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REVIEW: “Duos” by Anda Jiang

November 23, 2024November 23, 2024 musicalsoup Leave a comment

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”.

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

October 20, 2024October 16, 2024 musicalsoup Leave a comment

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

October 19, 2024December 20, 2024 musicalsoup Leave a comment

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.

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

Photos thanks to @theencoretheater on Instagram.

REVIEW: Glenn Miller Orchestra

October 11, 2024October 11, 2024 musicalsoup Leave a comment

October 6 | 7:00pm | The Michigan Theater

Who says swing music is a thing of the past? Certainly not the hundreds of fans inside the Michigan Theater last Sunday, awaiting the legendary Glenn Miller Orchestra (GMO).

If you think you’ve never heard of them—think again. Hits like “In The Mood”, “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Pennsylvania 6-5000” have woven their way into American culture, appearing in films, TV shows, school band concerts, weddings—you name it. Iowa-born Glenn Miller formed the band in 1938* and quickly gained popularity as a jazz and dance band throughout the Northeastern United States. After Miller’s mysterious disappearance in 1944, the band continued to perform under various bandleaders, including Buddy DeFranco, and later Ray McKinley. 85 years later, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is still touring the country, delivering its timeless, heartwarming sound.

The band made the final stop of their fall tour here at The Michigan Theater, with a packed house of varying ages. The show was 2 hours with a 20-minute intermission—nicely paced with intermittent dialouge from Music Director Erik Stabnau and their vocal quartet “The Moonlight Serenaders”.

Stabnau led a busy evening as the lead tenor saxophone player and emcee, also performing a few vocal tunes as well as leading the vocal quartet.

Jenny Swoish performing with “The Moonlight Serenaders”.

“Unfortunately, there are no original members performing tonight…”, Eric joked. While this is true, each player remained a stand-out musician, sensitive to stylistic differences of the swing-era sound.

Joining the GMO was vocalist Jenny Swoish, a jazz singer by the way of Nashville, Tennessee. She performed well-known vocal standards including “I’m Beginning to See the Light” and “These Foolish Things” as well as an original song from her debut album entitled “Never Gone”. A glamorous and energetic performance, Ms. Swoish maintains the delightful charm of jazz vocalists.

While the Michigan Theater is gorgeous and historic, it does not always produce the best sound for live music. A few soloists were lost from the mics, and besides wishing there was a bit more resonance from the hall—there is not much else you can ask for from an establishment that is almost a century old.

This band has its schtick down. Their performance was complete with hat choreography (as seen above) and cheerful demeanor by each member—gimmicks that are well-received by audiences. Their focus is clearly on maintaining tradition, a commitment that has kept them touring into the 21st century. They’ve found success in many American audiences but as the changing music industry shifts away from older jazz styles, who knows if the future will leave this beloved band behind?

I hope to see the Glenn Miller Orchestra make it another 85 years. They serve as a joyful reminder of Glenn Miller’s lasting contribution to the tradition of big band music.

Photos thanks to Jaron Jenkins.

*A more cohesive history of the band is found here.

REVIEW: Julius Caesar

October 5, 2024October 7, 2024 musicalsoup Leave a comment

Thursday, October 3rd | 7:30pm | Arthut Miller Theater

It’s been 84 years since Julius Caesar was produced at Michigan, and I’m certain that production was much different than the Theater & Drama department’s in Arthur Miller last weekend.

A story about aggressively overthrowing power is a timely one, and set in a matriarchal society is even more intriguing. In this adaptation by Pricilla Lindsay, she brings out a new edge from an entirely “female-presenting” cast. Pronouns are changed to “she” and words shifted to “sister” and “queen” in the script, breeding a new layer of complexity to the dialogue.

Oftentimes Shakespeare is so dense that it’s difficult to follow thoroughly, but I found this production quite accessible from the actor’s commitment to the text, especially with the adjustments. I won’t say Shakespeare is my favorite thing to watch, but this production surely piqued my interest.

Contrary to the titular role, this story sheds most of its light on Brutus’ arc. She goes through a significant journey from a supporter of Caesar to a defiant adversary until her subsequent death in Act II. Katie Snowday (Brutus) brought a devoted, intense, and fully fleshed-out character into the theater. Her performance was beautifully concise and crucial to the production’s overall clarity.

