Tchaicovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy); a jaunty and playful “Winter Wonderland”; and a burning “Sleigh Ride” accompanied by Detroit trumpeter Jauron Perry to complete the set.

I expect Will Hill III does well in Manhattan—he’s breaking out in the industry almost as fast as he can swing.

 

 

 

Images thanks @bluellamajazzclub Instagram.

REVIEW: Plano

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November 16 | 7:00 pm | Newman Studio

 

 

It seems director Natalie Tell found the question of time most interesting in her multilayered senior thesis, Plano. What really is now? What is later?  Earlier? Suddenly? And where do our lives fit into a structured system of a concept that refuses to be contained? These questions were presented in her attuned director’s note in the program, but I found that more prominent themes of identity and male-induced panic rose to the surface onstage.

Plano lets us loose in a semi-mythical Texas in the home (or rather, on the porch) of three sisters, Anne (Maya McEntrye), Genevieve (Hannah Long), and Isabel (Audrey Andrews). They are haunted by strange physical things (like slugs, ribbons, ghosts) that all seem to tie back to the patriarchal influences of their unexplored past. Each sister has a different quandary with the primary man in her life: Anne quickly marries John (Joaquin Consuelos) after finding out she is pregnant, but he seems to be with her for the green card; Anne, is married to her less-than-superb husband, Steve (the hilariously erratic Rohan Maletira); and young Isabel finds herself in a relationship with God, but grapples with the presence of looming spirits.

The play establishes a fantastic “handshake” with the audience right out of the gate. The lights come up, and the sisters are having a fiery sharp conversation, darting through time when a character decides, “It’s later.” We discover John (whose real name is Juan) is gay and gallivants off to Plano (a seemingly mystical, metaphorical place) leaving Anne alone with her thoughts. Isabel is afflicted by two Faceless Ghosts who dwell uncomfortably near when she’s alone. When Genevieve and Steve ultimately divorce due to his infidelity, he splits in two (and eventually three) haunting Genevieve’s home and mind.

“A third Steve is making music in the garage. He won’t leave. And the other two Steves are really proud of him.” says Genevieve.

 

The eclectic universe Ms. Tell crafted was completely alive: props emerged seamlessly, Faceless Ghosts wandered around pre-show, and a bowl of hummus came out of the wall! The curse manifested itself in ways other than through the character’s words, it surrounded them. Ms. Tell’s creative design choices made the script’s (by the poignant Will Arbery) insistent metaphors in the script all the more playful.

 

The Faceless Ghosts pre-show.

Arbery’s book contains rich ramblings, which develop deep and relatable characters, blending humor with the uncanny. The play between reality and surrealism is intricate but such charming performances kept me fully engaged in attempting to unravel the timeline. The three sisters are distinct characters to me, each carrying a strange sense of familiarity. The clarity could stem from Arbery’s vocal inspiration from his seven sisters whom he grew up with in Dallas, Texas (a short distance from Plano, Texas).

 

Ms. McEntrye, Long, and Andrews are filled with endurance and are constantly thrilling. They relentlessly search for their identities while navigating life and facing the challenges of hegemonic authority from previously trusted men. Ms. Long’s performance was a personal favorite of mine, showcasing her quick wit and unveiled compassion. While their male counterparts can be mundanely loathsome in the world of Plano, the performances by Mr. Consuelos and Mr. Maletira were quirky and deliberate.

Though Ms. Tell’s director’s note emphasized her exploration of time in Plano, I found the most moving aspects of it were its relationship with the women fighting it. It’s difficult to truly grasp the metaphysical concept of time in this piece, as it (seemingly) is not linear, but it was effortless to feel for the strong women’s journey of discovery. To Ms. Tell’s point, time is something we’re always aware of, and these characters certainly are too.

“We’re a tiny part of a tiny thing that never ends…” Anne says.

 

 

 

Plano runs November 15-16 in the Newman Studio. Images thanks to @umichdesignandproduction on Instagram.

REVIEW: Hänsel und Gretel

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November 14th | 8:00 pm |Power Center For The Performing Arts

 

 

Is everyone on drugs in SMTD’s Hänsel und Gretel? That is a question I don’t know the answer to.

Director Gregory Keller brought an eccentric new take on the classic fairytale last weekend, one that was unanticipated by opera’s more familiar audiences. Traditionally, this story is pretty straightforward: young mischievous kids, absent parents, the candy house, the witch and the oven, the whole sha-bang. But Keller took everything up a notch—and academia seems like the right place to do that, right?

