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: Saltburn

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The psychological thriller Saltburn seems to be social media’s new indie-film hyperfixation. The movie was brought to theaters in November of 2023, but the commotion surrounding the movie remains rampant. It was written and directed by Emerald Fennell, a skillful curator of dark comedy and playfully uncomfortable eroticism. The film’s controversial critical acclaim and its obsession with TikTok seemed enough of a reason to tune in. 

We are introduced to Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), an awkward and lonely young man attending Oxford College in 2006. He meets the luxurious Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) and they hit it off as an unbalanced pair of friends in vastly separate social worlds. When Oliver mentions his father has passed, Felix empathetically invites him to spend the summer in his lavish family estate at Saltburn-by-the-Sea. 

Felix casually introduces his sumptuous summer home to Oliver, and an uncomfortable aura begins to sweep through the air. The story unfolds as Oliver is introduced to Felix’s highly affluent family: the lustrous Venetia (Alison Oliver), the disarmingly charming mother Elspeth (Rosamond Pike), cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), and patriarch Sir James (Richard E. Grant).

Saltburn tackles obsession, excess, and the extremes of human desire. Some moments force you to recoil in the embarrassment and repulsion of the scene. Although, the true uneasiness that plagued the film was rather from its lack of self-definition. There were moments where it felt like three different movies: a queer young adult romance, an erotic horror flick, or a gripping family drama. Somehow it dabbled in all three universes, but never quite decided on one.  

The plot may have been less original than the articulately manufactured design, but the details will not leave you uninspired. Fennell nearly fetishizes these aspects of the house in interviews—and for good reason! There are dozens of minute features within the set, lighting, and architecture of the house that drag you alongside the cynical plot. 

Keoghan and Pike’s praised performances offered up two Golden Globe nominations. The family ensembled well against Oliver’s perceived naivety, but I felt these characters existed to embody an emotion or a “vibe” from Fennell—often their intentions seemed indirect and underdeveloped.

This movie was a visually stunning (magnificent cinematography by Linus Sandgren) reminder of the early 2000s with a deeply unsettling undertone of the evil within us all. It’s now up to you to decide if Fennell hit the mark by conveying erotic class warfare in a beautifully constructed mansion. Saltburn is available for a limited time in select theaters, and on Amazon Prime streaming. 

Jacob Elordi (left) and Barry Keoghan.

 

131 minutes. Rated R for intense themes, language, and drug use. 

Photos thanks to Charlotte Sometimes and The Seasonless.

REVIEW: Maestro

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The long-awaited Leonard Bernstein biopic came to theaters on November 22nd. With an unmatched legacy in the classical music-sphere, Maestro offers us a unique look into the personal life of the first American-born composer to receive international acclaim. 

Director and lead Bradley Cooper led a gripping performance as the conductor extraordinaire, providing a rare glimpse into the world of the beloved American conductor. I was interested to see what parts of Bernstein’s life would be highlighted in the film, as he lived quite a vehement life, filled with passionate successes and seething controversy. With so many notable musical moments that Bernstein boasts, the movie is rather centered around his tumultuous marriage with actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) rather than much of his career work.

The film begins with a spritely 25-year-old “Lenny” (as he was often referred to) and progresses with early career successes until he meets Felicia at a house party in 1946. They marry in 1951 and the story uncovers the beauty and bitterness behind their marriage, alongside Lenny’s confusing journey with his sexuality. The story feels complete marriage-wise, but lots of questions about his queerness remain.

The movie presents Bernstein’s life as a constant performance. His inherent presentational-based occupation and obsession with the media seep their way into Lenny’s marriage. This is shown in the way he falls in love: with choreographed dance numbers and flirtatious rehearsals on stage with Felicia. As well as the lavish parties he throws later in life with famous patrons who are watching his every move. His romance with Felicia always remained public in this sense, while his relationships with men were consistently private. Additionally, this was an interesting way to highlight the oppressive culture surrounding queerness in the 20th century. One of my favorite aspects of the film was the contrast between the unmarried and married Lenny. This shift is shown in the cinematography, with a black and white filter over his life while he is falling in love with Felicia, and a shift to bright color into the later years of their marriage, when more problems come to life. 

The film did not necessarily showcase all the music he created or the specific legacy he desired, but it was a brilliantly crafted story that explored deeply into the musician’s marriage and sexuality. This movie is thoughtful and heartbreaking with overwhelming passion—much like the music Leonard Bernstein created himself. Maestro is in theaters for a limited time and is now available on Netflix. 

