Category: Arts

REVIEW: Rent

Ella Larsen Leave a comment

Thursday, April 13, 2023 • 7:30 pm • Power Center

SMTD’s Rent was an incredible experience! Everything from the artists to the accompaniment to the set and costuming was spot-on, and I’m so grateful I got to see this iconic show live.

Shoutouts for favorite performers go to Alex Humphreys (Joanne Jefferson) and Sevon Askew (Tom Collins). I loved Humphreys’ tightly-wound portrayal of Joanne, holding back until her full voice finally exploded through in “Take Me or Leave Me.” Askew played a perfect Tom Collins, simultaneous dreamer and voice of reason. The duet with Angel (“I’ll Cover You”) was beautiful while somehow still hinting at the tragedy to come, and the reprise was heartbreaking.

As I mentioned earlier, the set for this show was super cool. The structure evoked a corner of the East Village circa 1990, every element of the stage simultaneously a darkened street, a lot, a tent city, a community of apartments. Not that I can exactly vouch for its accuracy, but it matched my generation’s faux-nostalgia for the grungy late-80s, early 90s. The program detailed a little of the dramaturgs’ approach to the historical integrity of the play, including details like following AZT dosage instructions or matching the brands of makeup popular at the time. As far as the set goes, I liked how the lack of borders between elements of the set seemed to reflect the transience of housing in the show–one moment the cast was in Mark and Roger’s apartment, the next they were on the street.

The last time I watched the 2005 screenplay version of Rent was probably 2018 or so, when I was in ninth grade, and I think a lot of it went over my head, especially the historical elements like the HIV/AIDS crisis. I took a course on social movements this year where we spent a long time analyzing the ACT UP movement, which brought me a whole new level of appreciation for Rent‘s relationship to and portrayal of the epidemic.

I’m glad I got to see SMTD’s last show of the season, and I can’t wait to check out some of their 23/24 lineup when I get back after the summer. Access to so many incredible performances is one of the things I love most about living in Ann Arbor, and if you’re a student reading this, I hope you’ll take this opportunity and make the most of the campus art scene while you’re here.

REVIEW: Michigan Pops Orchestra “A Night at the Popscars”

Sappy Leave a comment

The featured image above was taken from their Instagram: @michiganpops

This semester’s Michigan Pops Concert has been my favorite out of all the concerts I’ve attended! There was a crazy line at the door and the crowd turnout was also the largest I’ve seen, so much so that the start time was postponed to accommodate more audience members. It’s always refreshing to see that both children and the elderly are present in addition to college students; it shows that this student organization is popular among locals too.

They had a large and impressive list of repertoire (most were already familiar to the audience thanks to the theme they chose) and I appreciated how well they balanced the amount and order of classical and contemporary music. My favorite and most anticipated piece was Howl’s Moving Castle, but I wished it was longer. I felt that the arrangement could’ve been better too, though that doesn’t mean the Pops Orchestra didn’t play it well.

It seemed like there were more featured soloists in this concert than in the previous ones, but I think it still showcased the orchestra as a group pretty well without being overshadowed. Unfortunately, there were some balance issues and at times it was hard to hear the soloists.

The winner of this year’s high school concerto competition was a Sophomore from Huron High School, which is so impressive since the winners have historically mostly been Seniors. She played the Lalo Violin Concerto, and she exuded so much power and charisma as she performed. Shoutout to the violist who gave an amazing show of Bohemian Rhapsody and the pianist who shined during La La Land! You can watch them on Youtube, but nothing will beat the live music so pull up next year!

As for the skits, the most memorable part for me was when some students wore paper swans on their heads as they performed swan lake. It impressed me how well-made the swans looked!

It appears lots of members will be graduating, which is a little sad, but I’m looking forward to what changes the remaining and new Pops board and members will bring us next year.

 

REVIEW: Cocaine Bear

Sappy Leave a comment

To be completely honest, I was rather disappointed after watching this movie. Perhaps it was because my friends hyped it up so much or the comedy just wasn’t to my taste, but it had too many plotholes for it to be satirically viable. Having a comedy movie be understandable is a personal preference though, so I’m sure a lot of people didn’t mind that. There were certain scenes that I found funny since they caught me off guard (I won’t elaborate much to avoid spoilers), but most of the time I got upset about the character development and storytelling.

They use gore and of course, the consumption of cocaine, as their comedic selling point, so if you’re easily squeamish or not interested in that I don’t recommend this movie. Well, I don’t recommend it in general. There are also lots of jump scares, so beware if you’re startled easily! If I had to rate it on a scale of 1-10, I’d give it a 4.5; that may be a controversial statement though.

I did end up watching this movie twice to show others how ridiculous it is; I guess watching this with others could be a good bonding experience! The second time around I could understand more of what was going on. Many of the characters have Southern accents and there are a lot of characters in general that become hard to keep track of, so if you can watch it with subtitles it’d be super helpful.

To summarize, I don’t think this film was a must-watch.

PSA: I had mistakenly thought and questioned how much of the film was true but none of it is, which may have played a factor in my disappointment. Now that you know what you’re getting yourself into, give the movie a shot! Or don’t, it’s up to you.