Mr. Keller has spent twenty-six seasons at a little place called The Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where he’s staged vibrant and thought-provoking revivals of some of opera’s most notable works. He’s eager to try new things, but is opera itself ready?

This charming opera was written by German composer Englebert Humperdinck with libretto by his sister, Adelheid Wette. His Wagnerian influence is clear in his richly textured orchestration and memorable, complex, and emotional melodies. His magical, atmospheric score lives in a lighthearted fairytale world, but make no mistake—it’s not an easy sing. This production showcased some of the Department of Voice & Opera’s finest talent.

The production took us back to the 1970s: trading in brooms for vacuums and the witch’s oven for an oversized microwave. The dramaturgy note mentioned their intention to mirror the political landscape of the 1970s to today, providing clearer context to the artistic choices made. Hänsel (Daiyao Zhong) and Gretel (Ingrid Kuribayashi) start the opera deprived of food in their home, parentless, and bored. When Mother and Father (a stunning Christina Parson & commanding Andrew Smith) return, they bring battles of their own: a quaaludes addiction and rampant alcoholism.

Hänsel & Gretel’s house, Scene I, Act I.

Ms. Kuribayashi and Ms. Zhong make a playful pair onstage, displaying vocal mastery over Humperdinck’s lush, folk-inspired melodies. They both portrayed a commitment to the fanciful youth of the music and had enjoyable presences onstage (along with stellar vocals). They both seemed to be pushed up an age bracket from the original story: Hänsel is sporting a mustache and smoking cigarettes while Gretel’s lively physicality makes me think she is within the realm of a frisky preteen. Perhaps the age shift brings accessibility to college-age audiences?

 

Ingrid Kuribayashi (left) and Spencer Vandellen.

Mother and Father’s chaos sends them into the woods, where they meet The Sandman (Madeline Surroweic), an Alice In Wonderland adjacent Caterpillar-like ghost who sends the children to sleep with a backpack of hotboxed smoke. The angels (who are supposed to protect the children while they sleep) are replaced with an entourage of leather jacket-wearing goons who send them up mysterious white stairs into the sky, ending Act I. I couldn’t exactly read what was going on— Were they ascending to heaven? Drugged by the Sandman? Part of some master plan orchestrated by The Witch?

They are awakened by the Dew Fairy (Anne-Marie Attanga, who sparkles vocally) in a brief and shimmering aria, right before the children realize they are outside the cottage of The Witch (Spencer Vandellen) decorated in colorful drag. This role was written for a mezzo voice but is also standard to be performed by tenors. Vandellen has a stellar upper range and navigates vocal passages with ease, without sacrificing an ounce of drama from the exuberant Witch.

Perhaps Keller’s unusual choices support deeper messaging regarding Hänsel and Gretel’s need to escape the demons of their own home: addiction-ridden parents, food deprivation, and an understated need to explore layered with teenage angst. All ambiguity aside, the eccentricity of the production kept me intrigued from start to finish.

I’m sure Keller’s nuanced take on this Brothers Grimm tale startled traditionalist opera-goers, but it seems academia is hungry to shake up this 400+-year-old art form, and I appreciate that. With or without drugs, I think it’s time for opera to embrace its hot takes from ambitious directors. Better sooner than later before opera is the next thing in the Witch’s oven.

 

 

Hänsel und Gretel runs November 14-17 at the Power Center for Performing Arts. Images thanks to @umichsmtd on Instagram.

REVIEW: “Duos” by Anda Jiang

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November 5th, 2024 | 8:00pm | McIntosh Recital Hall

 

Election Day is not normally a day I opt to see a recital. Yet, on this particularly tense Tuesday, I dropped into violinist Anda Jiang’s “Duos” at The School of Music. I thought it an interesting theme for this uniquely divided day, and I wondered how it was relevant to the duality we’re facing in the United States currently.

