Interested in the movie that just won a record-breaking seven Golden Globes? Want to be able to make casual dinner conversation for the next year? Just want to see Ryan Gosling sing and dance a bit? Well, come on down to the Michigan Theater to watch La La Land, the most critically acclaimed film of the year. The movie will definitely be showing at the Michigan Theater for the rest of next week and likely several weeks after that, if you can’t make it this week. Student tickets are $8.
Category: Arts
REVIEW: The Ark Open Stage (Open Mic)
The only way to go to an open mic is to go open-minded. What I immediately liked about the Ark was that it had a much more open atmosphere than more traditional open mic venues like coffee shops.
The emcee for the night drew 15 names out of a star-covered bucket and the first performer, Bradley, came to the stage. Dressed like any other run-of-the-mill Ann Arbor hipster, he explained that he hadn’t expected to play. Then he belted out two incredibly well-crafted songs on guitar, harmonica, and piano that sounded polished enough to be heard on the radio.
Not everyone who came to the stage was polished, but they didn’t have to be. A guitarist named Max belted out his original “Snow in July” that sounded great as a raw, unfinished sound.
One of the pairs of the night, Remington Taylor, performed using only the piano as an accompaniment to their voices, and they were magnetic. Their songs of heartbreak and romance was in the vein of Once and Begin Again, but without an acoustic guitar.
Which brings me to the caveat about this event: come expecting to hear a lot of acoustic guitar and heartbreaking ballads. One song was title “Heart Shattered Like My Bones”–about a boy of course. The girl who announced did so with a “haha it’s dramatic I know I didn’t really mean it–but seriously that’s how I felt” vibe.
Even though each performer only had eight minutes, seeing and hearing acoustic pieces again and again started to sound a bit repetitive.
Then a young strapping lad named Kellen Marceau took the stage and sang his original pieces “Your Boyfriend” and “What if We Broke Up and Zombies Came.” Think Zooey Deschanel writing a break up song except weirder–and funnier.
Overall, open stage is not a bad way to spend your night, especially when it’s raining outside and the cost of admission is only $2. If you’re going though, I recommend that you don’t play acoustic guitar.
REVIEW: The Literary History of Layla and Majnun
The Of Love and Madness: Layla and Majnun exhibit at the Hatcher Graduate library gives visitors a glance into the literary history of a romantic tale. With Arabian origins and a variety of versions to the story, some of these many versions are scripts from the library’s Islamic Manuscripts Collection. Aside from being a collection with scripts that date as far back as the 16th century, all of the manuscripts on display happen to be illuminated manuscripts — documents with text that are decorated with initials, borders, and/or illustrations.
The first illuminated manuscript I looked at was a copy of Nizami’s Persian version of the tale, pictured above. The beauty of a story about powerful love was reflected in the vibrant details of the pages: Persian words were cushioned in gold detailing, royal blue & crimson red contrasted wonderfully with the pages, and intricate floral designs tied the colors of the page together. The next manuscript I saw was a copy of Jami’s Persian version within his Haft Awrang, a collection of seven different tales with one of them pertaining to Layla and Majnun. This copy, pictured below, features a headpiece with title marks.
PREVIEW: The Ark Open Stage (Open Mic)
Have you been honing those keytar skills throughout winter break and want to show off? Want to show off the results of all that practice singing to yourself in the car on your morning commute?
This is your chance!
On Wednesday, January 11th at 8 PM, 15 performers will be invited to the stage at the Ark for 8 minute performances each.
Sign up: 7:30
Selection: 7:45 and 8:30
It’s only $2 for students!
As the Ark states on its web site, locally famous acts such as Dick Siegel to nationally known artists like Gilda Rader have performed at open stage.
PREVIEW: Collage Concert
On Saturday, January 14, 2017, students of U of M’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance will come together for a showcase of some of their best pieces. The traditional Collage Concert will feature back-to-back performances of musical pieces, dance, theatre, and more! I was told that this is not a performance to miss!
The Collage Concert will take place in Hill Auditorium at 8pm. Tickets are $26/$32 for reserved seating and $12 for students with an ID.
PREVIEW: The Literary History of Layla and Majnun
The Hatcher Graduate library is currently featuring manuscripts from their Islamic Manuscripts collection, which pertains to a Persian love story written by Nizami Ganjavi. These manuscripts, written in the 9th century, focus on a woman named Layla and a man named Qays Ibn al-Mulawwah (who later was nicknamed Majnun) and their virgin love. This ancient tale has been adopted, rewritten, and altered many times, from Sufi writers to Indians to European writers. Visit this exhibit before it ends, in order to view original manuscripts of a beloved story in the world of literature.
Details
When: Now until February 22nd
Time: 10:00AM – 6:00PM
Location: Hatcher Graduate Library, 7th Floor Exhibit Space