REVIEW: Vail/MichMinnies Art Fair

Abigail Goodman Leave a comment

For many on the University of Michigan campus, cooperative housing can be a great solution to a competitive, complicated, expensive housing process. With the prices of high-rise apartments soaring, and with houses often managed by negligent landlords or just completely falling apart, many students are turning to co-ops. Jointly operated by its members and coordinated by the Inter-Cooperative Council at Ann Arbor, co-ops offer affordable off-campus housing with the benefits of an established community. Residents share chores, cook meals together, throw parties, and form lasting friendships. 

And they have art fairs! Last Sunday’s art fair at Vail and MichMinnies, two popular co-ops on campus, was a showcase in handmade, creative artistic styles. There was pottery, cyanotypes, prints, sketches, second-hand clothes, collages, and so much more. Personally, I had my eye set on a laminated collage of a couple of meerkats set against a backdrop of a field of flowers. I also picked up a laser-thin wood-pressed print, which the artist had sketched over in black pen.  They were both incredible works of art that I got at a significantly lower price than I would have at a regular store. Plus, much of the profit will be donated to local charities. 

Walking through the different booths, you really felt the full effect of what it means for something to be “student run.” Everyone at the University of Michigan has the chance to go to many student run events – ranging from improv to comedy to performances to art galleries – but it’s especially exciting when those student run events bleed into the outside world. There has been a major political push in the past few years to absolve apartment residents of the burden negligent or even criminal landlords can place on them. Cooperative housing members own a share of the actual organization that owns the property, meaning that every single resident owns a part of that house. It’s an elegant solution to a housing market in crisis. 

I highly recommend checking out the next co-op art fair. It’s a great chance to pick up some local art, support your fellow peers, and take a look at some alternative housing options. 

REVIEW: THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE

Ruth Leave a comment

It was exciting to sit down in the movie theater as the famous Super Mario brothers came to the screen. Even Mario and Luigi themselves came to watch the film! (The cosplay was much appreciated by the entire audience.). It had been a while since I’d been able to go PG, family friendly film, so it was a nice change of pace to be surrounded by kids jumping in and out of their seats. The movie theater was filled with laughs and giggles, oohs and aaahs, and people singing along every time a familiar tune made its way into the music score.

One of the most commendable aspects of the film is how much it pulls from the extensive hold of source material. It seemed as though the entire music track was littered with video game music easter eggs. Though the most powerful and objectively hilarious piece of music was an original ballad that Bowser sings while tickling the ivories, a song titled “Peaches”. It’s an incredible song that describes his love for Princess Peach. Jack Black, who voices Bowser, actually wrote the song himself, which makes it all the more sweeter. And in typical Jack Black form, the song is also hilarious. I could listen to it on repeat for hours.

Obviously music isn’t the only highlighted feature of the film, there are probably hundreds of easter eggs scattered throughout. In fact, there was one particular movie goer who was excitedly pointing them out every time one appeared. And thankfully, because I stayed seated until the credits were over, I witnessed, arguably, the cutest easter egg of all! Though I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the film yet. Just make sure to stay for the entire movie! There’s clearly a lot of depth to this film that more experienced players than me will pick up on immediately and appreciate.

However, I do have one complaint. The script writing of this film, particularly in the beginning, wasn’t well done. It seemed as though the writers needed to get through the introductory content as quickly as possible and it shows.  I realize that the target audience of the film is geared more towards children than adults, but that doesn’t excuse lazy writing. Thankfully, the script only improves, the longer the movie goes on.

If you’re a fan of the Super Mario Bros. world or looking for a fun film to take the kids to, this is definitely the movie for you.

REVIEW: DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES

Ruth 1 Comment

I’m relatively new to the world of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). I’ve only been playing for about a year, but I’m completely in love with the game. It’s such a complex, rich world of fantasy, filled with fantastical beasts and monsters, flamboyant spells, magical weapons, and so much more. Most importantly, it’s a great way to meet new friends and grow confidence in yourself as both a RPG player as well as a person.  D&D has grown so much in the last decade and I was so excited to see the trailer for Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. After watching it in theaters with my D&D friend group, I can happily say that it didn’t disappoint.

Firstly, the film is packed with D&D staples as far as magical items and creatures are concerned. If you’ve watched the trailer, you’ve already seen one of the most popular monsters included in the world of D&D: the Owlbear. I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this creature brought to life on screen. There were also staples such as the Hither Dither staff (a staff of teleportation), Bigby’s Hand (a famous spell that materializes a giant hand that the caster can punch and grapple an enemy with, among other things), and the best staple of them all, the loveable dragon known as Themberchaud.

Themberchaud has a deep history in the realm of D&D and I won’t get into that history for the sake of whoever is reading this, because this review would get rather long. However, the inclusion of this particular chunky dragon is a testament to how much research, thought, and love was put into this film. It’s clear that the directors weren’t just piling in popular D&D material, they were picking and choosing the best elements throughout the world of D&D that made sense with the story they were trying to tell.

Another aspect I loved about the film was how they took the rules of D&D and sprinkled them into the film, poking fun at the game itself at times. For example, there’s a certain scene where the spell Speak With Dead is cast. This spell allows the caster to ask a corpse up to five questions. The film takes full advantage of the limits of this spell, and a character even questions the reasoning of only being allowed to ask five questions.

It’s a wonderful film overall, and I’d recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in the world of D&D. Who knows! You might just buy a set of dice and start playing!