Ms. Jiang programmed five pieces on her recital, all staples of the violin repertoire. The set began with an angsty Zoltán Kodály work, Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7 (1914). Jiang performed only the first movement, “Allegro serioso, non troppo“ with cellist counterpart, Lauren Matthews, a technically versatile player with a magnificent buttery sound. The two had a striking musical presence together and masterfully navigated abrupt tone shifts throughout the piece. Kodály knits beautiful melodies alongside overt messaging of tension—the duo is in harmony, and suddenly there’s friction. The piece was composed in 1914, during the brink of WWI in Kodály’s home country of Hungary. Perhaps this sonata contained a response to the growing tensions in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The program moved to an effortlessly expressive Schubert, his Fantasie in C Major (1827). Ms. Jiang performed four movements alongside the stunning Rena Wu on the piano. This piece is known to demand extraordinary technicality from both the pianist and the violinist, an ambitious repertoire choice that entirely paid off. Ms. Jiang’s sensitivity to the piece struck me—her ability to take charge with engaging string melodies while leaving adamant space for Schubert’s brilliant contrapuntal piano lines to shine through, especially in the second movement, “Allegretto”.

Anda Jiang and her mother, Lydia Qiu.

The penultimate set included Debussy’s La Fille aux Cheaveux de Lin (1910) and Beau Soir (1891), which recruited Lydia Qiu to the piano—hilariously noted on the program as (pianist, mother). This set of two tunes is characterized by sweeping nostalgia and colorful impressionistic sounds, a favorite performance of mine from the evening. In addition to the performing familial duo, Ms. Jiang mentioned that her father built the violin she plays on (how cool!), which houses a stunningly bright and shimmering sound.

Joining the closing piece was dynamic pianist Aleks Shameti, one of the recent winners of the 2024 SMTD Concerto Competition. The two performed one of César Franck’s most well-known compositions, all four movements of the Sonata for Violin and Piano. The piece contains beautiful cyclic themes, opting for a satisfying finish to the set. With an absolutely enchanting performance, I hear a duo full of harmony emotionally and melodically. Funny enough, Franck wrote this piece in 1886 as a wedding gift for the 28-year-old violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, which was premiered publicly with Ysaÿe and pianist Marie-Léontine Bordes-Pène, who performed it first at his wedding. I suppose unity was implied from the beginning.

This recital reminded me why we make music—to comment, to express, to find unity in our strange human experience. Duality exists naturally in life— marriages, disputes, families, and mere instrumentation. On a day like November 5th, the messaging of duality becomes more complex and cynical, when it doesn’t always have to be. I’m not sure if Anda Jiang’s “Duos” was intended to be political commentary or not, but regardless, she reminded me of the sheer power of harmony.

 

 

Images thanks to Anda Jiang.

REVIEW: I and You

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Saturday, October 5th | 7:00pm | Newman Studio

 

 

How rich is your inner life? Laura Gunderson explores the inner psyche of two teenage classmates in her 2013 play, I and You. Basement Arts brings us a story full of action with just two characters: the homebound Caroline (Sofia Santos-Ufkes) and the cool-kid-type Anthony (Lyd Herrera). Caroline struggles with an unspecified terminal illness, spending all of her time on the internet, and Anthony is a seemingly straight-ahead student, a popular basketball player, and jazz enthusiast. He’s charming and mundane, she’s erratic and whimsical—makes for somewhat of a familiar teenage love story. Anthony’s unexpected entrance changes Caroline’s world forever.

Anthony’s entrance is sudden—he bursts in, insisting that he and Caroline finish their school project on the significance of pronouns in the poems of Walt Whitman. They had not been friends before, as Anthony took it upon himself to pair with Caroline, the mysterious pretty-girl who left school.  The characters are originally played by a cisgender couple, but director Katy Dawson took a new approach to the script featuring a queer relationship.

 

 

The show naturally revels in its own character study spending nearly two hours in just one location—Caroline’s bedroom—with the same two actors. The dialouge becomes a callous game of tennis, one that Herrera and Santos-Ufkes mostly played well. Some of Gunderson’s writing can feel confined to a “high-school” movie stereotype, but Ms. Dawson’s direction navigated it with clever staging and re-interpretations of lines that may have previously sounded cliche. The show moves steadily through impassioned discussions and small quarrels until Gunderson decides to drop a massive twist no less than ten minutes to the end. Ms. Dawson gets you comfortable in the world of Caroline and Anthony until you’re forced to question the entire universe that just enveloped you for two hours.

For a show with two actors in one location, Ms. Dawson’s staging was far from dull. It seems she experimented with every possible stage shape in Caroline’s room. Her conceptualization of the piece as a whole was clear and beautiful, and it would be remiss not to point out the pristine cohesion of the set, marketing, and world-building—how satisfying.