 

Bradley Cooper (left) and Carey Mulligan.

 

129 minutes. Rated R  for discreet nudity and a ton of cigarettes.

Image thanks to Movie Insider and Netflix.

REVIEW: The Encore Theater’s White Christmas

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The Encore Theater in Dexter, MI is one of the premier professional musical theater companies in the Southeast Michigan area. Their 2023 season ended with Irving Berlin’s classic holiday musical, White Christmas. The show had a three-week run beginning November 30th and wrapped up shows the weekend of Dec 17th. The Encore Theater brings in regional actors to perform in a selection of musicals. University of Michigan SMTD alums were featured across the cast including Allison Bell (Judy), Michael de Souza (Bob), Marlene Inman (Martha), and Jack Randal (Ensemble). These performers beautifully represented the standard at which SMTD is held.  It’s inspiring to see brilliant performers from the University working in our community! 

The musical version of White Christmas holds onto many classic aspects of the 1954 Paramount Pictures film. This performance had a firm grasp on the tradition of the story. I admired the cast’s dedication to the midcentury holiday feel. The experience felt like a vintage film set in 4K color right in front of my eyes.

The direction often felt a bit pedestrian. Some characters held different levels of emotional grounding, and sometimes romantic choices between the two pairs were uninspired. Performances ran over three weeks with many shows, and after so many performances dialogue can often get stuck. Perhaps an earlier performance offered a more believable approach to intimacy.

Although, a standout performance was given by Kailyn Leilani (Betty). Her dedicated choices with an overpowering voice left me anxious for her next entrance. The audience adored her 11 o’clock number “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me”, a moment filled with anticipation and passion. I hope to see her again at The Encore Theater, thoroughly inspired musically.

The Encore houses a thrust stage with lots of audience seating: over 20 rows of seats on the floor and a decently sized balcony. This is a great theatrical space with most of the seats offering an an acceptable view. For many character entrances, the cast would promenade right past my seat on house left, which is a fun enhancement to the theatrical experience. From a seat on the left side of the thrust, there were certain staging pictures that I missed due to the centered staging. At times I wished some interactions were set on a diagonal to allow for enhanced viewing, but with the majority of their seating in the center/balcony, the choice remains necessary. An exception to this was the choreography behind the dance numbers. Each routine was buzzing with energy and charisma. I was entranced by the articulate attention to detail of each routine! The director, Anna Dreslinski was also the choreographer, and this may have been the reason for a bit of a lopsided performance with thrilling, eye-catching dance numbers and some rather bland staging.

This show dazzled with sweeping dance routines and personal artistry with a warm and familiar holiday feeling. The Encore Theater maintains an intensely high level of theater in the greater Southeast Michigan area. I am anxious to see performances in The Encore’s 2024 season, including Into the Woods, I’m Not Rappaport and Oklahoma. Tickets are available on their website theencoretheater.org. 

 

 

Image thanks to @theencoretheater on Instagram.

REVIEW: Clown Show

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Each year a class through the SMTD Department of Theater teaches clown, a form of theatrical physical comedy. This course is taught by Professor Malcolm Tulip and comprises of many senior theater majors. Their final performance of the semester was performed in the Arthur Miller Theater on December 11th in a room of rambunctious peers and overlooked members of the community. My expectations for a clown show were previously unclear, but I have found a newfound respect for the art form from this fanciful, erratic performance.

Our modern perception of clowns is strongly associated with “circus clowns”, but the jesters have taken many forms throughout history. Clowns can be dated as far back as 2400 BC in Egypt. The art form has modified itself over centuries and existed uniquely in many cultures such as Early Roman and Greek jesters, Chinese jesters (most notably in the Han dynasty), Europe in the early 1800s (with the famous Joseph Grimaldi), and the 19th Century North American circus clowns. More about clowns is linked below.

At the top of the clown show, each clown introduced themselves with a small routine. Then,` they paired up to offer small vignettes starring their established characters. The vignettes included themes like, “Grocery Store”, “Treasure Hunt”, or “How We First Met”. Each routine was situationally unique, yet maintained the clown’s persona introduced at the beginning. They performed while pantomiming most “props and set pieces”, sometimes speaking to each other, sometimes silent.

These actors were effortlessly hysterical, and the audience remained responsive. They were fearless and remained intensely committed to their choices. Each student cultivated a genuine extension of themselves through a whimsical and highly physicalized filter. The clowns wore costumes reflective of their character with, of course, the beaming red nose. No two were alike in the slightest, each offering selective mannerisms. The troupe created a fanciful and utterly unique theatrical space within Arthur Miller, destigmatizing the often misunderstood art of clowns. 

