Author: Ella Larsen

8:00pm • Saturday, December 10, 2022 • Power Center

I spent a lovely evening this Saturday enjoying The Heart of Robin Hood, produced by the U-M Department of Theatre and Drama and directed by Geoff Packard. I have been seeing a lot of student-produced performances lately, so it was interesting to observe the differences in scale and execution between student productions like Musket’s Little Shop of Horrors, In the Round’s Spring Awakening, or Rude Mechanicals’ Indecent, and SMTD productions like this one. The biggest difference I noticed was the extensive list of collaborators who participated in developing the performance–spanning 8-or-so pages in the program!–the majority of whom were not students. It seems that they made it a point to include and credit as many roles as possible, being a University production with more direct access to funding.

One of the highlights of the show for me was the cute relationship developed between Marion, the protagonist played by Stefania Gonzalez, and her “buffoon”/friend, Pierre, played by Nathan Goldberg (who also had some funny moments of breaking the fourth wall and audience-participation). I also admired the unbridled evil captured in the character of Alice, Marion’s sister, played by Charlotte B. Um. For the Harry Potter fans who read this post, Alice was to the actual antagonist, Prince John (played by Pete Dickey), as Professor Umbridge was to Voldemort. Somehow, you just hate her more.

The set for the play was impressive, featuring a massive ramp which rose from the floor diagonally across the stage, surrounded by ethereal vine-wrapped trunks representing the trees of Sherwood Forest. I read that the set was designed to reflect how a child might interpret a story as it is read to them, rendered in broad strokes by their imagination. True to their intention, the setting reminded me of dreams where somehow I’m in several recognizable places at once. When the story transitioned from forest to castle, giant walls topped with gothic arches or cathedral-style cut-outs were lowered from above the stage to hover over the actors, giving one the sense that the space beyond and above the stage extended on forever. One could peak through the trees to see a platform where a band (local “chambergrass” band Westbound Situation) played the soundtrack for the play.

I look forward to seeing more of SMTD’s performances next semester, including The Importance of Being Earnest, Everybody (a modern take on Everyman), and Rent (previews forthcoming!). I hope everyone gets the opportunity to enjoy some art as this semester comes to a close and we move into winter break. As this will be my last post before I return to Ann Arbor in January, here’s to a new year full of wonderful performances!

8:00pm • Friday, December 9, 2022 • Arthur Miller Theater • Full of spoilers

I was not prepared for Indecent. From the first moments I spent in the audience, I was transported to the eerie liminal space between story and reality where, for me, great theater exists.

One of the most striking elements of the performance for me was the way Indecent continually drew from the reality of the Holocaust and its impact on the story, both symbolically and literally. There was a moment while Lemml, the stage manager of War of Vengeance played by Lilah Dagenais, welcomed the audience to the theater and said, “Every night we tell this story-but somehow I can never remember the end.” I heard a lone audience member laugh, perhaps not yet grasping the hidden significance of the phrase. That significance became uncomfortably clear as the band opened the first scene and the cast rose from their seats, dancing together as ash seemed to pour from the folds of their coats and hung suspended in the air above the stage.

Much of the performance was imbued with a grim sense of humor, one which left me near tears more frequently than laughter. The moments of humor advanced the play’s intent, as Mirit Skeen wrote in their director’s note in the program, to portray “our human need to create art,” even in the worst of times. The scene where Chana, played by Grace Lutenske, and Halina, played by Grace Walsh, sang “Ain’t We Got Fun,” advanced this theme using a deep sense of irony. As the two women faced intense antisemitism and homophobia in the United States, the song both highlighted the pain of their circumstances and the grace with which they survived these experiences, continuing to speak to the beauty of life through their art.

I very rarely cry while watching stage performances, but on Friday I was still sniffling as I joined the queue for the bus back to central campus. I became teary during the true-to-life speech of Rabbi Silverman on why he set the vice squad to arrest the cast and producer. I had to wipe my eyes during the montage where cast members left in Europe read letters to Sholem Asch, the playwright, about their efforts to escape the Holocaust. I had to choke back sobs during the final, heartbreaking scene where the troupe stood in a line, branded with yellow stars; Lemml imagined the young lovers of God of Vengeance escaping; and finally, the screen behind the actors read “Ashes to ashes: the troupe returns to dust.”

I hope that those who were not able to attend the performance this weekend have the chance in the future. I know I’m a generally gushy writer, but I can easily say that this performance was the best one I saw all semester, and offer heartfelt congratulations to the Rude Mechanicals for producing such a masterpiece.

**Photo credit: Ellie Vice

What: a theater production and reimagining of the classic Robin Hood story produced by the U-M Theater Department

When: 

• Friday, December 9, 8:00pm
• Saturday, December 10, 8:00pm
• Sunday, December 11, 2:00pm

Where: Power Center

Tickets: $13 for students, $24-30 for adults, available online, at the Michigan League Ticket Office, by phone at (734) 764-2538, or at the box office 1 hr before the performance (if available). Additional fees may apply.

Written by David Farr in 2011, The Heart of Robin Hood centers Maid Marion in its retelling of the classic Robin Hood story. The production questions the origins of the moral story, asking how Robin Hood came to his iconic practice of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. This production of The Heart of Robin Hood is directed by Geoff Packard, a U-M theater professor, and stars Stefania Gonzalez as Marion and Erik Dagoberg as Robin Hood. Packard has also invited local bluegrass band Westbound Situation to perform some of the folk music called for in Farr’s original score. I look forward to the play’s intricately choreographed fight scenes and its emphasis on realism in its portrayal of relationships, politics, and morality. For a sneak peak at some of these elements, check out the trailer included below!