 

Sofia Santos-Ufkes (left) and Lyd Herrera as Caroline and Anthony.

Anthony’s character, while intriguing for defying typical casting norms, left me with questions. Caroline’s energy seemed erratic to that of Anthony—was his lack of energy intended to reflect his “cool-kid” mentality? I often wished for more vibrancy from Hererra to keep up with the playful spark of Santos-Ufkes. Anthony’s composure was comforting, yet his objective was sometimes unclear, which made me wonder if this was reliant on the show’s shocking finish to justify.

Ceri Roberts curated an utterly stunning set for this production in the Newman Studio (Walgreen Drama Center). Draping white cloths hung from the ceiling as well as textured cut-outs of stars and moons, with thoughtfully curated motifs of love and illness sprinkled throughout Caroline’s eclectic bedroom. It was a gift that kept on giving throughout the show.

This script is sprinkled with the intrusive emotions of youth—fear, awkwardness, and peer pressure that make for a relatable and sentimental story. This piece is wildly appropriate for collegiate and youth theater with Gunderson’s beautifully written roles for young actors who are dismissed in modern works, more often than not.

In many ways, the show is parallel to its motif of poetry—intimate, aesthetic, and poignant. The vibrant light of youth shines bright in this show, in ways both expected and unexpected.

 

 

 

 

“I and You” runs October 4th & 5th in the Newman Studio. (Note: When referring to the characters, I use the pronouns from the original text.)

Photos thanks to Basement Arts and Ellie Vice.

REVIEW: Bat Boy The Musical

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Saturday, Oct 12 | 2:00pm | The Encore Musical Theater Company

 

 

Never did I think that a piece of theater would have me rooting for a quasi-human incestual couple through the medium of song and dance. But leave it to writers Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming, and Laurence O’Keefe to make that nightmare a reality.

Just in time for Halloween, The Department of Musical Theater brings Bat Boy  to Michigan: a riotous farce that keeps you strapped in and spooked until the end. The department’s recent collaboration with The Encore Musical Theater Company brings one departmental show to Dexter, Michigan each academic year.

Bat Boy  opens with a group of unruly teens caving in rural Virginia. They stumble upon a strange half-bat, half-boy creature and trap him, but the town’s sheriff intervenes and brings him to the home of local veterinarian Dr. Parker and his family. Thanks to the help of Dr. Parker’s wife, Meredith, and daughter, Shelley, Bat Boy starts assimilating to human life and is renamed Edgar by Meredith. Mr. Parker becomes concerned with Edgar’s affection for Meredith and Shelley, while the secret of Edgar’s origin looms over the town.

Aaron Syi and Stephanie Reuning-Scherer.

This show is wildly campy, and just when you think its madness has peaked, it instantly finds a way to outdo itself. The mere writing of this show (book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming) is an exceptional parody piece and remains true to its musical theater roots. It’s successful as a show for super-fans of musical theater (recognizing clever nods from the book) as well as folks who just enjoy a well-crafted comedy. The score contains classic O’Keefe-isms, reminiscent of his arguably most famous score Heathers: The Musical (Which was produced by U-M’s MUSKET last year). O’Keefe sure loves to rock out in the rhythm section, and finish a big number with ‘screlting’ soprano (speaking of the amusing Stephanie Reuning-Scherer as Shelley).

The titular role of Bat Boy (Aaron Syi) is quite intense, physically and emotionally. He swings upside down, has multiple dance features, and has a unique un-humanistic physicality that Syi nailed. The vocal range abided by the same standards, an impressive feat for any young actor to nail.

Director Vince Cardinal brought expert scene work to the stage, producing a fantastic family dynamic—ultimately the foundation for the success of the story. The collegiate actors who make up the Parker family fully suspended my disbelief and led me right into a campy comic book world—like the very tabloid this story originated from. The design and production crews were similarly clearly devoted to that specific aesthetic with large stalagmites lining the stage and solid color outfits on the characters. This production embraced its identity, letting its brilliantly crafted story shine.

Skip the haunted house this year, Bat Boy is everything you need for an absolutely thrilling October evening.

 

 

 

Photos thanks to @theencoretheater on Instagram.

Bat Boy runs at The Encore Musical Theater Company from October 10-20.