Natalie Steers is pursuing a double major in English and Creative Writing as well as a Minor in Business. She's always had a passion for the arts and her favorite pastimes generally include practicing yoga, reading realistic fiction and fantasy novels, listening to NPR, drinking hot chocolate, and constantly reteaching herself how to knit.
“We started with wanting to change the world with a performance. We felt like idiots.”
And so was born Igor and Moreno’s “Idiot-Syncrasy”. They premiered the piece in 2015 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a renowned festival for exploration in performance and creativity, and haven’t stopped dancing for joy since. Literally. After opening by singing a folk song from the Basque Country, Igor and Moreno bounce for the entire rest of the work. Perhaps they won’t change the world but their performance speaks to the idea of perseverance and empowerment.
Sound different, sound interesting? They are coming to Ann Arbor THIS week at the Arthur Miller Theatre. Don’t miss out!
But if you can’t make the performances or the cold is keeping you from traveling to North Campus, you still might have chance to experience “Idiot-Syncrasy”. Saturday evening there will be a free livestream of the performance. Click to find out more.
And the fun doesn’t stop there: Thursday on their opening night, there is a pre-performance talk at 7pm and Q&A after the performance. So grab your tickets quickly!
Details:
Dates: THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2017 8:00 PM
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2017 8:00 PM
Where: ARTHUR MILLER THEATRE
I don’t think a show can go wrong when there’s pirates in it, I found myself telling my friend before the opening of Peter and the Starcatcher this past weekend. There are many examples to back up this claim: Pirates of Penzance, Pirates of the Caribbean (I’m still waiting for a stage version of this), and of course, Peter Pan. Let’s be honest, it’s all very cool when the children fly across the stage for the first time in Peter Pan, but the pirates first entrance can just about steal the show.
UofM’s Department of Theatre and Drama’s production of Peter and the Starcatcher lived up to my pirate filled expectations. Jeffrey James Fox as Black Stache and Jack Alberts as Slank battled it out for my favorite- literally, as they have a captain’s “boxing” match near the end of the first act. Each was an energetic and attention-grabbing seafarer. Eventually, we learn that Black Stache, who will go on to become the legendary Captain Hook, really just wants a hero to fight against; a true partnership, if you will. He searches the whole show for such an adversary and finally finds it in the boy he dubs Peter, an orphan.
But the show wouldn’t move along without Molly; a character strikingly similar to her daughter Wendy, but with more gumption than her overtly feminine successor that the audience knows from Peter Pan. Played by Kourtney Bell, who played a spritely and eager apprentice starcatcher, Molly marches about declaring herself the leader. Through her many adventures with Peter and the boys, she ultimately fulfills her mission and is made a full starcatcher. But the adventures are not without their price, as Molly and Peter must part ways. The next time she catches a glimpse of him as he’s flying off to Neverland with her daughter.
Peter and the Starcatcher is a lovely little prequel and the Department of Theatre and Drama put on an enjoyable production. One of my favorite parts was how physical the show is; actors became different parts of the ship. One moment they’re crawling along the floor with a toy boat to show the ship’s course and the next they are lifting and tumbling Peter up and around as he’s thrown overboard- the ensemble becomes the sea itself. It made the transitions seamless and fascinating to watch. The first act takes place on a boat and the second act on an island, the soon to be Neverland, but regardless of where the show is, it was full of anachronisms- which were hilarious instead of disappointing. The intentional way in which they were placed throughout the show- an eggbeater as a microphone, foam noodles for swords- were delivered and incorporated nicely by the actors with an air of “we know you know that this doesn’t belong in a play during Queen Victoria’s reign but…we’re using it anyway”. I laughed often as Peter and the Starcatcher flew to success at the Power Center this past weekend!
The University of Michigan Department of Theatre and Drama’s current show, Peter and the Starcatcher, is now flying at the Power Center. Performances run until the December 11th, and you won’t want to miss your chance to see this stars-to-be studded musical! The show is based on the novel Peter and the Starcatcher by comedian Dave Barry and novelist Ridley Pearson. Rick Elice adapted the story for the stage, where the Broadway production won 5 Tony Awards.
The tale of Peter and the Starcatcher is a prequel to the classic Peter Pan. Molly and her father the professional starcatcher are on a secret mission for the Queen of England. All the favorite elements of the traditional story are there: pirates, villains, crocodiles, and endearing orphans who will never grow up!
Details:
When: December 8th-11th
Where: Power Center
Tickets: $12 student/$22 adult
Sunday night I attended the Royal Shakespeare Company’s live broadcast of King Lear at the Michigan Theater. I sat down in my seat, to organ music being played at the front of the theater.