*Mary-Kate Sunshine Mahoney (Portia) and Katie Snowday (Brutus).*

The costuming was reminiscent of the 2010s, the Renaissance era, and Star Wars all at the same time—perhaps reflecting a deliberate ambiguity in setting. The use of textures and shapes is thoughtful, but the theatrical universe was hard to tie down. However, these elements evoked femininity, such as curved elephant tusks in the set rather than traditional columns, and Caesar’s banner of purple and yellow, akin to the suffragists of the early 20th century.

Caesar’s character lacked the piercing arrogance one might expect—perhaps lost in the direction of the re-adaptation. Instead, I encountered an indifferent and occasionally warm Caesar, who was aware of her own splendor, but only because others were telling her so. This portrayal made me question the true eminence of her reign shaped by the mercurial Roman ensemble. Is any form of leadership merely a glorified popularity contest?

Shakespeare’s intent to warn against violence as a means of political gain remains clear and this production offered more questions than answers with its feminine twist. Julius Caesar continuously begs the question: Do we become masters of our own fate? Perhaps, but it’s certain that Ms. Snowday has mastered hers.

“Julius Caesar” runs September 26 through October 6th in the Arthur Miller Theater.

Images thanks to Peter Smith & SMTD Marketing.

REVIEW: Stop Kiss

May 7, 2024May 7, 2024 musicalsoup Leave a comment

Rude Mechanicals completes their 2023-24 season with the 1999 play by Diana Son, Stop Kiss. Seeing this play was a new experience for me, and quite a beautiful one.

Set from *Stop Kiss* in the Arthur Miller Theater.

The play follows two young women, Callie (Emilia Vizachero) and Sara (Victoria Vourkoutiotis), who meet in New York City and begin to have feelings for one another. One evening, they share a kiss in the West Village, and it results in a terrible hate crime leaving Sara with a life-altering injury. The play follows a non-linear storyline, jumping from Sara and Callie’s first interaction to weeks after the attack.

I am not cultured on much queer theater, so I haven’t been exposed to many pieces where characters are actively discovering their sexual identity during the show—rather many pieces I’ve encountered have characters come in with their sexuality seemingly decided. I enjoyed this piece’s honest and sincere exploration of queerness.

I was immediately struck by Audrey Tieman’s beautiful onstage set when I walked into the Arthur Miller. It brought me directly into the moment of the show with an ornate pink apartment—the 1990s, young, and within a metropolitan city. The major part of the set was far upstage, juxtaposing the thrust space. This left the apartment scenes feeling more presentational than personal, counteracting the intimacy of a thrust. All of the scenes outside the apartment were on the thrust, such as the detective’s office or moments when characters were strolling through the streets of New York City. An interesting choice, that sometimes led me out of the detail of the world that was created in the embellished apartment set.

Emilia Vizachero and Adam Rogers delivered individually exquisite performances. Rogers is effortlessly charming as Callie’s undefined partner, George, and Vizachero brilliantly leads us through a journey of Callie’s many complex emotions over two timelines—one I would be happy to experience again. Vourkoutiotis also played a sweet and gentle Sara, with wholesome chemistry alongside a witty Vizachero.

Direction (by Reese Leif) was cohesive and thorough. Scenes and dramatic moments felt naturally paced, at times skimming on hyper-realism, making the play’s brutal contrast of content duly apparent to the audience.

The illuminating kiss that closes the play leaves a fully realized portrait of Callie and Sara’s relationship. This perfectly placed scene becomes charged over the duration of the play due to the revelations about what lies behind and ahead of these beloved characters. It was an unforgettable (and titular) moment of the piece, yet left my heart aching for the two women.

Leo Kupferberg (a fabulous and frequent SMTD Dramaturg) made a beautiful point in his dramaturgy note about the “in-between” of the piece, which I left the theater pondering. This show revels in the lack of certainty, unwavering bravery, and messiness many women navigate through. Stop Kiss can feel limited to its darkness and crucial messaging of the tumultuous experiences of many LGBTQ+ relationships, but Leif brings out the beauty in such darkness, reminding us that love always prevails.

April 20th, 8pm. Arthur Miller Theater. Images thanks to @umrudes on Instagram.