 

More on Clowns Here: 

Clown and Theater 

Clowns: History and Mythology

 

Image taken during the 12/11/23 Clown Show.

REVIEW: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

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In The Round is a student-run theater organization that produces two theatrical productions in an academic year. Last year, the organization produced Mart Crowley’s Boys in the Band and Stephen Stater’s Spring Awakening. This year, In The Round presents the ambitious and timely, Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812. 

NP&TGC is a 2012 electro-opera musical that was adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. It was written by Dave Malloy and won the Tony Award for Best Musical, Book, Score, and Orchestrations in 2012. It features vibrant, eclectic music with sudden shifts reflecting the turbulent situation between the characters and the state of 19th-century Russia. The music was extremely unique, with powerful, sweeping vocal moments and striking EDM-like dance scenes. I adored the creativity and thoughtfulness behind the score.

The actors maneuvered through this piece well. There are some incredibly difficult moments in this show that I commend the actors for working through and creating their own. The sustainably sourced costuming was another lovely addition that is appreciated in a time of dire need for increased sustainable options.

This production was performed in the Arthur Miller Theater, a thrust space. Some pictures of the staging/tableaux that were created in scenes were lost to me because of my stage-left seating. From my seat, some events that were happening in the plot were lost because of the dancers or levels the actors were creating. I wondered if my experience would have been different sitting in the upper mezzanine center. Pierre’s ‘home’ in the left-hand corner of the stage was visible to me, and his intentional manic scribblings throughout the musical were a compelling acting choice. Select moments between Anatole and Natasha were visible, and what I could see was beautiful, the two portrayed electric chemistry.

In The Round states that it is an organization “dedicated to queer stories and queer storytellers…we produce performances, relating the themes of our shows to themes of queer culture.” I admire that a theatrical organization is taking the initiative to amplify queer voices, but I seem to have missed the intention behind this production of NP&TGC specifically representing and amplifying an LGBTQ+-based story. There is evident relevance that anything could be a queer story, but I found myself longing for a more direct interpretation of the queerness in the show. I note that this is certainly a point up to interpretation by each audience member.

NP&TGC is an ambitious choice for any theater with its intense level of technical production, difficult musical excerpts, and involved direction. This gripping score is a vocal and emotional challenge and I commend everyone involved for creating this challenging piece of theater. 

Congratulations to everyone involved in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. In the Round will be performing bare: A Pop Opera next semester March 7th-9th in the Arthur Miller Theater. Auditions will be early next semester. 

 

 

Image thanks to In The Round on Instagram. 

REVIEW: Attempts On Her Life

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Rude Mechanicals is a student-run theater organization founded in 1996 specializing in producing plays. This semester’s performance of Attempts on Her Life (1997) by Martin Crimp was bold and thought-provoking, an experimental masterpiece of theater. Director Tiara Partsch crafted this perplexing script into a chaotically constructed gem. 

The most fascinating aspect of this show is how there are no named characters in the script. The dialogue exists on its own and remains completely open to interpretation by the director and the creative team. There are no set characters, and there is no plot. The actors exist as thoughts, people, or concepts that are never truly defined. From what I understood, Crimp was emphasizing the deconstruction of theater, focusing on independent facets of a named ‘Anne’ or ‘Anny’s’ life. It’s important to note that Anne is not just a defined person but also a heroine of a film, a porn star, a conversation piece among friends, a car, or a concept. This piece surely demanded lots of attention and open-mindedness from the audience.

At some points, the drama was difficult to navigate as an audience member who is not as seasoned in experimental theater. Although, the originality of the dialogue was clear through the lack of a storyline. Overall, Crimp’s urge to condemn a coherent identity in society through this text was understood. There are beautifully crafted monologues in this piece that were delivered exceptionally by the troupe of actors. Their attention to small details and their meticulous handling of the material were admired by the audience. 

The design for this show was brilliant. The objects hung over the stage were a perfect implication of the abstract nature of the show. I loved the eclectic colors and textures throughout the costumes, while the minimal set pieces did not wash the actors out of the Mendelssohn stage. William Webster was in charge of the scenic design with Ellie Van Engen cultivating the costume design for the show. 

Attempts on Her Life ran December 1-3 at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater. Next semester, Rude Mechanicals will present Diana Son’s Stop Kiss directed by Reese Leif. The show will perform April 19-21st with auditions mid-semester. 

 

 

Images thanks to @UMRUDES on Instagram.