As the organ quieted and the lights dimmed, the opening shots on the screen were of past actors who had played the role of Lear in previous productions by this company. The list includes an impressive number of names; I was struck, as I occasionally am, of the enduring quality of Shakespeare’s work. King Lear still roars on the stage, Hamlet still speaks to ghosts, Romeo and Juliet still fall in love at first sight. What is it about his plays that makes it so we are still captivated, 400 years after his death?
That question became the theme of the evening. Before the show began, the broadcast featured an interview with the director, Gregory Doran, and a separate piece with the lead, Antony Sher who played Lear (fun fact: the two are married!). Both mentioned, in one way or another, the lasting relevance and urgency the tale of King Lear has today. In the wake of Brexit in the UK, the play’s exploration of breaking up of unions and loyalties are echoed in the mind of UK citizens. In the wake of the divisive and emotion ridden 2016 Election here in the States, the ideas of relating to others and the meaning of power seem particularly strong, as we make this next transition in our nation’s history. King Lear is a play about great compassion, great cruelty, and ultimately what it means to be human.
Oliver Johnstone as Edgar (photo from RCS website)
And that message which was so expertly executed by the Royal Shakespeare Company – in stunning costumes, an astoundingly talented cast, and wonderful staging – in production’s like theirs, King Lear’s message will continue to resonate for another 400 years.
It is June 2015. I’ve had a long day of interacting with customers at my summer job as a cashier and am now zoning out on the couch, the 2015 Tony Awards on in the background. The Fun Home cast enters between award presentations and begins to perform “Ring of Keys”, a touching song about halfway through the musical. From the first word I am enchanted by the interaction between Alison and her younger self; I turn the volume up. Like much of the musical, the song has an adult Alison reflecting back on a moment of her childhood where she wrestles with gender roles, sexuality, and the mystery of growing up. I watched in amazement at the simplicity and beauty of this song.
Fun Home went on to win 5 Tony awards that year, including Best Musical. This was my first experience with the striking narrative of Fun Home and I am very excited that the National Touring Company is playing at Fisher Theatre in Detroit this December. On Saturday, December 3rd I went to the matinee, the one song I knew from the show playing in my head.
Fisher Theatre (from Broadway in Detroit website)
I was blown away by the production’s energy and honesty. The entire cast was amazing, whether it was a tense scene about her father’s meticulous and obsessive restoration of their house or a lively pop number where the child Alison made a commercial for her family’s funeral home- the so called “Fun Home”. In her journey to discovering and accepting she is a lesbian, Alison continually reflects back on moments of her childhood and adolescense; often these moments had all three Alisons, at various ages, on stage singing together. These tableaus were visually beautiful and made me wish I could interact with my former self that way. “Ring of Keys” was still one of my favorite songs, as was “Changing my Major” – a comically sweet moment where college Alison decides to major in Joan, the girl she is dating and her first love. I enjoyed every number, from opening to end, and left feeling I’d witnessed something special.
My friend Mady and I in the beautiful Fisher Theatre
For students who would like to see Fun Home, during the musical’s entire run at Fisher Theatre, until December 11th, Broadway in Detroit will be offering a great deal on rush tickets for college students. Rush tickets begin 2 hours before each performance at the box office and are limited to 2 tickets per valid student ID. They are $25 cash tickets. This is a great deal and amazing opportunity to see an inspiring piece of theatre! And as University of Michigan students, the Connector makes getting to Detroit easy and affordable (its free). Don’t miss your chance to see Fun Home!
The Details:
Dates: Now- December 11th
Times: Tuesday -Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 7:30pm
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm
Where: Fisher Theatre in Detroit
More information: Broadway in Detroit
The Royal Shakespeare Company is broadcasting in select cinemas a High-Definition live performance of William Shakespeare’s powerful play, King Lear. Presented in partnership with University Musical Society (UMS), Michigan Theater will be one of the theaters hosting this event on Sunday, December 4th. A masterful, tragic, and enlightening play, the story of King Lear explores vanity, power’s tendency to corrupt, and the limits of family loyalty. Anthony Sher stars in this Stratford-Upon-Avon (the home of Shakespeare himself) based company’s production. Sher is an award winning actor and has a long history with the organization, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982.
Don’t miss this great opportunity to see this world renowned company’s performance- and all without having to leave Ann Arbor!
Details
When: Sunday, December 4th
Time: 7pm (run time of 2 hours and 55 minutes + 20 minute intermission) Tickets: $12 students/$22 adult
Where: Michigan Theater
More Information: UMS website
